Job identity, simplification and balance in general

[Keichi]

They stated that they wanted to use 5 to clean up the healers. It's been almost 6 years and they are more homogenized than ever.

I wouldn't be surprised if they removed Holy's stun next with "since the case time is reduced you can weave a heal now"

At last for me are the healer separated enough.
White mage is a pure healer, who take care, after the dmg happens.
Scholar is barrier healer, who prefent dmg (is the healer, i like the most).
Sage is the most offensive one and the mixed child of the first 2. He allows you to adjust you, based on the co-healer (barrier focus, if no scholar is there, and pure healer, if a other barrier healer is there).
Astro is the only problem child, who is a buff support healer. But had bigger changes over time (didnt tested the current one, he was the one, where i had the biggest problem in DT).
They are similary, because the heal spells are the ones, everyone needs and make sense (Single heal, stronger heal spells with more cost, HoT, group healing, Esuna, and maybe barriers for tank buster/big aoe). That reduce the room for individuality.

But yeah, they stated to want to improve individuality to the next expansion. But personaly have i my doubts to. For me, are the classes differently enough.

[Supersnow845]

At last for me are the healer separated enough.
White mage is a pure healer, who take care, after the dmg happens.
Scholar is barrier healer, who prefent dmg (is the healer, i like the most).
Sage is the most offensive one and the mixed child of the first 2. He allows you to adjust you, based on the co-healer (barrier focus, if no scholar is there, and pure healer, if a other barrier healer is there).
Astro is the only problem child, who is a buff support healer. But had bigger changes over time (didnt tested the current one, he was the one, where i had the biggest problem in DT).
They are similary, because the heal spells are the ones, everyone needs and make sense (Single heal, stronger heal spells with more cost, HoT, group healing, Esuna, and maybe barriers for tank buster/big aoe). That reduce the room for individuality.

But yeah, they stated to want to improve individuality to the next expansion. But personaly have i my doubts to. For me, are the classes differently enough.

This just reads like what the healers are “supposed to be” even when it makes no sense or is pointless

Like can anyone point to a mechanic in the last like 5 years where people went “damn I sure am glad I had a WHM on my team”

The 4 healers are basically “WHM”, “WHM but better in every way”, “shield WHM” and “shield WHM but better in every way”

[Keichi]

This just reads like what the healers are “supposed to be” even when it makes no sense or is pointless

Like can anyone point to a mechanic in the last like 5 years where people went “damn I sure am glad I had a WHM on my team”

The 4 healers are basically “WHM”, “WHM but better in every way”, “shield WHM” and “shield WHM but better in every way”

There is no direct content where you say "good that whe had that specific class with us". That would exclude other classes and would lead more to situation, like in WoW, where people with specific classes wasnt invited in group content anymore.

There are only sometimes situation, where it was good, to have a certain class with you. And that happens mostly, when players failing the mechanic ("good that whe had a paladin, who protected and healed the dd, after the other DD and healer died by the boss", "good that whe had a Red mage/summoner with us, who ressurected the healer or other party member, after the healer died/leaved the battle field").
The only difference should be, how the classes are played. But even that should be only small differences to each other (be it fast meele [monk, ninja, reaper -with his shroud-; Viper] vs agil meele [dragoon, Reaper -like drg for his mobility, and dislike reaper a bit, because his reach feels short-] vs slower, but stronger meele [samurai, who feels slower, has barely any mobility and feels to have a short reach], or differently Flair of caster [classic wizard in Form of blm, using summons as summoner or be a painter] or tank with differently focus [paladin, to protect other vs dark knight, who is doing dmg] or differently stil of healing [remove dmg or prefent dmg]).
But it should be never happens, that you need a specific class for the specific content (like, that you NEED specific the white mage, because the dmg is so fast, that only he could heal it away).