Has SE screwed itself?

[Sylve]

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They only dont use the ACN skills because the ACN skills dont heal.
I really don't see how new base classes equates to a problem of any description. How would the "casuals" be a problem for new classes?
A new Base class for a Red mage, would let it have its own completely unique abilities and story chains explaining how it came to be.
Otherwise, you'd have a core of Fire/Blizzard spam, with a sprinkle of random special skills.

Red and Blue Mages use very different kinds of Magic compared to a THM/BLM. the THM is all about destructive magics and personal fragility in its story, and the BLM continues that concept. Where does the Blue or Red Mage mechanics allow it to come from a class thats dedicated to pure destruction?

It might work for some classes, but many others will need whole new classes to function properly.