Speculation - The Wheel

"Square Enix told us that when it approached Amano to do the logo art for FFXIV, that weapons were very important and to think of the concept of a "wheel." Specifically, a wheel of adventurers that has their weapon in front of them and an exposed backside -- which leaves each adventurer to rely heavily on their comrades and their friends. [...] The team let slip to us that choosing weapons for specific tasks one day versus another could affect how your character develops."

K, first of all, let me admit it's not Sakimoto but Uematsu who's doing the music for XIV. /Shocked. Back to our roots!! I was right about Yoshida though! I'm glad because Yoshida is a breath of fresh air in Square-Enix right now in terms of art design.

As for the combat system, from the Tanaka interviews and how we know XI was designed to be played, we know there's always going to be an emphasis on teamwork. I bolded the text above to indicate just how SE might be addressing it this time around, especially in light of the fact that parties simply are too unreliable for people with tight schedules.

Given what we've seen in the dusk of FFXI's development cycle (DNC, SCH, Afflatus Solace/Misery), SE is most likely hitting the situational element of RPG play directly this time around. Unlike a single-player title where useless characters/jobs can be swapped out as the situation demands, online titles don't have the luxury of relegating certain players' preferences as "useless" for some (and sometimes, many) events. From the pitfalls of the pet jobs of XI to the "lesser DDs" and "versatile" jobs of the pre-WotG era, SE must address this schism in gameplay styles.

The solution? Like many of SE's projects, the answer is in the logo (this was true of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as well). The "wheel" of weapons, the sephira of combat, will accrue to players various strengths and weaknesses, not just from damage or enemy types, but statistics, strategies and so on.

I envision the "job system" to be a tree. At it's trunk, the boughs grow outward as the major party groups, say mage, damage dealer, healer, tank, support, but from each of those boughs you will have easily accesible branches that allow you to tailor your function as the situation demands. According to SE this versatility will be afforded directly by the weapons you choose to wield, leading me to believe that weapon type will simply be an intuitive expedient for varied and versatile growth. If you want to fling magic spells at something, as an RPG player you will intuitively pick a staff, but it will undoubtedly be more sophisticated than that. We may find that freedom to wield a sword will come at a cost in magic power, but not in versatility and freedom.

The wheel will not only determine your strengths and weaknesses, but in turn, the needs (allies) each player will face in each situation. I'd imagine each "branch" will rely upon another branch elsewhere for group-play, while the unique qualities of each branch will determine what they can and cannot do solo. Emphasis here will be on balance, because, the conclusion XI has reached, sadly, is that efficiency is the primary goal, while enjoyment is only a luxury.