you dont need a bard or a whm for hardcore SoA merit grinding, cookie cutter backline meripo jobs arent needed.

a 4 person party such as mnk dnc sch sam can roam through Woh gates and continuously annihilate everything. A rdm that is semi competent can also replace a sch as your only needed mage job.

Setups can be flexible and still highly effective but too many ffxi sheep only know 1 way to make parties for things.