Please do not lock Jobs to the Weapon Class that unlocks them.

[Lerris]

Actually, allowing a Lancer to be a White Mage will probably prevent the player from using any lancer abilities.
The blueprint did say that certain jobs will prevent equipping of certain cross-class skills. Most Lancer skills will likely be in this list for WHM.

So, who wants to play a WHM wielding a barely-effective spear and possessing a reduced MP pool? Because THAT is what the OP is asking for. It's probably not what he wants, but it's what he's asking for.

[Nuru]

Actually, allowing a Lancer to be a White Mage will probably prevent the player from using any lancer abilities.
The blueprint did say that certain jobs will prevent equipping of certain cross-class skills. Most Lancer skills will likely be in this list for WHM.

So, who wants to play a WHM wielding a barely-effective spear and possessing a reduced MP pool? Because THAT is what the OP is asking for. It's probably not what he wants, but it's what he's asking for.

Its the freedom he wants, not so much how effective they will be.

[Sephr]

Its the freedom he wants, not so much how effective they will be.

But what I'm asking is, why do you want freedom for the sake of freedom? Hows about we allow our characters to move vertically as well as horizontally? Nevermind that the game's design doesn't really need it, nor would it achieve anything, but freedom is freedom right?

This system they've invented seems to be made for no reason other than to try and break boundaries that reasonably don't need to be broken, and will serve no actual purpose. It certainly won't fit with the idea of specialisation and 'old school final fantasy' idealism that people have ASKED FOR in player polls and on the forums.

[Malakhim]

Pigeon-holing jobs into specific classes just because you liked it in that one game is a dumb idea. I'm loath to mention it as if it's relevant to anything FFXIV, but even FFXI didn't force that sort of thing onto you.

Just because you COULD go WHM/WAR doesn't mean anyone did in parties or that it was particularly practical. Dumb combination problems will solve themselves.

Any any rate, it sure will be nice when we get some info so we can put an end to this pointless bickering, which may or may not even figure into the final plan in the first place.

[ZephyrAM]

Okay, admittedly the Devs 'do' refer to the jobs as specializations, which would imply only furthering effective 'combinations' (or whatever they end up resembling). However, I think many of us are hoping, and in fact trying in this very thread to fight against, such a pure usage of the system. I, for one, don't care much for the concept because it completely voids any chance of 'any' sort of hybrid job, such as the true Red Mages from the FF's of old (NOT the thing they turned them into in FFXI).

Now, the promotion/specialization type of chart that Sephr presented 'could' allow for certain classes, such as the Mystic Knight (a personal favorite from FFV), but only if the Devs put extreme time and effort into creating a massive amount of Jobs across all the Classes.

So which would be better, for us and for the Devs? Creating a large amount of specific Jobs? Or creating fewer jobs that could be used across all Classes?