Quote Originally Posted by Talraen View Post
The big problem with BLU in FFXIV is that the game just doesn't support the huge number of abilities a BLU would be expected to learn. Even if every ability is learned from a monster, it would pale in comparison to the total from FFXI (which everyone seems to use as the gospel of blue mages). More succinctly, given the way things have been going, blue mages would gain abilities from a whopping five (5) monsters per expansion, at maximum.
Well first off, I don't think this is such a bad thing. Sure, you can't get all the 800 beast skills or whatever bonkers number it is, but in a game that enforces some higher level of balance, you don't really need that many skills. Not only is going the XI approach too demanding for devs in having to design ALL of those attacks, but also on players in getting overwhelmed with what attacks to learn and only getting that particular set of attacks, leaving the rest of those attacks pointless.

Second, I did think about the "Dark Simulacrum" approach to Blue Mage skills (only difference from your idea is that they wouldn't have to tank), but that also seemed too resource-intensive. It might not be 4.0 onward, but for now, I couldn't see it happening.

Finally, I have to point out again that XI is not XIV, and that to me is a good thing because focusing too hard on a past game ruins the present one.