Broken/Useless BLU magic

[Tennotsukai]

Seeing as how we're receiving more blue magic spell points, more stackable traits, and new spells, I wouldn't mind equipping some of those older spells for their traits and stats. However, it would be nice to still utilize them somehow by having them somewhat effective in end game content.

Some additional effects and different damage types from our older spells could be rather handy if they scaled more to our level.

[Bayohne]

One of the core design concepts for blue magic is based around the fact that as you level up, more powerful spells will become available. Due to this, the development team would prefer to focus on adding new blue magic at the higher-level tiers rather than to adjust low-level spells. However, they are aware that there is a limited variety of single-target physical blue magic and support-type blue magic in the high-level tier so they are planning to add more, but it will take some time until they become available.

[Olor]

One of the core design concepts for blue magic is based around the fact that as you level up, more powerful spells will become available. Due to this, the development team would prefer to focus on adding new blue magic at the higher-level tiers rather than to adjust low-level spells. However, they are aware that there is a limited variety of single-target physical blue magic and support-type blue magic in the high-level tier so they are planning to add more, but it will take some time until they become available.

Can you at least make sure unique blue mage buffs remain relevant, and consider adjusting magical blue magic to suck less? Currently the only reason I equip magical blue magic is to get a trait or for voidwatch. It all takes too long to cast, does little damage, and has additional effects that rarely proc.

Thanks for responding!

[Puck]

Please add more point-economical spells for acquiring important traits. We need to spend most of our points just setting Auto-Refresh, Dual Wield III, and Triple Attack, and we need those traits in most situations. If you add high-level spells we can set to acquire those traits while only spending half as many points, we'd have a LOT more freedom to put our other spells to use. It'll also provide a way of getting around the 20 spell limit since we'll be able to free a lot of slots along with those points.

In line with that, it would also be nice to add higher tiers of traits like Attack Bonus which currently provide too weak of a bonus to be worthwhile.

[Ophannus]

Also while Nature's Meditation was nice, we need a longer duration than 60 seconds. How about 5min duration like Battery Charge/Animating Wail. If that's too powerful then at least 3 minutes or give it a higher MP cost.

[Babekeke]

In line with that, it would also be nice to add higher tiers of traits like Attack Bonus which currently provide too weak of a bonus to be worthwhile.

You know that they already announced that this is coming, right!? May update.

Blue Mage
The applicable job trait gained when setting a blue magic spell will display in the help text along with its accompanying value.

The following job traits will become incrementally more potent depending on the total of set blue magic job trait values displayed in the help text.

Physical Attack Bonus / Defense Bonus / Evasion Bonus / Accuracy Bonus / Magic Atk. Bonus / Magic Def. Bonus / Conserve MP

[Puck]

Oh yeah, totally forgot we were getting something this update. But still, it's pointless without giving us more freedom to set spells. What good is Attack Bonus III if I have to set 4 useless spells just to get it? We need spells that will let us set important traits at much lower point costs.

[Tennotsukai]

I'm very happy you were able to reply to this thread, Bayohne. In light of the reassuring news of more blue spells, I ask that you guys please stay away from Breath Damage Type Spells. They are awful. On another note, I'm somewhat saddened SE decided to go the easy route of fixing blue mage via new spells as opposed to fixing older ones, so I have high hopes that these newer spells will kick blue mage in a higher gear.

As usual, I would also like to remind you guys again that Tourbillion and Barbed Crescent are still broken. I really hope you all haven't forgotten

[Tennotsukai]

In response to some of what Olor said:

Many of the requests are for low level spells not doing enough damage. Bear in mind how little MP cost they all have. Obviously the higher level spells that cost more are going to do more damage!

As for Head Butt not proccing on ilvl content, unless by ilvl content you mean just ilvl 119, I find it works on most mobs in colonisation reives and even WKR bosses as RUN/BLU.

1 thing I would also like to add is, is there a more up-to-date renkai chart somewhere that includes the SC properties of post-75 WS and BLU spells? It's such a pain clicking on every spell to see their properties when you're after something that will SC with a specific WS (most recently Requiescat... anyone know the best spell to combine with that now?)

Quad Continuum

[Rwolf]

I'm probably against the grain with this one, but this reply is disappointing to me. I feel like we have to be grateful of anything we get for Blue Mage simply because it took years to even be noticed. So any news is like: "Better accept it or they could just ignore the Blue Mage community all over again."

I don't think that it is fair that elemental magic gets this huge overhaul and focus to make all of it work with modern day FFXI. Yet all other classes of magic continue to fall behind, and the answer now is basically "Our concept is you will only use the high level spells and eventually we'll add more spells." Leveling is now so quick, this message basically says ignore learning those spells and use high level ones. That is disheartening to me. Besides my personal feeling on that concept, I fear almost all of this doesn't fix the problems most wrong with Blue Mage.

Additional Effects: A lot of spells have been broken for a long time, some of them since their creation. We know they are capable of working, because they work just fine on the Test Server. So it seems like it is just ignored. Blue Mage has amazing utility through these enfeebling and enhancing effects that made them whole. It would be nice, necessary in fact, to actually use some of these spells on Delve Megabosses and High Level Battlefields and they actually stick consistently.

Job Traits & Set Costs/Max Spell Space: It was certainly a unique idea to have equippable spells. However, if they won't expand the max set points/spaces considerably or consolidate traits to take up less space then what's the point of having freedom to choose? Spells aren't the same thing as weapons and armor. It shouldn't be one clear list of spells you have to use just to gain traits you need to balance themselves to have decent damage over time while not casting costly spells. The fear of Blue Mage having too many traits or attributes at once is unfounded. Most of the traits don't interact with each other, it simply makes them a highly versatile class as hybrid classes should be.

Low Base Damage, High MP Cost & Casting Time: Without Azure Lore, Chain Affinity and Efflux; damage over time is rough on most Blue Magic both Physical and Magical. When you look at the damage capability of Elemental Magic currently, Blue Magic doesn't even come close without receiving boosts from places such as Abyssea. In Adoulin content, Elemental Magic outpaces Blue Magic by a large margin. Not only is it much more devastating in damage dealt but also in MP conservation. Done correctly, you can go on forever without ever a concern for running out of MP.

Expanding set points was a start in the right direction but it's attached to such an arduous system. Yes, job points are getting a boost and I can't speak to how fast they will accrue after the update. However, a fix should just be a natural addition to the job. As Matsui just stated in his May Update post, Job Points is a method of growth. I don't see the concerns of the Blue Mage community as growth, but fixing issues that keeps Blue Mage from being desirable in new content. While I thoroughly welcome the eventual addition of new Blue Magic as we should get some from more families, I don't think it's fair to ignore over a hundred spells you can already do something with.