Why did SE decide to make the three new classes not require base classes?

[DoctorPepper]

Base classes are a relic from 1.0 that really don't need to exist. Looking at SMN/SCH it is impossible to play both jobs at full effectiveness due to them sharing attributes and the 2 jobs feel a lot a like in terms of gameplay because you have all of the same abilities aside from job abilities/pets.

I for one am very happy they've decided to move away from base classes since I like different jobs to be unique and don't want them to share attributes which it seems won't be changing any time soon.

If anything I would say that attaching multiple jobs to the same base class is more "dumbed down" than anything.

[Prototype909]

I don't necessarily mind the fact that they're getting rid of classes as the story for those jobs will now just be continuous rather than split into 1/2 Class 1/2 Job as it is now. However I am worried about what this means for the existing classes who are still bound by the system compared to their new counterparts.

You can't cross-class job abilities as it stands, none of them. You can only cross class "Class" abilities, so how will this work with the new jobs? Will they just be self contained and be unable to take or give anything from the existing classes? Or will they re-work this system entirely?

[EdwinLi]

I don't necessarily mind the fact that they're getting rid of classes as the story for those jobs will now just be continuous rather than split into 1/2 Class 1/2 Job as it is now. However I am worried about what this means for the existing classes who are still bound by the system compared to their new counterparts.

You can't cross-class job abilities as it stands, none of them. You can only cross class "Class" abilities, so how will this work with the new jobs? Will they just be self contained and be unable to take or give anything from the existing classes? Or will they re-work this system entirely?

Well with Jobs only allowed to Cross-skill 2 classes I'm guessing Machinist, Dark Knight, and Astrologian will only be allowed to cross-skill 2 classes as well.

They may keep current classes as the only class that can cross-skill all classes.

It is also possible that Machinist, Dark Knight, and Astrologian will not have any skills that can be shared with the other classes.

This would mean that GLA, PGL, LNC, ARC, ROG, CNJ, THM, and ACN will be the only classes to provide cross-skills which make them valued because if players and cross-skills they will need to level these classes.

So to keep players into playing these classes, SE may make GLA, PGL, LNC, ARC, ROG, CNJ, THM, and ACN the only classes to provide cross-skills.

[Felis]

I don't necessarily mind the fact that they're getting rid of classes as the story for those jobs will now just be continuous rather than split into 1/2 Class 1/2 Job as it is now. However I am worried about what this means for the existing classes who are still bound by the system compared to their new counterparts.

SE don't get rid of the classes. They just don't add new classes to the game. The old classes (also the DoL and DoH classes) will remain in the game.

[Slick]

I don't necessarily mind the fact that they're getting rid of classes as the story for those jobs will now just be continuous rather than split into 1/2 Class 1/2 Job as it is now. However I am worried about what this means for the existing classes who are still bound by the system compared to their new counterparts.

You can't cross-class job abilities as it stands, none of them. You can only cross class "Class" abilities, so how will this work with the new jobs? Will they just be self contained and be unable to take or give anything from the existing classes? Or will they re-work this system entirely?

This is a very interesting question. I wonder if anyone here knows?

[Teslo]

This is a very interesting question. I wonder if anyone here knows?

Nobody here could possibly know this. lol Only the devs know the answers to these questions for sure, and they're not telling.

I suspect that we're seeing the start of the process to move away from classes entirely. If they don't spring a class/job change on us by the time the expansion comes out, we'll see it sometime around 3.4. I suspect we'll see it sooner rather than later, simply because the three new Jobs won't work well with the others under the current system. Much like Ninja is awkward with the fact that it can take cross-class skills, but doesn't share any of its own with other classes/jobs. If they keep going with that, every new Job will rely on the old cross-class skills from the old Classes, which will get boring really fast.

[Prototype909]

If they keep going with that, every new Job will rely on the old cross-class skills from the old Classes, which will get boring really fast.

Problematically (Perhaps) this is already sort've guaranteed to be the case. For example every tank -needs- provoke, without it you can't even do tank swap mechanics in an efficient manner. So no matter what every tank has to either be able to cross class Gladiator or have an ability that does the exact same thing as provoke but with a different name.

There will always be a dependence on old abilities like this because SE wants every job to be plug in and play rather than offering a unique experience or advantage (At least, on paper), there's nothing fundamentally wrong with this as long as it's accepted that every job is going to be a Circle Shape going into a Circle Hole.

[Teslo]

Problematically (Perhaps) this is already sort've guaranteed to be the case. For example every tank -needs- provoke, without it you can't even do tank swap mechanics in an efficient manner. So no matter what every tank has to either be able to cross class Gladiator or have an ability that does the exact same thing as provoke but with a different name.

Yeah well, the ability to provoke is kind of a definition of the role of Tank isn't it? lol If you're going to have a trinity system game, you're going to need a provoke mechanic. Currently that's achieved by cross-classing provoke off Gladiator, but what they should really be doing is giving each tank it's own Provoke and allowing the cross-class abilities to be something more... Unique? I guess? I don't know, I absolutely hate the current cross-class system, so anything else that they do would be an improvement in my opinion. lol

[Felis]

Much like Ninja is awkward with the fact that it can take cross-class skills, but doesn't share any of its own with other classes/jobs. If they keep going with that, every new Job will rely on the old cross-class skills from the old Classes, which will get boring really fast.

The jobs with no classes can maybe not equip any cross-class skill, because no class will used as sub class. Also every skill of the new jobs would be 100% jobskills and therefore not equipable with other class/job.

Also new cross-class skills come with level cap raise (I hope). The old classes would still learn new skills and I really hope that they would be not all exclusive skills..

[Noshpan]

There's also the factor that leveling yet another can, at times, be boring as hell.