Blue Mage Redesign Idea

[Kalise]

This is an attempt to design a complete overhaul of BLU, so that it can incorporate both aspects of its design - Those being, a fun side activity where you go through irrelevant content and use OP skills to do silly things as well as being a relatively balanced but fresh take on the Mage role.

The thread will discuss a plethora of things and will focus more on the "Unlimited" side of Blue Mage (Given that the "Limited" side needs little actual discussion... Since it's a case of add any "Odd" or "Overpowered" skills into it that allow it to be fun) and will address things such as Level Syncing, Skill Restrictions, Job Gauge as well as some core changes to existing skills.

What will be the role of Blue Mage in a standard party?

I see BLU being a supportive DPS type job in the same vein as RDM and SMN. With a few skills that can aid the party, but otherwise a focus on slinging spells at targets.

Their gameplay will be unique from other Mages by having a focus on using short ranged spells (Thus having extra protection and mobility to allow them to stay with mDPS positioning) as well as utilizing oGCD spells with cast times to weave into their rotations.

Firstly lets discuss some changes to existing skills:

* All casted skills now have only 1 second cast times. This will allow weaving of skills much more easily.

* Off-Guard and Bristle are now instant cast. Bristle is also oGCD now too but now has a 30s CD.

* Instant-Kill and Petrify skills are now 50% chance to work up from (What seems to be) 1%.


Restricted Actions and Level Syncing:

In order to deal with separating out "OP" actions and issues involving Level Syncing when doing FATEs, Dungeons, Trials and Raids, there will be an update to the Blue Mage Spellbook.

* Selecting a particular skill set up from the list, will also adjust your action bars too. Meaning when you save the skill set, it also saves your Action Bars.

* There will now be an additional Skill Set that is call the "Duty Set". This set doesn't function like the other sets and instead, will have its 24 slots locked behind job levels.

In addition, these 24 spell slots aren't as malleable as with the other 5 sets, in them you can only select specific types of skill from the ones you have available.

* Unlocking the Duty Set will be done by a Quest at level 50, which will task you to seek out skills that would fill it out. It will have steps which will take you through the 17 skill slots a level 50 character would fill out (With steps being skipped if you already have relevant skills learned)

After unlocking this Duty Set, you will be able to access FATEs and Duty Finder.

* When queuing up for Duty Finder and entering a non-Undersized duty, you will automatically be swapped to your "Duty Set"

* When encountering a FATE if you Level Sync, you will also equip your Duty Set. If the FATE is the same level as you and you don't have your Duty Set equipped, there will be a button (Like with the Level Sync one) to allow you to swap to your Duty Set.

Before unlocking your Duty Set, you cannot interact with FATEs. Enemies from them will ignore you and you will get an error if you try to attack them (With the first time having a pop up to tell you about the Duty Set)

The Duty Set will be structured something like this:

Level 1) Single Target Filler

Examples: Water Cannon, Thunder Dart, Blaze Blast, Ice Beam, Dust Storm, Gale Missile, Sharpened Knife, Snipethoom, Rock Throw.

These will be 100 potency GCD actions with instant cast and 2.5s Reuse. Their purpose is to be skills used while moving when casted actions are thus unavailable.

Level 2) oGCD Filler

Example Mind Blast.

These will be 100 potency oGCD actions with 1s cast time and 2.5s Reuse. Their purpose is to be weaved inbetween GCD actions while other more potent oGCD skills are unavailable.

Level 4) Damage Boost

Example: Off-Guard

Level 6) GCD Filler

Example: Glower, Plaincracker, Bubble Shower, Flamethrower, Drill Cannons

Level 10) Combo Starter

Example: The Ram's Voice, Aqua Breath, Heat Breath, Stone Breath

These will be standard 150 potency GCD skills that will instead of having CC effects will apply an elemental debuff such as "Ice", "Water", "Fire". These will set up for later combo skills and will have a 15s CD.

Level 12) Sustain

Examples: Sanguine Bite, Blood Drain (Redesigned to restore HP instead of MP like the actual skill used by enemies), Vampire, Digest

Level 15) Combo Actions

Examples: The Dragon's Voice, High Voltage, Stone Shatter, Blastbomb

These will consume the debuffs applied by the Combo Starter actions (Ice, Fire, Water etc) and deal additional potency.

In addition, they will also have a unique interaction with the Job Gauge (Which will be discussed later)

Level 18) DoT

Examples: Song of Torment, The Lion's Breath, Typhoon, Deadly Thrust

Level 26) Mobility

Examples: Flying Frenzy, Loom (Redesigned to be a 1s buff of high movement speed as an instant cast), Warp

Level 30) Personal Defense

Examples: Cocoon, Toad Oil, Feather Barrier, Magic Barrier

Level 30) 30s CD Ability

Examples: Eruption, Feather Rain

Level 35) Combo 2 Start

Same skills as level 10.

Level 40) 60s CD skill

Examples: Mountain Buster, Shock Strike, Matra Magic

Level 45) Combo 2 Finish

Same skills as level 15

Level 50) 90s CD skill

Examples: Glass Dance, Veil of the Whorl, Goblin Punch

Level 50) Party Damage Boost

Examples: Peculiar Light (Potency reduced to 10% magic vulnerability), Dragon Force

Level 52) Raise

Examples: Angel Whisper, Auto-Life

Level 54) MP Sustain

Examples: Magic Hammer, Battery Charge, Osmose

Level 56) Party Defence

Examples: Mighty Guard (Changed into a 10% magic and physical damage buff for 20s with 120s Reuse), White Wind (Changed to restore 1/3 casters max HP and MP to party members with 120s Reuse), Diamondhide

Level 58) Heal Skill

Examples: Healing Breeze, Magic Fruit

Level 60) Damage Buff

Examples: Jittering Jig (Phys), Golden Tongue (Mag), Amplification (Both)

Level 60+) I don't know

Job Gauge

BLU's Job Gauge should be something that resembles the Magia Board from Eureka.

Where, whenever they cast a spell, they attune to that element and then get a boost on their next spell of the complementary element.

For example, using an Ice skill makes your next Fire spell leave a DoT effect for a percentage of its damage. Which then makes your next Wind spell deal bonus damage, which then make your next Ice skill have additional critical strike rate etc.

The major difference with this gauge from the Magia Board, is it will also include Physical damage types too, which will have their own combo system too (So you can play Physical damage BLU as well as Magical BLU)

Now, as I mentioned prior, Combo finishers will interact uniquely with this gauge, where they will always benefit from the enhanced element effect as well as shift the Gauge into their respective element.

This will allow you to play around with different skill set ups to weave in multiple elements or damage types, or to simply maximize a particular smaller set of damage types. Depending on which skills you have learned and equipped.

[Zerogunsoul81]

This is really well made, this would be perfect if they did this, and the class would be out standing, everyone wins if they do it like this. And I'd drop tanking in a heartbeat if they added it in like this.

[Aniya_Estlihn]

I love your ideas and feel it would be a great way to spruce up the job, but as the same time I recognize that it's just never going to happe; as we've been told, so I fail to see any reason for trying to 'rework it' when we know full-well that it's not going to change.

Limited jobs will always be limited.

Edited: because my first post seemed mean.

[Jandor]

I like it, I'd probably alter some of the specifics but the overall picture is pretty neat.

[Xruptor]

This is a great idea. It just demonstrates how there are several ways Blue Mage could have been implemented correctly. Instead we got this Limited Job piece of trash that literally no one is playing anymore. I don't understand why Square-Enix just doesn't see it.

[Len]

This is a great idea. It just demonstrates how there are several ways Blue Mage could have been implemented correctly. Instead we got this Limited Job piece of trash that literally no one is playing anymore. I don't understand why Square-Enix just doesn't see it.

If enough people are consistently vocal about wanting it to be a fully-fledged job, they'll have to adjust course.

[DrWho2010]

they're not gonna change it no matter how many people get up in arms over it. just let it gooooooooooooo let it goooooooooooo

[Len]

they're not gonna change it no matter how many people get up in arms over it. just let it gooooooooooooo let it goooooooooooo

Not with that attitude they won't, mister.

[LeoLupinos]

Wow, that's cool!
The job gauge is actually promising.

They should change it from limited job to Job+, as it's different and will require more dedication to master it.

[ADVSS]

Love the thought put into this, and I definitely could see that with a little tweaking they could lift the job out of a limited state. Great idea~