The State of Machinist in DT - Let's talk about it (again).

[Valence]

As much as it pains me to say it, they will never bring the ammo back, especially when RDM now has a "we have ammo at home" version (comprehend: dumbed down).

[HyperiusUltima]

Maybe they could place down the turret and have the turret cause the target to take more damage! Let's call it... Legacy Hypercharge! The full turret ability could do this:

Deploys an area of effect battle turret which will deliver auto-attacks to enemies within range with a potency of 60 for the first enemy, 10% less for the second, 20% less for the third, 30% less for the fourth, 40% less for the fifth, and 50% less for all remaining enemies.
Hypercharge Potency: 90
Hypercharge Effect: Increases target's damage taken by 5%
Duration: 10s,
Shares a recast timer with Rook Autoturret.

See:

https://web.archive.org/web/20170618...uide/machinist

Enjoy what you have, kids. You never know when it'll be taken from you.

I remember this. In particular, I think it shouldn't be tied to a turret or Queen for that matter(because let's be honest, Queen still jank). In general MCH should get Noise Blaster for this.

Noise Blaster
- Deal damage with a potency of 500 to all enemies in a cone before you, and inflict Disoriented.
Disoriented: Increases target's damage taken by 5% and decrease damage dealt by 10%.
Duration: 20s
CD: 2m

If they really are going to bother leaving MCH as it is, they can lean MCH into being the god of single target hard mitigation since we already have Dismantle if they're going to keep it this low. Besides, damage during burst windows have started to become more and more of the norm in high-end content and it's pretty rough at times. Having MCH 'throw a wrench' into that damage wouldn't be a majorly bad thing even if Dismantle does that job outside the burst window.

[Shurrikhan]

There are a few points about MCH's button-use that make no sense to me:

• There's no reason to use Split Shot, Slug Shot, or Clean Shot while under Hypercharge once Heat Blast becomes available, as, in less than an 8-minute downtime-less fight you'd be better off faintly delaying Wildfire on the off-chance you both died and made a further HC timing mistake later than wasting the stacks and thereby drifting ALL scaled CDs by the fractional desync caused.
• There's virtually no reason to use Scatter Gun over Auto-crossbow, for the same reason (though at least it's Heat is doubled).
• If we are to have a separate Heat Blast or Auto-crossbow, there's then no reason to learn and slot Hypercharge separately. (We could just learn Heat Blast sooner, give Heat Blast a 1.5s GCD baseline, and have it allow for 4 more free Heatblasts, with Hypercharge being unable to be reentered until 10s later as to prevent accidentally double-gauge-spending.
• Overdrive cannot be used without a Rook Autoturret or Automaton Queen out anyways, so... why is it a second button?

That said, the bigger issues to me are just that...

• Split -> Slug -> Clean seem nearly pointless in general with the removal of ammo (and that they'd be so devalued by Drill, Anchor, and Chainsaw anyways even if they were reinvigorated), and
• For a job that can summon cannons out of the blue, Reassemble still can't so much as change my carbine out for a rifle or shotgun (which could otherwise do much to reinvigorate the spread of Split-Slug-Clean).

[RezRanger]

MCH was the job I wanted to play when my irl friends got me to play FFXIV. It caught my eye first and I was itching and itching to unlock it when I got to HW. The moment I get to play it though, it was lacking in so many ways. I came in right before EW came out so the only iteration I really learned and understood was level 90. They keep messing it up time and time again to the point that it gets blacklisted from PF in a tier of EW! I just don't understand what they want this job to do or how it functions. It's so clear and evident. PCT has single-handedly gutted an entire role and BLM. It's insane. If they didn't enact the Ultimate nerf of not allowing more than one job in a composition, I guarantee you would get at least 2 PCTs. The ONLY reason Prange is even in comps is for LB generation. Nothing else. Why bother with Prange when you have other jobs that do their job or better?

[Valence]

There are a few points about MCH's button-use that make no sense to me:

• There's no reason to use Split Shot, Slug Shot, or Clean Shot while under Hypercharge once Heat Blast becomes available, as, in less than an 8-minute downtime-less fight you'd be better off faintly delaying Wildfire on the off-chance you both died and made a further HC timing mistake later than wasting the stacks and thereby drifting ALL scaled CDs by the fractional desync caused.
• There's virtually no reason to use Scatter Gun over Auto-crossbow, for the same reason (though at least it's Heat is doubled).
• If we are to have a separate Heat Blast or Auto-crossbow, there's then no reason to learn and slot Hypercharge separately. (We could just learn Heat Blast sooner, give Heat Blast a 1.5s GCD baseline, and have it allow for 4 more free Heatblasts, with Hypercharge being unable to be reentered until 10s later as to prevent accidentally double-gauge-spending.
• Overdrive cannot be used without a Rook Autoturret or Automaton Queen out anyways, so... why is it a second button?

That said, the bigger issues to me are just that...

• Split -> Slug -> Clean seem nearly pointless in general with the removal of ammo (and that they'd be so devalued by Drill, Anchor, and Chainsaw anyways even if they were reinvigorated), and
• For a job that can summon cannons out of the blue, Reassemble still can't so much as change my carbine out for a rifle or shotgun (which could otherwise do much to reinvigorate the spread of Split-Slug-Clean).

There is current techs that the system allows for being two hypercharges back to back provided you start the first one one GCD earlier and the first GCD you input into is anything that's not a heat blast. It allows for example to do that during bursts where you enter the burst combo neutral (else you'd drop the combo) due to the chainsaw and FMF use before. There is however indeed no reason to use the filler under HC, but I guess it could happen in such a scenario even though we currently use things like FMF or tools.

There is also one thing that they keep, which is HC giving +20 potency for every single target weaponskill inside, which can allow niche use cases related to the tech above if you want to use Drill or Anchor inside it as a first GCD especially in lower level ranges.

[Shurrikhan]

I'm aware, but that's why I said to move Heat Blast's level up to that of HC in that case.

And at typical SkS taken, don't you end up with the same number of GCDs in WF and 20s raid buffs both. I could have sworn there wasn't excess enough (e.g., of 1 to 2.4s) for the 1.5s GCD to get in one more shot than the standard. With or without the ICD on entering HC, we should get in 13 GCDs into 20s and 8 into a 10s from a double-HC, no? There'd only be one intervening 2.5s GCD while Heat remains, after all. I'll double-check later, though.

[Valence]

I'm aware, but that's why I said to move Heat Blast's level up to that of HC in that case.

And at typical SkS taken, don't you end up with the same number of GCDs in WF and 20s raid buffs both. I could have sworn there wasn't excess enough (e.g., of 1 to 2.4s) for the 1.5s GCD to get in one more shot than the standard. With or without the ICD on entering HC, we should get in 13 GCDs into 20s and 8 into a 10s from a double-HC, no? There'd only be one intervening 2.5s GCD while Heat remains, after all. I'll double-check later, though.

It just allows to cram more potency in the burst window without having to use a filler combo in the middle of both HCs essentially. You're right that WF caps at 6 unfortunately otherwise.

[nguyentri11]

Why didn't they just allow Auto Crossbow to reduce Double Check and Checkmate's cooldown timers if they were going to be buffing AoE anyway(besides the nerf to Scattergun)?

[ThurinTurambar]

I have to say, them nerfing spread shot and scattergun is a clear showcase that they dont understand this job or dont care.
My assumption is that they did this nerf to make scattergun a gain on 3 instead of 2 (which you could say did happen as scattergun had same potency as 123 but gave 10 gauge each, ignoring battery gauge)

But they went so backwards about the nerf!
If they were so bent on nerfing it, they could have reverted the heat gauge gain back to 5 to emphasize using your big buttons, as well as making flamethrower bit more viable.
The best way to fix that problem tho is... buffing 123 combo. Does not need much to achieve the effect, while mch already was rather underperforming.

My biggest grudge with this change is that it is a huge nerf to aoe potential all the way to level 90 and a sorta neutral in 90-100. Yes people do play the content that is bit older. Some of it is actually pretty competetive also!
Hate to see the devs trample over the state of it, same was for example with drk (plunge and blood weapon damage lost in ~50 level range only 'refunded' in 90+).

[CKNovel]

I'm honestly speechless. That they redistribute the potency on aoe kit without making ACB Gauss Round and Ricochet + not making Wildfire AoE is questionnable.

But to not buff MCH despite buffing Melees, an indirect buff to all rDPS jobs, specifically Dancer and Bard?
I don't think it's possible to write and read that patch note thinking it's okay, it's borderline malicious.

I'm convinced they don't want to see MCH shine ever again.