Solution to bring BLU into FFXIV in another way.

[Osmond]

Since monster learning is out of the question in FFXIV, I find that another option could be from the garleans themselves. Since they already into allagan tech and willing to gather more knowledge from the civilization that combat and contain the primals and others for global conquest and more. Why not use that knowledge into a smaller scale towards the player. A blunt weapon made to syphon part of the aether of the primals and use it to combat them. Like w/ SMNs that requires basically a pact to use a part of them to combat against the primals, BLU steals a part of them to combat the primals. While at the same time w/ allagan tech from ultima, omega, etc., that type of knowledge can be used as a way to enhance BLUs abilities to combat against the primals as in weakening their magic attack, defense, buff party, etc.

This idea just came on a whim to try to be a part of FFXIV lore or to fit into it. Why I add blunt into this? Cause there's only 1 job that uses blunt literally.......

[Reiryuu]

There have been a lot of suggestions for Blue Mage in FFXIV. What it boils down to is this: If the devs want to implement it, they will find a way to do it. That simple.

[Kazrah]

There have been a lot of suggestions for Blue Mage in FFXIV. What it boils down to is this: If the devs want to implement it, they will find a way to do it. That simple.

*Casually points to signature*

Anyway, interesting take on it though, but the biggest issue is that we already have the primal/eidolon-themed job, and Blue Mage has never been based around that. For the monster learning factor, the problem wasn't the skills based off of monster skills so much as how would the system of acquiring said skills work in a game where the means of learning any abilities are effectively preset.

I'd also like to see a better reason for a blunt weapon other than "only 1 job" using blunt weapons, especially given that it's been a job traditionally known for using not-blunt weapons.

[NovaLevossida]

I don't really see why blue mage couldn't just learn spells from monsters. In XI, you learned weaponskills and abilities and traits automatically while leveling up. You learned spells by buying them from item shops or as quest rewards, each time just using a scroll to learn the spell. They implemented a completely new system for blue mage alone. I think saying they couldn't do that just because it's not how the game currently works isn't a good argument because that was the situation XI was in before it got blue mage implemented.

They could do it if they wanted. Whether they want to or not is another story.

[Reiryuu]

I don't really see why blue mage couldn't just learn spells from monsters. In XI, you learned weaponskills and abilities and traits automatically while leveling up. You learned spells by buying them from item shops or as quest rewards, each time just using a scroll to learn the spell.

I always liked the idea of getting them though a job-specific hunting log. Not sure why they did away with those for the HW jobs, they were kinda nice. =/

[NovaLevossida]

I always liked the idea of getting them though a job-specific hunting log. Not sure why they did away with those for the HW jobs, they were kinda nice. =/

I miss those too. This game does not have a lot of content to go out and do in the open world as so much of it is instanced, and logs were one thing that were great for that.

[Blueyes]

As long as Blue Mage starts at level 50 you can just start playing with more than half of your spells already learned... >.>

I honestly wouldn't surprised if they took that approach because beyond level 50 all of our new actions come from the completion of quests. In the case of Blue Mage those could all entail fighting monsters, concluding with the player learning how to harness the power of the monster that was fought.

It wouldn't my personal preferred approach, but it would bypass the segment of the game in which actions are awarded merely by attaining a new level. Why address the issue when ignoring it is a viable solution?

[Nihility]

As long as Blue Mage starts at level 50 you can just start playing with more than half of your spells already learned... >.>

I honestly wouldn't surprised if they took that approach because beyond level 50 all of our new actions come from the completion of quests. In the case of Blue Mage those could all entail fighting monsters, concluding with the player learning how to harness the power of the monster that was fought.

It wouldn't my personal preferred approach, but it would bypass the segment of the game in which actions are awarded merely by attaining a new level. Why address the issue when ignoring it is a viable solution?

job quests would most certainly be how a FFXIV blue mage got blue magics. They could even include the 30-50 ones so you'd end up with 15 blue magic spells
i would imagine the base stuff could be saber attacks and cooldowns and passives

this game is far too structured for it to work any other way

[ErikMynhier]

Ok so I hate Blue Mage as a job, but I think I know how it could be done. Each monster has about 3 skills as far as I can tell, more on the bigger ones. Why not have a BLU that mixes in Magic Blade and Geomancer.

use Magic Knight/Rune Fencer as the base of the Job as in Combos and what not, stances and UI stuff from GEO like MNK, and then have all your OGCDs be from BLU, 4-6 blank skills that are just blanks until you are struck. In Manor and damaged in any way by say a Succubus? One minute with all her skills unless you manually through a command "forget" the skills. Then his by a Eye, all their skills for a minute. Have the Skill called LEARN, that has a reasonable cooldown, hit it, the next incoming damage big or small is blocked/absorbed and you have brand new OGCDs. Hit Learn before the minute is up to dump the skills.

Oh look, an Floating Eye and a whole mess of trash mobs, get hit by the Eye's AoE, you now have a AoE STUN, hit that crowd and stun the lot of them.

Would feel fast paced and you would have to know monsters and be able to think on your feet.

[kikix12]

This would make designing monsters, especially bosses, a nightmare. Clearly there would need to be skills that can't even be copied (instant-killing the boss with his own party-wipe skill?! really?!), and at that point, you "lose" skills by having nothing to copy on some fights, despite being barraged with it.

I don't see why blue mages couldn't have a mixture of learning methods myself. Learn general actions with levels, learn blue magic from special quests that involve fighting unique monsters or directly from trash ones like in other games. The coding of the game doesn't stop that. It's not one of those things that would require a rework of the system, but an addition to it. Instead of setting the trigger to "reach level X" or "complete quest Y", you set the trigger to "be hit by X" or "kill Y of Z mobs".