Blue mage at patch 4.5

[BillyKaplan]

This is pure speculation on my part... but as BLU is not tied to any class, could it be a hybrid class? ie. you learn healing actions you heal, you learn defensive actions you can tank, you learn thousand needles you gouge everyone eyes out with a billion lil pricklies (dps)...?

No job released after ARR is tied to any class either. Still role-locked. Not saying BLU will follow, but if it doesn't, it's not because of its lack of base class.

[Awful]

No job released after ARR is tied to any class either. Still role-locked. Not saying BLU will follow, but if it doesn't, it's not because of its lack of base class.

My issue with this classless base for BLU is that limited could mean that it's used in "limited content" which means it can't go into raids for 24 man raids, EX primals etc, which would really turn a lot of people off I hope that's not the case. My hopes is that we can use monster abilities to build how we wanna play (DPS/tank/healer) that way the choices are limited not the class.

[Shurrikhan]

My issue with this classless base for BLU is that limited could mean that it's used in "limited content" which means it can't go into raids for 24 man raids, EX primals etc, which would really turn a lot of people off I hope that's not the case. My hopes is that we can use monster abilities to build how we wanna play (DPS/tank/healer) that way the choices are limited not the class.

I'm hoping that's just for now; I hope we see changes to the other classes/jobs, too, which move towards job identity over mere role identity with 5.0, making those distinctions a non-issue. Thus we eventually get a real job, rather than... leveling ourselves... as if a Kirby-chocobo.

Heck, with the trailer's 1.x flashbacks and seeming emphasis on moment-by-moment details, I'd really hoped we were going to move away from Role Actions finally, and maybe really doubling down on what makes XIV characters unique. I'm no huge fan of the XIII, XIII:LR, or X-2 systems at the far end of that extreme, but at least think that's a better direction than the utter nonsense of Role Actions. At the very least, I hope there are some well-designed and optionally very difficult solo fights that make use of that mechanic.

Design could go even further or broader that that, though. For instance, I'd like to see job changes permitted in raids as well, presumably through a raid-wide vote that siphons a bit of the permitted role pool from 3/15/6 to, say, 3/14/7. Once the role for "More healers!" succeeds, parties' individual members are allowed to volunteer for a swap, with other flagged candidates visible to them from the raid bars. Individual party members, in turn, could request to transfer out of or into a role, whenever they wanted. (Ideally, in such a world you'd want to be then be able to see their commendations, how many were in that role, their ilvls for each (non-redundant) job in role or the top three or so therein, with the one they're suggesting highlighted, and achievements generally and in-role, at a glance, but you could technically do without all that.)