Specialist System

[Waeksyn]

From the Live Letter Q&A

From level 55 you’ll be able to undertake a quest to become a specialist, and you can do this for three classes of your choosing. It will be possible to change your specialist classes by using a new item known as "scrips." There will be certain actions that you can only use while you are a specialist, but even if you do not become a specialist, you’ll still be able to take all of the Disciples of the Hand classes to level 60.

While I said that the concept for crafting up until now was such that it’d be fine to just level up any one class, the development team is aware that actions like Byregot's Blessing are a necessity, and that leveling all classes is required to use higher difficulty recipes, making crafting quite difficult. The specialist system is something that balances this out, and allows players to enjoy crafting with more choices.

If I interpret this, then Specialist is only a means for crafters to successfully craft in their specialty without the need to have all other crafts leveled for the cross actions. I'm hoping that what this also means is that if you choose not to specialize and just continue to cap all jobs to 60, you don't lose out on crafting effectiveness or access to recipes.

If all of the above is true, this could be a welcome change - as long as you don't NEED to specialize to access content.

[Crankysorc]

This is what I really hope it means, but if not, I'm mostly prepared for the worst.
And if having alts to be a true omnicrafter isn't needed, at least that's more storage for furniture and selling slots.

[Morvik358]

Not having to crossclass is what I'm getting now, too. In the original concept it seemed to be more towards specialists would learn restricted patterns as well. In the current patch notes I don't see anything like that.

Course with MMOs, options are constantly changing, sometimes with little to no warning.

[Waeksyn]

Well, fearing the worst for specialists, I went ahead and started up an alt, got it progressed through all the main story ready for HW, and got all the crafts up to 15 before the maintenance. I also had a third character ready to progress. I won't be unhappy, though, if that effort wasn't needed.

As an omnicrafter, it was nice to walk into level optimum equips at each stage of leveling up, including melded Kirimu / Plat when I turned 50!

It should be easier to level an alt after HW launch. They've announced the main story quests will give more EXP reward. You'll still have all that running around and need to open all the dungeons.

[Tamlin]

I reckon it is a system to make it easier to just focus on those three crafts, hence specialist.

But to be an omnicrafter still: I reckon it would be easier to grind those scripts to change specialist class if you have to craft something in a class that is not your chosen specialization at the time, seing that scrips only have a softcap of 2000, but no weekly cap, and they are bound to the character.
Time will show, I'm waiting for the complete patch notes before drawing any conclusions at least ^_^

[PROBOUND]

3 Characters with 8/8 DOH 50's. My body is ready for the worst! Could be a lot of wasted time and resources yes, but at the very least we get all Desynth options

[Xenosan]

There's a level 60 action that requires specialization to use.

Until we know how to HQ the new endgame crafted gear, and what rotation would be required, it's still up in the air whether we need to be a specialist or not.

But to be an omnicrafter still: I reckon it would be easier to grind those scripts to change specialist class if you have to craft something in a class that is not your chosen specialization at the time, seing that scrips only have a softcap of 2000, but no weekly cap, and they are bound to the character.

Just a heads up that we can't change our specialty until a further patch. We're stuck with our first selected 3 until they implement the higher tier scribs, which isn't for a month iirc(?)