[Snake]

At the moment, Area of Effect techniques are doing more overall damage than Single Target techniques.

Historically, everything that focuses on a single enemy tends to be much more effective than techniques that are just random bullshit go spray-and-pray. Damage, hit capability, etc. We don't have that anymore in SL2 from a few to now. Line AoEs, circle AoEs, a lot of things that just do large damage to all targets hit without some form of drawback makes you wonder why not just keep spamming your AoEs? Because that's the most optimal way to score an easy victory.

So, in hope to shake a little the meta, why not change that and see what happens? There's a few independent proposals down the hatch that could be good if you think a wee about it:

- After an AoE skill deals damage to one enemy, its damage to further enemies is lowered to 60%.
- Damage from AoE should cap at 100, after all reductions.
- All AoE skills should have their scalings drastically reduced if they are going to be kept working the same, if not to let single target skills perform better and deal bigger numbers.

With my personal favorite always being the first choice. It sounds more simple to implement as a safeproof flag.

[Jeff]

I agree, but out of curiosity, which skills are you specifically referring to?

[Lolzytripd]

I think this is a good idea, but I feel there needs to be a distinction between aoe types

The grossest are the mapwides, then the big dumb circles.

I feel like Lines/projectiles that explode at the end are much less a problem and half the time you forget they are even an aoe because the enemies are never lined up for it.

Example

Wretched oil/ascended seiryu>Explosion/LB circles/crystal rose> Miu/fir/Kadouha/aerial razor.

[Mr.SmileGod]

Make it something like -10% per enemy hit past the first, for all enemies-- down to a minimum of 60%. So 2 enemies would be 90%, 3 at 80%, etc.

[Kazzy]

Does PvE really need this nerf to deal with a PvP problem? I don't see any benefit to this.

[Jeff]

Does PvE really need this nerf to deal with a PvP problem? I don't see any benefit to this.

Last I heard, the consensus was that the damage reduction in Stylish dungeons made PvE more "fun." Is this no longer the contention?

[WaifuApple]

That has never been the consensus. Anything about Stylish being more fun would have been down to being able to chain your entire moveset in one turn, which has a certain degree of fun to it. I don't see anyone who enjoys Stylish dungeons now they're 75% damage reduction. They are a chore.

So no, that's not the consensus, and I don't really think it ever was. And an all around damage nerf affecting PvE with no added upside to it certainly wouldn't be, either.

[Jeff]

That has never been the consensus. Anything about Stylish being more fun would have been down to being able to chain your entire moveset in one turn, which has a certain degree of fun to it. I don't see anyone who enjoys Stylish dungeons now they're 75% damage reduction. They are a chore.

So no, that's not the consensus, and I don't really think it ever was. And an all around damage nerf affecting PvE with no added upside to it certainly wouldn't be, either.

I spoke to quite a few people who appreciated the damage reduction, because otherwise Stylish would be "too easy." Of course I disagree with that completely; PvE is not especially difficult in the first place, and a damage reduction modifier only increases tedium.

[Snake]

The point here is not fun, it's balance.

[Kazzy]

Then we should do away entirely with the combat system and play rock paper scissors instead. Fun trumps balance in a game where the primary interaction is Player vs Enemy/Environment and not Player vs Player. Lowering AoE damage only serves to damage the PvE experience and not the PvP experience because reductions in damage at the 4v4 level aren't going to function the same way you seem to think they will. And that's before even considering the fact we're already recovering from a colossal  mechanical overhaul as is.

They work in FFXIV because its far faster and larger in scale. In FFXIV pvp? They don't reduce damage per enemy in the AoE. Because forcing matches to last longer isn't fun. Forcing people to do less damage to each successive enemy in that Crazy dungeon isn't fun. And do you know what happens when people stop having fun?

They stop playing the game. And between you and me? I'll take 'Fun and interesting' over 'Balanced and boring' any day of the week. You're free to disagree.