Update for patch 2.1
See this post
Hello everybody. I've done some theorycrafting on how to gear up my BLM.
Information
The goal with this study is to find out which endgame items that currently are Best In Slot (BIS) for BLM in normal circumstances. It's hard to figure out how to weigh in determination, spellspeed, intelligence and accuracy. You want to maximize your damage while still maintaining a certain level of accuracy. This is why I've created a program that automatically tries all combinations of items and measures damage and accuracy.
Spellspeed and GCD
One of the harder tasks is to determine how to weigh in spellspeed. First of all, we need to know much of the dps that is affected by spellspeed in a standard black mage rotation. I've tested a simplified version of the rotation with FFXIVAPP:
The thunder dot is the only element in the rotation not affected by increased spellspeed. This due to the fact that dots have fixed tick rates of 3 seconds. In my rotation the thunder dot was approximately 2.2% of the total damage. Based on that, we should weigh spellspeed with a factor of 0.978. But let's give us some margin for numerical errors, human errors while playing, positioning errors etc. I will use 0.95 as spellspeed weight (0 = none, 1 = full). So what does that mean? It means that I will only use 95% of the percentual damage boost that the decreased GCD will give us.Quote:
Thunder II -> Fire III -> Fire Loop with Raging Strikes -> Blizzard III -> Restart. Use proc spells when possible and cast raging strikes when off cooldown. Scathe when reasonable.
There are studies done on GCD and how much it's affected by spellspeed. But I haven't found anything that's 100% accurate and last time I checked people are still debating this on forums. I will keep it simple and use 2.5s as GCD and say that 100 spellspeed equals 0.1s decreased GCD. This will do for now.
Damage formula
I use the formula for WHM Healing as damage with potency 100. When I tried it with various weapons and gear I found it be 99.5%+ accurate when determining base damage. I think this is the most accurate one out there and this is the one I'll stick with until proven otherwise. Please prove me wrong if you believe otherwise since this is the most crucial part of this study. Credit goes to valk and volpes for creating this formula.
Weapons and items tested
I'll focus on the Relic+1 weapon, since most people will use that, but I have looked into allaganScepter + ancientBuckler as well. Itemwise, it's sorcerers and heros vs. allagan. The rings are unique and therefore I'll lock them in place. That gives us a total of 9 swappable gear positions, resulting in 512 different item sets that need to be tested.
Food buffs
All serious players will probably use some food buff while raiding. I've included a couple of buffs as well in the calculations.
AccuracyQuote:
A = No food buff
B = Lava Toad Legs
C = Pineapple Ponzecake
D = Apkallu Omelette
E = Black Truffle Risotto
This will determine how much misses you will have. The ideal is of course to have zero misses when raiding coil. I haven't found a 100% accurate limit for this yet, but I have somewhat of an understanding on where I want to be. 430 will generate some misses occasionally, but 440 is probably safe.
Results
The results from my program is outputted into text files. Each text file represents a different threshold of accuracy. Within each file you find results for relic+1 with various food buffs, and allaganScepter + ancientBuckler with various food buffs. See the summary table blow for all possible variations.
I will only paste the results for accuracy limit 440 and 435. You have to dig into the text files to find out more :)Code:Maximum damge with accuracy >= 440
Weapon A B C D E
Relic+1 288.74 290.47 290.64 290.28 290.25
Allagan 288.76 291.06 290.70 290.97 290.28
Maximum damge with accuracy >= 435
Weapon A B C D E
Relic+1 289.06 291.85 290.97 292.23 290.57
Allagan 289.66 291.06 291.60 291.44 291.18
Maximum damge with accuracy >= 430
Weapon A B C D E
Relic+1 289.62 291.85 291.55 292.23 291.24
Allagan 290.21 291.96 292.16 291.44 291.73
Maximum damge with accuracy >= 0
Weapon A B C D E
Relic+1 295.83 296.69 297.83 297.17 297.48
Allagan 292.34 293.20 294.30 293.67 293.98
Quote:
Relic+1, Accuracy >= 440, No food buff
sorcerersHead
sorcerersChest
sorcerersHands
allaganWaist
allaganLegs
allaganFeet
allaganNecklace
allaganEarrings
allaganBracelets
herosRing
allaganRing
Quote:
Relic+1, Accuracy >= 440, Pineapple Ponzecake
allaganHead
sorcerersChest
sorcerersHands
herosWaist
sorcerersLegs
allaganFeet
allaganNecklace
allaganEarrings
allaganBracelets
herosRing
allaganRing
Quote:
Relic+1, Accuracy >= 435, No food buff
sorcerersHead
sorcerersChest
allaganHands
herosWaist
allaganLegs
allaganFeet
allaganNecklace
allaganEarrings
allaganBracelets
herosRing
allaganRing
Final wordsQuote:
Relic+1, Accuracy >= 435, Apkallu Omelette
sorcerersHead
sorcerersChest
sorcerersHands
herosWaist
sorcerersLegs
allaganFeet
allaganNecklace
allaganEarrings
allaganBracelets
herosRing
allaganRing
This study was originally done for my own private use only. But I decided that it might be interesting to someone, so I gathered all the data and posted it here. If you use any of the data in any way, please think of these things:
- I can't guarantee it's accurate in any way. The damage formula is unofficial and I may have missed a lot of factors. My assumptions may be way off, and my code might be buggy :)
- Parts of the formula, like how critical damage is factored in, might change in the future. Therefore the information in this post might change over time. Nothing is written in stone here :)
- Always test things yourself and make your own decisions.
Thanks for reading this far :) I'll try to update this post whenever I have new information.
Black Mage Theorycrafting - Best In Slot
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10-17-2013, 06:51 PMdiamondfishBlack Mage Theorycrafting - Best In Slot
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10-17-2013, 07:39 PMFCrowles
You can edit your post and have unlimited character space.
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10-17-2013, 07:47 PMdiamondfishWeird system. Makes no sense. Sounds like an exploit. And SE usually bans for exploits :D Sounds not worth it ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by FCrowles
Update: I merged all posts. Seems to be the standard on this forum to edit to make posts larger, so I did that as well. If an admin can delete the deleted posts, that would be nice :) -
10-29-2013, 08:49 PMDarkstarz
So none of the Vanya gear with +5 is best in slot?
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10-29-2013, 09:12 PMdiamondfishLike I wrote, I've only tested myth gear vs. coil gear. The vanya gear is too costly and too random (due to the melding, how far will you meld, what will u meld, etc) imo. It's possible that in some slots the vanya gear with a lot of melds is BiS.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkstarz
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10-30-2013, 12:11 AMPsychologyPhD
Thanks for the write up, I appreciate you taking the time to share. On a side note I always wondered why MMO companies never freely share their algorithms for damage, healing, stats etc. I think if they would release this type of information to the player base it would make min/maxing a lot easier, as well as more eyes to catch mistake their team may have missed. Validating buffs and nerfs would go over smoother if we had the math and other facts to back it up.
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10-30-2013, 12:56 AMZenithx
Hi there, just a quick question as a fellow BLM
Right now im geared with relic+1 and full DL set (including accesory) with the exception of an AK ring. What Mythology gear will you recommend me to get first? Right now I have 900 tomes to spare and considering between Myth Body or Ring. However, getting either of this will reduce my accuracy to below 430. Right now I'm standing at 435 accuracy. Will this greatly affect my efficiency in all turns of Coil? -
10-30-2013, 02:18 AMxyaie
Out of curiosity, did you get anything for the stat weights? Seems they would be needed for the program to find the best. I'm leveling my bm next and would love to know the results
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10-30-2013, 02:38 AMSleigh
I don't think Critical Hit Rate should be the focus of BiS for BLM. If my testing results are correct, DET >> CHR =/> SS
I tested Determination vs Critical Hit Rate in a mixture of iLVL70 + iLVL90 gear for BLM by attacking training dummies 3,500 times per test. The two tests I did had the same equipment except for the pants: a non-materia melded Vanya Breeches of Casting vs Darklight Breeches of Casting, the only thing different being +18 DET on the Vanya against +27 CHR on the Darklight. Using Blizzard II for the attacks against 3 training dummies, which is a burst attack and where 90% of a BLM's DPS comes from, I came up with the following:
Vanya Leggings
305 DPS
240 average non-critical damage
12.69% critical chance
Darklight Leggings
303 DPS
238 average non-critical damage
14.36% critical chance
As you can see, the +27 CHR definitely manifested, but criticals are so weak in this game, even something like +2 average damage to a 100 Potency attack will give more DPS, and that was +18 DET vs +27 CHR. It takes an average of 2% actual critical hit rate to increase your base DPS by 1% (1.5X damage on criticals), which is just not a strong increase compared to Determination (though both are minor increases). Even in top level gear, CHR shouldn't surpass DET, the gap is just too large. See, the thing about criticals is, it actually gets worse compared to Determination since it only multiplies your base DPS. If you add 2% CHR and increase your base DPS by 1%, you're not actually multiplying your current DPS by 1.01. You're just multiplying your original damage, independent of criticals, by 1.01.
We'll need a lot more base DPS before Critical Hit Rate can topple Determination, from the looks of things. -
10-30-2013, 03:50 AMrwarr
I'm curious on why did you went full Allagan accessories instead of mixing it with Hero's? Spell Speed is useless to BLM's.
Wouldn't it be better to substitute the neck, wrist with Hero's instead? -
10-30-2013, 03:51 AMDarkstarzWhat im personally in the process of doing is Getting the Myth chest next week, and crafting a Vanya Hat, for 150k or so, you should have enough tomes to buy the Potash and i think its a great item to fill if u need Accuracy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zenithx
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10-30-2013, 04:01 AMSleighThis is true. Hero's accessories are undeniably BiS from a DPS stand-point. Only case to be made for non-Hero's would be turning one into an iLVL70 HQ Craft for some Piety, to reach breakpoints, and Accuracy so you could possibly replace an armor piece picked for Accuracy for one with more DPS.Quote:
Originally Posted by rwarr
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10-30-2013, 04:09 AMglim
shouldn't best in slot be 420+ something accuracy? because deviled eggs (or the ilvl 70 counterpart) is still better than buttons in a blanket (or it's ilvl 70 counterpart)
even if you are already at accuracy cap, 24 crit, still beats 16 det + 10 crit.
edit: nvm, did not see the fourth BiS list. -
10-30-2013, 04:10 AMglim
...............................
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10-30-2013, 05:04 AMdiamondfishYeah I agree. It will always come out decent formulas anyways, why just not make the game funnier and more interesting from the beginning? I don't like guessing and playing games in the dark.Quote:
Originally Posted by PsychologyPhD
I also had that problem. I temporarily solved it by buying a Militia Hat HQ and melding spell speed materias. The expensive solution would be buying a Vanya hat and melding accuracy to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zenithx
And yes. Your efficiency in coil will be drastically affected if your below 430. If you're at like 425 it's not that big a deal, but try to aim for being able to reach 430+. Buy accuracy food buffs! They help a lot.
I ran the numbers for you assuming you have full dl, ak ring and relic+1.
Swapping to sorcerersChest and militiaHatHQ (+14ss from melds): +1.64%
Swapping to herosRing: +1.75%
So it depends on how good head you can get. With the militiaHatHQ the ring is slightly better.
I did get these numbers by playing around with the formula a bit a couple of weeks ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by xyaie
Quote:
1 int = 4.6 det = 4.85 ss = 5.9 crit
Yep, I agree that crit is pretty "useless" atm, since the crit bonus is a fixed 50%.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleigh
How did you end up with conclusion that spell speed is useless lol. It's not.Quote:
Originally Posted by rwarr
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10-30-2013, 05:40 AMrwarrOk I worded it wrong. It's not entirely useless but you need quite a substantial amount to notice a difference. You didn't answer my question though.Quote:
Originally Posted by diamondfish
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10-30-2013, 07:36 AMdiamondfishI use the damage formula that I found the most accurate and then I brute force all combinations of gear. Did you read the post? It's not "me" choosing full allagan. It simply is the best possible choice due to the formula.Quote:
Originally Posted by rwarr
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10-30-2013, 06:23 PMStarkbeaumont
I'm certain that spell speed only wins in a perfect scenario, where you basicly auto cast whenever possible. If you consider moving around, input lag and even human failure, DET and CRIT should come out ahead.
That being said BiS should be:
Allagan weapon+shield, left side full allagan, right side earring and 1 ring allagan, rest hero's (119SS, 135CRIT, 66DET)
more accessible should be:
Relic+1, AF2 head, chest, hands, Allagan waist, legs, feet, right side like the other set (152SS, 150CRIT, 34DET)
Feet are interchangable with AF2 of course
Earring could be argued about, but going by stat weights 16 crit > 8 det (as long as you are not at the 15% cap) -
10-30-2013, 08:25 PMdiamondfishI agree that spell speed is hard to value. But a good BLM shouldn't be forced to move around too much. I know that I don't have to move around much in coil t1-t4, and I feel that spell speed does matter. Maybe it would be more "all around fair" to lower the spell speed weight some, but I do feel that anything lower than 85% would be too low.Quote:
Originally Posted by Starkbeaumont
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12-21-2013, 03:19 AMdiamondfishPATCH 2.1
I've updated the data with the new relevant items from Patch 2.1.
You can find the files here.
I've grouped up all new items (iLvl 80 and iLvl 90) of use and named them eighty*, ex. eightyHead.
You can find BIS items for Coil (acc>=435) and for everything else (acc>=0).