Having read the playtest pdf a dozen times or more and played a pretty long session of dungeon crawl combat with an Avenger, I have a few ideas for the new class:
1) I think the specializations were a mistake from the start, pigeonholing the Vig into weak sister versions of each icon when there are
TONS of options for these classes already. The specs actually seem like a collection of good ideas for Archetypes, Feats and new rogue abilities.
2) The 'Origins' concept somebody had from another thread is excellent (I hope that peep comes here and takes credit).
This would give the Vig it's own flavor like the sorcerer bloodline. So, instead of Ftr, Cle, Wiz, Rog you could start with Vengeance, Inspired, Studied and Mentor. Note that this opens the way for more Origins in later books.
3) I think the features of the Social Identity are just fine; as well
as the Appearance abilities. Renown is for certain kind of campaign or part of one; again, no problem. I will repeat that the Social Identity ought to be really good at social combat, however that shakes out. 4) The Vig should not have weakened iconic powers at all. So, no Domains, Bombs, Spellcasting, Channeling. Every Origin should have access to all of the Talents listed, plus expanded, plus made more synergistic. 5) All Vigilantes get BAB equal to level. 6) Each Origin gets a list of additional skills as appropriate. Each Origin gets a selection of bonus feats to choose from at levels 4, 8, 12 and 16 that fit their theme (And add flexibility to your build). 7) The Base Power of each Origin would scale with levels; here are some suggestions:'Vengeance' would get Close the Gap @ 1st L then Improved Overrun w/ a +2 circumstance bonus @7th L then Mad Rush @12 L but I believe -6 AC is too high. 'Inspired' would get Mystic Bolt and choose between positive or negative energy. Talents or Feats could add energy types. 'Studied' would get Tattoo Chamber (a cool power!) and perhaps store scrolls starting @ 5th L and getting 1 per 5 levels; going over the limit would dismiss a scroll of your choice. Throw a bonus to UMD in there. 8) For some reason, I think of 'Mentor' as having a non-lethal, Disarming theme that none of my player's ever use. Now I'm trying to dream up more Origins...