Make Classes Multifaceted

[Kittty_Cat]

When I started on Archer and then unlocked bard I was really disappointed. Not because Bard is bad, it's awesome, but wrapping my brain around the idea that it was becoming a DPS with support was less appealing than the idea of it becoming some more DPS heavy like a Ranger/Hunter.

Along the same vein, my first job to 50 was Scholar, and I love that I leveled Arcanist and have the ability to, at 50, change between a Healing Job (Scholar) and a DPS job (Summoner).

So basically my suggestion to SE is that I would love to see other classes have this development. Rather than every tank class simply unlock another tank job, same with healingh and dps. Instead I would love for there to be more variety more akin to how Arcanist branched out into a DPS and a Healing job.

For example: perhaps a Pugilist could switch between Monky (DPS) and something like Dancer (which could be a tank, or supporting/healing DPS). Or Conjurer, which is one of the land, could become White Mage (Healing)...

[Kittty_Cat]

...and something like Blue Mage (also of the land, but instead learning abilities of enemies making it be DPS most likely with some support spells).

The ideas are of course endless and I'd still love for SE to implement and have us unlock ALL new classes with unique jobs, but the idea of having classes that are multifaceted like Arcanist I find to be very appealing and I hope it's something being considered.

The only downfall to this concept I considered would be when someone who already has a level 50 class unlocks a new job, they could be a main DPS/healer job and all of a sudden have access to a level 50 tank job, they may not know how to use it which could be disasterous in groups.

I think (read: hope) that because you learn job-specific abilities via job quests which rely on you understanding the fundamentals of a job and how it plays, otherwise you lose, that this would be negated and would be a non-issue, but it was still something to consider.

[Gooner_iBluAirJGR]

That would be pretty great. <3

[Enkidoh]

SE are apparently looking at having Jobs of different roles being unlocked for other classes like ACN has with SMN and SCH (like having DRK allow a player to DPS off GLA instead of having to tank as PLD), but they're still working out the details in regards to it the last time I read about it.

[Nahara]

So basically my suggestion to SE is that I would love to see other classes have this development. Rather than every tank class simply unlock another tank job, same with healing and dps. Instead I would love for there to be more variety more akin to how Arcanist branched out into a DPS and a Healing job.

SE is already doing this. Arcanist is just the first, but more will be added later on and some current classes could have this done to them in the near future.

[Maku]

Yes, please make all the classes, multi-jobs so everyone can complain about stat allocation for all the jobs instead of just ACN. The amount of thread that will start when they put in the extra jobs is going to be killer.

[Kitru]

Yes, please make all the classes, multi-jobs

I seriously doubt that will ever happen simply because some classes are simply incapable of developing into a well-formed version of a given role without monumental changes. CNJ, ARC, GLA, and THM will never get additional jobs simply because too much of their class functionality is devoted exclusively towards a single role. CNJ has too many heals and too few attacks to be anything but a healer; ARC has no tank CDs, only attacks, and is ranged so it's not going to be doing anything but ranged DPS; GLA has too few attacks and too many tank CDs to be anything but a tank; THM's fundamental resource model is hugely overpowered for a healer, and, since it's a caster, it won't be a tank (it also has a pretty laughable tank CD suite comprised of Manaward exclusively).

Honestly, I expect multi-job classes to be the exception as opposed to the rule. To really work as a multi-job class, it has to be designed as such from the start, which is why ACN works so well. The pet mechanic and Aetherflow were easily coopted to turn the class into a healer since they focus on pet performance; all the devs had to do was turn the ACN pets into healing pets (which was easily accomplished given that SMN already changed the pets), and it largely fell into place. The only non-DPS abilities that the devs had to shoehorn into ACN/SMN in order to provide SCH with its full repertoire were Physick and Resurrection, which had negligible impact upon the DPS (since it was only 2 abilities, the first of which was basically worthless because of stat splitting and the second of which is simply some additional utility as opposed to a really substantial benefit).

LNC, PUG, and MRD have potential be given secondary jobs, even if it's not as likely and somewhat questionable given their current abilities, but they only do so because there is a *lot* of cross-role functionality in there (MRD has enough attacks to create a reasonably compelling rotation so it's only short some DPS CDs and a couple additional attacks to really flesh it out; PUG and LNC both have a healthy number of attacks and existing tank CD suites that simply need to be bolstered by what a job could provide); even then, there are problems with the abilities that classes bring, since MRD has a tank CD suite that is too strong for a DPS to get access to and LNC/PUG could present a problem of having too many attacks.

[Enkidoh]

Actually, CNJ as originally designed at 1.0's launch was less a healer and more an elemental caster class - they had spells of all elements, including fire, lightning and ice. It was only when Jobs were added that the class was completely redesigned to allow them to concentrate more on healing so as to lead into WHM, and a lot of it's elemental spells were added to THM. Sure it might not be as potent as THM/BLM, but CNJ can definitely still function as an effective offensive mage anyway (it's what Cleric Stance is meant for after all.

GEO (Geomancer) would be a very good fit for CNJ as a result, allowing them to concentrate on attack magic at the expense of healing potency and spells (maybe they could have a trait that boosts attack magic potency even further if under the effect of Cleric Stance, or something).

[Hiroradius]

Well they can do Geomancer with Conj, and the reason for that is Stone and Aero, both of those are considered a norm part of a geomancer. Cleric stance will allow them to concentrate on dps spells, and they can get other skills and abilites like Flood and Tornado and Quake from their soul crystal, also they can make it so the Geomancer, like Summoner, could help healing but won't be effective due to stat build and traits given to them.

As for Gladiator, they can become Dark knight, they can get a trait to remove enmity off their attacks, and it can work with some life draining attacks, and poisones and things like that attached to their soul crystal which will change certain combos to do something else.

Thaum, why not make them a healer with their secondary job? And how do you do that, a Sage. Their crystal gives them access to cure spells, but to make them a different kind of healer.. make them a dps healer.. meaning they get their heals and mana according to astral fire and umbral ice, so they will still need to cast fire and ice spells. Ice will increase their mana restoration, while decreasing the potency of their heal spells, fire will reduce mana restoration while increasing the potency of their heal spells, so they will become a class that needs to know balance.

While Archer, yes it would stay as a range dps, but you can make them maybe become Ranger, a pet class archer? or maybe give them elemental arrow shots and in essence a caster? There are plenty of different things that can be done to change up how the archer works.

Puglist, well Dancer does work due to the different forms with their attacks, but a tank dancer? How about instead a melee support class. Basically Bard is range support with songs that help increase party performance, maybe dancer can while in different forms for attacks cause certain debuffs to the mobs or even a form for tp restoration?

Marauder, well Besereker kinda works with them. Give them an ability to remove enemity, and attacks and stuff to increase their damage output, but while damage output gets increased, they lose defense or certain abilites cause enrage in which they lose the ability to move... things like that.

Lancer, in my opinion is the hardest, and that is because there is no other job in final fantasy lore that uses a lance/spear. I've heard people keep saying dark knight and sam.. but the limitation is the weapon. to use a different weapon other than the lancer/spear, it will need to change the animation of attacks, and that is something I don't see happening.. so I'd be interested in seeing a 2nd lancer job.. but if I had to create one.. Pikemen.. basically a tank with a spear and shield.

[Ristin]

Lancer could branch into the Templar Knight from Tactics Advance. Heavy armor with a spear and some white magic.