Letter to the Producer, Stay Class-less not Classy

[Zantetsuken]

Like the OP, I recognize that there are problems with the relevance of the Class system and I'm sure we can all agree that changes are needed.

However, I'm of the school of thought that Classes should be given more gear, more abilities, and more relevance in endgame -- not less.

The fundamentals of the Armory system are actually very good and well suited for casual players or experimentation and variety, it's the implementation of endgame support that's missing.

Here is what I've suggested to give Classes (and some of the other, underutilized features of the game) more relevance:

• Introduce 5 new Class-Exclusive abilities (not useable by Jobs) for each class along with new Class Guild quests from lvls30-50. A decent amount of these new abilities should be usable cross-class.
• Introduce (and/or modify) recipes from iLvl30 - iLvl90 that are meldable with higher stat caps, but are only Class-Exclusive (again, Jobs cannot equip them).
• Introduce new Materia that enhances some traits and abilities, but in exchange, has negative effects on other stats, traits or abilities.
• Add Class AF gear -- Craftable but it should require special rare mats from dungeons as well as Tomestone purchased items. Like DoH/DoL AF, it should be meldable. Also, it should look more 'realistic' and less flashy than Job AF. Something along the lines of:
  
• **This last one is a bit radical, but I really like it** All future endgame Job-exclusive gear should be unmeldable, unconvertable, and it should be gained via dungeon drops or currency purchases. (As 90% of it is now, so no real change). All future Class-exclusive gear should be convertible, meld-able and crafted (just like DoL/DoH "AF" is). The Materia system is one of customization, just as the Armory system is. These systems should work exclusively with each-other and create parallel path to endgame.. One that is less powerful, perhaps, but that offers great flexibility and opportunity for innovation on the part of the players.

These changes would make classes a viable option in endgame, it would revitalize crafting an materia markets, and it would open the game up to some 'sandbox'-type play in regards to builds and tactics -- All of which are either unfulfilled promises or un-met expectations in the current state of the game.




TL;DR - Dev's please GET CLASSY, and start supporting the armory system that was touted as the foundation for the game. Don't treat the Armory system as second-Class (pun :P ). Classes need real relevance in the game, be they DoW & DoM, or DoH & DoL.