Blue Mage might actually be a good thing.

[Seraphor]

I’m surprised that with so many complaining about the stale endgame, the linear progression grind, and no reasons to replay old content or play in the open world, that there’s so much vitriol around Blue Mage.

In many ways, this is the answer to most of those old complaints, they’re actually listening to people. We’re getting a true horizontal progression job, the open world will be full of blue mages hunting down new skills, no blue mage will have the same skill set, and the skills will be so much more interesting than the other jobs that are restricted for balance.
It may not be tailored towards the ‘real mmo’ community, but it’s a godsend to classic final fantasy fans and those who do enjoy the casual content, which makes up 90% of the games content.

Despite it being pegged as a ‘solo job’ I’m betting there will actually be more call for social interaction. Imagine parties of blue mages working together in the open world, with different skill sets, people who actually need to communicate and work around each other instead of just filling a predefined role slot that we all recognise with no need for communication.
Blue mages with mighty guard acting as tank for blue mages healers with white wind, while those with bad breath debuff, etc.

But some people can’t see the wood for the trees, it doesn’t fit the end game tombstone grind paradigm, so it does not compute.
This isn’t a typical job, but it is something new and this game needs new stuff if it’s going to survive.
We’re still getting two new normal jobs in Shadowbringers, that’s the content for you if blue mage isn’t.

I get that’s it’s disappointing for those who were specifically looking forward to Blue Mage, and who don’t care about new types of gameplay or ‘casual’ content, that’s fair enough, those complaints are justified. But I think the overall reaction to this is a little overblown.
It might not be the Blue Mage everyone wanted, but it is something we've been asking for and many will be happy with it, and if you can get over the initial disappointment of an iconic job not being exactly what you wanted (everyone wanted it to be something different anyway) I bet you’d probably end up enjoying it anyway.

I for one am glad it’s not just another caster. BLM, SMN and RDM don’t need more completion, and I can’t see how a BLU being a typical class would be all that innovative or different from RDM.
The ‘Limited Job’ strikes me as a good opportunity to fit in some other jobs that typically would not fit the role system.
The prospect of a Beastmaster that actually collects monsters in the openworld, pokemon style, instead of being a non-magic SMN who can ‘summon’ up to three or four preset monsters, has me hopeful that this could be a new form of side content that will keep this game alive, alongside end-game raiding, and crafting/gathering. This could be the ‘Eureka’ that actually works.

Ultimately it will all be down to execution, and it's entirely possible they do screw it up, but I don't think it's a given, and I don't see too much reason to be pessimistic about it right now.

[Soupa]

This, They finally took content AWAY from endgame. Something we've been asking for for YEARS. I'm reserving absolute judgement until I play it myself and am excited to see what other jobs go Limited.

[SweetPete]

Thank you Seraphor,

This was an amazing post and like you I am super excited for this solo job. I do not raid anymore and definitely get tired of the same old tomestone grind, primal mount farming. I wanted something different. I asked and pleaded and finally we are being heard. Thank you so much SE for this. Please don't give in to the Negative Nancy's out there who are calling this job cancer. Many of us appreciate it and will welcome BLU mage happily. Watch the numbers

[BillyKaplan]

Show me the person who doesn't want the "Masked Carnival". You'll be hard-pressed to find them. That is because most people don't mind it, if they don't actually share your enthusiasm for it. Like you said, it's different, it's fresh, and it's loyal to the job in certain ways.
But this is an MMO. When people ask for jobs in this sort of game, they want to play it in the main content. They want to be able to raid with it if that's what they fancy, they want to be able to run dungeons with it, they want to be able to run MSQ with it. They want to main it.
I personally want to walk up to Zenos with Hien and the Scions at my back and imagine their reactions when my next move is Bad Breath. It doesn't seem like I'll be able to do that.

As others can say better than I, XIV is no stranger to tweaking jobs so it fits in with its system, even at costs to their lore. Having a version of BLU that will be usable outside of its personal grind and Masked Carnival is far from being mutually exclusive with it being this new game-mode.
Yes, we need more innovation. Yes, we need freshness. But to introduce a job, one that was so highly requested, and to limit it to this is... meh.

[DracotheDragon]

i am a little disappointed but thats by my own expectations, but i welcome the concept but remain on the fence until i have played it in action, if it is fun then i will welcome this and any possible future limited job, since it will be a fun mini game of sorts.

[Seraphor]

Some people bring up RDM as a job that was ‘shoe-horned into the role system’ and ‘why can’t they do the same with BLU?’
Well, despite personally not wanting BLU to be a typical caster anyway, I don’t think RDM was all that bad a fit.
Red Mages are known for using white and black magic, and physical attacks, and FFXIV’s RDM ticks all of those boxes. XIV’s lore actually made it a very good fit with elemental spells being split between white and black magic, and it still has support skills to make it somewhat of a functional white magic user.
Blue Mage on the other hand, isn’t typically known as a damage dealing job as much as being a gimmick job. You have a focus on collecting enemy skills that do all of these gimmicky effects. It’s not known for its Shockwave Pulsars and Shadow Flares as much as it’s known for Bad breath, White wind and an array of level based spells, plus heavy use of elemental exploitation. None of that could be squeezed into the role system.
To sum up, I don’t think Red Mage lost that much to the role system, but I think Blue Mage would lose too much.

[Shadowshinra]

I for one am glad it’s not just another caster. BLM, SMN and RDM don’t need more completion, and I can’t see how a BLU being a typical class would be all that innovative or different from RDM.

Thing is, with this logic they should just stop adding new jobs altogether because they wouldn't be all that different and would add more competition, what you're suggesting starts a very slippery slope that I think no one wants us to go down.

[BillyKaplan]

To sum up, I don’t think Red Mage lost that much to the role system, but I think Blue Mage would lose too much.

Setting aside how that's a subjective impression on both sides, the fact remains that it's possible. And to throw back at you some of the popular counter argument to the disdain with BLU - if you don't like how BLU plays in the main content in this hypothetical scenario, simply don't play it in that content. Level it up for the skill acquisition and the Masked Carnival where it will shine most.

[Seraphor]

Thing is, with this logic they should just stop adding new jobs altogether because they wouldn't be all that different and would add more competition, what you're suggesting starts a very slippery slope that I think no one wants us to go down.

You see, I think the opposite. Its not a slippery slope as much as it opens a new door.
My Beastmaster example illustrates that perfectly.
Some jobs would just be better suited to this type of content than they would end game raiding.

And again, its not like we're not getting regular jobs. Jobs that DO fit into the role system quite well.
We do need more jobs and more variety in the main role system, but I don't think Casters is a group in dire need of this. DPS jobs of the same role compete with one another far more than any other jobs. We always need a tank and a healer, so they're safe whatever happens, but for DPS, what we really need are scouting and maiming jobs, with the potential for one more physical ranged if needed.

[JBee]

...We’re still getting two new normal jobs in Shadowbringers, that’s the content for you if blue mage isn’t...
... The prospect of a Beastmaster that actually collects monsters in the openworld, pokemon style, instead of being a non-magic SMN who can ‘summon’ up to three or four preset monsters.....

100% disagree with you.

I'm one of the people who was looking forward to Blue Mage and had every intention of swapping main jobs ASAP when it dropped. This is a boot to the face. There are countless ways they COULD have made BLU fit into the current system while still honoring the spirit of the original job. I don't buy the 'too hard to balance' shtick either. That's their job, and if they couldn't do it, either they need to get someone who can, or they need to have left well enough alone.

Not many people queue up for specific dungeons or trials without a reason to. I may directly queue for something a couple times a month, maybe - it's all roulettes.

You know how a lot of people are excited at the possibility that Dancer might be one of the new jobs? So you're saying if Dancer was only a DDR mini game in the gold saucer they should be grateful for that, yeah?

As for the other comment... if I wanted to play Pokemon, I would play pokemon. That's not what the job was. You charmed one creature to fight a second, and when both near death, released and killed both. Or, you kept the strong charmed pet alive and wrecked town. Or you used a couple limited summonable beasts - like a jaguar - when viable pets were not an option.

I genuinely despise this road they are going down - and over the last couple days, I've just gotten more and more disappointed with their failure to produce a full job.