To those that usually stick to one archetype of character throughout most RPGs-

[Hysorn]

How do you do it? I usually struggle with this in most types of RPGs, from tabletops to MMORPGs, I kinda want to main one type of class, but I always have a bunch of variables in my head, for instance, I love the idea of tanks, I find enjoyable to be the protector of my friends, that how I usually am and yet I always found mage classes to be far more interesting, I mean, if you had the capability, being through birthright or through study and dedication, through research and mastery of the arcane you could alter the physical laws of the universe... Why wouldn't you, you know what I'm talking about?

At the same time, I find tank classes to be boring in games, particularly video games, and while I love the concept of a battlemage/spellsword, in most games you end up being more one than the other, including DnD where Eldritch Knight for instance will mostly use spells that improve defensives and utility.

I don't know, while it has been a blessing having multiple jobs in the same character on FFXIV, I still kinda feel the need to find that "right" job to main and I've been struggling with this decision.

[Haruka_R]

I saw that this game had Ninja and I was good from there. I create a character, build my character around said job/class, then let my character's bio/background develop as time goes on. So that, and the fact that I have no interest in the other jobs at all. I'll never pick up healers cuz I think they're boring. I'll never pick up tanks cuz being punching bag ain't all that appealing to me.

Despite all that, I do keep eyeballing Gunbreaker though. The Magitech and Bozjan gunblades look cool asf and almost makes me want to run the job.

[NegativeS]

I am archetypal. In every game I play ever, I play:

- Either a Dwarf (Tolkein style, like in Warcraft or D&D) or the tallest, burliest race available.
- Something support-capable (As in, not a pure healer, not a pure tank. This would be one of the funnier Cleric or Bard subclasses in D&D, or back when I played WoW, the Shaman)

Why do I do this?

Well, in D&D, I started off my first campaign as a Dwarf because I can do a mean Dwarf voice. Over time I slowly became more and more glued to the typical Dwarvish culture, and now here I am where I exclusively play Dwarves. As for tall burly races, I pick them because they tend to be uncommon in games full of elves and catgirls, and I like to stand out.

My support addiction stems from TF2, where I mained Medic and Engineer almost exclusively. I like to say I have honed the idea of playing Support into a fine art. Plus, it gives me a kind of backwards superiority complex, where I feel versatile AND powerful at the same time.

[Hysorn]

I am archetypal. In every game I play ever, I play:

- Either a Dwarf (Tolkein style, like in Warcraft or D&D) or the tallest, burliest race available.
- Something support-capable (As in, not a pure healer, not a pure tank. This would be one of the funnier Cleric or Bard subclasses in D&D, or back when I played WoW, the Shaman)

Why do I do this?

Well, in D&D, I started off my first campaign as a Dwarf because I can do a mean Dwarf voice. Over time I slowly became more and more glued to the typical Dwarvish culture, and now here I am where I exclusively play Dwarves. As for tall burly races, I pick them because they tend to be uncommon in games full of elves and catgirls, and I like to stand out.

My support addiction stems from TF2, where I mained Medic and Engineer almost exclusively. I like to say I have honed the idea of playing Support into a fine art. Plus, it gives me a kind of backwards superiority complex, where I feel versatile AND powerful at the same time.

Oh man, that was the same for me in TF2, my first real main was Engineer, then Medic, I would even watch guides for those lol, though I had an edgy spy phase... I don't talk about it because I sucked as spy, I kept wanting to use the Your Eternal Reward.

But yeah, I've always been pretty default, I usually go for humans and I don't really know why. I used to really like elves because of LOTR, but then, as I got to know most fantasies I started finding Humans much more interesting, like Imperials and Redguards in the Elder Scrolls, Humans in the Warcraft universe which are still one of my favorites tbh, humans in Dragon Age(But admittedly, that was mostly because I found DA elves to be rather... Ugly in all three games, their lore is amazing).

[Miles064]

My type is normally a mage or hybrid dps. Don't need to top the meters but i like being useful to others. Ele/enhance shaman, shadow priest, balance druid in WoW. HUnewearl in psobb. Bowguns(mostly heavy) with some extra status ammo in monster hunter.

Outside of that i refuse to play humans. Even if it is something as simple as an elf, id play that over a human. I'll still pick something more exotic if I can though. Lizards in Divinity Original Sin 2 or Charr in the brief time I tried Guild Wars 2 long ago.

[Kandraxx]

I have 3 conditions for my characters in RPGs, doesn’t matter if it’s new games, MMOs or Baldurs Gate 1 from the 90s:

Always female
Always an ‘outlandish’ race if available
Always magic user in light armor

I just find this the most intriguing.

That said, for FFXIV I made exceptions for the first time, because not being hardlocked to one class or job for the remainder of the game is just too strong of a point.

[van_arn]

For the longest time, I only played a tank. I -hated- alts, because creating one meant I'd need to redo the entire leveling experience along with all of the busywork that entails in a traditional MMO: content unlocks, quest completion, attunement/gearing, and social links since so many names are in play.

XI and XIV were the first games that pushed me into alting, though I still narrow my focus once I settle in for a bit. I can still have fun as a tank, healer, or DPS, though-- and since I'm not changing characters it just feels like I'm playing one character that has talents to fit the situation.

As for finding the "right" job, you really won't know what it is until you touch it. Don't feel like you're ever locked in or are making a "wrong" decision, since you can always swap weapons and try something else. If anything, that's the biggest advantage of the job system: the flexibility to try what you want without penalty for making the "wrong" choice.

You might find you like some jobs more and less as you progress through the storyline and the job's questline, but stick with what you want but try what you think you will hate. You might actually find something new.

That and some days you'll get a tank so bad you want to swap to a tank to not experience that again, a healer so bad you want to heal so you don't have to suffer that healing again, or dps so bad you swap to a dps to just push buttons in peace while the world burns around you.

[Breakbeat]

This is kinda like asking, "those of you who like chocolate, how do you do it?"

If you like chocolate, you like it. If you don't, you don't. I'm sure the Earth isn't devoid of people that have forced or trained themselves to like flavors they didn't inherently care for, but logically I'd say there aren't many of those types of people around. That goes for flavors... music, movies, games, books, etc. Any subjective enjoyment or entertainment.

I mean, yes, adolescents might listen to such-and-such group, even if they truly think the group sucks, just to go along with the masses. Or they might proclaim love for some game or movie so as to appear "normal" - I get all that. But that's adolescent stuff. One should grow out of that, and at some point decide to enjoy what they like the most, not what the next person likes.

So, in direct answer to your question, those of us being true to ourselves don't "try" to stick to an archetype. That's what we naturally want to do (play an archetypical character). If someone being true to themselves doesn't want to do that, then they don't do that.

[icrot]

I wasn't sure what to choose when I first started playing the game. I always sticke to the Rogue/Thief/Assassin class, and couldn't find it here. I started with Pugilist but didn't feel it and changed to Lancer. After leveling the Lancer for a bit I discovered that you could freely switch between jobs and that there were more available at certain levels. So when I found the game did indeed have a Rogue class I switched to and never looked back.

Anyway, I love healing now.

I still play with the Ninja though, and every job in this game is so so cool.

[Alxyzntlct]

Well, I personally do exactly what you described because it comes from a feeling deep within me, a personal inspiration / desire / urge that is always pushing forth, something that simply radiates out that is never ending. I don't really know why, but I've certainly realized the trend over the course of my life, lol

To provide a bit more detail:
I've always focused on spell-casters in games, especially anything along the lines of a Black Mage, or if available, a Multi-Caster. The best example of my greatest ideal in a spell-caster was in Final Fantasy Tactics, actually, specifically the Arithmetician (aka Calculator back in the day). The thing I loved about that class/job in that game was that it was built up by learning all types of magic from multiple other Jobs, and on top of that, could mix/match abilities as well. All in all, it was a master of magic, a "manipulator of reality".

What drew me to FFXIV wasn't just being able to play BLM, but being able to all types of magic on the same character. So to me, even though I'll need to swap Jobs depending on what I want to do, no matter what magic I'm casting I'm still the same person. conversely, any of the more "physical" jobs I'll play invariably will be the more magic-oriented jobs because they fit that self image I have persistently hovering in my head, and is the closest thing I can get to the Arithmetician outside of FFT.

BLM was my 1st Job because it's the quintessential spell-caster, or "reality manipulator" borne from study and dedication (which is also denoted per the Ivalician raids which has the Arithmetician set for Mages, hehe). From there I delved in AST because to me the study of the stars isn't far off from the study of magic, and gives birth to a magic that has the ability to heal (which is a role I also thoroughly enjoy, plus Astrologian is also a call-back to FFT). After that, I dived into GNB because to me, it's effectively a Mage Tank, lol. The job is focused on focusing magic into bullets/shells, which then can be localized to output incredibly powerful offensive and defensive magics.

The only physical ranged class I'm considering is a BRD, because even though it does use a bow and arrow, it uses magic to instill greater power and influence / support ones allies. As for a melee job, I'm considering NIN because past the rogue stage (which I care little for), it expands a great deal into using Ninjitsu magic (which I'm a big fan of).

Outside of that, while I'm kinda interested in leveling up the rest of the Jobs because I'm interested in the story, I doubt I'll ever main them because they don't feel as tied to the inner sense of self I have...

As for the handful of jobs I feel I will focus on, I will dance between all of those because at varying times I'm in varying moods; sometimes I want to run into the mosh pit of a fight and bash things around as a tank, protect my team. Sometimes I want to hover around the edges and provide support, healing allies and providing buffs. Sometimes I want to burn the world. While I would LOVE to mix/match abilities like FFT could, I get how they tried to do that with this game and had to stop due to the complex difficulties it created, so I do my best to be content with what's available.

So yeah, there ya go. I can't explain fully WHY I'm this way, I just know it is after years of experience and trial/error. Like, I know I don't do alts. I've tried in the past but always quickly lose interest, I invariably always swing back to my main shortly after the attempt. Maybe it's just some part of me wanting to find some way to be the me I want to be? I don't really know... but I can at least share the experience so you can make your own determinations.

Maybe the challenge you're having isn't just find a single Job to focus on, but possibly finding the Theme you enjoy. Although it sounds like you have a theme you like, now it's just a matter of finding the components that'll make you happy exploring that theme. What you mentioned about how the "Mage classes" call to you is pretty telling, so maybe it's not a matter of just picking a single Job to focus on but finding the various Jobs that fulfill the moods you have as they ebb and flow?