Concern about "Branching Classes"

[MartaDemireux]

Pretty much what Volsung said. It's a specialization.

If you get Lancer to 50 and unlock DRG, great you're a DRG with LNC abilities and no special DRG jumps and stuff. You get to use LNC, MRD and ARC abilities this time around.

If you get Lancer to 50 and unlock SAM, great you're a SAM with LNC abilities and no special SAM abilities. You get to use LNC abilities and whatever 2 classes SE chooses for the job.

You won't get DRG or SAM abilities until you do the quests and you won't get to use other class abilities outside of the 2 SE chooses because DRG/SAM restricts what you can actually use.

Just because you have a 50LNC doesn't mean you know how to play a DRG or SAM, it means you know how to play a LNC. Should you do the quest line for DRG and learn the abilities and get the gear, then you'll know how to play a DRG. Same thing for SAM.

Same goes for your concern with ACN>SCH/SMN. Having a 50ACN means you know how to play an ACN not a SMN or SCH. SMN will focus on the pet aspects while SCH will focus on the DoT/HoT aspects. Just because you have 50ACN doesn't mean you're a SCH or a SMN until you unlock that job and do the entire quest line to learn all the abilities and get all the AF.

This is SE's way of making it so grinding EXP isn't the real content but instead the real content is questing for meaningful rewards (abilities) and story (FF staple). Leveling the class is training you in the class abilities, since the jobs are just specializations of the class it doesn't require a full 1-50 training but just some questing wherein you learn new abilities and then put them to use.

Edit: Not saying SAM will come from LNC. Don't believe it will personally but I needed a job example :P

Edit 2: A good way to think of this is the system in a game that just went f2p (cant name it for fear of breaking rules but its title involves tearing or ripping a hole in the space-time continuum). It has 4 base classes. Each class has access to the abilities of 8 unique jobs. However you can only use 3 jobs at a time, but can re-spec with any of the 8 jobs at any time and save specs as roles to swap to between fights as needed. But you only level your base class. This system makes it so you can be a DD, tank and healer on the same class, just depends which jobs you choose for your spec. You can level your Rogue as a DD, then switch to a support/healing class for raids if theres enough DD. You still have to practice that role and learn the abilities though.

So if you've played that game, you'll have no problem understanding it in this game in practice. It also just went f2p so if you didn't get into beta I suggest trying it out to understand this system. The game is nowhere near as good as FFXIV (in fact it actually made me want to play FFXIV more!) but it's a good way to get an understanding. (to mods: if this part of the post breaks the forum rules about talking about other games I do apologize, just trying to help fellow gamers understand this system better, please just delete this part as the above is helpful to others if you need to ><)

And sorry for the wall of text

tl;dr: jobs are roles/specializations, classes are the building blocks. just because you have the class doesn't mean you have the role or are learned in it. if you have 2 roles for your class, you can switch between them based on what the party needs.