Blue mage at patch 4.5

[Beckett]

It really feels like the devs thought the only way BLU could work is if it's exactly like it is in FFXI, and never even considered changing it to actually fit into XIV. Every other job (even Red Mage) got massive reworks from what people might be used to, in order to make them work for this game. I'm not sure why Blue Mage is the one thing they decided absolutely couldn't be different from XI.

[Berethos]

It really feels like the devs thought the only way BLU could work is if it's exactly like it is in FFXI, and never even considered changing it to actually fit into XIV. Every other job (even Red Mage) got massive reworks from what people might be used to, in order to make them work for this game. I'm not sure why Blue Mage is the one thing they decided absolutely couldn't be different from XI.

They've talked at length about this before, so we know that they DID consider whether or not it could fit in XIV, or whether or not they should change it to add it as a traditional job/class to fit XIV, with the preference being that it be added as the true Blue Mage, and not a version that "learns" abilities once via quests and plays like the other casters in this game.

Clearly this is their decision, that they did not want to change it to fit the traditional job role, and so rather than leave it out are adding a new set of content designed specifically for it so they can add it under it's traditional design.

Honestly, some of ya'll are being really narrow minded about how classes can be added to a game like this.

[BillyKaplan]

Honestly, some of ya'll are being really narrow minded about how classes can be added to a game like this.

They could've done both if they were already investing so much into a job and literally no one would've complained. The solo experience would've became optional content for BLU fans who'd have done it anyway, only now a lot more people would've at least picked BLU up and therefore given the solo play at least a try too.

[Berethos]

They could've done both if they were already investing so much into a job and literally no one would've complained. The solo experience would've became optional content for BLU fans who'd have done it anyway, only now a lot more people would've at least picked BLU up and therefore given the solo play at least a try too.

A job that works two vastly different ways depending on where you're using it?

Yeah, that's not a design nightmare, nor terribly unfun to play.

[BillyKaplan]

A job that works two vastly different ways depending on where you're using it?

Yeah, that's not a design nightmare, nor terribly unfun to play.

You're being really narrow minded about how classes can be added to a game like this

[Berethos]

You're being really narrow minded about how classes can be added to a game like this

I'm being realistic.

If you wanted something that would be part of a group at level-capped content, such as Savage raids or Ultimate difficulty, or even Normal difficulty, it would have to fit within a specific range that they have spent the last 5 years maintaining. That would require a specific approach to balancing.

With the range of permutations on abilities that a Blue Mage could feasibly have if they are allowed to mix and match, you're either looking at cosmetic differences with groups of spells tuned identically, or a fixed set of spells like all the other casters. Both of those then beg the question, why make it Blue Mage, whose identity is so heavily based around learning abilities from monsters to use those abilities due to their potentially unique or useful application? If the goal of adding Blue Mage is for it to embrace that identity, why add it if it's going to be limited based on raid and dungeon balancing needs?

So while they could do that, and please all of you who wanted the Blue Mage name attached to something you can run raids with, they opted for the other approach - namely choosing to implement the Blue Mage as it traditionally has existed in other FF games.

Since the content we have currently doesn't readily support this class design, they have then opted to create content specifically for it (along with allowing it into a certain stretch of group content if you have a pre-formed party, and there's flexibility with this element in the future).

On top of all this, we're almost certainly getting two additional traditionally designed classes with the expansion.

But please, tell me how I'm the one being narrow minded because I am willing to accept a class implementation that doesn't require it be balanced and designed for end-game raiding.

[RezPls]

They've talked at length about this before, so we know that they DID consider whether or not it could fit in XIV, or whether or not they should change it to add it as a traditional job/class to fit XIV, with the preference being that it be added as the true Blue Mage, and not a version that "learns" abilities once via quests and plays like the other casters in this game.

Clearly this is their decision, that they did not want to change it to fit the traditional job role, and so rather than leave it out are adding a new set of content designed specifically for it so they can add it under it's traditional design.

Honestly, some of ya'll are being really narrow minded about how classes can be added to a game like this.

Hi, my RDM can heal, DPS, and Raise. It specializes as a ranged magical DPS while also using sword melee. They're able to combine them with job fantasy. Idk why you want to defend this so hard.

[Tsukino]

It really feels like the devs thought the only way BLU could work is if it's exactly like it is in FFXI, and never even considered changing it to actually fit into XIV. Every other job (even Red Mage) got massive reworks from what people might be used to, in order to make them work for this game. I'm not sure why Blue Mage is the one thing they decided absolutely couldn't be different from XI.

Not saying I do or don't like this decision in general myself, as I have mixed feelings, but...

Some of those jobs are downright terrible representations of their classic job reference, completely destroyed to make them fit into the way the dev team wants an MMO to work. Red Mage managed to turn out great and have all their classic abilities converted in a way that makes sense, and even Dark Knight IMO was reworked pretty well into a tank. But Summoner has been some kind of WoW Warlock and a dragon laser mage, never an actual Final Fantasy Summoner. Thief doesn't even exist, and Bard and Ranger are both...not right. They're all good jobs as they are, just not at all like their prior FF counterparts.

I don't think it was outright impossible to do Blue Mage right as a party job, but I do understand their concerns with being able to learn and use classic blue magic like Mighty Guard and Level 5 Death in an MMO setting, particularly given their track record with other jobs.