Limited Job #2: Beastmaster

[Lambdafish]

I don't see how this is so much more exciting then normal groups, in the end you are a Tank, DD or Healer as Bluemage, spaming one heal or one strong attack like any other class does, there is no mechanic you have to adjust like the arena, you just spam one or two attacks, considering most "mechanics" from the Bluemage not work anyway on most bosses still.

Tanking as a BLU feels nothing like the other tanks, it feels like you are a DPS trying to cheese a fight with a broken move. Healing feels like this too. Because both roles are ultimately a DPS, their respective toolkits aren't as strong and the entire dynamic of the group is trying to compensate for this. Something as simple as a tank swap can require group coordination. It's more akin to trying to solo old content or taking 8 PLDs and trying to do old raids synced, it's the same fight done with additional challenges and considerations that make it fresh. Just because aetherial mimicry exists doesn't change that.

To show you what I mean I'll even point out specific examples:

- the only tank mitigation has a cast bar and high MP cost. Tank needs to manage this carefully.
- Tank damage is nonexistant, which is a game changer in a culture of FFlogs and parsers, and means that BLU tanking feels the most like a tank that the role has had in a very long time
- Raise has a cool down so the group needs to coordinate in the event of death
- no oGCD healing, meaning - like the lack of damage on tanks - healers are primarily healing, far more than their regular counterparts. The lack of strong heals also means heavy communication between the tanks and healers when it comes to certain damaging mechanics.

Do you maybe want to elaborate on what you don't like about BLU and why it would be so bad that BST is like it?

[Reinha]

It's more akin to trying to solo old content or taking 8 PLDs and trying to do old raids synced, it's the same fight done with additional challenges and considerations that make it fresh.

That's what I was trying to say. BLU is not the only job which can go to old content or the only job capable of playing with non-standard comps. RDM is a full job with healing ability, solo ability, good dps and a higher level cap, which make it a great job for meme runs and challenges. Tank only runs have been done since ARR. Achievement rewards for doing raids differently have been requested before and they didn't need to be class specific.

It seems like BLU's only purpose is to introduce new ways of playing old content to people who lack the imagination to challenge themselves.

[ReiMakoto]

That's what I was trying to say. BLU is not the only job which can go to old content or the only job capable of playing with non-standard comps. RDM is a full job with healing ability, solo ability, good dps and a higher level cap, which make it a great job for meme runs and challenges. Tank only runs have been done since ARR. Achievement rewards for doing raids differently have been requested before and they didn't need to be class specific.

It seems like BLU's only purpose is to introduce new ways of playing old content to people who lack the imagination to challenge themselves.

There is potential for BLU to be able to do challenge runs where 8 tank runs could not, after heavenward encounter design changed in such a way to make 8 tank runs of savage and such content significantly more difficult/impossible (o3s for example physically cannot be done due to the game mechanic), and a lot of mechanics like 2nd forsaken / grand cross / virus require consistent pre positioning based on role. If BLU's mimicry makes these mechanics target like normal then BLU could do challenge runs where all tank runs dropped off, but thats just to do with mechanics rather than toolset. I still don't think thats a valuable enough niche though for blu because youre essentially just running content as an intended party at that point with just some wonky tactics and situationally overpowered skill.

[Daemius]

There is potential for BLU to be able to do challenge runs where 8 tank runs could not, after heavenward encounter design changed in such a way to make 8 tank runs of savage and such content significantly more difficult/impossible (o3s for example physically cannot be done due to the game mechanic), and a lot of mechanics like 2nd forsaken / grand cross / virus require consistent pre positioning based on role. If BLU's mimicry makes these mechanics target like normal then BLU could do challenge runs where all tank runs dropped off, but thats just to do with mechanics rather than toolset. I still don't think thats a valuable enough niche though for blu because youre essentially just running content as an intended party at that point with just some wonky tactics and situationally overpowered skill.

Mimicry does not enforce role mechanics either. It's always random. Thus gavel is a wall for people in the blu community atm in A8S as your party needs to understand how to handle all the debuffs, not just a couple. I imagine this might change with the lvl 70 raids so that things like O3S can be done. Perhaps the game board with treat the mimicry buff as a role for once.

I don't see how this is so much more exciting then normal groups, in the end you are a Tank, DD or Healer as Bluemage, spaming one heal or one strong attack like any other class does, there is no mechanic you have to adjust like the arena, you just spam one or two attacks, considering most "mechanics" from the Bluemage not work anyway on most bosses still.

As has been said before, BLU tanking and BLU healing are way different from regular tanking. Even BLU dps is different if you properly use libra. BLU tank has on demand invuln essentially but you have to maintain your mp to do it. BLU tank also has nothing better to do than apply debuffs so it also fits the "pure debuff" class people have asked for in the past. BLU tank is usually responsible for applying libra, peculiar light, and bad breath at all times.

BLU healer has succor shield with no MP cost that they can just spam. Everyone has access to white wind, makes it easy to cheese mechanics like Ramuh's orbs as healing debuffs don't apply to white wind.

Yes you can meme-y runs with other comps but none of them do it like BLU does. You really just have to experience it yourself. No other comp can kill Mog King synced no-echo in approximately 45s-1 min to my knowledge >_> It's great.

[Ghald]

Do you maybe want to elaborate on what you don't like about BLU and why it would be so bad that BST is like it?

It's not that I don't like Blue Mage or Beast Master for that matter, it is the concept of Limited Job itself (at least the current iteration). I don't have a solution to it either on how to ballance Blue Mage to make it a regular job.