As things stand there is no way to customize your characters role, at least not in any meaningful fashion like previous Final Fantasy installments or any other MMO for that matter. This got me thinking about ways in FFXIV that it could be accomplished under the current Armory System lock they have coupled with the recent changes to the Role Actions that made things even more uselessly generic.

What if you could select your weapon, Giving you a small handfull of Job Specific weapons and the traits you would normally have for that Job, Then you could select your Role which would give you the bread and butter to accomplish that Role, Then you could select a subjob that would give you access to skills half of your main Job's level. For an example:

Job: Warrior
- Skills: Butchers block combo, Storms path/eye combo, Rage Gage, stance switchers, and the interchangeable Fell Cleave/Inner Beast, +
Role: Melee DPS
- Skills: Stun, TP booster, Emnity reducer, DPS Limitbreak, +
- Traits: Enhanced Strength 1,2,3, Weapon mastery, +
SubJob: White Mage
- Skills: Cure, Medica, Stone, Fluid Aura, Raise, Aero.

Now, I can see this leading to your cookie cutter "best setup" and cause more than a few balancing difficulties for the Devs but thats not really a bad thing. While it may be messy at first I think bringing back a system a little closer to 1.0 would help get teh devs out of this corner they have been painted into with such strict Jobs that have to all function basically the same within their role.

A different way they could make some changes that would accomplish Job diversity would be to not add in any new Weapon Jobs but instead have an expansion of each existing job. Like what they did with the Scholar (yes, I know they said they would never do it again but it was a great concept). They wouldnt even have to come up with a whole separate role for each existing job (ie make two new jobs for each) one would suffice.

For example:
Marauder/Warrior/Viking
- The Viking would be a DPS version of WAR that is focused on doing damage with that gigantic ass axe of his. Just a few tweaks in stats and skills would be all thats needed, wouldnt require an overhaul or a whole new job from scratch + weapon, etc.

Thaumaturge/Black Mage/Elementalist
- The Elementalist would use spells differently, be more mobile like the archer, have more support type abilities like the En spells etc.

Or, kind of along these lines, have Advanced jobs. It would be in place of the other ideas I've presented but open up much of the same functions. Give you Viking for WAR, White/Black/Red Wizard, etc.

I still wish they would bring back the elemental wheel to the whole game, this is the first FF they have thrown this out the window. Even though its pretty shallow, the Eureka system would work but it would need to be expanded on. These changes would also help with the boring gear we currently have, they could add in skill specific stat increases, Elemental bonuses, or trait enhancers.

Alas, I know this is all incredibly flawed and nothing like this would ever be implemented. Its interesting to see so many posts on the forums of ways the players have come up with to enhance the current game, some are outlandish, others are quite plausible, meanwhile the devs struggle to even properly incentivize their players let alone make engaging and meaningful content.

What ways do you think we can get more in depth character customization?