How would you feel if they scrapped the current "classes"?

[Anathiel]

Don't scrap them just make it so only thaumaturge and conjurer can ability share, and that the Disciples of war can ability share, and then make 2 more ranged classes (Boomerang tosser and a gun/xbow user), call them Disciples of the Far Hand, and let them share abilities. Easy fix, creates realism(ie melees aren't using magic), and still promotes flexibility.

But that wouldn't fix anything at all (among the old classes, balancing, and giving everyone that nice tingly feeling of old final fantasy). Oh and by the way, I grew up in Marion Center/Indiana

[Karvapeikko]

I think weakening everything cross-class across the board along with AP fixes (Say if Cure III used like 7 AP and healed for like 300HP would it be worth it?) and adding more traits (One with nature II & III for example) and job traits (Paladin, White Mage, Monk etc.) to get more spesific with your role and adding skills only for them would make them feel more unique. Like this you could be something like Mystic Knight with all three(or more) One with natures and be almost as good ST (Aoe should be left for magic classes alone) elemental nuker as CON and have your cool Mystic Knight/GLA skills but you couldn't really use anything else efficiently.

[Kimahri]

I think weakening everything cross-class across the board along with AP fixes (Say if Cure III used like 7 AP and healed for like 300HP would it be worth it?) and adding more traits (One with nature II & III for example) and job traits (Paladin, White Mage, Monk etc.) to get more spesific with your role and adding skills only for them would make them feel more unique. Like this you could be something like Mystic Knight with all three(or more) One with natures and be almost as good ST (Aoe should be left for magic classes alone) elemental nuker as CON and have your cool Mystic Knight/GLA skills but you couldn't really use anything else efficiently.

Yes. It will still be worth it. No matter how much AP is used for cross classing, it will still come down to what's the best possible abilities we can setup. This will not solve the problem. You're still going to see the same abilities for everyone to use down the line, which in turns makes the classes not unique at all. Just another copy-cat scenario. That's basically everyone being Paladin on XI that could cast cures, buffs, debuffs, and songs while still tanking and being a heavy DD.

That's the reason why you seen so much variety on FFXI. Well let's face it more DD than anything else, really. But it still had more variety any way you looked at it. A Dragoon was known for it's Dragon & Jumps. Samurai was known for it's amazing Store TP and Weaponskills. Dark Knight known for it's shear verocity and absorbing stats.

Now even though in FFXI you could use a certain amount of abilities by subbing that said job, you were still limited to just picking one sub job. Now I'm not saying this would be a good idea. It might help, actually. But I would like to see being able to pick other abilities besides from just one job. Not ALL the abilities though. Just the one's that wouldn't make or break the uniqueness of each class. Besides.....What fun would it be to me that I level Marauder just to slap it on another class in order to make that class better than Marauder in every way?

[Chromeo_El_Lobo]

I like the current classes. They just need a bit of refinement.

[Kimahri]

I like the current classes. They just need a bit of refinement.

Exactly spot on.

[Arturia]

I don't so much care if they replace the jobs, so much as they need to simply... feel different. One melee class honestly feels the same as the next, what the original dev team failed to achieve with the current class system, is diversity in play style.

Whether they re-do the current classes, add new, or completely replace those in the game now... I'm fine either way, I'd just like there to be some significant difference in how each one plays.

[AlexiaKidd]

I don't so much care if they replace the jobs, so much as they need to simply... feel different. One melee class honestly feels the same as the next, what the original dev team failed to achieve with the current class system, is diversity in play style.

Whether they re-do the current classes, add new, or completely replace those in the game now... I'm fine either way, I'd just like there to be some significant difference in how each one plays.

I think the main problem with the classes all feeling the same has to do with their attempt at balance. As you can freely add any ability from any class pretty much, it does not leave a lot of room for unique abilities as they need to maintain the balance. If they all had some great unique skills and abilities then everyone would level everything to add those abilities to there "unique" character, which the irony is that it wouldn't be unique because everyone would do it ^^

[OmegaNovaios]

I feel that having the option to add in any action you want to any class is awesome for making your own class however I have a personal opinions that can be improved upon. If I want to heal it is obvious to go with either THM or CON because they can AOE spam and there is generally no concern for MP especially if you Siphon MP or Stygian Spikes. However, for a tank curing yourself with Stygian Spikes there is no concern for MP either and the cures are the same as if you have 1 healer role in your party minus the convenience of curing other members in your party easily due to AOE. Thus since there is no concern for MP on DoW or DoM this gives DoW a huge advantage since they have so much more HP in solo or party play with any 2 Cures to spam + Stygian Spikes + THM, CON, GLA, PGL traits. With this setup you can cure yourself just fine on any mob as DoW or DoM assuming you don't get "1 Shot" which is much more likely to happen to a mage class not because of damage taken but because of HP max.

Also, debuffs are not very significant in leves/behests because mobs die too fast making if more worth while for THM to nuke which IMO THM is the weakest DPS with any cross class ability setup thus IMO making THM insignificant in these situations and not very fun to play, which seems to me leves/behest is the core of play ATM. However I do find THM AOE cone much easier for AOE healing than CON due to range which is interesting because at first I interpreted CON as being a better healer before I tested it myself.

My general point here is you can do the same thing on any class (minus AOE spells for DoW or minus HP for DoM) which I love being able to build my own class, but in most situations I find HP is better than being able to AOE spells thus making DoW with cures much more effective game play overall since I generally die less since I'm less likely to get "1 shot" which is the only issue I have playing any role.

Now with that said I find being able to combine any skills awesome because I can make any role I desire, but being able to do the same general thing on every class somehow nullifies that feeling. I feel there should be many more advantages or disadvantages to which class you choose, but then again that would make each class fall into a specific role and very hard to make a solution for balancing it to not be this way so I propose adding in new actions that are class specific like LNC Speed Surge and Life Surge as well as adding in the ability to choose "subclass" similar to FFXI but with the current armory system thus adding in more customization while still making it possible to fill other roles more easily. Adding in the option for 2 subclasses would enhance the ability to fill other roles as any class even more easily while still giving advantages/disadvantages to action/trait setup.

[Kimahri]

To be completely honest, Omega. Adding more abilities to the one's already in place and making them specific won't really solve the problem in a whole. They need to work with the basket of eggs already in place, instead of throwing more eggs into the basket.

Also......Just to throw it out there....Am I the only one who currently doesn't like the ability sheets for leveling? I find it stupid how you get another ability every two levels, and half the time it's the same weaponskill or ability with a II or something on the end of it.......How does that make progression more unique when I have the same damn weaponskill just slightly better? That's like having Tachi: Enpi IV in place of Tachi: Kasha on Samurai.....Just completely stupid.

[AlexiaKidd]

My problem with the "freedom" the current system allows is it allows thing like this to happen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDk94b3oZbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KazOD98mqr4

Yeah that's right a THM soloing NM's that are designed for 15 people to fight, now I don't know about you but I consider that to be over powered. I am sure the player has a lot of skill to be able to pull it off I don't doubt that for a second but this is the kind of stuff that will be common place with the current system and this is only the beginning. I already see people trying to copy his setup and as more and more over powered setup's are discovered then you will have less and less freedom with making your "unique" class as people will start expecting you to have this setup if you play that class, especially for endgame.

This is the problem when roles aren't defined and restrictions aren't put in place.