Balance, Homogenisation and Encounter Design: The Problem.

[Hatstand]

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.

I'd rather have to play GNB/BLM/MNK/WHM or whatever the most powerful jobs in each role are for raiding and be able to mess around with other jobs which have fun and distinct identities outside of raids (and maybe even raid with those jobs in groups that can accept being 5 seconds slower to finish the raid, or clearing a day or two later) than have a choice between GNB1,GNB2,GNB3,GNB4/BLM1,BLM2... etc. If the jobs don't each offer something unique and worthwhile (and I don't consider different animations or weapons unique and worthwhile) then there's no point in having multiple of them.

That's not to say that balance isn't good, and that we shouldn't try to make sure all jobs are close enough to the same effectiveness to be able to be taken by whatever group, but there have to be limits.