Something that I like about mana evaporation is that it's a mechanic that forces you to think ahead of time before making a move. In this way, mana evaporation fits well into the core fighting mechanics of the game. Making the skills in the game front loaded with loading times rather than have them instantly come out and have cool downs makes you plot out how you'll take down an enemy and have a plan to kill everything you have to fight. Mana evaporation exists to make you think and weigh out your options.
But as a healer I dislike that mana evaporation punishes me for wanting to heal people. Healing other players is not something you can plan for. When players take damage (and they WILL take damage), it's a reactionary event. The only forward thinking aspect to it would be staying idle with a Party Healing charge active, which puts the party down a player that's fighting and keeping enemies busy, or normal Healing with bare hands/weapon which has both diminishing results and doesn't benefit from -mana consumption. It's not as big of an issue as what full offense oriented mages must deal with to cover their bases, but it's irritating. I want to pay a price in MP potions that I stockpile beforehand to burn through to heal other players, not pay a price to do that and want to keep those players from dying from multiaggro.
For this kind of playstyle, this is where mana preservation crystals are a necessity, but they're a pain in the ass. MP 30s aren't sold in stores like HP or Stamina potions, which isn't a huge deal but does create another hurdle. There's the Healer PTJ and running normal mode dungeons for obtained them, but at that point I feel like its a better investment of my time to make MP potions myself by spending my time and AP on Herbalism and Potion Making. It feels pointless, even before grinding enemies to get the gems too... and then you fail to make the stone through Synthesis. And I wonder why exactly I'm bothering with this way of mitigating mana evaporation when I could be failing potion making and getting better rewards.
The weakness to being a mage or dealing with magic at all is the preparation aspect to it. Preservation crystals are a good way to deal with that, but they're a nuisance in both the creation process and gathering process for materials. I kind of just wish the mechanic was gone, or if there was a better thought out way to retain or amass MP than stones as they currently are or Meditation (but who would fall for using or ranking up Meditation?)
In short I'm bitter and complaining even though my issue with the mechanic isn't as serious as what other players deal with.
I remember when some friends where talking with me regarding the SAO event(yes yes I know everyone hated the event, but ear me out on this one.)
During this event, some stones were given that worked like the stones in the show, Red ones could heal you, Blue Ones for MP(Mana) and Yellow ones for Stamina, why not give the change for Handicrafters craft this after rank 9, could be like at rank 9 if you used HP/MP/STAM pots of 30 plus a Gem of the said color and some other item make a stone that could restore the said resource with less chance of pot poisoning, at rank 8 you would be able to craft the same stones with no chance to Pot poisoning, rank 7 would allow you to craft the 50 ones with a chance of Pot poisoning, rank 6 would allow you to craft the ones of 50 without pot poisoning chance, and at rank 5 the ones of 100 with pot poisoning chance, and so on until the 300 ones reached at rank 1, allowing Herbalists/Pot Makers and Handicrafters to work together, giving another meaning to the Handicraft Life skill too?
Idk, its just an idea, but having mana evaporation without Mages even having a way to obtain base pots of 10/30 on the shops like the other "Paths" its a bit annoying.
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