Quote Originally Posted by LineageRazor View Post
The SE devs are not keen on freedom of choice. They've, as time has gone by, steadily removed every trace of choice we have in the game. Want to play as a class instead of a job? Sorry, no, here's some big ol' stat buffs on the job crystal to ensure that classes are not viable. Want to stack a bit of DEX to improve your PLD's shield block rate? Sorry, no, can't have that - block rate is no longer affected by DEX, so stack VIT and STR instead. Wait - VIT AND STR??? Tanks have to balance survival against damage? That's too much choice! VIT now provides attack, just like STR does, so please stack as much VIT as possible, okay? Just like all the other jobs have exactly one main stat that they stack!

I don't see a turnaround happening anytime soon - especially one as drastic as this. In fact, recent interviews have suggested that they plan on making character building even MORE simple than it already is. No, in FFXIV, you don't spec your character - there is one choice and one choice only.
Yes, because that's why they changed it. It had nothing to do with the community forcing STR accessories as the new meta and fending gear near universally being ignored outside leveling. You have to balance choice between what players will actually bother choosing, if it's worth the development time and resources and what potential sacrifices needs be made to accommodate these changes. Acting like the devs simply dislike allotting player choice grossly oversimplifies game design. You cannot just add crap for no rhyme or reason.