Boring design

[Valence]

The phys ranged have options if square ever leant into them properly, either as different flavours of DPS or true support if square would ever allow that to be a proper category

MCH being the “off shield healer” really isn’t the sort of direction I think phys ranged should go in

I do agree in spirit. However this would require an extensive rework of the whole battle system. I do hope someday this will happen (copium).

They can focus more on their intended gimmicks: DNC with their partners, MCH with their Automatons, BRDs, I think, should be the exception.

What do those gimmicks mean in terms of role identity?

You always claim that you hate that removed true pets from the game (I feel you, I was a MCH main with a pet lite to manage). If you remove us our current non support options, then what's left? Not that our current support actually matters anyway to begin with, i'll grant you that, but that just goes to show in which sorry state this role has been since ShB got introduced.

Get the mobs and adds that the melee cannot physically get to or reach.

(If mobs being on the other side of a pit or flying off the ground were actually things and mattered, for example. Perhaps along the lines of the second boss's minions in Dzemael Darkhold.)

I like this idea actually, although it could cause problems once the meeles are done with their side and are twiddling their thumbs waiting for the ranged people to do their part. Having a grappling hook on cooldown (like Blota) could be interesting perhaps.

I feel like there is a lot of potential to be had around ranged jobs having a lot of line AoEs (very long ones) that are able to hit the main pack and whatever stands far behind, or similar things. But that's beyond the OP here anyway.