With some Jobs play style completely changed, isn't it time for alternate job specs?

[ItMe]

Everything in the game should have way more impact than it does, from races to other things, and players should have way more options within their character evolution to make each and every character as unique as possible within reason.

IDK man, I thoroughly enjoy that many of these things can just be aesthetic differences.
I'm very glad I can be a Lala tank and not get punished for it (both mechanically, and by getting kicked out of parties).

[ChazNatlo]

Some classes could be exclusive to some races or work better with some. Not everyone should care, nor does it make a difference for 90% of players. Caring for balancing and streamlining, dumbing down, is what killed most MMOs of old. While making things more unique never did so.

Trying to be unique has killed plenty of MMOs. You just don't hear about them because they died in the cradle because no one was interested in that given uniqueness.

[Sailysium]

The closest we’ll get to this sort of thing are from exploration content special actions and buffs that can lead to augmented playstyles for all jobs

[Hysorn]

Only issue with that is that it makes balancing a nightmare, just take a look at WoW, each class has 3 specs and usually only one of those is really rocking decent numbers while the rest are vastly behind, it's especially noticeable on pure DPS classes. They are still playable, sure, but you really feel like you are dragging the rest of your group down by playing an underperforming spec and the forums would be full of "Buff X ninja spec, I don't like playing Y spec".

FFXIV does a great job of balancing, aside, of course of the amazing work from the devs, due to their lack of distinct specs, focusing rather on the class itself.

[Oshirigami]

The 3 specs of WoW is too much, but they could probably make 2 of them good especially if one is meant to be easier to get into and master and a little weaker, while another spec is more difficult but very slightly better. As long as content is made to be cleared with all jobs/classes of the "weaker" spec, it's fine.

[Bright-Flower]

It's a little late to throw in stuff like specs. That's not the sort of thign you should slap onto a game this late in its life. For specs to really work you'd want the jobs designed to incorporate those from the ground up.

[SeverianLyonesse]

It is time for us to get a job spec that uses bio, miasma, and bane as a DoT mage.

It will branch off from the ARC class.

There will be no other alternative job specs.

ARC shall consume all.

[Ryaz]

There's a reason WoW is so poorly balanced. It's hard to balance that many jobs and specs.

[Fellgon]

Only issue with that is that it makes balancing a nightmare, just take a look at WoW, each class has 3 specs and usually only one of those is really rocking decent numbers while the rest are vastly behind, it's especially noticeable on pure DPS classes. They are still playable, sure, but you really feel like you are dragging the rest of your group down by playing an underperforming spec and the forums would be full of "Buff X ninja spec, I don't like playing Y spec".

FFXIV does a great job of balancing, aside, of course of the amazing work from the devs, due to their lack of distinct specs, focusing rather on the class itself.

back in wow classic no matter what spec you love on warrior, in raids nobody would choose you if your not spec in fury, no matter how fun arms be. I like the fact that 14 is way more balanced, and we dont need that tree thing: boring point spend , no matter where you use, there's only one option viable. why care spend point in many options if in the end, everyone will look for the same? in 14 you dps its just one option, theres no 3 specs and i never seen any players in this game get kicked by his "choices". "free choices, mmo sandbox, you choice matters"....its a lie!
I leveled warrior blindly in these fury/arms choices, i spend from lvl 1 to 60 in arms, just to discover that everyone's need fury, and if i knew fury was soooooo slow in weapons swings, i would choose rogue since beginning. So no, please....no spec in 14!

[Tonkra]

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