As a new player to FFXIV, whats the deal with the incredibly long GCD?

[Kiwies]

It seems (for me at least being level 27) the GCD seems incredibly long (sitting at roughly 2.5 sec) compared to other MMO combat systems (typically 1-1.5 sec) I have experienced. It seems to make the combat system rather clunky or slow in the way it flows when initiating my shots. I was curious if this is intentional and may be reduced with increased attack speeds? Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Note: 1 sec is a long time when referring to GCD's in my eyes.

Perhaps I should clarify instances in which a 2.5 sec GCD would be frustrating. I think that one of the easiest situations to experience even at lower levels would be "Multi-DoTing." Note that I am operating under the assumption that your DoT ability is on the GCD (similarly to an Archer's VB.) Waiting 2.5 sec in between each application of ones DoT will either force an individual to solely focus on keeping a single DoT rolling on all targets (as by the time the last application goes out on a multi-target fight, it will be time to refresh your initial DoTs) or eliminate DoTing multiple targets completely based on the comparative damage differences between them. This problem is further intensified with increased numbers of DoTs a class needs to apply.