It looks like 3.x will have us handling business in Ishgard/Dravania for the duration, unless the devs have some curveballs set up for us. 4.0 might send us closer to Garlemald but not quite to their front door. Ala Mhigo & Doma sound like prime locations for a few more skirmishes with the Garleans--don't be surprised if we see a Besieged- or Campaign-type battle scenario implemented considering the location.

As easy as it is to see Samurai being released, it is still difficult to see how Red or Blue Mage become integrated with the jobs we have currently.

For Red Mage:

1) Which role will it play? By definition, it would have to be average at all of them but have it's own skill set that set them apart. A Hybrid Role would have to be created for them and other mentioned jobs.

2) What spells & abilities will it have that will give it an identity that other players will want in their team without them being pigeonholed because of 1 or 2 abilities/spells?

For Blue Mage:

1) What monster abilities will they be able to learn, and how many? How will they be organized for maximum effect?

2) What stats would determine how quickly spells are learned?