Let's discuss Red Mage

[Airget]

Speculation, but maybe this is why the additional skill change is occurring. Maybe they do have plans to make RDM a "hybrid" but in the sense you can pick between being a support or DPS role. Depending on the role their additional skills are altered which allow one the flexibility of a RDM without making them to OP.

[Radacci]

Erm... WHM and SCH are a capable healer with sub-DPS capacity (Id say they ammount to something between 1/2 and 2/3 of a DPS). That's what I mean.
And yes, lots of people would take a sub-healer RDM if the other healer is strong and well equipped, if said sub-healer would be able to pump up significant DPS.

you're not pumping out any dps, if you're healing. that's like having a BLM/SMN/PLD healing you with physick
if healers are well equipped, you don't need sub-healers, unless the well-equipped healers, suck...then you have bigger issues that a sub-healer can't fix.
as i said, healers have basic dps, so it wont take an hr for them to do simple solo content; dps don't need basic healing, to do solo content.

[Xikeroth]

Red Mage is going to be bound by hate regardless of how they release it... so many want Red Mage to be their way. I would mention how we already have a hybrid class that was put into two jobs (SMN and SCH) but that's a discussion for another time.

I can see them making a melee support RDM (since almost every RDM fan you talk to always says "sword" or "melee mage" when they think of RDM) By using skills similar to that of FF13's Ravager class (Think Lightning). Specifically the elemental blade attacks instead of en-spells or maybe both and using the same type of skill as you have enspell could either give the enemy a debuff that would benifit the party in some way or just give the party a buff similar to BRD and MCH.

I'd personally rather it go down the multi-role route but be locked when in a duty to a specific role. I know it is possible and not even very difficult to pull off but we'll see...

[Xikeroth]

Also another little fact people tend to overlook... RDM has almost always been able to equip gear similar to Dragoon, and has also at times been given skills that reduce the damage it takes.. Just throwing that one out there too.

[Terribad]

Speculation, but maybe this is why the additional skill change is occurring. Maybe they do have plans to make RDM a "hybrid" but in the sense you can pick between being a support or DPS role. Depending on the role their additional skills are altered which allow one the flexibility of a RDM without making them to OP.

This would make the most sense. Doesn't WoW also do this?

[Shurrikhan]

This would make the most since. Doesn't WoW also do this?

You can basically consider each WoW class "spec" as a different job feeding off the same original class abilities. Though specs used to be more identity/aesthetic- than role-driven, by now they're fairly rigid, set into a particular role. Some dps are still tankier or more evasive than others, while some tanks still have more ST or AoE dps, greater readiness/sustain/burst, etc., but overall each toolkit is overshadowed by the role they've been alloted to. That's been a general progression since Wrath, for better or worse.

[Xikeroth]

This would make the most since. Doesn't WoW also do this?

The majority of classes in WoW can perform multiple roles but only one at a time. Say you have a class that can Tank DPS and heal, they can't do so all at once. They are locked and even their skills change when they change from one role to another. So if they went from DPS to Tank, their tanking ability would skyrocket but their damage would drop a fair amount. Now while DPSing in that regard you will still have skills that can heal (and heal for a decent amount as well, nothing to be shrugged at) But they can't outdo their healer counterparts and tend to run out of MP very quickly.

There is nothing stopping SE from copying say... WoW's Paladin for Red Mage (with clearly RDM-based skills) with the ability to tank heal or dps, but you'd only be able to do one at a time.

[Paladinleeds]

There is nothing stopping SE from copying say... WoW's Paladin for Red Mage (with clearly RDM-based skills) with the ability to tank heal or dps, but you'd only be able to do one at a time.

Perhaps it could be incorporated into the off-hand weapon? So you have certain offhands that attune you to dps, some others that attune you to tank, and others that attune you to healer? Let's say maybe call them, to use Ironworks as an example... "Ironworks Offsword of Striking/Fending/Healing"

Or failing that... "Soul of the Striking/Fending/Healing Red Mage"... or maybe one soul crystal, but with right click options to change between tank/healer/dps?

[Xikeroth]

Perhaps it could be incorporated into the off-hand weapon? So you have certain offhands that attune you to dps, some others that attune you to tank, and others that attune you to healer? Let's say maybe call them, to use Ironworks as an example... "Ironworks Offsword of Striking/Fending/Healing"

Or failing that... "Soul of the Striking/Fending/Healing Red Mage"... or maybe one soul crystal, but with right click options to change between tank/healer/dps?

I was thinking along that line as well but more just three diff job crystals if they had to, pull a SMN/SCH and change our job skills based on the role we are performing, unless they just did that with the OH weap instead.

[AlexionSkylark]

you're not pumping out any dps, if you're healing. that's like having a BLM/SMN/PLD healing you with physick
if healers are well equipped, you don't need sub-healers, unless the well-equipped healers, suck...then you have bigger issues that a sub-healer can't fix.
as i said, healers have basic dps, so it wont take an hr for them to do simple solo content; dps don't need basic healing, to do solo content.

What I meant is, if one of your healers is a VERY good healer, you can afford to have a hybrid as your second healer, and pump more DPS out of him than a WHM or SCH can. I'd say lots of groups would like that comp.