What is more important? Job quantity or job identity?

I'm beginning to get a tad worried that job identity and uniqueness is playing second priority to sheer quantity of jobs. We're going to have to ask ourselves what is more important going forward. I for one prefer a unique identity to each job over quantity of jobs. What about you? I think 8.0 should be job identity focused and not add anything new to the roster. I know that is unpopular probably but the homogenization trend is still worrying since 5.0.

Note: I'm referring to gameplay, not asthetic.

Ugh I meant 7.0 above. Whoops.

I think Identity is more important.

However, some homogenization is also good since they all have to perform on the same level... It's not really good for any of the classes if one of them is objectively just much better...

Summoner's change doesn't look like homogenization to me.

From what I’ve seen in other games, it feels like SE either has or is going to hit their capacity with balancing / maintaining the jobs they already have not have much room for yet even more Jobs.

I get that folks always want more, always looking for that next flavor of ice cream, but there’s literally only so much that can be done with jobs…

I’d love to see more evolution of the jobs that exist, expounding upon capabilities, adding utility, or even adding something that allows using unlocked abilities on other jobs.

I feel like it's for the best; this game is no longer playing second or even third fiddle to other mmorpg's market-wise like we used to- and 5.0 definitely is the sweetspot in terms of audience accessibility.

I believe that them going backwards now and trying to reintroduce previous design philosophies to simply please a certain group of players is making the same mistakes Blizzard made repeatedly.

It's a good thing they are looking at what works the best and just sticking to it and building from there.

Quantity or identity?

I want both tbh.

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Originally Posted by Alxyzntlct

or even adding something that allows using unlocked abilities on other jobs.

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We had that in the past, and while it was an interesting feature, it was a pain. Imagine that you have to level a job because it has a cross skill (that's what cross skills originally stood for, yes) you need, while you don't even like the job you need this skill from. All healers had to level BLM until level 26 because it had Swifcast, all melee DPS had to level Dragoon until level 42 and so on. There were some cross skills on other jobs too, like Monk's mantra, Protect and Stoneskin on WHM, etc.

On topic: homogenization, while has its obvious cons, is more of a good thing overall. Yoshida did say before 5.0 release that they're trying to get rid of strict meta mentality, and in order to do so all jobs within a role need to perform on a more or less same level. Yes, it kind of makes job choice a matter of aesthetic rather than utility, but it also gives people an opportunity to play jobs they visually like without being left out from doing content just because meta lovers won't invite them into parties. All jobs still have its identity, it just changed its form of presentation a bit.

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Originally Posted by Halivel

On topic: homogenization, while has its obvious cons, is more of a good thing overall. Yoshida did say before 5.0 release that they're trying to get rid of strict meta mentality, and in order to do so all jobs within a role need to perform on a more or less same level. Yes, it kind of makes job choice a matter of aesthetic rather than utility, but it also gives people an opportunity to play jobs they visually like without being left out from doing content just because meta lovers won't invite them into parties. All jobs still have its identity, it just changed its form of presentation a bit.

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Really? because tanks and healers are slowly becoming carbon copies of each other their personal identities bit by bit burned in the pyre of "making everything absolutely 100% balanced". If i wanted skins instead of different jobs i would play LoL

identity 100%. if all are doing the same what the point in more that 1 in each category.
thing is the community force the homogenization to be there. if one tank will not do the same dps (for the most parts) but be more protective/self healing people will not take it to raids. if lets say sam don't support then people don't want to take it. sadly but lots of the things in the game are the way they are because of the players.

I mean outside of speedkilling and number runs meta matters/mattered very little.

Identity, by a wide margin. I'd rather have fewer jobs and have each one feel completely unique than multiple jobs that play the exact same.

WoW's classes started to feel identical, and that hurt my enjoyment a good deal. Why play a Shaman when you can Heroism/Lust with either an item or several other classes? It removed the unique feeling of the class.

The middle way should be it. Not homogenizing stuff for the sake of it, but like, lettin all tanks have an gab closer around the same level and later having 2 stacks etc.
I dont wanna play the same job 3x reskinned lol

The FF14 jobs have already no identity. A job in FF14 is nothing more than a rotation.

And for me, identity is very important.

Cheers

Job identity. It helps players pick the jobs that feels right to them. If various jobs play the same, why pick X or Y.

They don't have the time or desire to fine tune balance as players abuse jobs. So we get roles or just reskins if you want. Play the job you want for animations and lore I guess.

I think both are important. The main issue is with healers, in my opinion, because they basically chose to gut 2-3 of them to make something new. They seem to struggle with healer identity more than anything else. Sage looks great, but it came at a cost.

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Originally Posted by SamsaraTrickstar

identity 100%. if all are doing the same what the point in more that 1 in each category.
thing is the community force the homogenization to be there. if one tank will not do the same dps (for the most parts) but be more protective/self healing people will not take it to raids. if lets say sam don't support then people don't want to take it. sadly but lots of the things in the game are the way they are because of the players.

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^This

I was there from ARR and HW and the job exclusion was pretty huge. When jobs became mandatory and other jobs get left out it's time to change things up. Sure one will argue "well my static let me play as X". Congrats, you were one of the lucky ones.

I just dont like how they strip SMN of everything that makes them unique (pets and Dots), instead opt to shove them into a more traditional caster mold. . .

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Originally Posted by Ailuron

I just dont like how they strip SMN of everything that makes them unique (pets and Dots), instead opt to shove them into a more traditional caster mold. . .

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DoTs were never within the flavor of a summoner anyway. I don't know why anyone would complain about them being retired.

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Originally Posted by SeverianLyonesse

DoTs were never within the flavor of a summoner anyway. I don't know why anyone would complain about them being retired.

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As SMN was and is (but thankfully won't be) it's basically a budget Warlock from WoW. I don't know how anyone could complain about the lack of DoTs either. Seriously. In Endwalker it will actually be what a SMN should be. What has existed for years has been SMN in name only.

Identity and personal job action customization. Couldn't care less for balancing.

But also having jobs that are coherent with the given lore and well built into the world. Less is more. Maybe add some new advanced jobs with prerequisites that lock said jobs otherwise.