Random Query: The Trinity System

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I say this being a player coming from FFXI (the only paid MMO outside of FFXIV I've played):

If, and only if, they can make all jobs viable in all content while staying true to the job's roots (BRD supporting more than MP/TP recovery and magic damage, BLM using more than fire/ice/thunder magic, etc.) should they ditch the trinity system. The balance issues would far outweigh the pros in my opinion. When things aren't balanced people gravitate towards the best jobs and shun those who play the "lesser" jobs. There's a reason groups didn't want certain jobs (PUP anyone?) in their groups in FFXI; they didn't contribute as much as other jobs.

Plus players find the best thing a job has and find ways to exploit it to the extent of neglecting the rest of the job's tool set. Red Mage being a prime example: it can contribute physical and magical damage, heal, and support magic all at decent levels, but in FFXI parties would generally make Red Mages heal/haste/refresh only (and maybe a couple debuffs like Dia or Bio) simply because other jobs can output more damage (and longer if a mage) if the RDM keeps everyone buffed with haste and refresh.

Or Ninjas: DD (DPS) turned blink tank. People would often choose a Ninja tank over a Paladin or Warrior if the target mob/NM/boss didn't have AoE attacks to eat Utsusemi or attacks that pierce shadows since a good Ninja doesn't need to be healed as often and it did more damage than either PLD or WAR.



On the subject of every job being self sufficient: No.

This is an MMO RPG, there will always be content that requires groups to work together. If every job became self sufficient it would break the game.

I'm not a fan of the trinity system, I would absolutely love it if jobs felt more like in previous FF games. But the trinity does offer game balance. And balance is a very important factor in making multiplayer games.