[Snake]

I mean. I wouldn't mind if lightning got useless.

- It alone means 1 race is unplayable in this current meta. Mechanations.

- It has the most game-changing status effect attached to it. (Interference is just nasty, you being a healer or not.)

- It can cause immense, unmatched damage, easier and with less setup than other things. (Charge Mind + Ryemei/Overload is the most known, but the list of exploits is just H U G E. And most of it lies on having a Kensei/Spellthief with Splash stolen. Or, how about we throw Death Knighting on top of it, for more damage?)

- It has multiple ways to have such damage multiplied by reducing the enemy's resistances. (Splash and Mercalan Mist is outright -40% Lightning Resist. Now be a Mechanation fighting against that? -65% Lightning Resist, and then you receive a critical hit on top of it... Omae wa mo...)

- Luck affects all combat statistics, making you both able to ignore Evasion sometimes, be dodgy, and have more reliance to proc its effect (unlike Cinders, where it requires the enemy to move/stay in them, or pull effects, which require Magnetize).

- It caused Crystal Rose to be nerfed wrongly, if the problem was the absurd critical damage it pulled. (And still does.)

- It gives you free movement with Thunder Hooves, making you able to kite the enemy. (Yes, nerfed, but gets on this list of 'why is Lightning so worth')

- It has 100% synergy with a material, Conduiz, making Lightning Mages able to use their element with literally anything they can shove Conduiz in.

You get why now? This element alone has too much going for it. Even if you just hammer down a little of its power by asking GUI bonuses to get shaved, it will still be super good.

In my opinion, the chances of lightning impact criticals happening should be halved by default, along with the critical damage coming from GUI. Critical hit procs are fine enough with basic attacks, and should stay there, not go to skills or be as reliable on skills than it is on basics. Skills/Magic vs Basic Attacks is too much of a giant gap to have such gimmicks applied.