Quote Originally Posted by Alhanelem View Post
In other words, you always have a choice.
Between optimization or not optimizing. What's the logical choice?

And that's what matters. Your choices do not prevent you from using any job in the game. Therefore, it is customization without cripplization.

Merit limits do not make it harder to find people to do things with. The choice to level (and gear up) or not level a job alone does that. You overstate the impact of the system immensely. I have not merited a WS for my DRK. I guarantee you if I joined a party as DRK, I'd still be able to do my job and unless I screwed something up, I wouldn't be getting kicked (same as anybody else).
Torclever is terrible, and GSD has nothing else available, and Scythe is pretty much a utility weapon at this point. As your job is a DD, how do you expect to perform your job as a DD to the fullest of your ability without having a solid DD WS? Is that just it, you don't expect to perform to the fullest of your ability, and you settle for mediocrity? Not trying to be insulting, but that's a really terrible example to give for the benefit of your argument.

Furthermore, I'd argue it actually is quite a crippling system. Lets take a hypothetical mage only character that decides to level a DD job, lets say Rng. Being mage only, they've stuck their merits into Mnd, Int, Club, Staff, defensive skills, and idk, sword or something for a Rdm, as well as 5/5ing the corresponding WSs. Cool beans. Now lets bring that Rng to a VD fight. They're missing 12 Str/Agi merits, 8 weapon merits, and a stronger WS (barring relic, ignore enmity for this example.) That may not sound like much, but that's giving them a lower fStr, lower accuracy, less WS damage, and less RAtt. Without removing merits from their mage jobs, they're stuck without these benefits. I'm not going to say this Rng is now crippled and incapable of doing said content. But should they really be hindered for their choices in merits? Is that really something you believe is fair?

Limits are part of good game design.
In a game where your job selection at any given time is not limited, I wholeheartedly disagree.