Bluece's Wild, or, Getting Them Into Raids

[Kabooa]

This is just a fun hypothetical, a bit of an experiment of "Can we get the Blue Mage Experience while simultaneously having them in Duty Finder / Raids?"

This is not a salt thread, nor a discussion of the current Blue thread.

Let's go!

I. The Parameters of this write up
Shall be defined by legitimate concerns presented thus far, as well as taking into considerations the design goal of the iteration we have currently.

Design Goal
1. Blue Mages develop by being out in the World.

2. Blue Mages utilize a Load Out system.

3. Blue Mage's selection of Role Actions will be defined by the Load Out.

4. The Blue Mage in Raids will primarily be a Magic DPS.

5. Blue Mage Loadouts are saved separately for quick swapping out of combat and duties.

Legitimate Concerns

"BLU has to have certain skills, and it'd be no fun if they didn't work against raid bosses!"

You know what's even less fun? Not being able to participate in said raids to begin with. It isn't worth having those skills if those skills are the reason we are being "limited." No one in their right mind had the expectation that we needed lvl5 death, and that we had to make it work on the latest raid bosses.

This write up shall attempt to create a system in which Blue Mage can not only participate in Duty Finder without premade teams, but also in Raids while maintaining its Flavor.

This Blue Mage is not a job. It's Triple Triad for battle content.

This write up shall attempt to provide Blue Mage a framework to allow it to participate in a more meaningful manner outside being a Fate job.

I guess that it really wasn't, huh? It's apparently too hard to make Level 5 Death not able to be used on bosses or to implement any of its abilities into its own full, cohesive kit, it apparently just has to fully abide to old Blue Mage.

This write up shall attempt to provide Blue Mage both flavorful abilities that are not broken and abilities that make ability hunting meaningful.

II. identity

The Blue Mage is among the most versatile of casters, demanding years of study and close, dangerous interaction. Their wide breadth of experience and less than orthodox manner of studying means the Blue Mage has an answer for nearly ever situation, for they are the Encyclopedia Bestiary in magician form.

Even so, a Blue Mage often specializes in certain fields of study, and no Blue Mage is truly alike another.

III. Unique Mechanics

The Blue Mage utilizes 'Blue Magic', effectively able to perfectly emulate techniques and natural abilities utilized by monsters, both mundane and fantastic.

Blue Magic is a preparatory art, and a Blue Mage is most effective when planning around their excursions, ensuring they are most practiced with a needed technique.

IV. Loadouts

Blue Mages utilize Ability load outs. The Blue Mage's default Load Out type is Magic DPS, which may be utilized in any duty. The Blue Mage may additionally unlock abilities that allow them to take Tank, Healer, and Support loadouts into Normal Duty Finder.

A Loadout consists of up to 17 selected abilities based on the Blue Mage's level. A Valid loadout must at least have enough actions to fill the Archetypal Action and Primary Actions available at the Blue mage's level in order to join Duty Finder.

1 Archetypal Action - This action determines the Loadout Type, which influences eligible abilities in the following action types.

8 Primary Actions - These actions are primary actions related to the Archetypable Action. These actions form the backbone of a Blue Mage's kit.

8 Secondary Actions - These actions are personal actions that support the Blue Mage's primary actions and include mobility, threat modifiers, defensive actions, and disabling effects.

Role Actions: Blue Mage accesses the role action of the Load Out type. Support Load Out utilizes a selection of 10 from all Role actions.

IV. Action and Trait List [1-70]
All damage related numbers are placeholders. This is primarily a rewrite of style and base mechanics.

Due to the unique ability learning of the Blue Mage, actions listed do not have a level learned listed. Due to the unique load out system of the Blue Mage, an incomplete action list will be here because I value my !@#%ing sanity.

Archetype Actions

Aqua Breath
Spell
Instant
90 second Recast Time
Loadout Type; Magic DPS
Effect: Deals 320 Potency in a 10y cone. Recast reduces by 1 each time you damage an enemy.

Level 5 Death
Spell
Instant
150 second Recast Time
Loadout Type; Magic DPS
Effect: Instantly kill the target enemy. Against Elite and Boss enemies, instead deals 825 Potency. Enemies killed by Level 5 Death refund 90% of it's cooldown.

Immortalize
Spell
Instant
45s Cooldown
Loadout Type; Tank
Effect: Harden your body, granting you defense equal to Plate Armor equivalent to your gear quality, as well as increasing maximum HP by 40%, reducing damage dealt by 20%, damage taken by 20%, and increases enmity generation for 45 seconds.

Deals 350 Potency in a 10y radius around you, healing for 50% of the damage dealt. Taking damage reduces Immortalize's Recast timer while active.

Lunatic High
Spell
Channeled
210 second Recast Time
Loadout Type; Support
Effect: Channel a ramping battle high for 10 seconds while in combat. After channeling for 5 seconds, nearby party members gain MP Refresh and 20% movement speed for 45 seconds. After channeling for 10 seconds, nearby party members gain 20% Haste for 45 seconds.

Mighty Guard
Spell
Instant
210 second Recast Time
Loadout Type; Healer
Effect: Intensify the effect of Protect to 75% for 15 seconds.

Primary Actions

Blue Blaze
Spell
1.5s cast time
2.5s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer, Tank, Support
Effect: Blast target enemy, dealing 160 potency.

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: 70 Potency
Tank: Increase enmity
Healer: Lowest health, nearby Party member is healed for 100% the damage dealt
Support: Random party member gains 8% increased damage for 6 seconds.

1000 Needles
Spell
Instant
2.5s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Tank
Effect: Deal damage to surrounding enemies, equal to 100 potency.

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: When hitting at least 4 enemies, 1000 needles will deal at least 1000 total potency.
Tank: increase enmity, each enemy hit reduces Immortalizes Recast by 1 second.

Magic Hammer
Spell
3.0s cast time
2.5s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Support
Effect: Slam target enemy for 240 potency

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: Each time a Spell other than Magic Hammer is cast, Magic hammer's cast time is reduced by .2 seconds and potency increases by 25, stacking up to 5 times.

Support: Your Focus Target Ally gains Refresh for 6 seconds. If there is no Focus Target, an ally at random is selected.

Inverse
Spell
Instant Cast
2.5s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer
Effect: Inflict a delayed effect on target enemy, and striking it for 100 potency.

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: Inflicts a DoT effect, starting at 10, and increase by 10 every tick. Lasts 30 seconds.
Healer: For 12 seconds, each time an ally attacks target enemy, they gain health equal to 50% of the damage Inverse did.

Goblin Punch
Weaponskill, Melee
1.5s cast time
1.5s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS
Effect: Strike the target for 140 potency. Goblin punch's potency increases by 10, cast and recast time decrease by .1, and MP cost increases by 50% for each consecutive use.

Secondary Actions

Night
Ability
Instant
150s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer, Tank, Support
Effect: Attempt to put all enemies within range to sleep for 12 seconds. Enemies who cannot be slept instead deal 10% less damage for 24 seconds.

Exhaust
Ability
120s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer, Tank, Support
Effect: Damage all enemies in a 10W x 20L line for 180 potency, stunning enemies for 4 seconds.

Peripheral Synthesis
Ability
Instant
150s
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Support
Effect: Create a rocket propelled fist over yourself and a random party member. After a short delay, they will target the ground beneath both of you. Should the fists make contact upon impact, a charge of electricity is left behind, increasing damage dealt by 15% for 20 seconds for the first ally to pick it up.

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: You gain the effect when an ally picks it up.
Support: Bonus increased to 25% for 30 seconds.

Seeing: ?
Ability
Instant
90s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Tank
Effect: Grants you Right, Left, or Front. Attacks from that direction are automatically parried for 20 seconds.

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: Parries magic and reduces Level 5 Death's recast per parry.
Tank: The first parry activates Immortalizes AoE effect, and every 4th parry after that.

Traveler
Ability
Instant
90s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer
Effect: Slides to target ally within 25y.

Bonus Effects
Magic DPS: Deals damage to enemies in the path, dealing more damage to enemies the further they are from your initial position.
Healer: Heals allies in an area around target ally, healing more the further they are from your initial position.

Enrage
Ability
Channeled
15s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer, Tank, Support
Effect: Channel indefinitely while in combat, granting the next damaging or healing action used +30 potency on the initial hit for every 3 seconds channeled.

Critical Hit
Weapon Skill, Melee
Instant
120s Recast
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer, Tank, Support
Effect: Deal a critical strike with a base potency of 210

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: 80 potency increase
Tank: Reduce the damage of the target's next attack by 20%.
Healer: Nearby allies are healed for 250% the damage dealt.
Support: For the next 10 seconds, ally critical hits against the target store damage, up to 1200 potency, and then dealing that damage as a critical strike at the end of the duration.

White Wind
Ability
Channel
150 second Recast Time
Loadout Type; Magic DPS, Healer
Effect: Swirl aether around yourself, healing nearby allies for 100 potency for 15 seconds.

Bonus Effect
Magic DPS: Every 3 seconds, gain a stacking 3% Haste buff for 20 seconds.
Healer: Reduces AoE damage you would take by 75%

V. So how does it change?

1. Firstly: The Blue Mage retains the identify of a highly versatile caster, should the proper preparation be taken. The loadout system limits the Blue Mage's potential power, and instead creates a horizontal change in power for each new Action added, rather than vertical.

The Blue mage is thus a job that takes advantage of the focus on World content by providing a free and accessible place to test out action combos before taking it into Normal Duty finder.

However, most if not all Actions are available to the Magic DPS Blue Mage, as well as bearing enhanced, more DPS oriented effects so that it may contribute and compete with the other jobs. Each Magic DPS effect aims to provide a kit that, while not being rigid in rotation, still provides synergy between each aspect.

2. Potential "problem" spells are given Boss/Elite specific effects, allowing them to be powerful without being broken. These are mostly limited to the Archetype action, effectively providing the most powerful of the Blue Mage's spells in a controlled and tempered manner.

3. "Tank?"

4. While the action list is incomplete, the fundamental approach is apparent. Most, if not all, Primary and Secondary Blue Magic skills will have a place in the Magic DPS Loadout, cementing Blue Mage primarily as a Magic DPS job. However, it will maintain rudimentary tanking and healing capability: Primarily for solo / world play, but sufficient enough for Normal Duties.

Anything on the harder spectrum beyond Magic DPS will be at the risk and discretion of individuals.

[Raikai]

I Like it... They could make it work with your idea, that still would use a ton of spells, but distributed between roles.

Also I'm quite boggled about the Lv5 Death example they used in the live letter. That spell almost never worked in any bosses in the franchise. Why they'd think making bosses immune to it would be a concern?

They could totally keep the "spell collector" aspect of BLU and even having us change the spells for only a visual component. For example, a caster DPS basic AoE spell cooldown could be either Aqua Breath, Beta, Trine, Magic Breath, etc, etc. I don't see a problem in repeating the same effect, but different spells (among the huge list). At best this would create just a cosmetic difference. Of course, there would be still unique specific spells, like 1000 needles or Mighty Guard.

[SWB]

Just have a job quest at 50 you can only take of you have all the spells up until then, finishing the quests unlock duties up to 60, have another one at 60, 70, and 80 to make sure they have the spells they need

And that's literally one out of millions ideas to make them work.

Also other jobs can queue without doing their job quests. Classes can queue for level 70 content and effectively be missing their entire tool kit. Unsure why Blue mage is getting a different treatment.