We cannot achieve balance while DPS jobs have utilities

[Connor]

The long term solution will be to treat Ranged as a single category for the purposes of LB generation and 1% damage buffs (i.e. combinations that break from the 2/2/2/2 format are considered non-standard, similar to how it currently works for solo tank and solo healer violations). Then DPS and utility balance really only matters within a given role category (tank/healer/melee/ranged). At that point you could probably turn Phoenix Down into a role action for Ranged jobs, such that you can bring any combination of two Ranged that you like.

It’s a cool idea, but I don’t think this would be possible with the current role skill system? Either you end up with phys ranged getting a bunch of caster support tools they’re essentially incapable of using (Swiftcast, Lucid, Surecast, Sleep I guess but nobody uses that anyway lol). Or we’d end up with casters getting a bunch of random physical skills like Head/Foot Graze and Arm’s Length.
Though saying that, having Summoners whack an enemy over the head with a book and silencing them would be extremely comical lol, like the enemy is so shocked by what you’ve just done they can no longer concentrate on their actions.

I feel like collapsing ‘ranged’ into one category simply isn’t possible so long as the role skills exist, unless they were completely reworked for said merger. Though, maybe they should look into the role skill system itself too, since it’s mostly sat untouched for a while now

[Lyth]

I feel like collapsing ‘ranged’ into one category simply isn’t possible so long as the role skills exist, unless they were completely reworked for said merger

If 8.0 plans to overhaul the existing job designs, then I think revising the Role Action system would be a really good starting point. A lot of Role Actions, as you've pointed out, are archaic, and some primarily have value in niche content like Deep Dungeons. I don't think they've really thought about the system since Stormblood.

I think if you took away damage interrupting casts in general, you could turn Arms' Length into a General action available to all jobs, like Sprint. You likewise could remove Second Wind and give every job a standard 'Potion' General action that restores damage on a fixed recast, with a trait-based upgrade to adjust the potency with level (Hi-Potion, X-potion). You could likewise integrate the various Stuns and Interrupts into a singular Interject, perhaps with a Heavy or Slow additional effect.

Specific to Ranged, the main thing that you would want to carry across is an Addle equivalent. I'd also replace the various raises on Ranged jobs with a Phoenix Down role action with a fixed recast. The Magical Ranged jobs are all very different in their degree of MP management, so I think the likes of Lucid would be better suited as a set of job-specific actions. It's really only Swiftcast that you'd need a more specific solution for, but that may end up being job specific as well.

Likewise, a lot of the more niche Physical Ranged role actions probably could have these integrated as additional effects on their toolkits. I think Petolon could probably be reworked into a combat-based movement tool similar to Expedient, so long as there were appropriate constraints around its recast and reapplication. I want to see more universally useful Role Actions in general.

[Shurrikhan]

I feel like collapsing ‘ranged’ into one category simply isn’t possible so long as the role skills exist, unless they were completely reworked for said merger. Though, maybe they should look into the role skill system itself too, since it’s mostly sat untouched for a while now

Why, though? Sometimes %DR is the more worthwhile, other times rez, other times flat shields. Why not let a party pick what all utilities and what degrees of mobility they want, or the least of each (BLM)?

While it would force physical ranged to actually be a bit better balanced against other roles, I don't see why that'd be an issue. I'm sure Physical Ranged wouldn't mind being taken for more than just their % bonus.

(Personally, I'd like to see the bonuses increased for the first in each role in full party content, 2% each for the first tank, melee, ranged, and healer, and just 1% for the second, reducing the relative penalties of single-healer, single-melee, etc., compositions. Such in turn increases the incentive not to be complacent with imbalances between roles. Naturally, boss HP would be increased by some 3.3-4.9% to compensate -- 4% still obliging standard comp or 3.3% offering 1 slot of leeway, same as now.)