How BLU CAN be implemented in Content

[Mibgestalt]

The idea of Blue being a hybrid is straight out of FFXI. This game is not FFXI. I don't believe FFXI's design can work, and the dev's attempts to implement FFXI design is the primary reason this iteration of BLU is (presumably) incompatible with all of the content FFXIV.

There's like 8 other iterations of Blue Mage to work with where they primarily just deal damage with unique skills and have a ton of utility. Almost every Blue Mage in FF history uses a melee weapon. Just make them a melee ranged DPS caster. Give them some defensive utility with Mighty Guard, White Wind, etc. Let them one-shot non-boss/raid mobs with L5 Death. Let them stack Thousand Needles and unleash them with one button press. And maybe explore outside the priority-based 30 hotkey DPS system they can't seem to break out of for gameplay. Keep the leveling style, it's unique. Keep the ability learning method, it's true to form. Keep the Masked Carnival if you want, but I'd trade it for the ability to play more than a trial version of FFXIV as Blue Mage.

[Shurrikhan]

The idea of Blue being a hybrid is straight out of FFXI. This game is not FFXI. I don't believe FFXI's design can work.

My god! XI had... characters! We can't do that; this is XIV!

Making BLU a hybrid has little if anything to do with XI and far more to do with balance in a "pick 24 of 49" (at level 50) toolkit. Rather than having 49 damage-dealing abilities, almost guaranteeing that some will go without even situational use, you allow for all three roles within monster skills. At that point, you could even have as many as 80 skills and still have less bloat in filling the DPS role specifically if that's what it comes down to, because at least there'd be situational uses for the others, be it as a dungeon tank, a dungeon healer, a tank+healer, or whatever other combination makes runs go efficiently and/or enjoyably.