So, what is the hold up on Beastmaster?

[RyuDragnier]

This is/was the main dev problem. They were concerned players might reach (level X) and not have (ability Y), which would make for an unhappy experience all around. There used to be a system where to play Warrior, you needed to level Paladin to get certain abilities (things like Flash, Provoke or Rampart). They have moved towards less abilities tied to quests and towards just giving core abilities automatically with levels. BST, if played in a way people want, would necessitate going out to find/catch/charm pets.

If I recall, this happened back in FFXI where if you didn't have certain skills with BLU, you were kicked from parties or weren't allowed in them. They don't want a repeat of that.

[aveyond-dreams]

If I recall, this happened back in FFXI where if you didn't have certain skills with BLU, you were kicked from parties or weren't allowed in them. They don't want a repeat of that.

People already get kicked from parties nowadays when they show up and don't have/use necessary skills like Holy, etc or things from their job quests. I would've gladly taken a Blue Mage with an intricate job storyline that had us taking down beasts of legend with our mentor in order to learn their skills as opposed to being little more than some magician's errand boy. Bottom line is the effort to get into current Blue Mage doesn't match with its rewards or exclusive content on top of the restrictions it comes with.