Do auto-attacks serve any meaningful purpose?

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

I think auto-attacks serve as a way of reducing the difference in output of strong and weak players, which is something the devs are always pushing for. If you remove autoattacks, then the players who struggle with basics like GCD uptime will do a lot less damage than they currently do, to the extent that they'll cause trouble for others in roulettes.

I don't think there's any benefit to removing them. It's a small thing to optimize for on certain jobs, which is appreciated. And the fact that it makes lv50 SCH Art of War a GAIN on single target is interesting and fun.

Pretty much this, auto attacks serve as a baseline of damage that is consistent as long as a player is near the boss.