At a boring minimum, I'm expecting everyone's Shadowbringers/Chainsaw style big-buttons to pick up a follow up OGCD, some basic combos getting updated, and some tanks getting Confeitor style strings. What I WANT...
Universally -
ST and AOE combo buttons being (Mostly) reduced to a single button for everyone except Monk. I've been playing this way for a while. It does not meaningfully hurt the moment-to-moment gameplay and decision making for most jobs. I do think there's a great design niche by applying Monk's build-a-string combo stances that should be tapped into moving forward for more DPS jobs. There are combo branches that proc maintenance buffs like Ninja's attack speed buff, but those should just be stand-alone buttons that light up at the right spot in the primary combo chain so they're only taking up two buttons and not, y'know, 4+ depending on how early they branch.
Some opt-in button consolidation/contextual updating. Not requiring a dedicated Mudra button but instead double-tapping a Mudra to cast it, or having your ST Combo update to the Ninjitsu cast when you start plugging in a mudra helps a lot in keeping your bars nice and tidy.
Reducing Positionals and giving jobs usually just one spot to hang out in; flankers v. rearers. It's a big factor in why I played Ninja at the start of Endwalker because I only needed to worry about the rear in fights where it was relevant. I think there's still value in keeping DPS from just stacking on tanks through mild damage bonuses on specific attacks though. Monks are exempt.
Just fleshing out AOE options. It's weird that ST buttons will usually get three steps with way more effects and there's a lot of jobs with AOE strings that stop after one or two steps.
MCH -
This is the job I want to change the most; way more Battery interaction in general. It has its own gauge, but it's only used on one move and the only rotational challenge currently is using Heat to delay Battery generation so that you go into your two-minute windows with 100 Battery. To shake things up I'd want:
A second Battery Spender to keep Battery from overcapping waiting to line up Automaton: Queen. Think Samurai's Hissatsu: Shiten.
A maintenance buff off of Drill (And possibly Bioblaster) that randomly procs extra battery generation, which must be managed by spending Battery.
A second AOE combo button that generates Battery.
Giving Automaton: Queen an AOE element on its Overdrive. I think it's just ST right now, which is still TECHNICALLY worth using if you're going to overcap on Battery anyway.
GNB -
I think most of the datamined stuff covers this. Bloodfest -> Confeitor strings, a Continuation follow-up on Fated Circle, that sort of thing. I wish there was an AOE Gnashing Fang Continuation Combo, as otherwise AOE No Mercy windows are just Fated Circle spam.
SMN -
For the love of God either move Elemental Mastery from 86 to like 30 levels earlier, or break it up into three separate traits and have them come online at 60, 70 and 80. I can live with it being Baby's First DPS Caster. I can't live with the class only being fun for like 15% of the game's content.
consolidate 👏 combos 👏 into 👏 one 👏button 👏 PLEASE. i am running out of room. I cannot handle more than two hotbars.
If you're on PC, there is a plugin that lets you get away with that, and then some. I use it because I refuse to reach anywhere beyond 1-5+R on my keyboard.
2) Make Black Mage function more similar to how it is in PvP and get rid of the 16 second Astral Timers.
The 16 second Astral/Umbral timer is literally
the reason I'm planning on playing BLM in Dawntrail. =( The lack of a real momentum-killing fail state for every other job outside maybe Bard song management hurts me.
I'll caveat that I don't do high end raiding and I never have. But if you put the onus of party buffs on a single job, aren't you sort of making that job more 'difficult' than the others because the other people in the party rely on them to do optimal dps? One screw up and you throw everyone off I would think. Also, every party would need basically require one.
It really wouldn't change very much. Instead of 2-4 people coordinating when they activate their own individual buffs and moving their DPS windows around to deal with awful jump/mechanic timings, you just have one person announcing they're delaying a buff window, and giving a countdown to start going ham again.
