Paladin needs NO changes!

[Azurarok]

I'm aware no one here's talking about making it mandatory, but the main issue I have with merging combo buttons is there's just no feedback indicating where you are in a combo outside visual markers, there's steps in them that are functionally different, and I tend to tie buttons with function.

For example, I often map the third combo to R2+□, and with PLD if I'm about to press that it means Royal Authority is coming up, which grants Atonement and Divine Might, and tells me I should make sure to use up any remaining Atonements and Divine Might before pressing it.

Because of this I struggle with overflowing gauge with PCT since the one button combo is sometimes "do damage, gain 25 gauge and a stack of white paint", and positionals/gauge/weaving with VPR because they're sometimes rear/flank positionals, give gauge, and come with a follow-up oGCD. It's not as simple as "I feel engaged with more buttons to press", I will literally perform worse if it's forced.

That said, I'd have 0 issue with RPR's main combo being merged since they're all functionally "do damage, gain 10 gauge".

[Carighan]

I'm aware no one here's talking about making it mandatory, but the main issue I have with merging combo buttons is there's just no feedback indicating where you are in a combo outside visual markers, there's steps in them that are functionally different, and I tend to tie buttons with function.

Yeah that's a bit annoying, although there is visual feedback:

1. You see the animation your character does, letting you know you just used, say, step 2 in a combo.
2. Your icon on the hotbar also swaps (I understand on the controller hotbar this is trickier!).

It's hence important that these combos can be disabled if the user wants to. If nothing else hey, some people play more consistently and feel better playing with explicit buttons for each step in a chain, and that's 100% a-ok. Others desire less buttons for rote input sequences, and that's also 100% a-ok. It just needs to be an option, like most new DT-combos are.

What could be done of course is that like the Picto stuff, they could have a separate (small) UI element you can enable to always see the combo states of your various combos. As long as that's something the user can enable if desired, that gives controller players an out if they want the combos on off-buttons, but if you see all your hotbars at all times you can leave it disabled.

TL'DR: More options!