Originally Posted by
Greatguardian
Exactly. When SE designed the game, they made sure that there weren't going to be any classes that absolutely relied on a group to kill anything. Bard was given basic proficiency with Daggers, melee gear, and Evisceration because they're a support class with absolutely no other offensive capabilities. White Mage was given proficiency with Clubs, access to Maul class weapons, and Hexa Strike because they're a healing class with absolutely no decent offensive spells.
Why can't Summoner, Black Mage, and Scholar melee super effectively with staves then? Simple. They have nukes/Avatars. They have offensive capabilities, so they don't need melee proficiency in order to solo. They can actually bring something from full HP to 0 on their own. The only reason Whm and Brd have those Melee options is so that they can do the same if they absolutely have to.
It's not some sort of insult to say that a mage is less melee proficient than White Mage. It simply implies that the Devs thought the job was strong enough without it.