Balance, Homogenisation and Encounter Design: The Problem.

[Hatstand]

I’m not sure I am seeing the level of homogenization you are describing. Yes tank defense is very homogenized now for basically the reason I described, all tanks have to be able to tank with the same effectiveness. There are basically two types of tanking: mitigation and avoidance and everyone should be well aware you can’t balance the two...so every tank in this game is a mitigation tank with the same tools. But offensively the four tanks are very different in mechanics.

Let’s look at the other jobs: RDM, SMN and BLM all play very different. Same with MNK, NIN, DRG and SAM. DNC, BRD, MCH? Yup all unique play styles.

What about healers? Well just like with tanks, healer offense has been mostly homogenized. This is likely so they can make the healing style unique but effective for each job without having to factor how healing downtime is spent for each healer.

Now if you are thinking about them introducing stuff like reverse damage shield healers, or pure buffer or pure debuffer jobs than it can never happen with the 8 person compositions because it’s impossible to also design encounters that account for those types of jobs being or not being present without the diminishing impact 40-50 player compositions offers.

Why should tank defence get homogenised, and healer offence? If tanks’ defense is homogenised because defence is their main job and they all need the same tools to get it done, isn’t that also an argument for homogenising healer defensive kits? If healers’ offence is homogenised because healing is the main part of their job and that’s where the complexity should be, isn’t that also an argument for homogenising tank damage?

Healers show that you can have (fairly) distinct offensive options while still being (fairly) balanced, and tanks do the same for offence. Both classes should benefit from both.

And I can’t comment too much on the tank stuff, since I’ve only been tanking for a few weeks, but I’ve healed for years and I can say that what you have as an offensive kit doesn’t affect how much time you spend doing downtime stuff (and therefore how your healing kit needs to be balanced). Encounter design and healing kit affects it. Ergo, that doesn’t fly as a reason for homogenising healer offensive kits.