The game starts very open without any restriction to character builds. As you venture on your journey you create your own special class through your actions and choices on how to build your character. If you invest deeply into a single play style you should be rewarded just as much as if you spread out your abilities. In the end you will create your own, truly unique, character.
To get this right, you need to strike a fine balance between freedom and a clear path of progression. The current game system are off balance in that regard.
I think it is easier to tweak the old system to be more flexible, than it is to reward specialization (and dedication) with the current system.
For any kind of mage character the current system just feels extremely generic and I think that is not fixable with some tiny tweaks or bonuses.
Why is that?
The old system had "way of the warrior" and "way of the ranger", but not just "way of the wizard". Instead it had "way of the fire wizard", "way of the water wizard" ...
The current system has just a generic "way of the wizard", it is called intelligence.
