Okay, I promised a quick WK style assessment of the starting classes. Going to rank them in the order of my enjoyment, starting with my least favorite class to my fave. I will not that this only really accounts for the first 20 levels of the classes and I expect to change my opinion as I get farther into the game.

WHM - I am not a fan of playing support classes, so this class was a bit of a drag. Not helped that I don't have any macros setup to make this class more efficient. But despite my personal play-style grievances, this is a pretty good class and I appreciate that it takes it's cues from FFI's version with the class being closer to a actual D&D Cleric build than the FFTactics style "healing mage" it eventually devolved into. There is enough equipment options to make this class a surprisingly tanky combat medic for a mage class, and I always feel that's the best way to handle this class. I do low key wish it was based off the FFIII incarnation and had access to Wind Magic but I guess I should be grateful I got Dia back and it's actually moire useful than it was in FFI.

THF - Again, not a bad class at all. It just lacks the satisfaction of other versions of the class within the series. Part of the issue is that I don't enjoy using thieves very much in games with crafting as a mechanics, because that usually means that 99% of the stuff you can steal is just crafting materials which just delays the gratification of getting something cool and useful. Other than that, I can see why this class is a popular Subjob because some of it's abilities are pretty damn useful. So it ultimately feels like a typical Thief in the series in terms of being the weakest melee option of the starting classes, but making up for it with some useful quirks.

WAR - This one surprised me a bit. I was expecting this to be my #2 but WAR just never felt right to me. I blame it on the nature of MMO equipment and classes innate weakness of being dependent on said equipment as the main issue. There were time when this class rocked and other times it felt like the weak link in my party, and it usually depended on what I had available for equipment. The other issue is that while the class is obviously the starter tank class since it gains Provoke, it just doesn't feel really well equipped for the task. Stat wise, MNK is beefier and more durable despite crappier equipment options, and that's when it kind of hit me the weird thing about this class. it is like one of THE Sunjob in this game if you're doing a melee build. So it almost feels like the point of leveling this class is so you can use it as a sub for a better class. I still like it, but I am hoping getting a more stable flow of gear will make this class click better for me.

BLM - The other surprise for me. I don't usually play mages often but I had a surprising amount of fun playing with this class. Outside of my favorite class, this was the one where I felt like I started using it, blinked, and then I was over Lv. 20 still having a blast nuking everything that came within proximity of me. One thing that certainly helped was leveling staffs as a MNK so my poor BLM wasn't completely useless at melee, especially since they have the most atrocious equipment selection of the starting classes. Like seriously, it almost feels like Vana'diel has some deep seated animosity for BLM's and purposely gives them the shaft in that department. The other nice thing was that this class made getting skillchains much easier. Which also likely attributed to leveling it up so fast. Still I had fun, and I like that you can also get spells that do elemental damage and inflict status debuffs. Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this class.

RDM - Of all the classes, this one was the one that reminded me how the game's producer Hiromichi Tanaka had said the game's job system had taken it's cues from Final Fantasy III, because much like FFIII's version, the XI version is a beast. I would argue it's the perfect starter class since it gives you a buffet taste of most of the starting classes. Obviously debuffing is the class' specialty, but overall it was fun jumping back and forth from healing to nuking to smacking. It is also a fairly solid Subjob despite the fact most of it's abilities don't unlock until the class is high level. RDM doesn't necessarily feel like a class you will ever need for an active party, but like it's single player counterparts, it's also a class that will never hurt a team it's part of.

MNK - Yes, I am bias. This was my starting class for this attempt and I don't regret it. Like Monks in the rest of the series, MNK is a surprising beast of a melee class. Fists being able to do two separate hits gives it a damage edge over WAR despite the damaging boosting skills WAR gets. Course MNK gets some too, and it gets more abilities than some other classes much earlier and makes a huge difference. Popping off Boost, Hundred Fist, and Focus in succession has allowed me to get out of some sticky situations where I was punching above my weight class with high level enemies. The high HP and decent evasion makes this a pretty soluid class, and I've been having a blast playing as it.