Action Trees for Customization

[Etrius]

what is wrong with the way they are adding more classes?

After reading a bit, this is prob. what i want to see: more classes with the same weapon-types (aka playstyles as roninoftagrm said).
As an example, we have Gladiators as Tanks; <NewSwordClassWithoutShield> as a DPS and a whole new set of skills; <DuelistWannabe> Dual wielding 1-handed swords with another set of skills; <SpellSword> with a mix of Mage/Melee Abilities (lets think about elemental melee moves with bonus effects like ice/slow, fire DoT, lightning with paralysis).

Y'all know what I mean... I'm currently struggling trying not to get kicked from Duty as a PLD with STR items (and sometimes not having the shield equipped because I don't like shields... and you can't hide them)

I know the game wants me to play LIKE THIS, but i just don't LIKE this, I love the game but... gimme some variety or ppl will hate me forever! D':

[Edellis]

Yoshi was correct when he mentioned how, ultimately, action trees of that nature are ultimately just a grand illusion of choice, and to really balance anything well around it, there will have to be optimal paths and unoptimal ones. Paraphrasing a bit, but that's generally the idea. I think a better choice would be to encourage cross-class skills a bit more, or add some sort of combo/trait synergy between them that makes them clearly useful outside their original classes.

In other words, if Maurader were to equip Savage Blade, it would do something completely different than a 100 potency skill with enmity generation and a Fast Blade combo...I.E., something completely useless to any tank other than one with Fast Blade (Gladiator), and 150% useless to any DPS (who strictly avoids taking enmity, and would never waste GCD on a glorfied autoattack.). Likewise, a Thurmaturge's Ruin would be specifically different than an Arcanist's Ruin.

What I would love, is for cross classes to be the answer to providing some holy trinity breakage. Like, adding traits to enhance cross class abilities for Lancer, that enhance the skills you can use that Dragoon cant. Not in a way that would make Lancer a better DPS than Dragoon, but would allow a team of Cross-Class players to successfully do something that 2Tank+2Heal+4DPS would not be able to accomplish, like perhaps real 1Tank+1Heals+6 DPS, or even 8-DPS parties, where all 8 players actively assume tank,heal and DPS simultaneously.

[AniCelestine]

you named already accessible skills.....

But the thing is, Raging Strikes are only CC able by BLM and SMN currently, unless we go into a scenario wherein people would only classes (But still, it's proven that drg > lancer because of stat boost anD oGCD jumps provide more dps than being able to get Raging Strikes, and monk would lose Dragon Kick which is a full uptime indirect damage boost, (Blunt resistance down 10%))

So the only viable way currently for SE to implement such a free choises would with doing yet another restart of the game, unless you want to struggle with a long time with bad balance in PvE and PvP (Read monk being able to get traited BfB, Raging Strikes, Goad, Berserk, and HT (+15% dmg from drg skill) personal opinion: No