Rework Bluemage!

[Verlyn]

This was a prerogative that SE could've avoided. Many people through the rumors and hopes of adding BLU all pointed to how SE could've added some flavor job quests that would basically pit you vs the mob/monster/instance fight that would lead you to the acquisition of skills, but instead we got a rather "hollow" job experience in favor of a form of customization that didn't lead anywhere outside of reviving old areas for a few weeks.

Honestly, none of that was the issue. Like, at all. Acquiring spells by watching monsters use them is not a radical concept that can never work in the modern theme park MMO or even a multiplayer setting. Neither is forcing specific core spells to participate in content while otherwise allowing customization. The issue with BLU, as it is right now, was entirely self-inflicted by pushing a design concept nobody asked for based on a flawed fantasy that BLU should have a billion spells nobody uses ala FF11 and that gameplay should center around niche content exploitation ala FF5 speedruns. Nothing about current spell acquisition is prevented them from making BLU a normal job with a normal gameplay, and it wouldn't be BLU's first rodeo in that sense-- Strago, Quistis, Enemy Skill FF7, Kimahri, FF Explorers BLU, all were implementations with a limited number of non-overpowered spells that were basic dps or niche utility.

These designers just decided to opt out of tackling that problem and take the easiest way out: don't design a gameplay for BLU at all and put it in a box with a bunch of random hobbled spells. Given they thought that was acceptable, we shouldn't have been surprised when they took similar shortcuts by homogenizing healer and tank kits, removing most buffs and debuffs and utility, and dropping the pet concept entirely.