I suspect that what Mike was leaning towards was more that two changes might significantly change how casters (Earth and Celestial both, but I'll focus on Earth for the purposes of this discussion) configure their memorization: (a) memorizing lower-level spells in higher-level slots, and (b) healing being available at every level.
Right now, many E casters feel "forced" into reserving as many 4th, 6th, and 8th level slots as possible for healing, because that's the only place healing is available. Those levels become "locked out" for offensive spells because healing is such a precious commodity in memorization.
In 2.0, you have a *lot* more flexibility. Do you prefer Command spells because your local campaign has a ton of orcs right now? Great, take Shun/Sleep/Charm at 4th/6th/7th and use 5th/8th for your healing (via Cure Wounds or Lesser Healing Storm). Want to be a real Bindomancer? Swap some of your 4th level spells for more Binds and Repels, bring some 8th level down to 7th for more Confines, and use 6th for more Lesser Healing Storms and Cure Wounds to fill those needs. Curses are your thing? Take your entire 1st through 6th as healing and protectives (with maybe a few Weakness and Silence here and there for good measure), and allocate Destruction, Paralysis, and Deaths for the top of your tree. Heck, if you don't like Paralysis but love Destruction, take twice as many Destructions and make your fighter buddies giddy with joy at the damage they can produce.
Now bring the new Magic Items and High Magic into the picture. Worried about not having enough Life spells to last through the whole day if you want to memorize mostly Death spells? Bring along some Spell Swap rituals in case you need to turn some of those Deaths back into Lifes or Healing Storms later in the day. Want to make sure you can defend yourself at close range? Pump a few of your Weaknesses or Confines into Memory Strikes at Logistics. Want to memorize fewer healing spells but make them count more? Triggering a Potency + Storm Augmentationed Lesser Healing Storm will make a 5th level spell do a *ton* of healing, and free up other spell slots for more offensively-minded options. Think of how you can use the new rituals to stretch your memorization further and give you even more flexibility.
The hope is that all of these changes together give a character additional freedom and flexibility while still promoting teamwork and forethought.
-Bryan
Right now, many E casters feel "forced" into reserving as many 4th, 6th, and 8th level slots as possible for healing, because that's the only place healing is available. Those levels become "locked out" for offensive spells because healing is such a precious commodity in memorization.
In 2.0, you have a *lot* more flexibility. Do you prefer Command spells because your local campaign has a ton of orcs right now? Great, take Shun/Sleep/Charm at 4th/6th/7th and use 5th/8th for your healing (via Cure Wounds or Lesser Healing Storm). Want to be a real Bindomancer? Swap some of your 4th level spells for more Binds and Repels, bring some 8th level down to 7th for more Confines, and use 6th for more Lesser Healing Storms and Cure Wounds to fill those needs. Curses are your thing? Take your entire 1st through 6th as healing and protectives (with maybe a few Weakness and Silence here and there for good measure), and allocate Destruction, Paralysis, and Deaths for the top of your tree. Heck, if you don't like Paralysis but love Destruction, take twice as many Destructions and make your fighter buddies giddy with joy at the damage they can produce.
Now bring the new Magic Items and High Magic into the picture. Worried about not having enough Life spells to last through the whole day if you want to memorize mostly Death spells? Bring along some Spell Swap rituals in case you need to turn some of those Deaths back into Lifes or Healing Storms later in the day. Want to make sure you can defend yourself at close range? Pump a few of your Weaknesses or Confines into Memory Strikes at Logistics. Want to memorize fewer healing spells but make them count more? Triggering a Potency + Storm Augmentationed Lesser Healing Storm will make a 5th level spell do a *ton* of healing, and free up other spell slots for more offensively-minded options. Think of how you can use the new rituals to stretch your memorization further and give you even more flexibility.
The hope is that all of these changes together give a character additional freedom and flexibility while still promoting teamwork and forethought.
-Bryan