An idea on how BLU could be implemented into the current core Party System as a DPS

[Sploda]

Let me preface by saying; yes I am aware that BLU can be brought into premade parties. Yes I know I'm not locked out of content. that being said locking BLU out of the Duty Finder/Roulette system is basically sending 1 Job back to the early 2.X days of Matchmaking.

Rather than the 49 grindable abilities we were given, I believe we could've kept the BLU identity intact with Monster skills learned via Job Quests just like with other Jobs. The Job Quests could've been "go search for Monster Skill X" you then get the skill at the end of the Quest. Thats the core of BLU (imo), learning the skills from monsters. Not the grind. Not the MASSIVE library (49 skills is more than any other game except maybe FFXI). The learning from Monsters.

People keep bringing up Bad Breath and Level 5 Death as examples as to why BLU would be a poor choice for group content, since it's either broken or underwhelming. Are we forgetting skils like Sleep, Repose, Tether, all the status skills from Ranged Phys DPS Role actions? most of these also don't work on bosses, but we still have them.

Lets look at a list of skills that would work as intended, or slightly modified to fit into FFXIV's gameplay. This is a list of skills JUST from FFV, so there are more skills to pull from.
Easily Translatable skills: Aqua Breath (Water Cone AoE), Flame Thrower (single-target Fire skill), Goblin Punch (Deals non-elemental dmg), Off-Guard (reduced defense), Vampire (non-elemental dmg and hp drain), Mighty Guard (Defensive Cooldown), 1000 Needles (1k dmg), White Wind (Heal based on current HP)
Tweakable skills: Time Slip (goes from debuff to haste buff), Moon Flute (increased party dmg at cost of mana like Foe's Requiem), Death Claw (Execute skill), Mind Blast (default BLU spell, or dmg that applies piercing/blunt debuff), Magic Hammer (dmg + magic vuln), Missile (Combo finisher)

I know it isn't as simple as I'm listing out here, I'm just pointing out that based off just 1 game alone, it's a very plausible idea to have developed a BLU within the same guidelines of the other Jobs. The dev team could easily take this concept I've presented and expand it into a properly built BLU that could then mesh with ALL of the game's content without fear of "the community" burning them at the stake.

Personally the idea of The Masked Carnivale sounds interesting, and I think the system they've presented is well thought out for it's given goal. It just doesn't seem to appeal to as many players as it could. It's side content, side content that with current information appears to have no connection to endgame level play or any indication that it will ever in the future. I feel that excluding BLU from this content does BLU fans and the potential of BLU the Job a disservice.

[Sploda]

Is this the ideal form of BLU? No, it isn't it. Neither is the current iteration. Also let us not forget that they were willing to bend the concept of RDM to make it fit, and by and large RDM has been well received by the community. DRK isn't it's HP-sacrificing self either, players still use it in a bunch of content. BRD uses a bow, not a harp as it's weapon and you didn't have to go around collecting songs to play, you got them in Job Quests. If the dev team could do it before, why not do it now?

[SpiritMuse]

And if not get the skills directly by job quests, then something like job quests/hunting log type of thing to find specific skills that make up a basic dungeon-ready set and lock matchmaking participation behind completion of that. And apart from that we would be free to go skill hunting to our heart's content.

[Sploda]

And if not get the skills directly by job quests, then something like job quests/hunting log type of thing to find specific skills that make up a basic dungeon-ready set and lock matchmaking participation behind completion of that. And apart from that we would be free to go skill hunting to our heart's content.

The issue I see with this type of implementation, is that if it's baked into the current system it removes the free form customization and defeat the purpose of their design. By establishing a "dungeon-ready" set for BLU, you'd establish a baseline to build cookie-cutter builds from, and that is how you run into Yoshi-P's "Toxic community" cuz not everyone will play BLU the same as is. Also it would require a sudden addition to the Duty Finder system itself to check for certain BLU skills.

If my concept was implemented, then it'd be a moot point cuz all the skills would come from the Job Quests like current Jobs.

[SpiritMuse]

The issue I see with this type of implementation, is that if it's baked into the current system it removes the free form customization and defeat the purpose of their design. By establishing a "dungeon-ready" set for BLU, you'd establish a baseline to build cookie-cutter builds from, and that is how you run into Yoshi-P's "Toxic community" cuz not everyone will play BLU the same as is. Also it would require a sudden addition to the Duty Finder system itself to check for certain BLU skills.

I meant it more as making sure a BLU would have access to a good variation of skills before being allowed to go in, whether they choose to use them or not is up to them (as it is with all jobs, in the end). The df would only have to check for completion of the quest/log.

...wait, I think I probably read your original post wrong. You're saying there shouldn't be any skills available at all except those from job quests?

[Sploda]

I meant it more as making sure a BLU would have access to a good variation of skills before being allowed to go in, whether they choose to use them or not is up to them (as it is with all jobs, in the end). The df would only have to check for completion of the quest/log.

...wait, I think I probably read your original post wrong. You're saying there shouldn't be any skills available at all except those from job quests?

I'm saying rather than having us go out and gathering 49 Monster Skills and slotting 24, thus being too difficult to balance and being regulated to side content, they treat BLU like they did DRM, RDM, PLD, and SMN and stay true to the core concept of BLU by having you learn Monster Skills from your Job Quests. Just like currently implemented Jobs, you would level, reach the Job Quest point, do your quest, learn your Monster Skill. As this happens you'll get your core rotation established, learn your Job and how you mesh in a party, just like our current Jobs. Your Skills would still be Monster Skills, and you would still learn from Monsters (possibly solo instances in each Quest having you fight rare forms of monsters to learn the skill) but it would remove the grind in favor of allowing the Job to integrate into the systems currently in place.

Someone who disagrees might say that "I want it to be homogenized like the other 15 Jobs" but I'd rather have something BLU at it's core, that I can play openly with my friends AND Solo via Duty Finder/Roulette rather than only with pre-mades and mostly out grinding world mobs. I want BLU to be party centric like all the other Jobs and the majority of the content in the game.

[SpiritMuse]

Ah I see. I thought you were aiming for some sort of compromise between that and the current system. Disregard my comments then.

That was actually my original expectation for BLU, to be honest, the way you describe. And I do think it would probably work, though I'm not sure it could easily be changed into that from what it is now.