The Black Mage Rotations

[O-Deka-K]

That said, the Flare -> Flare rotation will actually beat out the Flare -> Fire II -> Flare rotation in the event that you're doing AOE for an entire minute; being 3 seconds shorter adds up.

This doesn't make sense to me. What does being 3 seconds shorter have anything to do with it?

It's a bit wasteful to start out like that. Starting with Fire III -> Fire II -> Fire II -> Fire II -> Flare will give you higher DPS.

I've been thinking about this. I have been doing exactly that until now, but I don't think it's right anymore.

Edit: I'm wrong. More Fire 2's is better.

I did previously say that adding more Fire 2's give you more PPS (potency per second) for 3 or more targets. That was true for every rotation that I could find or think of. However, the opener doesn't really count as a rotation, because you can't repeat it (there's no mana regeneration at all).

Since you're effectively removing the entire Umbral phase, the PPS for this opener is much higher than any normal rotation. In this case, adding more Fire 2's will actually lower the PPS:

AoE Openers, if you start from no UI/AF buff:
Flare: (260N) / 4.0 = 65N PPS
F3-Flare: (468N + 220) / 7.5 = 62.4N + 29.3 PPS <-- Best!
F3-F2-Flare: (648N + 220) / 10.5 = 61.7N + 21.0 PPS
F3-F2-F2-Flare: (828N + 220) / 13.5 = 61.3N + 16.3 PPS
F3-F2-F2-F2-Flare: (1008N + 220) / 16.5 = 61.1N + 13.3 PPS <-- Best!

Edit: The last opener is best because it is longer while still having higher PPS than the regular rotation.

Just starting with Flare may look like the best opener, but it isn't. It only catches up in PPS for 12 targets or more. However, if you're already in AF3 at the start of the fight (and have over 4s left on it), then opening with Flare would be the highest damage.

As always, Swiftcast Flare will increase this, but I generally don't open with it. Gotta give the tank a little breathing space.