Hmm, although I do like variety, maybe I did list too many weapons/jobs. Just look at them as examples of possible jobs. It seems everyone is focusing on that instead of how the system would work.

Regardless of how many classes/jobs we do get, I'd still prefer a 1:1 ratio for weapons and jobs simply because it gives us more things to keep us busy. By giving us jobs that come from combined classes (ie: CNJ + THM = RDM) they're taking away one class we could have had to level up.

The other part is being able to equip different weapons on one job. A Paladin with a Rapier would give you a magic based tank. A Warrior can dual-wield 2 axes or an axe and shield and become an efficient tank (Viking would be a tank job while Warrior would be a DD in this case). A Ninja with ranged weapons. A Red Mage with Time Mage spells that would otherwise be class-specific. I could go on and on.

Sure, you can swap abilities between classes in our current system, but cross-class skills are always weaker. In this system they are as well, but again, only when cross-classed. The difference is that when a job equips a weapon not usually meant for its class, it would get 100% affinity with the weapon's native abilities. It's far more effective than FFXI's subjob system (sub class abilities would actually be worth using) and it opens up a lot more customization to the players.

More difficult to balance? Sure. But in the grand scheme of things, I'd say it's a sacrifice worth making.