How would you tackle job identity?

[Khryseis_Astra]

I would certainly love to see more job related story quests.

Yes, even if it’s just one per expansion at this point. Every 10 levels give us a short quest for the individual jobs. The role quests are great for how they tie into the MSQ, but it lacks the personal touch of the individual job quests. I’d like more job lore in-game!

As for other job identity issues, as long as the 2-minute meta is a thing that exists, we get all the jobs and their skills designed around it. But whether it stays or goes, the individual job kits could still play into the identities more…

SMN for instance could get more triads of summons to work off of the existing gem buttons, starting with Levi-Shiva-Ramuh. SMN will feel more like a SMN the more things it gets to actually summon! And I’ve seen a few posts now about dividing those 6 gems into Astral and Umbral phases, that would be amazing imo. But as far as more “creative expression,” like deciding which one of 6 gems to use at any given time outside of the active triad, or even deciding which demi to use, that’s all locked into the 2-minute burst routine, and that’s what everything is getting balanced against. Which is whatever… if that’s how it’s going to be fine, I don’t really care about it either way, just give us more stuff to fit the job fantasies so we can get the feeling of uniqueness, even if the overall structure and potencies of skills have to be rigidly balanced.

I’ll be interested to see how PCT plays and how it feels, because I get a sense that it will be a preview of whatever job design changes we have coming up in 8.0. It seems like there will be some room for creativity with its rotation so far.

[Freyt]

I think we could kill classes, and establish a freelancer class with a level cap of 30.

[Its_Kazzy_D]

I think we could kill classes, and establish a freelancer class with a level cap of 30.

If it means I don't have to have a level 90 conjurer as my cohealer for the final EW boss again, then I'm down.

[Sylpharia]

Personally I think PvP does a good job of it

[Dzian]

Jobs dont need to be perfectly balanced. well designed content will balance the jobs by default..

easiest analagy would be cars..
Car A has amazing acceleration a good top spped but not so great handling.
Car B. has slower acceleration a higher top speed and ok handling.
Car C has slower accelleration than the others a slower top speed than both. but amazing handling.

which car wins the race? depends on the track design. a long straight drag race car C wouldnt stand a chance as itd be heavily disadvntaged and unbalanced.

but a decent circuit with some tight corners and sweeping bends as well as some decent straights and it is quite literally anyones race to win.. all the cars are then balanced..

another example can be guns in a fps. often balanced by well designed maps.. a big open barren dessert well sniper rifles are gonna tear everyone to shreds. but runing around in a ferry terminal or warehouse. a sniper rifle may be heavily disadvantaged by being up close and personal with a shotgun..

key to balance is content design more than job design.

[Shurrikhan]

Jobs dont need to be perfectly balanced. well designed content will balance the jobs by default..

easiest analagy would be cars..

a decent circuit with some tight corners and sweeping bends as well as some decent straights and it is quite literally anyones race to win.. all the cars are then balanced..

This requires that all content be designed in similar weighted proportion, which is a hell of a constraint to work under.

Not saying it's impossible, its no easier a task than having generally balanced jobs that nonetheless feel wholly distinct.

key to balance is content design more than job design.

It's necessarily both.

[Vatom]

A better question would be what is your jobs identity because a lot of people’s idea of how a job should look like is different

I state this because if you want to have identity everyone needs to agree upon it or SE needs to decide and stand on it

[Turtledeluxe]

Crazy idea but I'd maybe base the encounters and jobs around Final Fantasy and not WoW.

Instead what we have is an MMO that is a caricature of FF devoid of most mechanics that make it interesting.

[PercibelTheren]

I would throw out the 2 minute meta to start because it's a big culprit of why all the jobs feel so samey. Next, I would throw out the concept that the jobs need to be perfectly balanced in every regard. As long as they're all viable and able to clear the content, I really don't think a 2% DPS difference matters. It's OK to have jobs that are better suited for certain fights, as long as not perfect doesn't equal not viable at all.