Another modest suggestion: AST level 30 Job Stone quest (and 30-50)

At this point in the gamme's life, it just makes sense to have the HW classes unlock at level 30 now. With HW being part of the base game, and all.

AT THE VERY LEAST, AST. Most of the level 30-50 AST quests take place in the Black Shroud. They could have the level 30 quest start with E-Suni-Yan in the CNJ guild at level 30 (whether or not you've finished the CNJ quests/unlocked the WHM Job Stone quest), he sends you down to South Shroud to investigate "Whispers from the Elementals of travelers from afar" or some such. Then from level 30-50, the AST questgivers post up in the CNJ guild, moving to Ishgard once you complete the level 50 quest.

This would be a way more logical progression, have AST "effectively" come from CNJ anyway (though not locking out non-CNJs who want to just pick it up at level 30), and not make picking up AST feel like a step backwards. And given the quests are ALREADY in ARR zones, it makes sense, like how you can pick up the GNB quest in Gridania at level 60.

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The only downside I can think of is that it might not work for DRK and MCH (Frey being decidedly an Ishgard thing and...I don't remember MCH, but I think it was somewhat, too?), so doing this for only AST might seem a bit weird.

But it's also pretty simple to do, relatively speaking, and would make AST much more accessible for players that are starting the game and really want it as their Healer Job.

AST/MCH/DRK are tied quite heavily to ishgard. I’d sooner keep the job and main questlines than further sacrifice their integrity for a smidge more convenience. Yes it’s far from ideal, but at least they seem to have learnt their lesson even if nu summoner should really have been evoker and handed out by some gormless loporrit by the ragnarok.

AST's questline doesn't really involve Ishgard until you actually reach level 60, and I'm not the biggest MCH player, but I feel like nothing particularly important happens there either. In both cases, everything important that happens occurs in Eorzean zones (naturally because of level). Sure you return there between quests, but that could be fairly easily reworked to have them stationed in an Eorzean zone early on and have the introduction to the guild occur when going from level 50-60. That said, the first DRK quest does involve an instance battle in Ishgard that I feel would be very difficult to adapt to Central Coerthas.

The compromise I guess is that you are able to pick up the quests at 30 by being smuggled into a seperate version of Ishgard (that only exists to take the quests), and you can only do the 'pick up' quests, not the actual 30-50 quests. The DRK story specifically has ties to certain post ARR events such as fighting Leviathan, so being able to do 'the funny rant scene' before you've fought Levi would be jarring. Would have to move some of the Job Quest ability rewards to just being level up rewards though, else you'd be an AST that can't use any card stuff