Jobs: unconnected and now feeling flat

[Mahrze]

Actually, no we didn't have that depth even pre-SB. Depth is....well depth. The role action panel pretty much sums up the issue as it stands now as it did then. You have a certain number of actions that just outweigh all the rest,

This is actually untrue. certain jobs make better use of certain role skills than others and the outliers are mostly due to personal preference and style. It's not a great system. but its much less of a "set it and forget it" that was pre-SB.

As for class ID, I feel every class now is pretty distinctive except maybe DRK. But the thing is all have their weaknesses, and what you and Rowde aren't getting is that it isn't about putting something on the same level as another, it's about shoring up a weakness. The White mage is just always going to have better single target damage vs the other two healers, and better direct healing. The SCH will always have better sustained damage and preventative shields. The AST will simply be more adaptable with better buffs, but less damage then the other two healers. Unless you went all out crazy with a trait system, that won't change. But my point is...the system isn't trying to do that.

Succinctly: This is not different than simply fleshing out Job ID, which is the whole theme the dev team is struggling to achieve in SB to varying degrees.

The who[le] point is to reward players for investing time in other classes, and what better way then to give options for shoring up a lacking aspect of your favorite job? Much like in the single player games, if you have a character you like but is lacking in some area, you can shore up that deficiency. Maybe not to the point of another character that is stronger in that area, but enough that the issue isn't as glaring. Much like what might have been possible with such a system and the old paladin. Yes the DRK knight was simply going to be stronger at magic defense, but the point wasn't to ursurp that but to shore up the paladin where it was lacking and that was in it's own magic defense.

This was the mindset on the previous system. Often than not you'd find ASTs in DF who never even bothered to level THM/BLM for Swiftcast (a must-have skill for every caster sans-RDM) DRKs with no Provoke (a GLA skill) BLMs without Raging Strikes (a ARC only ability) The strength of another job was available for another, this simplified version simply gives you a tookit of varying degrees of customization.

Edit: Adding your your focus on traits, it really is no different since more often than not those affect actions and we're back to square one. An acceptable point of contention but the execution will lead to the same caveat.

And expecting the PLD having an equal ground with a trait that is available to all is like saying all tanks "should have block, regardless". It'll make the "weak" weaker and the "strong" stronger.

The point of customization isn't to make one job into another, and it shouldn't ever be. The point is to either enhance the strengths of a class or to allow someone to diminish a weakness. Or simply to put training wheels on if needed, a trait that could extend effects on players could also maybe extend the timer black mages have for fire or ice spells. Not only would this make the class easier to learn for newbies, but also could diminish the weakness black mages have in their mobility. Summoners and Red mages would still have MUCH better mobility, but the point is that it would make the black mage easier to play in...well most content really.

BLMs mobility is not its weakness, not only that but between the lines and the lowered cast times to aetherial manipulation give them "displacement" abilities on shorter timers than RDM. BLM is considered weak because it doesn't have anything to add outside of (underwhelming) firepower. BLMs "turret mode" is too crippling vs the damage a SMN can deal out while sliding around.

BLM is a rail gun that is shooting boulders that hit like pebbles vs SMN shooting pebbles that hit like a boulder. Your point of customization is understood plenty by most of us. We just know SE won't hit the mark as often as we'd like them to.