The Black Mage Rotations

[O-Deka-K]

I like this thread. I haven't seen many rotations that take the "double-dipping" mechanic into account. Also, I never thought about using Blizzard II in my rotation in order to get more AoE time.

So I guess I have a basic BLM mechanics question: in terms of mana recovery, is the 2x B2 necessary to guarantee a reliable MP tick sufficient to begin casting the F3? Because it seems to be that if Flare blows all your mana, it doesn't matter how much you re-enter Astral with, and could get by with 1 B2 cast as long as you are able to cast F3.

Or is that really to wait for the Transpose cooldown?

I haven't tried this rotation yet (but I would like to), but I believe the reason is twofold:
1. It gives time for the Transpose CD.
2. It puts you into Umbral Ice 3, which is necessary in order to get the fast cast, which is needed for double dipping. I notice that in UI2, casts take noticeably longer than under UI3.

Question, why do people cast blizzard III then thunder II then fire III? Does it really result in more DPS then T2 > F3 or F1 spam to start?

This is done in order to take advantage of the fast cast that you get under UI3. Instead of a cast time of 3s, it only takes 1.5s (so I've heard). You still have to wait for GCD, so I believe that this is still effectively 2.5s. Also, it reduces the mana cost of Fire III. It will do the same damage (UI doesn't reduce the damage). However, the damage will be reduced.

In addition, with quick timing and little lag, you can take advantage of the "double-dipping" mechanic that is mentioned in this thread. Double-dipping is where your second cast after UI3 is still a fast cast, because AF3 hasn't been applied yet. i.e. Blizzard III -> Thunder II -> Fire III (fast) -> Fire III (fast). The first Fire III will be under UI3 (regular damage), but the second one will be under AF3 for increased damage. Even better if you can double-dip into Flare, because the cast will be reduced to 2s while still getting the AF3 bonus.