Giving each job a second spec: would it work?

[Dererk]

The problem is classes were supposed to follow this design paradigm (look at SMN and SCH) but the devs gave up on that idea. I still say it could work, but it would require the job crystals doing more than just give you extra stats and 5/10 abilities.

In an "infinite money and time" scenario, the devs could change classes so that they level only up to lv30 (in other words, classes would be capped at lv30) and make the jobs take over post-30. This negates the problem they cited for jobs branching off classes (since the devs said that currently buffing SMN would buff SCH in some way).

That actually could have worked. Its probly too late now but who knows sadly they'd have to rework everything and it would take a lot of time to rework over 10 jobs.

this person has the only reasonable idea from what iv seen.

[Akiza]

Black Mage - Flare spell line
Summoner - Caller spell line
White Mage - Ultima spell line.

[Tuathaa]

They would need to add talent trees or multiple specializations to each job. Time and money waisted in a design feature which isn't needed because you can have all job/classes on 1 character.

[justinjarjar]

Design team has already said they dislike the idea SMN/SCH came out of 1.0's design team (very different). They both have plus and minuses and if the design team doesn't want to do and it adds little (new jobs at 30 seemed to be easy enough to level). If they wanted to do it sure fine no one would complain, most people are not complaining about the primarily one job per class (and now no class at all) for job, however since it is opinion based argument where the devs have already made their stance clear.

[MageBlack]

They did this, but only with one class, the Arcanist. If they do do this, it will not be in the way you and others are hoping for. It will be a new job stone that will branch off at level 30 into something a little different.

What I think would be awesome and pretty much the only way we will get the level of customization people want from the current systems is if they made and Onion Knight job where once you equipped the job stone, you would have full access to your entire compliment of skills and traits to pick and choose and effectively build your own class/job. the only caveat will have to be the designation of role so DF can place you in a party. I think there would also need to be other barriers in place such as requiring players to have all DoW and DoM classes at max level and this is something that can only really work as one of the final jobs they add to the game though.

Thoughts?

[LunaHoshino]

No. All that would happen would be that players would figure out which specs were best for which content and then start excluding players who didn't have those specs. I've seen it happen before.

[justinjarjar]

Thoughts?

Cool in a single player game, would be broken in an mmo. Would only see Onion Knight played unless it had huge set backs. Could see it now traited BfB, Raging Strikes, and the mudras needed to make huton. Make the ultimate dps (or tank, healer, etc.). Could be cool to also run someone with all the debuffs (or could make a cool job tons of examples in FF history) just to keep them up.

[Reynhart]

They should make classes more versatile, and removes all traits from them...to give them to jobs.

This way, you could have the same skill with an enmity boost trait for your tank job, or a damage increase for your DPS job.
And you could give traits back at lower levels even if the job starts at level 30, exactly like the new extra jobs.

[Felis]

Just bring back the old 1.0 freedom of cross-class skills on classes.
You want to be a DPS that can build up better enmity than the tank? Level up a tank class, learn the enmity skills and then equip them on your DPS class. And buy equipble traits for guild marks, that you earn from many Leves, in the guilds.

Of course, don't work on jobs, only on classes.

[LineageRazor]

I thought that the ACN -> SMN/SCH split idea was a cool one, and I'm a bit bitterly disappointed that SE decided to kick it to the curb. Folks here on the forums came up with some pretty creative ideas about how currently existing jobs could be branched into different roles, even taking into account their supposedly role-centric abilities. One such suggested idea I thought was cool was a DRK that branched off of GLD, with abilities whose DPS scaled with the amount of enmity the DRK had, so the DRK would be constantly working to maintain a position second or third on the hate list, just behind the tank(s). Another idea I saw tossed around was a healer branched from THM, whose spells either added shields or regen depending on whether they were using Astral Fire or Umbral Ice; swapping between the two to use the appropriate additional effect would be a core mechanic to the job.

The devs decided, though, that creating new jobs from whole cloth would allow for more freedom, and even if I don't personally like it much I can't really disagree with that assessment. It does sacrifice one of the things that would have given FFXI's job system flavor, though.