Please, could we finally get rid of the skill animations for Sage at scarecrows? The months after Guardian was released was bad enough. They are still happening with Hashish too. Most other classes quietly go about their business there but no, all the newer classes are putting on a ridiculous show there that almost assuredly will not compell me to play any of them. Sage is by far the worst I've seen of this. I cant go there at all without feeling like i'm in some low tech '80s rock concert light show. Please... I'm begging you... STOP IT!!

I have all skills turned off - far away and other effects - and effect optimization on, game at optimized graphics and do not see anyone else's effects; including other Sage's. I see the weapon flying around, but not the actual skill effects. 

Not doubting you though, I have had the skill effects show a couple days ago when clearly I had the options for no effects turned on. Just saying I don't see them on my end. For me, effect optimization was the culprit. Having that turned off made it not matter if I had other effects turned on or off. 

I'll try that. Thank you. It's just insufferable at times, esppecially after a nerve-wracking grind.

I have very mixed feelings about Awakening ... even the class after all.

The Awakening I currently find it not very interesting: have only poor effects of seismic textures, and very light fluorescent yellow "explosions" throughout, in addition to having a very little varied and redundant gameplay. 
(I'm not talking about the so-called Awakening quest which was to explain to us (and be complete) why the Sage was asleep for X years, etc ... had almost nothing, as precision except details on Edana and the process of separating the body and the mind thanks to black stones and Kyve ...) 
the choices also have very little impact in the scenario,
 which really does not last long ... (overall everyone was disappointed with that), the pre-awakening, had a good potential despite things that bothered me (such as the lack of completion and depth in the mechanics) but overall I liked ... Awakening will have been a total nonsense as much for the knowledge and for the rest in my opinion for the "Sage" 
(it is not a "scholar" that had to be created at that time, but a Spartan), 
but overall even if the idea of ​​a Zeus remained "cool", once tested, it's very different ... 
I came back to BDO only for that, being very disappointed I guess I will is l imitated my contact with this game, to see it stop it altogether.
The class has really been very little worked, have a lot less skills than at one time in addition, it's done in a hurry, 
almost have the impression of replaying a low-cost version of the Archer ...: '(They clearly have the possibility of proving to us their willingness to improve, 
or to do something in this game, and they are not ... that proves to us once again the consideration that 'they have towards the West ... and that they see us just as potential pigeons.
It is really once again a pity, a big waste so much the fact of having made an old one had enormous potential, even more by being a "scholar" ...

Apart from jumping in all directions and doing "little" electric kinds, it's really poor. 
Awakening does not bring great choice to the Sage, unlike Ascension which at least brought original mechanics.