BLU for Duty Finder and Raids! Show your support!

[Lambdafish]

I don't think you're right here. Because the appeal of the limited set is stupid gimmicks, you could create the raid set to feel robust and like a real job, because the only difference between the raid set and limited is the limited just takes gimmick skills instead of practical ones. Having a full feeling raid balance doesn't have to be mutually exclusive to having the limited half as well, because the limited half already feels disjointed and weird. I also think the SCH/ SMN comparison is a false equivalency, because the limited aspect isn't something that has to balanced in tandem to the raid set like sch and smns abilities have to be.

I think you misunderstand the point I'm getting at. What I'm saying is that all they have is the limited aspect. In order to create the second skillset that you are asking for, they would literally need to create and balance the equivalent of a brand new job and apply that to the BLU skeleton that we already have. Why would they do that when they could instead create a brand new job, and continue to flesh out what a limited job is. In that regard, the SMN/SCH problem is not a false equivalency,

[BillyKaplan]

Why would they do that

For the same reasons they put BLU in the game in the first place - it is a staple FF job that is very popular and was repeatedly asked to be put in the game. However, many people, if not most, asked for BLU with the intention of playing the game with the job, and did not wish or even imagine for it to be reduced to a glorified battle fishing log with the battle equivalent of custom deliveries with the Masked Carnival's weekly challenges.

All the while, they can still flesh out what limited jobs are, even with BLU. Only by then they'd have to re-brand it into "extended jobs".

[ReiMakoto]

At level 50 at least the skills already exist in the game with animations potencies a rotation ect. All it would probably take is an adjustment to a few skills. BLU already has all the pieces there to make the balanced set. I agree it would be effort and resources to do, but i think it would be worth the effort.

[BubblyBoar]

It should be noted that BLU straight up has a ton of repeat skills. The whole "build your own set" thing doesn't mean much when half your skills are just different colored 130 and 110 AoEs

[Liam_Harper]

I'd like to see PotD unlocked to BLU at some point, it's outdated content and the leaderboard doesn't mean much when only a handful of classes are optimal in there or can solo. It could be a lot of fun putting the BLU toolkit to use in there to climb the higher floors.

[BubblyBoar]

I'm going to assume that BLU gets that at 60 cap, but who knows.

[ReiMakoto]

I'm going to assume that BLU gets that at 60 cap, but who knows.

Well given the fact that they can't even do level 50 squadron missions makes me doubt that they will be able to do any of the other side content.

[MrKimper]

Well given the fact that they can't even do level 50 squadron missions makes me doubt that they will be able to do any of the other side content.

i'd at least like them to let you do squadron missions, it seems like that's the kind of content you'd WANT blue mage to participate in.

[Lacan]

I really wish they would find a way to make blue mage a real job, but I can't imagine them dedicating the resources to it at this point. I love the lore behind it and the concept, but the fact you'll never be able to main it really sucks. Comparing it to how it was in FF 11, it's a real let down. FF 11 blue mage could do so much and everyone loved them.

Bring back FF11 blu pls yoshi

[Kalise]

BLU should be allowed in Duty Finder and Raids. There shouldn't be any content they're prohibited from.

It should also keep its Learning mechanic and overworld experience boost.

With of course plenty of strange skills to use in Carnivale (Provided you don't just end up cheesing everything with Tail Screw, Final Sting or Self Destruct because the fights there are a pile of trash and not interesting...)

This is a goal that is certainly attainable given the current framework of BLU.

BLU already is balanced at level 50. BLU has an established DPS rotation at level 50. BLU has a level of freedom of choice with skills to use within said DPS rotation (With a plethora of 130 potency skills that can act as filler. Glower is merely the most popular because it is mandatory to learn to for BLU's job quests and it has a decent hitbox. Eruption/Feather Rain are mostly interchangeable too, given they share the same CD and deal the same damage. Same would be said about Mountain Buster/Static Strike if MB did Earth damage like it's supposed to rather than randomly dealing Physical damage).

BLU has already, ways to direct people to go learn certain spells. By way of their job quests that literally tell them to go learn certain spells before they can be done. With additional spells being given via totems directly.

BLU has already, a system in place to allow them to save specific skill set ups. Which would allow them to save an "Actual content" set that is full of balanced skills that work in DF/Raid content. While being able to have "Jank Content" sets to use for messing about in the overworld and carnivale where balance is basically not necessary because who cares if you Doom a level 3 sheep in Middle La Noscea...

The only things that need to happen for BLU to be easily workable into normal content is:

* Adjusting a very low number of skills to be more balanced. White Wind, Mighty Guard and 1000 Needles being the prime examples. White Wind would be balanced if it had a CD that justified its power, rather than being spammable. Mighty Guard would simply need to be less potent (Though, most of its tankiness and enmity comes from being able to spam White Wind given the harsh damage penalty it has...) and 1000 Needles could simply use a minimum level restriction to prevent it being used at lower levels where it's OP.

* Adjusting scaling so that BLU doesn't have this exponential curve of power. Where it starts of being garbage and continues to be garbage until it hits 45+ and ramps into 130 ilevel gear (Which has lead to 1000 Needles dependence throughout leveling because everything else is just horrible) - Easily done by giving them actual weapons instead of their bonus int scaling.

* Making certain skills more attainable. I.e. Primal skills, Song of Torment and Glower. Things necessary for the advancement of their job quests or part of their standard rotation by level 50. (Easily done too. Given that Cyclops and Sirens aren't unique enemy types. Meanwhile, Masked Carnivale has a stage, which is required for your level 50 job quest, where the enemy uses Primal skills. This same person also can teach you Ram's Voice and Dragon's Voice currently)

* Either teach people how to build their "Actual Content" skill set, or auto-load it up with the baseline skills when they receive this set (If you restrict DF for a specific level to promote BLU going out and learning skills before farming DF) and then when customizing that specific skillset, lock out various actions. The ones that would be "Unbalanced" or "Not good enough" for doing duties and raids (I.e. Stuff like Missile/Tail Screw would be under the former while stuff like Final Sting, Transfusion and The Look would be under the latter). Basically, lock out the actions from the content, not the job.

* Adjust certain enemies resistance to insta-kill spells. Notably: Raid FATE bosses and Hunt targets so that you won't get BLU's able to solo S Rank Hunts and Raid FATEs. Possibly also NM's too (At least Eureka would fall under "Actual Content" restrictions to prevent BLU abuse there). Also, in some cases (Un-sync'd Duties that are perhaps 2+ expansions old) allow their resistances to be lowered, so people can have fun insta-killing bosses that don't matter.

* Push a particular identity with BLU DPS skills. One that doesn't rely on being great vs trash that's susceptible to CC while being garbo (Relatively) vs Bosses due to CC immunities.

The end result would be, a BLU that is balanced within current content. With a cohesive role and DPS rotation, that, when playing in real content such as DF Roulettes or Statics in Raids or Exploration Zones would be pushed towards ensuring a relatively balanced kit (Outside someone intentionally trolling and trying to pick a set up that doesn't work, in the same extent as someone playing a regular job and refusing to use their skills correctly (Ice Mage, Mute Bard, Melee DPS RDM, Cardless AST etc))

While still maintaining not only the feel of BLU, with going out and learning skills and playing in the overworld, but also allowing for the side content of Pokemon'ing all the skills, doing Carnivale and messing around in irrelevant content with OP skills.

It would take a considerable amount of work to pull off, but mostly because of how current BLU has been kind of half-assed in its implementation so far (Had some of its designs actually been created properly it would require much less work...) but it should end up catering for all BLU players. Those that would like to use it as a "Main Job" and play all kinds of content with it and use it in a balanced environment as well as those that would like to use it as "Side Content" and go around having fun with just collecting OP spells and using them in the overworld and some outdated duties.