This game is in need of character customization

[Gramul]

Because it's an illusion. There is one right answer and a lot of wrong ones. If you allocate INT on a WHM, you are doing it wrong. Or VIT, or STR, or DEX, or PIE. Everything is wrong except more MND.

Yeah, if you implement concrete stats like that. Things like elemental damage and resistance have more freedom to be versatile.
If the classes where more freeform, you would be able to allocate stats to fit your playstile like it was originally intended; and without causing trouble for group play. Most of the content and progression in this game is very clearly set and linear. There are exact ways to do things and if you don't do them, you fail. You must play like they want you to play. You must have the same gameplay experience as everyone else who chose that class.
While that might not be necessarily a bad thing, it's not something I personally enjoy as much.

[kukurumei]

Because it's an illusion. There is one right answer and a lot of wrong ones. If you allocate INT on a WHM, you are doing it wrong. Or VIT, or STR, or DEX, or PIE. Everything is wrong except more MND.

Not really wrong, shallow but not wrong. We customized our gear with mix and match stats, because points are harder to reset. Doesn't mean a whm should go MND, it's just easier to go MND. The rest is still tweaked with gears.

And long term, you will have more class branching like arcanist. Have fun with those stats.

[Zensus]

should make something like passive tree and sup gems in POE? lol nice

[Seif]

Having just watched the new trailer for wildstar customization option I kinda changed my mind about where ARR is in this area.

Gear color can only be changed in one area of low level worthless gear and after that everyone looks the same. Especially if you're war and forced to wear a coffin.

Getting new hairstyles, tattoos, and better customizaton all around really shouldn't take this long for any game. I hope ARR can retain it's player base but to do that they need to get this small stuff in the game in much greater volumes at a lot faster rate. Even the housing outer appearance options are super limited next to competition.

I do respect the art direction of this game but there is a way to add more variety while maintaining the look of the game.

[Duelle]

Gear color can only be changed in one area of low level worthless gear and after that everyone looks the same. Especially if you're war and forced to wear a coffin.

Well, you know what they say about coffins...

[Zantetsuken]

To the OP, I've posted several suggestion for boosting the Armory (Class) system as well as the Materia system. Both of these are intended to provide the customization that many players are looking for but neither has been given endgame support up to this point.

For those that don't want to go digging, here they are:

• Introduce 5 new Class-Exclusive abilities for each class along with Class Guild quests from lvls30-50. A decent amount of these new abilities should be usable cross-class.
• Introduce (and/or modify) recipes from iLvl30 - iLvl90 that are Class-Exclusive (that is, Jobs cannot equip them) - all meld-able
• Introduce new Materia that enhances some traits and abilities, but in exchange, has negative effects on other stats, traits or abilities.
• Add Class AF gear -- Craftable, but it should require special rare mats from dungeons as well as dungeon currency purchased items (potash, coke, etc..). Like DoH/DoL AF, it should be meldable. Also, it should look more 'realistic' and less flashy than Job AF. Something along the lines of:
  
• **This last one is a bit radical, but I really like it** All future endgame Job-exclusive gear should be unmeldable, unconvertable, undye-able, and it should be gained via dungeon drops or currency purchases. (90% of it is now, so no real change there..) All future Class-exclusive gear should be convertible, meld-able, dye-able, and crafted (just like DoL/DoH "AF" is). -- The Materia system is one of customization, just as the Armory system is. These systems should work exclusively with each-other and create parallel path to endgame.. A path that is perhaps less directly powerful, but one that offers great flexibility and opportunity for innovation on the part of the players.

[Lycieus]

[*] Introduce 5 new Class-Exclusive abilities for each class along with Class Guild quests from lvls30-50. A decent amount of these new abilities should be usable cross-class.

I would expand upon this. After thinking about this, I should have said something in my initial post. I think increasing the number of xclass abilities would be helpful, but I also think it worth pointing out that the abilities we are given should be substitutable for one another. That is to say, for each functionality a given ability provides, we should have at least 2 more that provide similar functionality. An example would be a cross class ability that grants a stun, a suitable substitute would be another ability that grants silence. Doing other things with the abilities lends itself to people picking the "best" ones always.

[eagledorf]

• Add Class AF gear -- Craftable, but it should require special rare mats from dungeons as well as dungeon currency purchased items (potash, coke, etc..). Like DoH/DoL AF, it should be meldable. Also, it should look more 'realistic' and less flashy than Job AF. Something along the lines of:
  

That gear is almost all already in the game. Most of it is dungeon gear (of really disparate levels..) and, I believe, can't be dyed. It does look awesome though....

[Naunet]

All future endgame Job-exclusive gear should be unmeldable, unconvertable, undye-able, and it should be gained via dungeon drops or currency purchases.

Emphasis mine because... why? Pointless restriction is pointless now and would be just as pointless in your idea. >_>

[Ildur]

Emphasis mine because... why? Pointless restriction is pointless now and would be just as pointless in your idea. >_>

Everyone knows that the most important tradition that reflects Final Fantasy's essence is pointless arbitrary restrictions. If you don't have them, then it's not a Final Fantasy game!