What if Classes were Jobs?

[Shurrikhan]

Well, been rooting for this since 1.2 when I figured "Why 'advance' to a job, if there's literally no other viable choice?". You have my upvote for the concept.

I have to which people would prefer...

1. Having a second job from each class.

   (Two choices per class.) Everything not related to the job's distinct theme, such as Song or Machinery or Ninja Arts or Sword Spirit or Dragon Arts or Dark Arts or Wrath/Abandon, etc, is now carried by the class itself.
   

   Archer -> Ranger / Bard.

   Archer has access to Empyreal Arrow and the like. Bard, however, retains unique access to Iron Jaws and potential extended DoTs through synergy with Foe Requiem or whatnot. Bard's raid and point-support functionality greatly deepened. Ranger instead takes an offensive-support role more similar to Ninja, focused in equal parts on debuffing for damage or harassment and hellish nuking. it has unique access to several other fun and impactful "hunting", "survivalist" and "marksmanship" related skills that distinguish the Ranger from the common Archer.

   Gunner -> Gambler / Machinist

   While the Machinist learns how to, in effect, make more or better guns in the form of turrets and augmentations, the Gambler learns how to put them to better use. A job for all your Statistics majors or those who just want the high of thinking they control the chaos bursting from them. (Technically, you do have quite a bit of control over quite a bit, but there's just so much more now. Design emphasis on feeling the highs of procs made than the lulls of procs failed.)

   Gladiator -> Champion / Paladin

   The Champion builds on his personal defense and firepower, finding the greatest application for lesser but more frequent mitigation and utility where the Paladin instead invests towards raid support and off-tank tools. Neither is a better MT or OT, per se, than the other, save perhaps at certain points in their rhythms as they mesh with their co-tank. However, they play quite differently, with the Paladin having a more stark macrorotation but less variance in the minutia of the rotation strings themselves while the Champion has far more available to it in the short term, though it must prepare itself rotationally to deal with the same things Paladin can often deal with on demand (albeit at cost of a cooldown).

   Rogue -> Thief / Ninja

   All of Ninja's combat skills save for Dream Within a Dream (now revised to take advantage of Shades produced by Ninja's Shadow skills) moved to Rogue. Smokescreen and Shukuchi (renamed Vanishment) also moved to Rogue. Mug remains shared by Thief and Ninja, but Thief takes this way, way further, as the basis for stolen skills (well, technically items), synthesis of said items, and brilliant use of said synthesized items. Ninja compared to Thief as a Monk might compare to Machinist or Dragoon; it's the more sustained option for damage, harassment, and self-preservation. Thief is the more decisive, strategic, and tricky of the two. It deals little damage of its own, but the effects of its actions equate to a great deal of damage, and not just through rDPS. When a Thief says "In 10 seconds, I'm going to blow the mech's arm off" when this would normally require the side-effect of a LB's worth of damage, you take it seriously and get ready for the vulnerability state that this will cause. When you've spent one too many heavy cooldowns and the Scholar's already shielded you, you hope like hell the Thief's held onto the items necessary to build something right now to save you.

2. The class itself acts as a second job.

   (Quite a few choices per class.) Taking the job crystal reduces the number and depth of your choices selectable from among A, B, and C, which in turn could give your Rogue the like of Assassin, Swashbuckler, or Thief and gives you X, Ninja Arts.

3. Classes offer more customization than jobs, including (uniquely) from outside one's own class. One's own classes' traits are enough to meet the total number of traits that can be active at a time, meaning you don't get free skills just for leveling other classes, but you do get far more options... unless you dive fully into optimizing around your own class's toolkit via your Job.

   (Huge number choices per class.) As a Lancer, I can take various gameplay-producing or mechanical traits from nearly every job, and have access to a handful in total. I can become an "Adept" (community name), taking aspects from Pugilist, Rogue, and especially Conjurer via its Wind traits. Taking these costs me some of my own class's trait options, but, honestly, not all of those traits suit my needs and so that's fine. (I mean, I get to be a wind-running spear dude with fun utilities who's viable in most contexts until the cutting edge of play.) But, as a Dragoon, I only get access to two class's skills with which to trade out my own, and all more core class traits are locked in (probably for the best). Every additional slot/choice I'd get is instead automatically spent on Dragoon stuff.

You know what, have a strawpoll for all that.