Barrier Tusk

[Scuro]

lol I'm going to laugh if every BLU on every server has one big strike, where no BLU uses a single new spell coming out. Just to kinda show SE that nerfing Heavy Strike and making Barrier Tusk garbage, is not ok to the community.

[SpankWustler]

They're far from garbage, in fact, compared to Kakka: Ichi and Scarlet Delirium something like Heavy Strike is manna from on high. It's lost it's luster on high-level stuff now that it apparently has a higher accuracy penalty than Sidewinder, but it's still MP-efficient for weak stuff.

As for Barrier Tusk, I'd be perfectly happy with it if it just had a short casting time so I could cast it for emergencies when an additional -7.5~15% damage taken would turn a one-shot attack on my frail Tarutaru frame into a moderately less fatal blow.

When something can be better and perhaps should be better though, it never hurts to ask, even if it's already usable.

[Covenant]

As with most if not ALL blue magic buffs, the casting times are long with short durations. Blue mages are NOT Redmages. They are not meant to be buffing themselves. If anything they are a step or two below Redmages, hence "suffer" for it.

Why?

It's because most if not ALL bluemages are solo casted spells(with Party merit exceptions). A redmage not only has to buff themselves, but are usually buffing other jobs with various spells, nuking, meleen, etc.

Since blue don't waste MP on things like that and only throw out sporatic nukes and heals... SE keeps MP cost up, thereby restrain a blue mages use of their multi-hit physical spells(which are very cheap compared to blue nuke, or BLM and RDM nuke).

[Prothscar]

As with most if not ALL blue magic buffs, the casting times are long with short durations. Blue mages are NOT Redmages. They are not meant to be buffing themselves. If anything they are a step or two below Redmages, hence "suffer" for it.

What in the name of everything that is holy are you on about? Do you have any idea what any of BLU's buffs do? With the exception of Animating Wail/Refueling, Battery Charge and Metallic Body/Diamondhide, RDM cannot replicate any of BLU's buffs, and Animating Wail is certainly more efficient than Haste just because it lasts an extra two minutes, and our Stoneskins are so pitiful that they aren't worth a glance.

As far as "all buffs casting times are long" etc. etc., no, that is not the case. Barrier Tusk is pretty much the first buff we have that takes six seconds to cast, making it effectively unusable. The short durations exist on most of our enhancing magic, yes, and I personally think that a lot of our enhancing spells should be revised to last longer (i.e. Cocoon, Memento Mori, Feather Barrier).

Here's the real difference between RDM and BLU, chief: we can't buff other people (unless you count 20-90 seconds every 10 minutes for the party or Diamondhide), we use our buffs only to enhance ourselves. Why shouldn't the durations be more time efficient?

Why?

It's because most if not ALL bluemages are solo casted spells(with Party merit exceptions). A redmage not only has to buff themselves, but are usually buffing other jobs with various spells, nuking, meleen, etc.

That's because that's RDM's job. BLU's role is not to enhance the party, it's one of the few roles that we can not do (I don't particularly care to, either. RDM does it well enough.) As you said, we only buff ourselves. There's no reason why our buffs should demand such an inefficient upkeep cost in time and, sometimes, MP.

Since blue don't waste MP on things like that and only throw out sporatic nukes and heals... SE keeps MP cost up, thereby restrain a blue mages use of their multi-hit physical spells(which are very cheap compared to blue nuke, or BLM and RDM nuke).

Couple of things here:

1) "Sporadic nukes and heals" - I don't know if you're referring to physical spells as nukes or not, but I'll assume you are. DDing is the only role that BLU does reasonably well, and even then we're a far cry from any sort of real DD job. Those "sporadic" nukes probably aren't so sporadic if you're running with a BLU that doesn't absolutely suck at life. As for heals, we could be a main healer (for one party) but often it's better for us just to fill the role of a support healer for our party. Are you trying to tell me that RDM doesn't have the ability to nuke or heal? If so, I would suggest reworking how you play the job.

2) "thereby restrain a blue mages use of their multi-hit physical spells..." - Why? They aren't particularly powerful, in fact they're quite weak and inefficient on anything that's worth killing and that isn't an XP mob. While they are cheap compared to most of BLU's magical nukes, and cheaper than BLM/RDM nukes, here's the thing: they are subject to far more opportunities at reducing their damage than a magical nuke is. Physical damage has far more variables, one of the most important of which BLU cannot enhance reliably, than magical damage does. Comparing the two is an effort in futility as all it's going to do it make you look foolish.

[Tashan]

As with most if not ALL blue magic buffs, the casting times are long with short durations.

...

Metallic Body: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration - 5 Minutes.
Coccon: Casting Time - 1.75 Seconds. Duration - 1:30 Minutes.
Refueling: Casting Time - 1.5 Seconds. Duration - 5 Minutes.
Zephyr Mantle: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 5 Minutes.
Diamondhide: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 5 Minutes.
Feather Barrier: Casting Time - 2 Seconds. Duration 30 Seconds.
Warm-Up: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 3 Minutes.
Amplification: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 1:30 Minutes.
Triumphant Roar: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 1:30 Minutes.
Saline Coat: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 1 Minute.
Reactor Cool: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 2 Minutes.
Plasma Charge: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 1 Minute.
Battery Charge: Casting Time - 5 Seconds. Duration 5 Minutes.
Animating Wail: Casting Time - 2 Seconds. Duration - 5 Minutes.
Regeneration: Casting Time - 2 Seconds. Duration 1:30 Minutes.
Fantod: Casting Time: 0.5 Seconds. Duration 3 Minutes.

Blue mages are NOT Redmages. They are not meant to be buffing themselves.

....

Metallic Body: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration - 5 Minutes.
Coccon: Casting Time - 1.75 Seconds. Duration - 1:30 Minutes.
Refueling: Casting Time - 1.5 Seconds. Duration - 5 Minutes.
Zephyr Mantle: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 5 Minutes.
Diamondhide: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 5 Minutes.
Feather Barrier: Casting Time - 2 Seconds. Duration 30 Seconds.
Warm-Up: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 3 Minutes.
Amplification: Casting Time - 7 Seconds. Duration 1:30 Minutes.
Triumphant Roar: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 1:30 Minutes.
Saline Coat: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 1 Minute.
Reactor Cool: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 2 Minutes.
Plasma Charge: Casting Time - 3 Seconds. Duration 1 Minute.
Battery Charge: Casting Time - 5 Seconds. Duration 5 Minutes.
Animating Wail: Casting Time - 2 Seconds. Duration - 5 Minutes.
Regeneration: Casting Time - 2 Seconds. Duration 1:30 Minutes.
Fantod: Casting Time: 0.5 Seconds. Duration 3 Minutes.

It's because most if not ALL bluemages are solo casted spells(with Party merit exceptions). A redmage not only has to buff themselves, but are usually buffing other jobs with various spells, nuking, meleen, etc.

HOWEVER, blue mages are a "HYBRID" job. Like a lot of the other "HYBRID" jobs blue does a lot of other things other than the specific types of damage you mentioned.

...

Since blue don't waste MP on things like that and only throw out sporatic nukes and heals... SE keeps MP cost up, thereby restrain a blue mages use of their multi-hit physical spells(which are very cheap compared to blue nuke, or BLM and RDM nuke).

HOWEVER, blue mages are a "HYBRID" job. Like a lot of the other "HYBRID" jobs blue does a lot of other things other than the specific types of damage you mentioned.

...

THIS IS GAME BALANCE.