Job Personalization: Can I Have It?

[Dhex]

I don't see how it's fair that an Arcanist can "spec" as a Scholar or Summoner while every other class is stuck in a single role when they unlock Jobs... That's an imbalance.

If they can't come up with equally viable divergent specs - then why not bring in more Job crystals for the classes already in game? Jobs have enough to define them as unique now with all the additional ability quests 50-60.

Why not use the PVP style skill/trait upgrade system for PVE? Link

[Gilthas]

I don't see how it's fair that an Arcanist can "spec" a Scholar or Summoner while every other class is stuck in a single role when they unlock Jobs... That's an imbalance.

And the developers are moving away from that system. Notice how all 52-60 abilities are tied to Jobs and not Classes and how the new jobs don't even have a base Class.

[Dhex]

And the developers are moving away from that system. Notice how all 52-60 abilities are tied to Jobs and not Classes and how the new jobs don't even have a base Class.

So why do Arcanists get to have the freedom to swap between roles? I thought this was all about balance and fairness and whatever else - why does one class get two Jobs, two roles, and half the leveling investment?

Why does a specific class getting multiple Job specs seem acceptable - but not acceptable for every other class? Or what?

So we've seen how 35 bonus stats & 9 skills can do a lot to shift a play style/role with SCH/SMN. Are you just scared Square can't figure out how to balance this stuff?

[elemental10]

snip

Imbalance in a game means that one class triumphs another in a specific role. In this case, ACN is completely balance in both of the roles; SMN for dps and SCH for healer. SMN's are preferred and are not locked out of party composition over other DPS nor the same with SCH over any other healer.

Your interpretation of balance of branching class into two jobs is a misunderstanding. When we talk of balance, we talk in specific roles. If one class in DPS can do this thing with this success rate, then the other classes in DPS must also be able to this thing with the same success rate, +/- one or two points. This is why in MOBA games, balance is such an important thing. We don't want a hero to triumph over all other hero as this one role, otherwise everyone would play it and others who would choose other hero in that role will always get discriminated. In MMOS, its a lot less eye-catching because of the elements of PvE, where solo-content is viable. Only in PvP and group content, can you really see how balance plays a big role, especially the raids.

It's not that SE can't figure out how to balance this stuff, it's just that right now we already have imbalance issues; AST, PLD and the rangers. They can figure this balance issues out but it needs time and a lot of dedication, time and dedication that can be used to figure out other problems or create a lot of content.

Just to note that I do support for some customization, not the opposite. I am merely pointing out that I do not think it would be done as soon as all of us would like.

[Enkidoh]

So why do Arcanists get to have the freedom to swap between roles? I thought this was all about balance and fairness and whatever else - why does one class get two Jobs, two roles, and half the leveling investment?

Why does a specific class getting multiple Job specs seem acceptable - but not acceptable for every other class? Or what?

It was an experiment - the single Job upgrades for Disciplines of War and Magic originated during the later part of version 1.0's service, where as ACN was actually dummied out of the game (thus was never playable in 1.0) and was only finally made available in ARR, hence SE decided to experiment with it having two Jobs come off it instead of one (mostly, because the game needed a second healer Job).

Naturally, due to oversights in how stats are implemented (their decision to have a single base stat control the potency/effectiveness of that class's abilities), this didn't work as well as SE had hoped, thus the experiment was deemed a failure - SE decided not to implement second Jobs for any of the other classes leaving ACN having two Jobs an orphan pretty much.

Personally I'd like to see SCH removed completely from ACN and given a new base class (or even made into a classless Job like the 'extra Jobs' added in Heavensward), but I guess that probably won't happen.

[Intaki]

If they can't come up with equally viable divergent specs - then why not bring in more Job crystals for the classes already in game?

Because they've already said that ACN branching into multiple jobs created a balancing mess they never, ever want to repeat.