Please put more focus on end game class balance

[Tennotsukai]

The new job points maybe a good step in fixing job balance.

[Glamdring]

This is one of the biggest concerns that a lot of us have about Final Fantasy XI right now.

First let me say, I feel like the recent changes over the last few months as far as enmity, and minor job adjustments have been steps in the right direction, but they are far too minor. There are still only a handful of jobs that get invitations to top tier encounters. It would be fantastic if there were class adjustments that are affective enough that open end game to all jobs.

In other words, I would love to see people shout for any "Tanks, Healers, Support, DD" Rather than specifics like "PLD, MNK, RNG, BRD, COR, WHM" etc..

Just as a couple examples: As long as Aegis and Ochain remain overpowered, then no other tanks will matter. I love playing Rune Fencer, but I'm basically relegated to soloing or lowmans because it's not as good as an Aegis/Ochain PLD. I also really like Puppetmaster, but my damage is murdered because of my pet constantly dying and the delays from slow job ability animations.

Boss evasion is absurdly high, and many DD jobs (especially pets) get annihilated by the damage. So you're only left with DD that can either survive the damage, or stay out of range of it.

It's stuff like this that really need to get fixed. The quality of life updates like the HP warps have been PURE WIN, but the game won't really feel fun unless we can actually be included in endgame while using our favorite jobs. I mean I'd say playing Rune Fencer and Puppetmaster feels like being picked last in gym class, but we're not even getting picked! ><

SIDE NOTE: Another complaint I have is with crafting and how it really creates a rather imposing barrier to end game progression for new players, but that's a topic for a different thread. I just wanted to mention it because I think class balance and old fashioned progress barriers are what are keeping this game from growing.

we've been asking for this for years. The problem is the "official" strategies. those are all made with spamming whatever in mind. Can other jobs do the content? of course they can, but each deviation from the official strat adds between 12 to 90 seconds to the run time, and that is unacceptable to some players. and there is a concerted push to not publish alternate strats on the fan sites. Seriously, look at wiki or BGWiki, there isn't even an entry for Raz skirmishes yet, let alone a strat list. That's kind of the player's fault as well, those sites used to be much more actively maintained than they are now. I'm certainly part of the problem, I have a wiki account but I haven't added a page for it either, let alone started in on strats.

But it isn't just SE failing to make jobs work end-game, it's players forcing things into a pigeon-holed set of strats. All party content was-until recently-supposed to be Zerg only (per the majority of regulars on here), but SE has successfully revived Pld-at least if you have Aegis and Ochain-to get them back in the mix a bit. They have even gotten Blm somewhat back-but only if you didn't level sch too. Even rng is getting a bit of love now that keeping in ammo isn't an invitation to bankruptcy. But rdm, run, geo, dnc, etc, yeah, you are still out for various reasons, none of which have anything to do with not working for the content, they don't work FAST ENOUGH. The pet jobs are crippled in party content do to the insistence on keeping pets underlevelled, that IS an SE choice and the players are simply recognizing that (and considering bst and pup are my 2 favorite jobs it drives me up a wall).

So instead of simply calling out SE you might want to call out the playerbase as well, since they are at least 60% of the problem.

[Camiie]

The new job points maybe a good step in fixing job balance.

I doubt that's the intention, but if so, that's a horrible way to go about it.

[Kincard]

I doubt it will balance anything simply because of the nature of the changes, as far as I can tell they're all just adjustments to existing abilities. There would need to be a ridiculous imbalance between the potency of each job's levels in order for stuff to be balanced (EX: THF would need to get like +10% to sneak attack damage per level and MNK gets +1 subtle blow to Footwork per level), which probably isn't going to happen. It's just going to have everyone get stronger, which is great, but the gap between jobs probably won't change much at all.

[Demonjustin]

I doubt it will balance anything simply because of the nature of the changes, as far as I can tell they're all just adjustments to existing abilities. There would need to be a ridiculous imbalance between the potency of each job's levels in order for stuff to be balanced (EX: THF would need to get like +10% to sneak attack damage per level and MNK gets +1 subtle blow to Footwork per level), which probably isn't going to happen. It's just going to have everyone get stronger, which is great, but the gap between jobs probably won't change much at all.

A depressing truth. I look forward to my extra Chainspell Duration and HP/MP from Convert or some junk, rather than the extra Haste & Temper Potency I want that could actually make some amount of difference in my job. Admittedly though, my wishes aren't too far fetched. Most jobs though, screwed unless it's something really game changing like you said.

[Ravenmore]

Some truth to what you say here, Blu debuffs are not that reliable. Blu's debuffs stop landing after normal on AAs, yet their debuffs are okay on other content enemies from what I've noticed. On normal DMII, frightful roar and Bilgestorm are rather decent too. I wish Tourbillion would work...

Also, Drg can be pretty decent in AA if geared well...better than mnk perhaps, not rng though

I completely agree with everything, mostly, you say here though. I hope SE is paying attention to this thread.

If a blu is setting any of those spells they are crappy blus and any buff to over all damage is taken away from the loss of damage from the blu so at best it comes out to a wash if the blu was properly geared in the first place. Drg is no were near the same level as mnk and gets shafted hard. Simple fact is a derp mnk is so much better then a derp drg why risk getting a derp drg. Same as it used to be with sam of gtfo, it wasn't sam was so far a head of other DDs it was sam was down right almost next to impossible to mess up to the point where it was worthless(though it could be done).

It is all about risk, do you risk taking a job that needs a lot of effort to be worth anything of do you take a job any derp can play and do well with. If you have a group of friends that know you and how well you can do great, but when it comes to shouts you try to waste as little time as possible and wasting 20 merits cause you took a derp on a harder to gear job is not something people will put up with.

SE has been scared of debuffs for years now and nothing is going to change any time soon. You can thank rdms tickling mobs to death solo but that is what it is. Best you can hope for is gimmicks where debuffs are right now. Even if you removed brd rotation nothing will change rdms won't get invited over just taking a extra brd or cor for the main parties since taking a debuffer would be the same loss of spot so why not just take more brds lol. Dnc won't get into content over just taking another cor or brd and have them go /dnc and bam haste samba and the extra roll/songs. The adjustments to strategy would be so small why even bother putting it forward in the first place.

Trust me I'm not defending SE and the current state of the game just calling out a bad idea that fixes nothing. The only true way to fix it is to have all the DDs able to preform at the same level as mnk with the same effort and all mages able to do what whm and sch can do and they all become interchangeable with in the same strat. If not people will continue to go with the safest path and nothing else. Same goes for tanks but there is the problem of nin and pld/nin.