status effects might be even more contested. i think having too many status effects is actually pretty annoying, but only if you expect a player to have anticipate all of those status effects all the time.

some games introduce a status type temporarily, in a specific area that the player has to deliberately go out of their way to visit, and this can sometimes bring about a uniqueness to combat in that area. but it's a kind of delicate decision to make.

i have to decide what status effects will exist throughout the majority of the game. i kind of dislike when multiple status effects overlap heavily, like how "burning" and "poisoned" might both just cause damage over time but have to be dealt with like they're separate effects. on the flip side, i'm not sure i want to ignore a bunch of common and easily understood status effects for weird ones like "weakened" just so i cover a larger set of mechanical differences...