Quote Originally Posted by Auryan View Post
It all comes down to job fantasy vs. balance within the game. The traditional aspects of BLU from FFV, Tactics and XI just won't mesh well with XIV. I've seen some ideas to make a party friendly BLU and I haven't been convinced by any of them. With this BLU it reminded me a little of the other BLU from FF titles and not a job in name only like SMN. And I appreciate that about it. Some people are okay with no them taking so much liberties with the jobs, and that's okay.

Your ideas for a shared, solo content for all jobs sound interesting. However, I think they could reach that goal by tweaking PotD and HoH-like content. Make it possible for all jobs to solo it and make the floors not boring. Give it some nice rewards. Put challenges and achievements like the Carnival to spice things up.

I didn't think they threw BLU under the bus. I kind of think they successfully managed to keep its weirdness intact. I just want them to support and expand on the concept rather than scrap it.
I disagree with your interpretations of BLU from other games, heres something I posted in another on reddit:
"FFV: Had some great progression spells, aero was strong and thousand needles had its sweet spot, but it really shined as a support in the end game with transfusion, mighty guard and white wind

FFVI: Strago was pretty cool, but his actual BLU skills were pretty underwhelming due to their weird conditions.

FFVII: Enemy skill materia is just great. Matra magic deletes the early game, you can do a certain cheese with the Midgar Zolom using the element materia to get Beta early and just wreck shop, then youve got mighty and wind as well, also also shadowflare.

FFVIII: Quistis' limit break, so yeah, pretty strong

FFXI: Pretty Situational, Percentage based skills had their place in a lot of fights though. Frog Drop was destruction if you caught a lot of frogs for it though.

FFX: Khimari was bad. That is all.

Final Fantasy Tactics series: Very strong if you could actually learn stuff, strong support and damage if you can learn the skills.

Now onto my Personal Favs:

Bravely Default: Vampire, support physical attacker, uses monster skills to debuff and then hit hard with physical attacks

Bravely Second: Catmancer, not only is the premise wonderfully ridiculous, it was a powerful physical attacker/ tank, and could set up some good synergy with other classes."

BLU's Nature as a job is that it shifts its identity to suit the game that it is in, the way it learns is different in different games, with its defining feature being it learns its skills in a different way and that they are monster skills. A FFXIV version of BLU that was balanced would be no less of a BLU than these other examples, because they're all different.