My Idea For Fixing Blue Mage

[Reynhart]

My guess on the story part is because right now you really wouldn't have much story to complete.

Sure, but you don't really have to make a system specific for BLU at that point. The first level 51 quests will be marked red simply because your job won't be lvl 51. It's also the same for Squadrons...you won't enter HW dungeons with your squadron, like you wouldn't if you decide to take a low level job.

[Nicodemus_Mercy]

- Make Blue Mage queable for any of the three roles.
- Categorize each ability by its role typings.
- Require enough abilities in a certain role to go into instanced content. I.e. basic healing abilities, aggro abilities, and dps abilities. The number required would go up by the content level.
- Further categorize the abilities by labeling each one for its power. Extremely OP skills that are abusable in duty finder would be banned, or limited in the number that they can be used.
- When you choose a role, your icon color changes to reflect that role.
- By the time you reach level 60-80 you would have enough varied abilities for each role. It would still be a highly customizable job.
- Obviously in undersized instances, and non instanced content, you could do whatever you wanted with what is available to you.

Thoughts?

You could simplify it even further.

To queue for a specific role you must have certain specific abilities learned and equipped. When the queue pops if you've changed those abilities since queuing it won't let enter (just like if you changed jobs).

Basically SE would need to standardize what skills are required for each role in each level bracket.

Example:

To queue as a healer in the lvl 70 bracket you'd minimally need: Small Single Target Cast Time Heal, Big Single Target Cast Time Heal, AoE Cast Time Heal, Instant Single Target Heal Cooldown, Instant AoE Heal Cooldown

That's the basic package for all the other healers. The only issue I can see is role skills, but they could always let blue mage have access to them all (still limiting the number they can equip).

[Auryan]

If you've seen the BLU skill list theres a very blindingly obvious best skill combination though, the rest of them are incredibly situational or just reskins of other skills

Just like XI you had an optimal build with essential spells and traits alongside redundant and situational spells, but that was still up to the players to choose. You didn't have to have the most DPS focused list. You could customize however you see fit. This version will follow that trend. And that can be a problem in that you can't count on randoms having a viable build or having knowledge of an optimal one whithout SE making certain spells core abilities.

[KageTokage]

BLU only has about 12 skills that seem mandatory for optimizing their performance at DPS/support, so I don't think people would object to being required to equip those in dungeons/raids, when there's still another 12 slots to fill with whatever.

[Maero]

Wait blu needs fixing? It is a day away were we get to actually try it out and see what it is about.

[Mhiro]

Let the job go live first please. There are more important things to worry about at this point. Like drama in the field from people over camping mobs and B-ranks for spells and someone drive-by kill stealing your mob while you wait for it to use the ability you want to learn. Unlike FFXI, all enemies are fair game and any anti-BLU troll or general a-hole can run up and kill your claimed mob. That's the only thing I'm worried about.

[Crushnight]

Let the job go live first please. There are more important things to worry about at this point. Like drama in the field from people over camping mobs and B-ranks for spells and someone drive-by kill stealing your mob while you wait for it to use the ability you want to learn. Unlike FFXI, all enemies are fair game and any anti-BLU troll or general a-hole can run up and kill your claimed mob. That's the only thing I'm worried about.

fortunately SE has got most of the overworld learned skills with at least 2 mobs and even then alot of the overworld mob abilities can be gotten from dungeons

[TruebladeNuke]

Let the job go live first please. There are more important things to worry about at this point. Like drama in the field from people over camping mobs and B-ranks for spells and someone drive-by kill stealing your mob while you wait for it to use the ability you want to learn. Unlike FFXI, all enemies are fair game and any anti-BLU troll or general a-hole can run up and kill your claimed mob. That's the only thing I'm worried about.

This right here is honestly my biggest (and currently, only) concern on BLU being released. In fact, I fully expect some players in game to be doing this, just to spite those who are fine with the way BLU is being implemented... or are even just simply curious about how BLU works as this new "Limited Job" concept. While I myself was rather disappointed that BLU is being made into a limited job instead of a full job, my concern began to shift over to what you just said, given the nature of a few players I've seen in FFXIV. I'll be amazed if I get through the BLU leveling process and skills (off the overworld monsters first) without at least one troll attempt being made against my BLU.

I don't think it'll be that big of a problem though. Maybe. We'll see tomorrow.

[Crushnight]

This right here is honestly my biggest (and currently, only) concern on BLU being released. In fact, I fully expect some players in game to be doing this, just to spite those who are fine with the way BLU is being implemented... or are even just simply curious about how BLU works as this new "Limited Job" concept. While I myself was rather disappointed that BLU is being made into a limited job instead of a full job, my concern began to shift over to what you just said, given the nature of a few players I've seen in FFXIV. I'll be amazed if I get through the BLU leveling process and skills (off the overworld monsters first) without at least one troll attempt being made against my BLU.

I don't think it'll be that big of a problem though. Maybe. We'll see tomorrow.

ok there are very few abilities that are overworld mobs only, Faze (go to any qiqirn), Flying sardine(plenty of Apkallus or do the levequest Call me mating), Bristle(loads of boars around) and Toad oil(the only one that might be able to troll on as haven't found a duty with it)
so 4 abilities that can only be gotten in overworld and only 1 that might be able to be trolled with/farmed to death
All in all do not worry as the vast majority of abilities have an alternate way of getting them the overworld might be the best for 16 abilities but only 4 actually require it

[TruebladeNuke]

ok there are very few abilities that are overworld mobs only, Faze (go to any qiqirn), Flying sardine(plenty of Apkallus or do the levequest Call me mating), Bristle(loads of boars around) and Toad oil(the only one that might be able to troll on as haven't found a duty with it)
so 4 abilities that can only be gotten in overworld and only 1 that might be able to be trolled with/farmed to death
All in all do not worry as the vast majority of abilities have an alternate way of getting them the overworld might be the best for 16 abilities but only 4 actually require it

Oh, I'm not terribly worried about it. I'm just ready for the eventual guy to run up to me and try to annoy me as I run about trying to get my BLU spells. But given the number of mobs (and ways) we have to pick how we get said spells, as you even mentioned, it'll only be a minor annoyance at worst I think.

Certainly won't compare to some of the Duty Finder stories I've had to share in the "Tales From the Duty Finder" thread.