I think this has never really been an issue before, it's just the picto anomaly right now that hopefully will be solved for next tier, but who knows... Historically, even if you hear people "complain" about job balance pretty much all the time, it's never a real problem outside of maybe literally day 1-2 progs (week 1 for ultimate), because the jobs have always been so close that a simple gear upgrade from going through the savage fights or new week of tomes will balance things out. In recent times before picto I think it was just Abyssos week one, and maybe some phases in TOP? But even those, it was mainly people still learning and planning the buff windows accordingly more than anything. An actual issue, though, is when the devs keep using the "you can play all jobs you want!" selling point when there's a big asterisk on it; in _theory_ you can, but anyone who tries to keep up on gear with 2-3 jobs that might not share pieces at all will know the struggle. At most you can be, as you said in the video, an omnicaster, omnihealer, omnitank, omniranged or MAYBE play 2 melees/scouting+aiming since they share SOME gear (accessory slots). The tomes system is just so antiquated at this point with 21 jobs, you can't possibly always be geared up unfortunately. It sort of worked with less jobs, but the more are added with different gearsets or even melds, the bigger the issue will be. Even as a casual, if I like playing MCH, BLM and RPR, I cannot have them all at 720+ because of the same weekly lockout for gearing that's been there forever. A new savage/tome tier comes out, everyone gets the same ilvl (if they craft/pay gil for it, that is), but then it's the same issue gearing up if you so happen to want to play other jobs or roles... You can make the argument that even now you COULD go into Chaotic as fully crafted, but then you see the pf listings as ilvl 725+ and you cry. I do think it's good that we have another gearing option with this new content though, and I hope Criterion will follow the same idea. Heck, we even had catch-up gear in Eureka and Bozja even if it wasn't BiS, if that comes back it'll be awesome!
I guess it all comes down to if you have anyone else to answer to besides yourself. I'm a filthy casual, so I absolutely could just bring the same job to everything every day.
as DRK only, yes. i feel like if youre going to one-trick, support is a great one to do. as far as a benefit, I just don't like leveling. I've been playing for 4 years now and ive tried but I find it terribly boring, and I haven't been able to get into a DPS. Everyone always needs a tank, queues are fast, and I love how DRKs gear looks.
I am 100 all jobs. I gear maiming 1st always as I am a dragoon main. Branching out is good for learning what other jobs are capable of doing. Also if your able to play other roles it is easier to get in clears if your playing a supporting role over dps cause if your supports are on point your group will see farther in fights.
I am someone who will only play SMN. To the point that I refuse to even unlock any other job (my SCH is at level 0 because I haven't unlocked it). And I'm basically the same in WoW- I only play Demo lock (though I do have other toons for the sake of farming mounts). I get by by not caring. I play the content I want (in WoW, I raid late-tier CE. In FF, I do EX/some Savage in PF). Playing something else would not be fun for me. So I don't do it. I know that doesn't work for everyone, so I'm not pretending everyone can/should just do the same as me. But it works for me
Granted I don't do ultimates and have a midcore static for savage, but at least on mnk I've never really felt the need to branch out (except for like, needing a different role slot filled for a random normal mode or whatever). Maybe melee is generally seeing this issue less than ranged/caster. Only time I ever felt like I needed to play an easier melee is if I want dance partner lmao
One-tricking for the sake of dedication to complexity works less well for jobs than it does for content. There are dedicated Eureka People, Bozja People, Relic Farmers, Hunt Train Conductors, Ocean Fishers, Treasure Hunters, etc. Playing multiple jobs makes more sense in a game like an MMO, where the emphasis is on exploration and every job has lore with potential character and/or story impact. But I get it. I coached MOBAs in times past so the comfort and appeal of one-tricking is all too familiar. (My armory chest hates me because I have at least one job in every role where I'm draftable for current high-level content, and at least one other where I'm absolute hot garbage and hate even leveling it so there's always Too Much Gear.)
When you are specifically talking about being the one caster in FRU, then yea, right now picto is absolutely busted, it does allow you to have 1 more death in pf which you can't with other comps (I have faith that this will get adressed and we hopefully never have this situation again). In all other content/scenarios, one tricking blm is totally fine. I remember back in the end of Shadowbringers/Start of Endwalker, when the WoW groups came and were like "we need a rez caster, blm in prog is griefing" meanwhile the most successful wf group at the time one tricked black mage. Also, Black Mage does not need to take the caster spot. You can choose to play with 1 Melee and 2 Casters, and suddenly BLM even makes you more flexible (cause you don't really care if you have a ranged or a melee spot). On paper, it's suboptimal to have 2 Melees, cause that's one less raiser you get. But pretty much noone gives a shit, even most world prog teams. I guess the tl;dr is imo you are overthinking it a bit. I'm a melee main and I don't give a shit that I could be a red mage in prog. Being more flexible is nice, but if it lessens your fun of the prog itself, it's pointless imo. In the last 3 ultimates raisers are kind of pointless cause everyone explodes anyways if someone fucks up. And in savage, having way more damage in blm compared to smn/rdm also means you can potentially skip later mechanics or compensate for a death/damage down more easily.
I think this has never really been an issue before, it's just the picto anomaly right now that hopefully will be solved for next tier, but who knows...
Historically, even if you hear people "complain" about job balance pretty much all the time, it's never a real problem outside of maybe literally day 1-2 progs (week 1 for ultimate), because the jobs have always been so close that a simple gear upgrade from going through the savage fights or new week of tomes will balance things out. In recent times before picto I think it was just Abyssos week one, and maybe some phases in TOP? But even those, it was mainly people still learning and planning the buff windows accordingly more than anything.
An actual issue, though, is when the devs keep using the "you can play all jobs you want!" selling point when there's a big asterisk on it; in _theory_ you can, but anyone who tries to keep up on gear with 2-3 jobs that might not share pieces at all will know the struggle. At most you can be, as you said in the video, an omnicaster, omnihealer, omnitank, omniranged or MAYBE play 2 melees/scouting+aiming since they share SOME gear (accessory slots).
The tomes system is just so antiquated at this point with 21 jobs, you can't possibly always be geared up unfortunately. It sort of worked with less jobs, but the more are added with different gearsets or even melds, the bigger the issue will be.
Even as a casual, if I like playing MCH, BLM and RPR, I cannot have them all at 720+ because of the same weekly lockout for gearing that's been there forever.
A new savage/tome tier comes out, everyone gets the same ilvl (if they craft/pay gil for it, that is), but then it's the same issue gearing up if you so happen to want to play other jobs or roles...
You can make the argument that even now you COULD go into Chaotic as fully crafted, but then you see the pf listings as ilvl 725+ and you cry. I do think it's good that we have another gearing option with this new content though, and I hope Criterion will follow the same idea. Heck, we even had catch-up gear in Eureka and Bozja even if it wasn't BiS, if that comes back it'll be awesome!
I guess it all comes down to if you have anyone else to answer to besides yourself. I'm a filthy casual, so I absolutely could just bring the same job to everything every day.
I play all the jobs badly.. but it does help because nobody I know seems to want to play melee in raids 😂
as DRK only, yes. i feel like if youre going to one-trick, support is a great one to do. as far as a benefit, I just don't like leveling. I've been playing for 4 years now and ive tried but I find it terribly boring, and I haven't been able to get into a DPS. Everyone always needs a tank, queues are fast, and I love how DRKs gear looks.
I am 100 all jobs. I gear maiming 1st always as I am a dragoon main. Branching out is good for learning what other jobs are capable of doing. Also if your able to play other roles it is easier to get in clears if your playing a supporting role over dps cause if your supports are on point your group will see farther in fights.
I am someone who will only play SMN. To the point that I refuse to even unlock any other job (my SCH is at level 0 because I haven't unlocked it). And I'm basically the same in WoW- I only play Demo lock (though I do have other toons for the sake of farming mounts). I get by by not caring. I play the content I want (in WoW, I raid late-tier CE. In FF, I do EX/some Savage in PF). Playing something else would not be fun for me. So I don't do it. I know that doesn't work for everyone, so I'm not pretending everyone can/should just do the same as me. But it works for me
Granted I don't do ultimates and have a midcore static for savage, but at least on mnk I've never really felt the need to branch out (except for like, needing a different role slot filled for a random normal mode or whatever). Maybe melee is generally seeing this issue less than ranged/caster. Only time I ever felt like I needed to play an easier melee is if I want dance partner lmao
One-tricking for the sake of dedication to complexity works less well for jobs than it does for content. There are dedicated Eureka People, Bozja People, Relic Farmers, Hunt Train Conductors, Ocean Fishers, Treasure Hunters, etc.
Playing multiple jobs makes more sense in a game like an MMO, where the emphasis is on exploration and every job has lore with potential character and/or story impact. But I get it. I coached MOBAs in times past so the comfort and appeal of one-tricking is all too familiar.
(My armory chest hates me because I have at least one job in every role where I'm draftable for current high-level content, and at least one other where I'm absolute hot garbage and hate even leveling it so there's always Too Much Gear.)
When you are specifically talking about being the one caster in FRU, then yea, right now picto is absolutely busted, it does allow you to have 1 more death in pf which you can't with other comps (I have faith that this will get adressed and we hopefully never have this situation again). In all other content/scenarios, one tricking blm is totally fine. I remember back in the end of Shadowbringers/Start of Endwalker, when the WoW groups came and were like "we need a rez caster, blm in prog is griefing" meanwhile the most successful wf group at the time one tricked black mage. Also, Black Mage does not need to take the caster spot. You can choose to play with 1 Melee and 2 Casters, and suddenly BLM even makes you more flexible (cause you don't really care if you have a ranged or a melee spot). On paper, it's suboptimal to have 2 Melees, cause that's one less raiser you get. But pretty much noone gives a shit, even most world prog teams. I guess the tl;dr is imo you are overthinking it a bit. I'm a melee main and I don't give a shit that I could be a red mage in prog. Being more flexible is nice, but if it lessens your fun of the prog itself, it's pointless imo. In the last 3 ultimates raisers are kind of pointless cause everyone explodes anyways if someone fucks up. And in savage, having way more damage in blm compared to smn/rdm also means you can potentially skip later mechanics or compensate for a death/damage down more easily.