Questions about BLM DPS

Hello FF14 community. I recently reached lvl 50 and looking for tips from BLM experts. I've rarely died up until this pt but I know end game content is rough so looking to hone my dungeon/primal skills. Always looking to learn from the best. Here is what I'm currently using:

Single enemy - Thunder 3, Fire 3, followed by multiple fire spells until MP is ~700, ice 3. Rinse/repeat.

Multiple enemies pulled - Lock on to highest HP enemy, Flare, followed by transpose or convert, flare again. Rinse/repeat.

I always use Raging Strikes and Swiftcast for flare when available. I have physiks for healing if need be. What am I missing out on here or how can I change this to improve? It looks like some people use Thunder 1/2 vs 3. I'm guessing the shorter cast time is worth the minimal lost damage?

Thank in advance!

I've read that the superior AOE (area of effect, used for multiple enemies) rotation is:

FireIII > FireII x 3 > Flare > Convert > (FireIII at first mp regen tick > FireII x 2 > Flare > Convert) repeat actions in parentheses.

Basically, FireIIs are a bit more effective over time due to their consecutive damage compared to the slower Flare, but you still want to cap each AOE rotation off with Flare. Flare spam is not quite as good for AOE anymore.

Your best use of Raging Strikes is right after using FireIII, that way you do the most Fire/FireIIs with AF3 up before Raging Strikes wears off.

Your single target rotation is fine. Which thunder you use depends on how quickly you're going to regenerate MP with UI3, since sometimes using ThunderIII will leave you waiting a second to cast FireIII again. I typically use ThunderIII if I think I'm going to be standing still for a while, but I do ThunderII on a highly mobile fight, because I want that FireIII casted and to be able to move as soon as possible. I'll also use ThunderIII when I have a Firestarter proc up, since you can quickly transpose (to buff the FireIII damage a bit) and instantly cast the FireIII.

Playing BLM becomes dynamic when you have to start anticipating the best time to use procs and swiftcasts in order to ensure optimal DPS and casting uptime. If in the middle of a rotation, it's considered best to always use your Thundercloud proc as soon as possible, as it has the potential to let you see a Firestarter proc come up just in time to use it. Also, if you do have to move to dodge mechanics, throw a Scathe in if your MP allows. It's always best to try and have outgoing damage whenever possible. ABC, always be casting.

BLM is my 2nd job, so some dudes can go in deeper, but this is coming from a dude that typically does the best or second best DPS in my groups. It's crazy how much room there is for improvement with such a seemingly simple job, that's why I love it!

This post was AWESOME. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. Fire 2 slowly disappeared from my rotation after receiving Flare, and Scathe has never been in my rotation (didn't know you could use it on the move). I'm going to take your advice and incorporate them back in. Everything you said made perfect sense. Thank you!

You only need 270ish MP to flare. Don't waste all the rest of your mp unless you know flare is gonna kill the group.

AoE rotation: Fire III, Fire 2x3 (or until you know you will have 270 mp remaining. Don't cast the 3rd FIII if it takes you below this), Flare, convert, swiftcast, flare. This is what blms use to kill off big pulls during speed runs.

Also, what made flare spam effective pre 2.1, was the fact that your 2nd fire spell cast coming out of umbral ice, used to also receive the speed boost. So what people would do was do the initial FIII, FII, flare rotation that I mentioned, then transpose (if no convert) and then Bliz III, Fire III, Flare (with speed boost) and repeat.

Worth mentioning: after swiftcast, don't cast Fire II assuming you'll still have enough mp to flare. Unless you have crafted gear with piety melds, you won't.

Great! I didn't know that Flare only took ~270 MP to cast, that changes everything. As I said to the other poster, thanks for your help. In those two posts, I was able to learn more in 1 minute than I was with weeks of trial and error. I want to be prepared for the end game content as opposed to a fumbling DPS that only brings the group down. I've grouped with those, and I know it's annoying so thanks for your advice! I will apply it to my game starting tonight.

most of the above posts rotationally are correct but a few advanced tips. First, our rotation is exceptionally easy to learn...However where Black Mage numbers tend to vary is when movement is involved. Learn to use ur procs/swiftcast and aetherial manipulation to move pre-emptively and manawall/ward to ignore mechanics to allow you to not move. Second, note that if you proc Firestarter on the last fire you cast as you enter Umbral Ice stance, transpose out of Ice when you're ready to burn again and then use the proc. This way you get 1 stack of AF on the proc and deal more damage with it. Lastely, in standstill fights or when you know it'll be up again before you'll need it. use swiftcast to either apply T3 during ice stance (only if you have the mana upon entering) or use it on a fire, so during the gcd you can "check" for a firestarter proc as to not waste it.

That's great advice as well. I do everything you mentioned in terms of firestarter and thundercloud. I was using swift cast on fire 3 vs thunder 3 because I was using the cast time on T3 to ensure I would get the full MP recovery. Not sure if it makes a ton of difference or not, but using it on T3 instead is no issue. I do need to effectively learn how to use Aerial Manipulation. I just picked it up a few days ago and haven't had a chance to try it much. Im playing on PS4 and haven't figured out how to quickly switch between targeting enemies and party members at the speed I would need to in order for that move to be efficient. Probably easy to adjust and something I can fix in my filter settings, but just haven't looked into it yet.

Building upon what the others have said, blackmage is an easy class to pick up, but it's hard to master which I guess what ultimately drew me to the class in the first place.
This post will mainly talk about boss fights.
The blackmage rotations are pretty basic, but there's loads of abilities that help you in fights like aetherial manipulation - a good spell to use when you want to quickly move, manawall and manaward to help the healer's mana (and possibly save your life and increasing your dps). You can use manawall in titan's landslides for example meaning you'll have more uptime. Manawall just completely nullifies landslide's effect. You won't take damage and you won't be pushed back.

Furthermore, there's also 1 golden rule which I believe increases blackmage's dps.
-Always be casting a spell.
It sounds simple, but it can be hard to pull off in an actual fight. That's where swiftcast, surecast, manawall and all your other abilities come in which reduces your downtime and ultimately increases dps.
For aetherial manipulation, I just macro it so I immediately target the boss right after I 'teleport' to a party member's side. It saves so much stress tabbing monsters.

On the topic of aoe rotations, as always, people will have different opinions.
The aoe rotation with fire 2 (JetBrooks' post) just doesn't give 'burst damage' justice. In real boss fights, usually you use your aoe rotation inbetween medium-long intervals. Such as titan extreme adds, leviathan adds, twintania adds. This time allows you to use your cooldowns efficiently, meaning you can time your burst to when it's needed.
There's the standard triple flare combo which you might know already (fire 3 > raging strikes > Flare > convert > flare > Ether (the one that gives 270mp)> Flare) but you can also beef up the rotation with more flares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82L9IbUPMxU
Which I highly suggest watching.

My final tip is including swiftcast and convert in single target rotations. While it is better used in aoe, if you think you will have no opportunity to use aoe in a fight you can include flare into your single target rotation with virtually no interrupting at all. (Fire1s till 270+ mp, swiftcast flare, convert, fire 1, blizzard 3 and continue from there). This will seriously give your single target dps a good boost and might even push past monk's and summoner's dps in burst phases.

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Originally Posted by Friske

My final tip is including swiftcast and convert in single target rotations. While it is better used in aoe, if you think you will have no opportunity to use aoe in a fight you can include flare into your single target rotation with virtually no interrupting at all. (Fire1s till 270+ mp, swiftcast flare, convert, fire 1, blizzard 3 and continue from there). This will seriously give your single target dps a good boost and might even push past monk's and summoner's dps in burst phases.

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This!!! +1000!!! People whine to me about doing this on a single target, but they don't know what they are talking about. If you have convert cooled down, and no AoE is needed, blast a Flare on a single target and Convert>Fire I>Blizzard III>back to your rotation. It will keep you competitive in the DPS race against the Monks and Dragoons doing sustained damage. Not enough BLMs do this...

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Originally Posted by Sensyon

This!!! +1000!!! People whine to me about doing this on a single target, but they don't know what they are talking about. If you have convert cooled down, and no AoE is needed, blast a Flare on a single target and Convert>Fire I>Blizzard III>back to your rotation. It will keep you competitive in the DPS race against the Monks and Dragoons doing sustained damage. Not enough BLMs do this...

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Really? I thought this was common knowledge...But yes, indeed that flare rotation is incredibly important. Always remember to "save" swiftcast if Raging/Convert will be down soon (<1 min). Also, I suggest leveling your Archer to get Quelling Strikes. BLM are the burstiest class at the start of a fight in the game (Only BRDs with all their cooldowns come close) and without it, aggro is a huge issue at the start of a fight for many tanks.

You can also use an Ether, if Convert is not up.

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Originally Posted by Zencurse

Really? I thought this was common knowledge...

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As did I, but I've noticed two things:
1.) Not a lot of BLMs are using it on my server.
2.) When I use it, I occasionally get flack for it. "A waste of MP, a waste of time, no AoE neccessary."

I was in a Titan HM Trials roulette yesterday. All BLMs for dps. I popped a Swiftcast>Flare>Convert>Fire I>Blizzard III at the end of an RS-buffed rotation. We wiped post-heart, and the only i90+ BLM was giving me crap for doing AoE to a single target (Titan, in this case). While I would NEVER admit to using a parser, I can honestly say that I'm "confident" my overall DPS was higher than his by a fair amount. Some people don't know any better...

It probably is common knowledge. I started playing 3 weeks ago and got to BLM 50 about 2 days ago so its all new and helpful to me. I did notice that I need Quelling Strikes. When incorporating Fire 2 back into my rotation I started drawing more aggro on groups than when I just flare bombed. I didn't think of that single target combo either, but it does make a ton of sense. After using convert you are still in AF3 and have enough MP to get off a F1 and a B3. Smarter to get off that last F1 attack while still in AF3 than to just go straight into B3. Also smarter to use Raging strikes after fire 3, which I was doing wrong (I was using it before). Smarter to use Fire 2 than constantly flare bombing. I applied the techniques you guys mentioned in dungeons last night and we cleared them much quicker. I'm still looking for the menu that shows me how much damage I did while in a dungeon, but Ive never been able to find it. I'm glad I posted on this forum. You guys are very helpful.

There is no way in-game to see how much damage you've been doing. I hAve heard that there are some external programs that Can help you wiTh that, although they are not supported by Square Enix.

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Originally Posted by JetBrooks

There is no way in-game to see how much damage you've been doing. I hAve heard that there some external programs that Can help you wiTh that, although they are not supported by Square Enix.

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Bravo, good sir! ;)

LOL got the message! Not sure if that works on PS4 after researching though.

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Originally Posted by SoCalKingg

LOL got the message! Not sure if that works on PS4 after researching though.

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I'm unsure what he's speaking of, but if you did find an external program to display your damage, I'd imagine it wouldn't work on console games just due to the fact most of these programs were designed to be modular with multiple games such as Everquest II or SWTOR that are PC exclusive.

Yeah, you're out of luck with PS4, as far as I know. A decent test will be when you get into Turn 4 of Coil, you should be generating the most hate during the AOE phases. You should see a number by your name when in fights, that number shows you what place you are on the hate meter of the current target. 2 is pretty good, 1 means you better get manawall ready XD

I'll keep looking, but yeah it would be nice to know! I used to play DCUO and when I started paying attention to how much damage was done by each player, it motivated me to become a better player. I went from being the 2nd or 3rd best DPS out of 4 to constantly being the 1st. Not without practice and learning new technique/strategies, but victory was sweet. I would never look at the board and think, "Man they sucked," but rather "Wow, I did good this round." The only way to become better is learn from your mistakes. Kind of hard to track your progress if there is no scoring system, but I guess I understand.

Chances are pretty great that if you get yourself into a static team, one if not more of your companions will be of the PC master race.

PC Master race? Haha i love it. Yes I know PC is superior, but I've always been a console gamer. Last night was the first time I've caught the PS4 slipping. It had kind of a hard time keeping up with 100+ people mauling Odin. Lost most of my sound effects on my spells, but surprisingly no other lag, just total chaos. People in my FC play on PC so I'll ask around :)

Sure the game is graphically "better" on PC but I wasn't making any sort of attack against consoles or console gamers. I was just saying that if someone did find something to trace dps on, it'd probably be pc only is all, since SE doesn't support that kind of stuff.

Odin runs like turds on my PC as well, and my PC is way overbuilt for ffxiv; don't worry about that garbage, worry about fights that actually require some strategery, which I'm sure PS4 can handle.

No offense taken what so ever! I'm sure it is better and easier on PC. Would be much easier to have my hot bars all on screen and being able to click on them than using that PS4 cross hot bar and constantly having to rotate between different hot bars. Also probably easier to click on a target than R1+O to tab through all of them haha. No complaining on my end. I only have MacBooks so no PC gaming opportunity. I'm sure I can find someone in my FC to help me out so I'll look around.

Yeah it's been great so far. Never seen a lag until then. Only DC'd from a server once. At first when fighting Odin I thought, "Well finally found something the game can't handle," but then after the fight was over I thought, "Well you know for 100+ people all in the same area, actually it handled it pretty well."