Quote Originally Posted by Shiroe View Post
how it plays is the reason for the restrictions...

otherwise Blue Mage wouldn't play as intended (damn near impossible) but be allowed in regular content
There are definitely ways to have made blu as it is right now without the unreasonable restriction.

Unlock the job for the full game after finishing the Carnival, achievements for learning spells within a level range that unlock matchmaking for those levels, and bring back level break quests from XI for blue mage that require certain spells before you can do the quest. The npc(s) wouldn't even have to tell you exactly what the spells are. "Hmm, you still need to study leafkin in the northshroud, the insects in central thanalan, and the crustaceans in lower la noscea" would work.