Viper is not hard, and does not need simplification.

[Rhael]

But back to the UI, ultimately the job is designed on the assumption that you'll be relying on cues from there.

The UI is designed with that assumption, but not the job itself.

The moment you try and graduate from needing the UI as a crutch, the job actually takes a disproportionate amount of work to become comfortable with. I can see how other people would view the job as overly complex in that regard.

Vipersight is useless outside of tracking Uncoiled Fury charges. If you need the level of assistance from the UI that the job gauge seems to believe players need, I would strongly suggest working on your mmorpg fundamentals. Develop an understanding of how weaponskill combos work, how to pay attention buff and debuff timers, etc etc. Viper requires a disproportionately low amount of work to become comfortable with. It's very simple, but it requires at least a functional understanding of the basic aspects of how FFXIV (and the style of mmo it's based on, eg wow/swtor/rift/etc) plays.

[Leonus]

If you don’t like the changes when they come out.. Then don’t play it. Isn’t that the same argument people have that if it’s “too busy” or difficult to reach the ceiling of skill then those who can’t shouldn’t play it? Is it too hard to request a happy medium?

People like to complain just to complain. It’s annoying.

[Taliriah]

If you don’t like the changes when they come out.. Then don’t play it.

Yeah, I won't. And I also won't go back to my old job. I don't take well to being given something that I enjoy and then getting it taken away. I don't think it's exactly a rare sentiment.

Isn’t that the same argument people have that if it’s “too busy” or difficult to reach the ceiling of skill then those who can’t shouldn’t play it? Is it too hard to request a happy medium?

There is no happy medium. Any simplification of the job will turn it from ok to boring. Also you are implying that both sides of the debate have equal merit. They do not, because by all indications an overwhelming majority of players are against the changes.

[Leonus]

There is a happy medium. People just are so inside themselves and so extreme one way or the other that it causes a rift. I like the job because I think it’s a nice aesthetic. If they change it somewhat, and we don’t know what changes they will make, I’ll still play it. It’s only a “large majority” because we see people complaining on the forums when we know most people aren’t even on the forums.

[Taliriah]

It’s only a “large majority” because we see people complaining on the forums when we know most people aren’t even on the forums.

And yet they decided those changes seemingly on the basis of a handful of complaints (which were too early after release to be well informed in any way), so evidently we need to make our voices heard. I don't care if it creates a rift in the community, or if it makes you unhappy, because quite frankly the purpose here is not to have a debate, it is to show the devs that their decision is hasty, misguided and based on insufficient data.

[Leonus]

Whether or not it makes me happy is not the point. It’s just a bunch of people crying over something they haven’t gotten even any details about regarding changes while seemingly “gatekeeping” difficulty… for what? I don’t care if the class changes or not, apparently some do and it’s enough to cry about it without even having a full picture.

[Ramiee]

Viper is easier to play than Ninja

Viper is basically Reaper.
It's almost identical and is just as easy however it flows better and is more fun. The simplification is for people who think the dot on reaper is bad design and complicated.

[Myon88]

As I see it, the issues with viper are exacerbated by how its basic combo finisher further splits into four, of which you'll be presented with two options at any one time. While you may know which positional is needed, you also need to know specifically whether it's e.g flank1, or flank2, that you'll be constantly cycling between.

Unless you keep a mental note of what your last finisher was 3 gcds ago, you'll need to rely on the UI to tell you which one it's gonna be - be it the gauge or your hotbars. Neither of these are very appealing options to me, and both impose a burden on your mental stack that other jobs in the game are not subject to.

So I can't agree that it takes less work to pilot than other jobs. I think some people have internalized playing the game at a certain reduced level of capacity for awareness. People who play the game with their eyes glued to their hotbar will understandably find viper straightforward to play - it is, if you're willing to make that concession.

Like I said, I don't consider that normal though, that's dangerously distracted driving. It's good that you bring up fundamentals because I care about them greatly too. I just think I have higher standards which is probably why I notice where viper's design chafes.

[Rhael]

People who play the game with their eyes glued to their hotbar will understandably find viper straightforward to play - it is, if you're willing to make that concession.

Out of every job in this game, viper is one of the ones that requires me to look at my hotbar the least, and I don't even use the vipersight gauge outside of tracking Uncoiled Fury charges. The mental load of doing little more than alternating between the positionals is really not that high, and even then - you get a buff icon that tells you which positional you will be doing three gcds before you even get to it. This issue really is with an understanding of game fundamentals, not viper's design. Paying attention to your buffs and debuffs is an incredibly foundational skill, which viper's design - as with many job designs - assumes the player understands. Changing the job's design to account for a lack of fundamental understanding regarding how the game itself works is, at best, extremely misguided.

Like I said, I don't consider that normal though, that's dangerously distracted driving.

Keeping track of your rotation's current state is more analogous to keeping track of your car's current state - your speed, positioning, managing blinkers, etc. That's not distracted driving. That's just driving. If someone needing to remember to use their blinkers or watch their speedometer is too much of a mental load, then maybe they shouldn't be on the road.

[Virnea]

Unless you keep a mental note of what your last finisher was 3 gcds ago, you'll need to rely on the UI to tell you which one it's gonna be - be it the gauge or your hotbars.

Keep a mental note?... why would anyone struggle to remember something they did 5 seconds ago? what in the world am I reading???
Guys is this the kind of people the devs are trying to accommodate? at this point just delete 90% make the entire rotation a single button so they don't have to think anything. They don't want to engage with the combat system, they just want the easiest way to play around. Never forget guys, we finally had ONE job to have fun, while they had 20 that are easy to play but that wasn't enough. We couldn't have a single job to finally have fun.