Wont answer sentence by sentence.
But yes, fisherman while getting his own end game, is usefull for the main endgame content. Some foods uses fish, fish collected by... fisherman.
Also, many people complains about the fact crafters are finally a side content, the crafting gear is used mainly for aesthetic (side content) or the people wanting to kill the new raid8 asap.
AND YES the BLU wont change anything about the leveling and the grinding. When 5.0 comes out, you will have to take your favourite job, doing quest after quest, until getting lvl 80, then grind your roulet's for tomestone, etc. All i say there may be false for shadowbringers yes. but not due to BLU but due to another change on the game.
The blu will have to go to open world, and yes, for 2-3 month at release we will see many people traveling there and there getting their skills... not only because it will be fun but also because it will be the only thing to do on FFXIV. your friend list will also show many blue mage on old content. but after? fast we will go back to empty deserts... It is the time to get the skills, but when you have them, no need to go get them again. the "next part" of the BLU is doing his personnal and specific content (the carnival thing)
You speak also about what could SB2 give to openworld, but as we know, BLU will be limited to lvl 50, and nothing shows it will go up to 80 at 5.0 releases. Maybe it will be. but nothing was said this way. So if the openworld of SB2 (the new areas so) are more living than the older, it is not due to BLU but... other things.
And lets finish with balance ... but, what? how did the BLU exist in FFXI if this is so impossible?
How is it hard to do make bosses imune to some effect... I mean, a FF boss is most of time imune to "death" spell no? And i never managed get ifrit, Shiva or even a dongeon boss in sleep state with the good spell.
I dont want a blu "only for raid" this side content will probably be wonderfull, but what is the matter getting this side content, AND getting a list of 24 skills decided by SE, with effect balance to fit the job work in raid? Is it so hard? no. clearly no. no Harder to what they did with the 15 current job.
Yes, will be harder to get skills as BLU than other jobs, but is it a matter? i mean, it will be the 16th job, and 2 more to come (gunblade and surely dancer) ... And we are on FFXIV, getting hard time getting the 24 (or a little more) skills to have your job ready doesnt block you from endgame content... You go as blm, whm, or any other job you like, the time you get up to day with BLU.
When NIN was released, a member of my static did want play this... he did continue to play monk (like before) until his NIN was ready...
ALL JOBS was cut from some of his identity.
Where is DRK self-mutilate?
Where is the throwing item mechanic from NIN?
The song from bard, limited to 2 skill and some side feature.
where are the wonderfull summons? (again, on FFXI, the summons was far bigger than the egi, but the summoner, itself alone was clearly nothing)
Why does WHM get so much damages skill, and so much damages output?
The blue mage could get skills from ennemies AND getting into raid
The blue mage could have a specific personnal content, AND being able to go raiding
People raging there are not against the content we get, but the fact we DONT HAVE the Blue Mage Job.
The devs themselves are saying we dont get blue mage as job... but as "limited job" . We have a content around what the blue mage in final fantasy mythology is, but we dont have the job.
About "what is endgame content"
Deepdogneon, even in solo (the hardest way) is a "side content" Eureka is side content. and mask carnival will be side content. triple triad, chocobo racing are side content.
When people are speaking about "end game" they think sadic raid, ultimate...
Here is a simple suggestion : dont change anything of what was announced except the duties limitations, and the max lvl. (no limit, and same max level than any other job)
BUT for any "non specific content"
1) have to be able to go in with finishing a quest asking a list of skill to learn (so, cant go in content without having the good skills)
2) get as much skills as other job from the X skills the BLU will have, and use them (and change a little?) to get the BLU a "raiding" gameplay.
The bad side : some skills will have 2 effect, one for "solo content" and one for the duties content (lets imagine the morbol skill, in solo, will send 2397 different debuff, in raid, will do "only" a dot and maybe damages on impact)
But not a so hard bad side, and... the "true" blue mage will exists, as much as it exists now... While allowing player to use "blue mage" in raiding content... simply