tbh, i was surprised even AST got mentioned
I wonder if luminiferous aether is coming back. Hah I can dream >< it'd be a tiny step in the right direction though- the direction of undoing this terrible mess and going back to hw/sb ast when it was fun

Fun>balance in all circumstances. Doesn't matter how balanced it is, if people won't play because its not fun.
You can't try to make all jobs balanced anyway, some will inevitably have higher or lower ability due to their skill ceilings, sure make them tight, but the different playstyles is what matters as that's the core of fun
nobody likes putting tons more effort in for equal ability of its compatriots. There must be some variance, but htat variance must come from player skill not statistical forcement