Balance, Homogenisation and Encounter Design: The Problem.

[Shurrikhan]

The problem is that it then makes the playerbase do the homogenizing. If you want to raid in GW2/ESO, and you want to be healer, but you're not using X class, Y build or Z gear? You're not getting in. Homogenization will happen one way or the other. Either the devs take a hand in this to limit it so most classes can be taken without fuss, or they don't and then the playerbase causes the fuss and the classes are not wanted or won't be allowed into the content, punishing a small subset of players just for playing their class a specific way, homogenizing everybody into specific builds.

Except there is no such need when jobs are actually balanced decently.

"Taking a hand" only necessarily equates to balancing, not to homogenizing. Replace homogenization with any other action we'd normally rather avoid. Should the law "take a hand" in theft to ensure there's nothing left for the people to steal (thereby "ending theft")? That's effectively the argument you're using here: by providing the worst outcome automatically, we won't feel bad about making things worst for ourselves.

You're conflating homogeneity and balance. Again. You can have balance without homogenization. Is it as easy? No. But should we submit to having only 4 classes in the game -- 1 for each Role -- just because the devs want the easiest means of balancing? No.