Blue mage is a waste of potential, change my mind.

[Arrius]

I sometimes wonder if Yoshi and the gang really know what " solo" actually means.

They probably referred to the special environment, the Masked Carnival, as exclusive 'solo content' for the blue mage, where you puzzle yourself your toolset together to overcome the challenges you face in the arena.

Which isn't technically wrong what they did say. It's the usual interpretation of that which always falls behind.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Hotfixes mean: Fixing issues that cannot wait till the regular patching schedule.
It's a software equivalent of "Hot-swapable" - To change during usage.

Hotfixes in almost every single videogame with server services are done server side without the need of stopping the service.

If SE is waiting on their "patch" schedule or "maintenance schedule" to do a hotfix, and they have to stop the service, then is not a hotfix by definition.

---

So yeah, make of that what you want. Maybe SE does things their own way and they use the terminology in a misterious form beyond the life of us mere mortals whos hotfixes are server-side and with the whole system running. At worse, we might have to log back in or download some small packages of new data.

But yeah, the misterious ways of Square-Enix. Praise brother and sisters.

A hotfix is a software update designed to fix a bug or security hole in a program. Unlike typical version updates, hotfixes are urgently developed and released as soon as possible to limit the effects of the software issue. They are often released between incremental version updates.


There are many definitions of hotfix. Using one tailored to make the devs look bad just makes your point fail.

If you have a disagreement with what they do, better to state that directly than go " Oh, so if they can't even use this term right, they must be completely oblivious to whatever else they are doing."

[MeowingKittens]

I was optimistic for BLU. I still think it has a lot of potential.

But you're right.

While I had suspected that the leveling curve for the job was going to be faster than other jobs to 50, it was frankly TOO fast. Even without the exploit or a level 70 friend helping, it only took a few hours to get to 50 using exp boosts, and most of that wasn't even from EXP hunting down skills. Spamming 1000 Needles gets a bit boring after a while. While I do appreciate the drop rate on the skills being not garbage, it's a bit TOO high and it takes out a lot of the fun of hunting them. There's no excitement at finally learning a skill after some mass slaughter. Sure, you don't want it to take forever, but over half my overworld list was obtained in ONE KILL.

I have no problem with the IDEA of hiding some OP skills behind ex primals or hard duties for some joint cooperation, but there are frankly TOO many skills duty locked, including some needed for THE JOB QUESTS. Having to party up should be more optional than mandatory, and even unsynced, BLU frankly is ill equipped to handle duties solo without many of the skills locked behind those duties. Requiring Mind Blast and Glower to even finish the darn story was a HUGE mistake. While I have no problem with the idea of having the community band together for each other's benefit, it's less cooperation and more getting completely carried. Having friends along should be more to make it EASIER, not a practical necessity.

I have no issues with BLU staying as a mostly solo job (and staying locked out matchmaking in DF), but it needs to be VIABLE to actually solo and access the MAJORITY of the job's content without being forced to party up.

It's still got potential; these issues are fixable. I just hope they get addressed sooner rather than later.

[Alexandre_Noireau]

There are many definitions of hotfix. Using one tailored to make the devs look bad just makes your point fail.

If you have a disagreement with what they do, better to state that directly than go " Oh, so if they can't even use this term right, they must be completely oblivious to whatever else they are doing."

Im using the one that is the standart use for the industry and the MMORPG genre.

Again, if SE doesn't abide by that, all the power to them. But don't call a hotfix what is not a hotfix.
Is like calling a "hot-swappable" a piece of hardware that needs the PC to be shutdown to be installed, or having to download drivers for a "plug and play" divice.

There are of course more significant nuances to these terminologies, some that escape the domains of you (i presume, might be wrong) and i. But go outside the bubble of FFXIV, and check what the 99% of the developers out there mean by hotfix.
Words are more defined by their common usage than their intended one or their book definitions. Is how languages work.

For the gaming industry and MMORPGs, hotfixe means: Quick, without shutting servers, serverside bug/issue fixes that are out the normal maintenance/patch schedule. Anything else, is not a hotfix.

[hynaku]

Once got my Blue Mage ilvl 130 gear called it quits. Notice a lot spells area samething thing just with another name to them. It is long ways from being a solo duty job. You can't even survive Ramuh nm or ex without someone that can raise you. They need to buff this job huge amount if it is going to be a solo duty limited class.

[kikix12]

A friend and I were duoing (as BLUs) Keeper of the Lake this evening to attempt to get Flame Thrower from the first boss (as opposed to doing all of Brayflox HM), and it took us at least 10 mins to get there, and even longer to actually kill the boss.

It took me about that long solo with several deaths while I was checking what works.

And I found out that starting with a Tail Screw and casting Rams Voice to deep-freeze the mobs once they come close, then Tail Screw again and picking off the 1HP mobs was working well.

The boss can easily be Missiled down to low HP and finished off with whatever in less than half a minute.

However, I will admit that the majority of skills and their potencies are...lackluster. They are literally reskins of one another. Some have validity only in the Carnival, and even then there are some that are just inferior to others even there and feel more like punishment if you need to use them.

And yes, Blue Mage really lacks in the single target department. I think this is the big issue with it. Its potencies are actually rather high for what they are...spammable AoE without drop-off. But there is nothing against an individual target. It's like being forced to cast Fire II or Freezing against single target. Hopefully the second batch of skills will fix that issue.

On a different note, I really hope for Angel's Whisper to be the next "healer" spell from Walaquee tokens with its re-raise. That would give suicide skills (and those ARE broken to high heaven and work on everything) a use for solo job if it didn't reset a fight in soloing stuff. Even on trash mobs, having to get back to where you were on the way to boss is just not very fun. Not a problem with a healer. Toad Oil + Bristle + Moon Flute if you have it...and Self-Destruct is pretty sweet. But solo?! Yeah. Maybe on the first pull.

[Gemina]

While I'm at it, and this is directed at everyone, stop using "this is just a preview/beta, it can get better", because it isn't, it never was.

Fine. It sucks ass and will never get better. I will join you in defeatism. Despite the fact that is was introduced at the tail end of an expansion, it is not preliminary, and this is BLU. That being said, by saying that BLU will receive future updates and changes I am not promising or even suggesting that BLU will be turned into a full-fledged job. Which brings me here:

I wish that it could be remade into a fully fledged job in the near future, but I also don't have my head buried in the sand and know it won't happen. FF14 devs are stubborn. This is BLU, and it's here to stay.

Stubborn? If they were stubborn your avatar wouldn't have that fancy BLU mage attire attached to it, would it? I can't fault the devs if those who are bitter about BLU being made a limited job continue to be so. If they're angry about the solo aspect they have my full sympathy.

Ultimately, the end result of your feelings towards BLU after maxing it out is exactly what I've predicted for everyone who won't find enjoyment with BLU outside of normal duties. I'd be more inclined to agree that it's the players who wasted time playing this content, when they know where the road ends as you have implicitly stated; not the devs using resources to bring about a job they initially said would never make it into the game.

[Nyvara]

New Role: Support Role.
Purple Icon.
1st possible Party finder change: Light party increased to 5, Full party increased to 10.
2nd possible Party finder change: Change 1 DPS slot for a hybrid DPS/Support slot.

Role function: Buffer and Enfeebler with low healing and low DPS. Buffing and Enfeebling increase damage out put of the party.

Change the Blue Mage to Support Role. Give it proper Main weapons. Give them a new set of armor: "Enchanting" suffix, a mix of INT/PIE substats that increase their DMG/Heals with a very low scaling to keep balance.
Scrap the Carnivale. Alter the progression structure. Instead of RNG based drops, give him a a set of goals, it might be to "see" the monster magicks he wants a number of times (your target uses X skill Y times) with a bar filling or just more simple, make it like a hunting log, 10 kills of X gives you Y skill.

Rise the level cap to 70, start the game at 50.
Role in party formations: Heavy debuffing of enemy and buffing of allies (basically 20 of his skills could be this) , low sustained DPS (a few skills here and there) and AoE regens and low single target heals (it should have like 2) remove all idiotic skills (self-destructs and stuff like that)

Adjust duties HP and stats accordingly, a +20% HP for all should do just fine.


A 4th Support Role is very flexible gameplay wise, could be where you can add several other "odd" clases from FF games, and since they can "hybrid" their way into the other 3 roles, we can get support DPS (BLU) or support healers (Chemist) or support melee DPS (dancer?) or support ranged DPS (Gunblade?) or support tanks! (Knight? Viking?)
It would also help with the flexibility of content and builds. It is clear that a job like BLU doesn't fit in our current classes structure. Nor does it fit as a solo job, since i cannot solo anything worth soloing and is obviously not a party job because it sucks.

This is a complete mess, i thought eureka was the greatest waste of developing resources of stormblood, but BLU is racing his way to the top as i level it, by the carnivale, it might reach the diadem levels of wastefulness.

Wish I could like this 50 more times!

[wereotter]

What the point of Azulmagia? Glamour only? So many questions.

All blue mage weapons are just for aesthetic. Don't bother glamoring it, just equip it if you like it. You won't drop item level by putting it on, and since all weapons are level 1 with no stats, you won't be losing anything. So, just like the other two, yes it's just a matter of which pimp cane you want to carry.

As for the original post, yes. Blue Mage is disappointingly weak. I've never been terribly excited about them in any other game, but I thought it could be a fun distraction and was interested in seeing what the job might be like here if it was "too powerful for parties" only to now be wondering what the devs were thinking if they say this is "too powerful"

I've tried running through areas as a geared, level 50 blue mage, and am having more trouble dealing with open world enemies than I did back in the day as an ilv90 black mage. I think blue mage CAN be better and can be what they described, and it's a pretty simple change. Add weapon damage and stats to the blue mage weapons, and increase potencies of blue mage spells. Then the job can at least be even with its other level 50 counterparts.

As far as party content, locking it out of DF when there are so many skills that come from party content? Bad idea.

Lastly as a full fledged job, it would probably be a bit much unless they gave bosses more resistances. Bad Breath sucks as a DOT, but is amazing for it's damage down debuff. Pair that with Peculiar Light, and you'd have a job that becomes the mandatory caster slot for raid content. (Also imagine shirk a blue mage before a tank buster and have the caster eat it with diamondback?)

I do think there's reasons to be cautious about letting it into parties as is, but these could all be addressed by having blue mage spells adjusted in such a way as to have allowed it not to be OP. Remember, it's only even potentially OP because the devs made it so, they could also have made the job differently, but chose not to.

[Vahlnir]

You lost me at "change my mind".

However, BLU could certainly use a few tweaks. I like it, but I also know it isn't perfect.