The Blue Mage Argument at a glance

[Shurrikhan]

But BLU adds nothing to that formula. If BLU were to really be BLU it would function the same as BLM with enemy skills tacked on as a mechanic. SMN has pets and RDM has white and black magic, and a melee phase, which are combat changes to the formula. BLU doesn't have those, if you look at the skills itself, they consist of skills with a heavy emphasis on gimmick (Doom, goblin punch, self destruct, matra magic, roulette), level based spells (level 5 death et al), buffing or debuffing (bad breath and lots more), spells that don't fit into the caster role at all (mighty guard, white wind), and elemental spells (BLM).

From that we see a massive amount of pruning and changing to keep within XIVs formula. Gimmick spells are gone, level based spells lose their level based uniqueness, and join the "elemental" spells, buffing and debuffing would be heavily pruned, and mighty guard and white wind would be on par with second wind and third eye. You say that casters are varied, but BLU is not after you strip it of everything that doesn't fit. There is nothing that BLU can bring that shakes up the ranged caster playstyle in the way the RDM or SMN can, and if implemented as a ranged caster, the best we could hope for is a BLM with a gimmick.

This, too, is an oversimplification, and a painful example of projection. That you personally cannot imagine a sensible way to generate satisfying and distinct buttonflow to BLU does not mean that such is impossible. Even your gut image of the job seems... strange, if not outright contradictory. You say BLU is punctuative, focused on particular and effective "gimmick" casts, yet analogize BLU with BLM, a caster to which all but its highest value pure-damage cast spam are trimmed as well as possible for optimization -- almost the exact opposite; you use an infamous non-example to exemplify its core toolkit; and you imply that only one job can rightly make use of elemental spells, despite four jobs already specifically doing so in some form.

When something is given as the solution or handhold for such a solution to a given problem, it is more than a little counterintuitive to then saddle that solution with every issue it may solve. You are assuming that BLU will be integrated without making a single change in direction for the better.

If BLU were ever made an actual job, then development would have a decision to make: should the game expand to accomodate it, or should the job shrink to fit it? As BLU is not presently a real job, that point of decision has not yet been reached and the decision itself, therefore, has not yet been made. You are slipping in a premise here, and it is a dangerously pessimistic one; what you don't confront, you let pass, and by writing as if further mediocrity were only the reasonable conclusion to a pivotal decision, you condone it. I understand that precedent thus far makes that outcome the more likely, but I have to wonder if you're actually okay with it. To assume something lost beforehand, while there is still some chance and room to save or change it, is to abandon it.

I see the present extents of gameplay and each job's design's individual contribution as shallowly simple despite a surprising amount of unintuitive convolution and bloat. I do not suspect that development will see things that way, nor that they'd see eye-to-eye with almost any critic on these forums. But I do think they must at least be aware that each new job provides some amount of opportunity to do something new, and that even something of equal quality to a existent job, if providing nothing new, will be rated lower despite the equal quality. I do not expect that they will send it without hesitation to the same chopping block or cookie cutter born of previous designs. Whether they would succeed it doing something meritous with it, or ultimately somehow even worse, is anyone's guess, but I suspect it will follow the same flaws in vision or philosophy of what a job ought be more so than of templates arrived upon thus far. There will be compromise, and likely a poor result, but there will almost most likely be investigation of some sort that will change what, exactly, goes wrong.

But let us assume, however wrongly, that the developers will have both vision and an uncompromising desire to see BLU done right. Is it really so impossible? And are the few things which are obviously stupid to have in an MMO irreplaceable? Is Level 5 Death fun? Is it fun to have that serves you up to 20% of the time in leveling, one-shots every levelcap dungeon mob (as they are at 50, 60, 70, and soon to be 80), but can do absolutely nothing to bosses? Is it fun to leave that as a basic, spammable spell? Is it more fun for it either kill something entirely or not at all, on a spammable basis, than to use it as a resource spell, or even an LB, serving a chance of instant death based on "Death potency" vs. their remaining HP (to each enemy struck)?

If not, its removal has nothing to do with gutting BLU identity. It has to do with better design. Its "compromise", done well, allows for a more compelling and gameplay-integral design. Ramp up Dark element, spend it on Death in a gambit to eliminate a key but low-resistance or low-HP mob as quickly as possible so others don't have to shift off the closer targets. Likely, the roll would be placed upon a sort of normal distribution or guaranteed at over 70% and guaranteed against if under 30%. Whatever the restrictions, if it succeeds, you'll have smoothed things greatly for the run, perhaps to the point of building enough resource to guarantee it. On the other hand, if it fails, you'll have done only middling damage... and have been refunded some of the resource -- a worse outcome for sure, but hardly one worth the raid committing suicide if the roll fails. That can be entertaining and unique -- perhaps even still a "gimmick" by your definition -- but able to be included in the core game. I'd even argue it'd be far more enjoyable following the spirit of the ability, its desperate gamble, than its exact former iteration, whereby it was a dead button 80% of the time, and could break the game the remaining 20%. The "level-based uniqueness" of Death existed only in an altogether different context -- one where leveling rarely capped before the game ended unless grinding specifically for that purpose, and where combat was of the open world and comparatively dangerous trash mob encounters. The "gamble" aspect, however, survives just fine.

I can readily deconstruct the apparent issues with any of the other BLU skills just as well, though that's not to say that a best possible implementation of BLU, even without the slightest bit of compromise or conformity, will necessarily include every part of or be limited solely to past examples. Please don't confuse a particularly bad implementation with what will necessarily occur.

That's not to say I'm asking you to have faith in the development team -- quite the opposite. I'm asking you not to forgive a failure, to not assume or accept its outcome, before the axe has dropped. XIV has left a poor record, but it really does not help when people either give in -- "that just be XIV" -- or give up entirely.

[Huntrss]

My View Point is The Developers are doing Blue Mage right. It'll start at Level 1 and go to Level 50 for 4.5 Right? I'm Going off here and saying at 4.55 it's be Level 60 and 5.0 Level 70 and level 80 with 5.1, Now I can be wrong but I'm taking it if they are going to bring out another Limit Job you would want them to at Least be done with Blue Mage. lets say 5.4 or 5.5 that would give them a year to work on the next Limited Job. The Reason they are going so low is what works and what is wrong with how Blue Mage works (how does it play, can you enjoy it, are you having fun with the Job) that means they would like feedback on the Job and on the content for the Job. you don't rush it to high end and just hope it works right out of the Gate. people scream I can't main Blue mage somewhere in 5.x you will be able too. Do I agree it can't use Duty Finder Yes I do. Blue Mages are for Soloing, Dungeons, Trails, and 8 man Raids. They are not for PVP and 24 man Raids (this is where people start to scream). SE does not want you to use Deep Dungeons but I think this will Change Later on but still The Job is for Soloing and they want you to get your spells a Certain way from Mobs so I see them go as long as you have the spells you can do these things. at the start I suspect is People will get Blue Mages up to 50 and all Spells with in the first month if not First week if not shorter. (there a 50\50 chance to get the spell "it's either you do or Don't " Yes there a High Chance you get more don'ts instead of do just keep trying). SE wants to give us a Fun Job to play but they don't want it to be 50 with in 3 hours of starting the Job that is why they put in place the RNG to slow us down but still I say 24 Hours for the people who wants to rush it everyone else like I said A week but everyone should be done with in the first Month.

[GrenGarm]

people scream I can't main Blue mage somewhere in 5.x you will be able too.

This is wishful thinking. There's no proof of this.

[Huntrss]

This is wishful thinking. There's no proof of this.

Your Right it is wishful thinking and So is Any Good news on Dec.02. in fact we all should start expecting bad news.

[Darkpaw]

Dec 02?... or Dec 20th?

[Huntrss]

Dec 02?... or Dec 20th?

Dec 2 is The Final Fantasy XI FanFest for that game and what SE going to do with it. Dec 20 is the Second Dev thing on 4.5 where they'll tell more and show a Video on it. Maybe hear about FFXI Moble or something plus Yoshi-P as said there be more patches if not an Exp for that game. but coming from The FFXV Fan Fest that was fun ...Hearing the awesome word of Canceled DLC's and PC Version and that the Director was Leaving SE and the Fact that SE lost money on FFXV but woot Fanfest. At Least they didn't have to Say Sorry Like they did for FFXIV 1.0 (GrenGram wanted me to stop wishful thinking about the Blue Mage and wake up to the Real World. Yep Scared out of my Mind For what SE going to Do or say next). Yes I do Worry about the Real Living World too.

[Darkpaw]

Dec 2 is The Final Fantasy XI FanFest for that game and what SE going to do with it. Dec 20 is the Second Dev thing on 4.5 where they'll tell more and show a Video on it. Maybe hear about FFXI Moble or something plus Yoshi-P as said there be more patches if not an Exp for that game. but coming from The FFXV Fan Fest that was fun ...Hearing the awesome word of Canceled DLC's and PC Version and that the Director was Leaving SE and the Fact that SE lost money on FFXV but woot Fanfest. At Least they didn't have to Say Sorry Like they did for FFXIV 1.0 (GrenGram wanted me to stop wishful thinking about the Blue Mage and wake up to the Real World. Yep Scared out of my Mind For what SE going to Do or say next). Yes I do Worry about the Real Living World too.

lol that's fair.. I didn't know about the 11 thing.. I never played it so never had much of a reason to follow it, didn't think we actually knew the next live letter date but I could have easily missed it bouncing around the forums and replaying ff7 for the first time in ages.

[Huntrss]

lol that's fair.. I didn't know about the 11 thing.. I never played it so never had much of a reason to follow it, didn't think we actually knew the next live letter date but I could have easily missed it bouncing around the forums and replaying ff7 for the first time in ages.

all I know is the Live Letter is suppost to be around the last part of the month for FF14.

[Starcake28]

Ok here's the thing, we don't know what BLU will be like when it releases. The only two reasonable opinions worth sharing are cautious optimism and cautious pessimism. Maybe they are testing the waters, and the restrictions are there because the content is new. Maybe in updates BLU will get closer to being a "real job", maybe it won't. At the end of the day, this is BLU, anyone who wanted BLU got the most faithful BLU they could ask for. Anything after that is pure speculation and assumption, which adds nothing to the discussion.

Blu can bring anything to FF14 like aoe haste aoe stoneskin aoe heals aoe damage buff aoe enemy debuffs like the acid shower mob ability etc or mighty guard could buff everyone

[AC9Breaker]

You know I finally registered an account here just so that I can write this and hope my sentiments will be read by someone from the staff. I am super excited about Blue mage. To be honest, I never played a FF game with a blue mage so I never really had any strong feelings for the job in any way good or bad. I did play 11 but quit the game long before they added the job. For the most part there where a lot of things that 11 did that I didn't like and it's a big reason why I haven't touched Eureka, because its too much 11 for my tastes.

However, 11 did some really cool things and I think one of those things was the freedom in playing your classes. I fully remember that Ninja was never suppose to be a tank class in 11 but the community played it that way. Some of the most rewarding experiences I had in that game where when I would experiment on my own and find out different combination of class and sub classes with particular loadouts and having great success. But this wasn't an experience unique to me, many people in the community would brag about their offbeat combinations to do unique challenges and it was great. In contrast to 14, everything is very procedural. Not that its a bad thing, its a solid formula that's worked for at the very least the past 5 years. But I feel the systems in place leave very little for player creativity. I feel like Blue mage will be a remedy for that and a proof of concept if successful for other potential jobs like it such as Beastmaster.

I would also like to point out how barren the open world is during content droughts. I think a class like this will also be good incentive at least to have people out in the open world more instead of just que'ing up for stuff from your Plot in the Mists. I think its a shame that much work and effort goes into building these virtual worlds and then we only see them once when running to our next MSQ objective. Although this might seem like a trivial issue I think it looks good for players who are new and just starting to see people out in the world because it probably isn't that intuitive for them to know that the most efficient way to do things is with the duty finder. Maybe some people don't wanna do things the efficient way because its not that fun for them?

In short, I think the team is doing something interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing the results and how things change.