Concerns about Blue Mage long-term viability in-game

[Stormfur]

Yes, this is another Blue Mage thread!

But this is coming from someone that is neither for nor against the implementation, since I have never played this class in any Final Fantasy game and don't really know what to expect with it - so I am keeping an open mind.

Based on what I've heard though, I'm concerned about its long-term viability. So far, we know of these restrictions:

• No matchmaking (pre-formed parties are OK)
• No POTD/HOH
• No PVP

The majority of leveling in the class seems to be rooted in attacking monsters, potentially learning their abilities and exploiting their weaknesses accordingly.

The devs mentioned it's a class designed for solo play, but in a game where everything is built around teamwork and the only exception being this Masked Carnivale, there's a lot that seems unnecessarily walled off.

So as I understand it, you can have BLU as a main class, but it's not going to be a class that you could PUG with in raids and such. Since you can't do daily roulettes with it, is the only way for BLU to earn daily tomestones through pre-formed parties?

With the exception of other BLUs, how many are realistically going to rely on Party Finder to do a daily dungeon (much less a level 50 or lower one?) I can see it now... "Please have pity on us and take us through Toto-Rak/Aurum Vale a few dozen times so we can learn the moves of the scorpion or the morbol!"

After that, your friends are going to hate you

Learning the abilities of other monsters, and a whopping 49 of them at the start, sounds awesome. But it also feels like BLU is going to be a crutch. It feels more like a sandbox job than anything. Here's this wide open, incredible game world but you can only play in this little corner.

Unless there are other "limited" jobs, or if BLU only starts out limited but eventually gets its wings and can join the rest of the group, it really feels more like a gimmick.

Say someone collects all 49 actions. Then what? It's not like they can strut into the latest dungeon and be all like BEHOLD MY AWESOMENESS! *casts level 5 death"

I really hope the team takes player feedback -- ALL play feedback -- into consideration. There's so much that could've been done to smooth over the backlash. Create polls asking the community to choose which spells / weapons are most iconic for the Blue Mage and allow members to vote and take that into consideration...something that makes it feel like we have some say in the direction such a highly-desired job goes because so many asked for it.

I get that there's a lot we probably don't know. But right now it feels like "Here, you asked for this! *plop*" Your thoughts??

[Seraphor]

There's a lot of fair concerns here, and i hope some are addressed.

However i think youre really underestimating how many people will play blue mage.

There wont be just the one blue mage holding everyone else back, there will be loads of blue mages, with different skill sets, partying up together to do instanced content to learn new skills.
Parties with a blue mage tanking with mighty guard, while another with white wind serves a healer.
As much as theyve pegged this as a solo job, and while that'll be possible, there's as much reason to omay in groups.

Ultimately this is a horizontal progression job, instead of the linear grind of the others, and a reason to play in the open world.
Two common complaints finally being addressed.

[Valdegarde]

I think if they had announced Blue Mage's unique aspects with an intended message that they will be looking to continue deciding its future alongside fan feedback, a lot of the panic and fear would be highly assuaged, this is coming from someone who is admittedly highly panicking. They did not, aspects of this seem to be either set in stone or projected to be (increasing the level cap, but not to the other classes is a bad sign) and that is causing people who would be otherwise unsettled and unsure but willing to try it spiraling into outrage instead.

If the developers were able to convey that the evolution of Blue Mage was up for negotiation before Blue Mage's release I think it will be received a lot better.

[Iscah]

There wont be just the one blue mage holding everyone else back, there will be loads of blue mages, with different skill sets, partying up together to do instanced content to learn new skills.
Parties with a blue mage tanking with mighty guard, while another with white wind serves a healer.

That's a really cool element I hadn't even thought of. I knew they'd likely have to team up with other blue mages (as everyone is looking for the same goal) but didn't think of them being customisable into different "roles".

Also I assume most targeted enemies are going to be in the open world - there aren't a lot of monsters that are only found in dungeons and not outside. Though it depends how specific they are about which enemies you can get the skills from.

(Though I don't think I'll be leveling blue mage straight away. It could be chaos in the overworld as everyone tries to take on the same enemies at once. I feel sorry for any new players trying to fulfill certain hunting logs or "kill five Monster X" quests...)

[Stormfur]

I hope the dev team has the foresight to make separate instances of areas where BLU spell monsters are located, otherwise we're gonna have Raubahn EX: Part BLU Electric Boogaloo all over again!

[Stormfur]

My concern with how BLU is currently set up (that we know so far, anyway) is that it is limited in what it can do and how it learns things - which is fine on the surface.

I fear that if they introduce more classes like this, you're going to have the "have/have-nots" in that 'these are classes you can do A, B, and C with", versus 'these are classes you can do X, Y, and Z" with -- in an attempt to make the game all things to all players without really satisfying either.

[Melichoir]

Once you get all classes to 70. Then what?

Once you get all your stuff geared, then what?

Once you own all the items at Gold Saucer, then what?

Once you beat the final tier of a Savage Raid, then what?

There is a point where there is little more to do in an MMO. This isnt limited to just BLU. This is just a universal truth. There is an actual end point in content. That end point continuously moves as patches are implemented, allowing us more things to do. Why would this be any different for BLU? At the end of the day, this is pretty much more "Non-Raid" content theyre adding. And thats good. Having things to do when youre not raiding or doing end game prog is a good thing. Youre not supposed to be maining BLU. It's something fun to do on the side. And that is ok. Much like Hildebrand quests, or anything else that gets extended with patches, at some point youll reach a cap on BLU, and youll have to wait for more content to be introduced. It happens. Thats ok.

[Tyla_Esmeraude]

Youre not supposed to be maining BLU. It's something fun to do on the side. And that is ok. Much like Hildebrand quests, or anything else that gets extended with patches, at some point youll reach a cap on BLU, and youll have to wait for more content to be introduced. It happens. Thats ok.

So it IS side content afterall. And oh boy, what a big slap to the face for people who've been wanting to main BLU for so long. That is not okay in any way. A job relegated for the sole purpose of side content? Even some crafters make DoH their mains and not even BLU can lol. Even crafters are gonna get their own endgame now. Again, that is NOT okay, it doesn't just happen. Something as important as a job in an MMO shouldn't get the Hildebrand treatment. Unless they make endgame for BLU, I don't see how this is okay for a lot of people.

[Melichoir]

So it IS side content afterall. And oh boy, what a big slap to the face for people who've been wanting to main BLU for so long. That is not okay in any way. A job relegated for the sole purpose of side content? Even some crafters make DoH their mains and not even BLU can lol. Even crafters are gonna get their own endgame now. Again, that is NOT okay, it doesn't just happen. Something as important as a job in an MMO shouldn't get the Hildebrand treatment. Unless they make endgame for BLU, I don't see how this is okay for a lot of people.

Again, why is this such a 'slap in the face' to people. That sounds like entitlement. As if SE is required to give players BLU. Also, assuming its getting the "hildebrand" treatment. Youre missing my point completely, so Ill clear it up for you. All content has an endpoint. Whether its side quests, or main quests, whether its Prog or class lvls or what not, everything eventually has an end point UNTIL more content is added. This will be no different with BLU. That was my point to the OP. Asking the "What do you do after you 'catch all the skills?" question is a moot point because that same question applies to every aspect of the game. The big difference is that of the classes, BLU is the first combat class not designed to do end game prog. And that is fine. I would rather them try a different approach to gameplay and content rather than give people a watered down cookie cutter caster with the name BLU on it just to semi-satisfy a small portion of the population who wants to do end game prog with it, who will all eventually complain about how watered down and noncompetitive it is (just like RDM).

Also, youve created a bit of a issue in your logic. While I may not have been clear in my intent on "Maining" something, the class is still viable in the sense of gameplay. You can still play it. Still enjoy it. Still do things with it. Just like DoH and DoL can. If people can main crafting, then you can main BLU in the same regards. You will just be limited in your scope of what you can do. When I said you wont "Main" BLU, I meant that you wont be using it for End Game Prog, which is where a lot of the vitriol is coming from. The class, in of itself, is still a viable play option. You can still play much of the game with it. Youre just locked out from Certain content, just like DoL and DoH. If anything, Youll have more room for play and variety as a BLU than as a DoH.

So if your point is that people can main Crafters, then you are invariably saying that people can Main BLU. Neither will be able to do end game raiding, but Both are viable classes if you arent concerned with that facet.

Though what I hazard, as I stated above, the issue is that because you cant do end game prog with it, that this is some huge misstep on SE's part, and theyre just "Slapping" in the players faces. And you know what. If you TRULY and DEEPLY believe that to be the case, unsub. Show them you do not approve of this level of disrespect to the player base by voicing your opinion, and then following it up with actual meaningful action. 'Cause frankly, a lot of the "Slapping people in the face" crowd are complaining about something as if its a dire terrible effect, but arent willing to do anything meaningful about it. So it comes across as hyperbole and knee jerk reactions.

[Stormfur]

There is a point where there is little more to do in an MMO. This isnt limited to just BLU. This is just a universal truth. There is an actual end point in content. That end point continuously moves as patches are implemented, allowing us more things to do. Why would this be any different for BLU? At the end of the day, this is pretty much more "Non-Raid" content theyre adding. And thats good. Having things to do when youre not raiding or doing end game prog is a good thing. Youre not supposed to be maining BLU. It's something fun to do on the side. And that is ok. Much like Hildebrand quests, or anything else that gets extended with patches, at some point youll reach a cap on BLU, and youll have to wait for more content to be introduced. It happens. Thats ok.

I'm not a Savage raider, so I'm happy for ANYTHING to come along to break up the monotony of log in-do your dungeon-get your tomestones-cap-log-out" - but why do this with a JOB, much less something so iconic and so deeply desired by the playerbase?

Disciples of the Land and Hand -- those are meant to be side jobs. Hildibrand is goofy fun you can do to sort of lighten the mood. None of those are combat classes. It would be one thing if we started out in game as an adventurer/freelancer sort of "jack of all trades" and then branched into a class, but I can think of many people who were looking to main BLU, and this is kind of a slap in the face to them.

I guess what I meant regarding asking "what happens next" after collecting the skills was less of "this is the end of the content, go outside and get some air", and more "I got all of these skills but what content can I do apart from pre-formed parties and Carnivale?" It's like getting all the logos actions in Eureka even if you can only use a handful of them. I did it anyway because I figured it would be mandatory come the next iteration of Eureka.