Add Blue Mages Already

[347SPECTRE]

You want dual swords go be Kiriti in SAO

We already have a NIN who uses dual swords

Daggers, long daggers, depending on the skin, NIN weapons range from dagger to barely a short sword. There's also the way they hold their weapons as well. Dual swords, done right, sounds pretty fun to me. We could also use another full physical tank like WAR.

[Seraphor]

Yup while you lose agro while spending 4 seconds casting a spell.....

Unmend and Unleash are spells...

[Ariel_Valmont]

Could also explain it being a mage in heavy armour and not requiring cast times, because it\\'s magitek and not incantations and whatnot.

If we are going to have a mage tank, I would prefer one without the Heavy armor, I would want it’s defense to come from its magic.

If you\\'re tanking a large group of mobs, do you think they are gonna just give you time to cast your spells while you attempt to hold aggro? Haha No. Your spells will get interrupted constantly and not even surecast will be enough with it\\'s meh 30 sec CD for a 5 sec duration.
GG.

Aside from the fact that there are such things as instant cast spells, we can look to the level 64 PLD trait Divine Magic Mastery:

Halves MP cost for all spells while preventing casting interruptions via damage taken.

Something like that would most likely be a core BLU trait.

[Biridan]

Imagine having blue mage in any raid type content compared to other tanks. What would that blue mage have to be to actually tank? I feel it would need to specialize so heavily on one aspect of being a blue mage that it would lose out on actually being a blue mage.

I think the best option is a dps blue mage with an extensive utility kit. He isn't a tank but he has an ability that lets him tank for 20 seconds. He's not a healer but he has some potent heals he can throw out in a pinch. Trying to focus something as versatile as a blue mage into one small part of what it should be wouldnt do the class justice.

[Zeggy]

I agree that blue mage should be a tank. It fits with a lot of thematic things for Blue mage. Most specifically the type of blue mage (or enemy skill materia) where you have to be hit to learn the ability. Sure, they probably won't do it to where you learn the ability that way, because that just doesn't fit in FFXIV, but I'm fine with that. Blue mage is also considered a tank in the Final Fantasy Explorers. Though it could also become a healer pretty well and an okay DPS. All and all though, Blue mage is my favorite class, I bring any character that is even somewhat a blue mage everywhere I can. So I'll play it no matter what they turn it into.

[Darkreality6]

It could possibly happen in the next expansion. FFXIV is known to release new jobs for every new expansion. Heavensward had Machinists, Dark Knight, and Astrologian released; and Stormblood had Red Mage, and Samurai released. Who knows what the jobs in the next expansion will be.

[TaiyoShikasu]

Imagine having blue mage in any raid type content compared to other tanks. What would that blue mage have to be to actually tank? I feel it would need to specialize so heavily on one aspect of being a blue mage that it would lose out on actually being a blue mage.

I think the best option is a dps blue mage with an extensive utility kit. He isn't a tank but he has an ability that lets him tank for 20 seconds. He's not a healer but he has some potent heals he can throw out in a pinch. Trying to focus something as versatile as a blue mage into one small part of what it should be wouldnt do the class justice.

Not really, no.

Someone elsewhere in the thread mentioned White Wind as an AOE clemency, or Angel Whisper (not the VII version or go with that and make the other tanks rage like black mages over their lack of rez), Dischord which might actually be an issue because muh meta, Big Guard/Mighty Guard/Whatever as their big group wide shield or whatever, Bad Breath, hell even Rippler.

That's just a handful of mostly iconic abilities that'd aid blue mage in being a tank with its own identity.

Sure there's an issue with gear, but the bulk of those arguments are just because of aesthetics and most people seem to forget innate stat growth as well.

[Seraphor]

I think the best option is a dps blue mage with an extensive utility kit. He isnt a tank but he has an ability that lets him tank for 20 seconds. Hes not a healer but he has some potent heals he can throw out in a pinch. Trying to focus something as versatile as a blue mage into one small part of what it should be wouldnt do the class justice.

So, another utility DPS?

Tanks are already the most versatile role in the game.
They can tank (duh), they deal damage, have raid utility and can mitigate damage on others and/or self heal. That's already a bit if everything.

Healers and DPS might be able to do the other things (sometimes) but they can't tank.

A lot of blue magic is already tailored for tanking and utility. Mitigation, gimmicky heals and debuffing, etc.

Then there's the "getting hit to use blue magic" mechanic that's never going to work if the tank gets all the aggro and you're not a tank....

[Tanathya]

What people need to keep in mind is that blue mage is, like I pointed out somewhere else, the most flexible job the FF series has, in every single aspect, be it equipment, skills, or appearance. It can be any role, especially on FFXIV, as Yoshi-P is known to change roles into whatever he sees fit. Every role it could turn into can be easily defended, but not by dismissing the rest of them, because in blue mage's case, everything is possible.

[Zeggy]

What people need to keep in mind is that blue mage is, like I pointed out somewhere else, the most flexible job the FF series has, in every single aspect, be it equipment, skills, or appearance. It can be any role, especially on FFXIV, as Yoshi-P is known to change roles into whatever he sees fit. Every role it could turn into can be easily defended, but not by dismissing the rest of them, because in blue mage's case, everything is possible.

Exactly. I'd prefer tank, but I'll take it as anything because I can see it taking any role.