The Buttons & You

[Aravell]

I'm in the camp of keeping the combo separate but not for a dumb reason like "skill expression", there's not much skill expressed by pressing 1, then 2, then 3.

No, why I want them kept separate is that there exists times when you want to intentionally reset your combo, like if you want to do a 1-2 and skip the 3 on GNB to keep refreshing the shield and keep yourself alive while the healer is hardcasting a raise. Or situations like how you want to reset your combo and take a minor damage loss for better alignment later on in the fight, that's an element ot skill expression.

All that said, I wouldn't be opposed to the option for people to condense the combo into one button for those who want it. As long as it's optional and not forced on everyone.

[TaleraRistain]

I'm in the camp of keeping the combo separate but not for a dumb reason like "skill expression", there's not much skill expressed by pressing 1, then 2, then 3.

No, why I want them kept separate is that there exists times when you want to intentionally reset your combo, like if you want to do a 1-2 and skip the 3 on GNB to keep refreshing the shield and keep yourself alive while the healer is hardcasting a raise. Or situations like how you want to reset your combo and take a minor damage loss for better alignment later on in the fight, that's an element ot skill expression.

All that said, I wouldn't be opposed to the option for people to condense the combo into one button for those who want it. As long as it's optional and not forced on everyone.

Brutal Shell spam ftw. Saved my behind many a time at lower levels when the healer dies.

[lolnotacat]

I'd prefer less buttons. I forgot how enjoyable a lack of bloat can be after taking a break and playing GW1 & 2 for a while.

I'm not saying go down that much, but I think around 15 different buttons (give or take a couple) makes sense.

[Azurarok]

I keep track of where I am in a combo based on what button I've pressed, so condensed combo buttons like PCT and VPR's makes it harder to do that, and I tend to overcap on gauge far more often on those two because of that. I don't know how I'd lay out VPR hotbars without it though.

That said, I see zero reason for the subtractive palette buttons to be separate.

[Jeeqbit]

Don't get me wrong, I'm alright with the concept of a small amount of buttons. We have that with PvP and it seems they've done similar things with Viper and Pictomancer where one button becomes another.

But the large amount of buttons is also how they've typically made the classes feel more complex. They can be made that way with fewer buttons if they make the buttons we do have strategic but they only have a limited amount of such ideas for that and some of them were cut down over time from the Role Actions due to lack of use.

I've tried macroing some jobs into just a few buttons (successfully btw), and it honestly does make them more braindead. So I don't really know if it's worth upsetting the players that like jobs feeling bloated and complex.

However, they could make it all configurable to a greater extent than they did in DT, so that all combos of any kind can be done this way. They know how to do it, because they already achieved it when playing as Scions in the MSQ with jobs such as: GNB, AST, DRG, RDM, WHM, BLM and SMN - all of which they reduced to about 4 buttons at various level ranges.

[TaranTatsuuchi]

If a skill can only be used after using a separate skill, there's no excuse for it to take up a separate button.

[RinaB]

I agree tbh. I don't see how it enhances my gameplay to have Gibbet and Gallows are on separate buttons when Blood Stalk, Unv.Gibbet, Unv.Gallows share 1. Same with Guillotine and Grim Swathe. Other then a chance to screw up the combo potency or positional I don't see the point. Rpr isn't cluttered but ideal button placement is a little wonky on controller. Is it unplayable? Ofc not, it would just be cleaner like this.

[Shurrikhan]

+1 for the "Let people do what they want (and increase the obviousness and quality of access to said customization)" camp.

If doing so reveals how little of the game's combat is just a pretense, possibly incentivizing a shift towards optimal play being more situationally varied instead of just based on the tightness of adhering to a set script, all the better.

[PaleYonder]

As a console player who plays with the traditional bars for wrist health reasons, I'm absolutely for cutting down the number of buttons drastically. Condense the combos, get rid of skills that don't do much in particular or also only set up particular other stuff. Whatever it takes. Some jobs just have way too many buttons, and it's getting unreasonable. As a result, especially on DPS, if I'd have to set up yet another hotbar to cycle through each time just for one or two minor or fringe skills, they don't get added, period. And as a tank or healer, while there are cases in which those few extra skills might be needed, they land on the extra bar that barely gets used, but that's just more to cycle through, and I'd prefer it otherwise.
By all means make the 1-2-3 optional for those who really want it; I couldn't say since I don't play high-end content. But to me, a lot of those buttons have to go.

[MrKusabi]

I like the idea of condensing buttons where it makes sense (can Cure I just auto upgrade so we can get away from the Freecure trap already please?), but I do dislike the "gating strong attacks behind buffs" thing they've started doing to address button bloat. That's not really a good way to deal with the issue (and I say this as a controller player). It makes coordinating with your party harder, because you have to either overlap buffs (therefore losing DPS over time for the party) or skip a big damage ability (therefore losing personal DPS).

So by all means, the devs should address button bloat, but they shouldn't forget about PF/PUG situations while they do.