What if we got the Sub-Job System in FFXIV?

[Delmontyb]

With the fact that the cross-role skills are going to give us all 10... why not with 5.0 shift the system to something tried and true within the Final Fantasy universe?

I get that there would be adjustments, and I also don't agree that the cross-class system is like the sub job system.

It's a lot to ask, but I'd love to know your thoughts? I think there will easily be a "preferred" sub job for each job or role... But we have that now with cross-role, etc... Having been playing Octopath Traveler, I just love the sub job system...

[Updated with more context 8/13/2018]
I ended up making a video about this topic if anyone is interested, summarizing the thought, what is Sub Jobs in FFXIV's case where just a way to add passive buffs to your abilities, not change or introduce new abilities.

For example:

Protect, based off your sub job it could do the following:
1. Give the player extra damage resistance or
2. Give the player a healing over time effect or
3. Give the player an MP refresh over time effect

Limit players sub job option to one of three options to give it a rock/paper/scissors type of balance going forward.

Another example was ensuna:
1. Allow ensuna to heal for a little bit as well as remove a debuff or
2. Ensuna is now an AOE or
3. Ensuna removes more than one debuff or
4. Ensuna removes and prevents the next debuff

Here is the video if interested

Thoughts?

[MaethusXion]

There already was an incarnation of Subjobs back in ARR/2.0. Some jobs got minimal from it (PLD got Stoneskin and like 2 other useful abilities), some got MAJOR pieces of their role (WAR and DRK required GLA22 I think it was for Provoke). All melee dps had LNC for Blood for Blood, all ranged(MCH/BLM/SMN) had ARC for Quelling Strikes. (I didn't list everything, but this is what I remember off the top of my head)

No, the original Subjobs weren't anything like XI's iteration of them, but they still were Subjobs.

[Muchmidget]

Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to see this implemented. However, I think with the current game structure that adding a sub-job system would seem like a good idea, but would devolve into the same cross-class/role action systems we've had.

If there were more difficult open-world content, or if group sizes increased, or even if boss fights became more mechanic-driven than DPS-driven, this concept would shine.

[Doozer]

Sub jobs in FFXI allowed you to customize your character to your playstyle, since there was always at least a few jobs that worked well with your main one. In FFXIV, I know for a fact people would just get mingy and we'd end up with an even more aggressive ~meta~ that would just make more trouble.

[ElHeggunte]

Having subjobs runs counter to why they removed the cross-class system and replaced it with role actions. And while I didn't particularly mind XI's subjob system or XIV's cross-classing I also don't particularly care for them either, because it's just one big illusion of choice and unnecessary fluff that makes balancing more difficult.

[DRKoftheAzure]

I would like to try the FF11 sub-job system in FF14 Ver. 5.0 or at least a talent tree system that finally lets tanks get rid of that damn damage penalty attached on tank stance...

[Sairys]

I feel like the two ways sub-jobs might work here could be as variations on specialisation/talents with jobs that aren't actually playable.

The more typical specialisations, where like... a Summoner could pick "Evoker" which might focus on strengthening their Summons or "Invoker" which enhances your stuff.
This could even change stuff about the class, like smn subjobs might get different summons, a nin could get a different mudra.

The other is where your sub-job can be picked from a group available to various classes.
So maybe, "Time Mage" might be available to the DoM jobs and has features like faster casting and suspending timers (freeze enochian/af, dwt, etc) where "Green Mage" might focus on enhancing buffs/debuffs.
Ideally, the sub-jobs would be set up so they're a meaningful choice, maybe one is more of a greedy dps option, another might open up new options for a class. Like a Tanks might have a sub-job that's really the tank sub-job while there's also a more off-tank/dps option.

[Delmontyb]

Having subjobs runs counter to why they removed the cross-class system and replaced it with role actions. And while I didn't particularly mind XI's subjob system or XIV's cross-classing I also don't particularly care for them either, because it's just one big illusion of choice and unnecessary fluff that makes balancing more difficult.

Perhaps, but the cross class system was pretty weak, when sub jobs have many different ways to be implanted throughout history. We shouldn't be afraid of the system even if a meta would form... the cross class system was week, cross role system too, so why not have a system that is very final fantasy?

There is no perfect system.

[Ameela]

How would it even work in this game?
A lot of jobs' kits already overlap with each other and since this game wasn't designed with sub jobs in mind it'd probably be way too overpowered (imagine a SCH that also has access to a WHM's kit) or it'd just be so limitted it'd be another form of the cross-class/role skill system.

[SendohJin]

what does tried and true mean? jobs in XI are hugely unbalanced.