BLM vs. SMN

[Razard]

????

What in the name the twelve has this got to do with godsdamn anything? They wonder why people on this forum consider ffxi a dirty word when it's proponents will awkwardly insert it into the conversation, no matter how ill fitting.

The op was asking about the pros and cons of BLM and SMN of FFXIV. He's not asking wether you think the FFXIV or ffxi versions are superior.

[Maero]

Like others have mentioned smn has the aoe advantage and blm Single target. Generally a few floors of Alex summoner will do better, but blm can do very well in both EX Primals.
I have not levelled my smn to 60 yet so cannot comment on/if it be way easier then blm.
Blm now you really could not mess up when it comes to say enochian as your dps drops by a fair amount however enochian up keep is not as hard as some may think if you practice
Some mechanics do really mess you up though, haha

[Malevicton]

Pretty sure a1s better for SMN, better dps potential, easier kiting of adds.

Eh, smn will do better on a parse because of double dotting, but blm will do better in p1. Since every hit in p1 is essentially 2 hits, that's relevant to consider. Kiting the adds isn't a big deal if you position yourself well in advance.

They're pretty interchangeable on a1s tbh. a3s they both shine on different phases, so pretty interchangeable there depending on what your group has more trouble with. a2s is the only one where smn is handsdown better, but if you're really forming an ideal a2s group you'll want both.

Casters are more balanced atm than the forums would have people believe :P

[Neela]

Havent played a 50+ BLM myself yet but me and my husband generally run in this combination. SMN like several other classes should reorganize their rotations and their responsibility in partyplay. Before HW your "main dmg" was just using the enkidle of your pet, nowadays you got other opportunities than just holding your dots up. Bahamuts Stance, Ruin lll and Death Flare are indeed skills to deal real dmg without focusing on your pet only. On the other hand i see much summoners who lack in using DoTs since HW - just focusing at their new dmg skills. Personally i like the mix of both for my own playstyle.

BLM 50+ is, if ur movement and reflexes are good, just boom boom BOOOOM. If i would be TC i wouldnt chose class on the dmg output but on the playstyle the classes are based on. Would u like building up DoTs and focusing your dmg-skills in compressed 15s go for SMN - if you wanna focusing just on dmg-skills and switching between 2 skill-types go for BLM

just my personal opinion =)

[Sleigh]

Eh, smn will do better on a parse because of double dotting, but blm will do better in p1. Since every hit in p1 is essentially 2 hits, that's relevant to consider. Kiting the adds isn't a big deal if you position yourself well in advance.

They're pretty interchangeable on a1s tbh. a3s they both shine on different phases, so pretty interchangeable there depending on what your group has more trouble with. a2s is the only one where smn is handsdown better, but if you're really forming an ideal a2s group you'll want both.

Casters are more balanced atm than the forums would have people believe :P

Exactly. As we gear up BLM will undeniably be better in A1S due to the double strength hits pre-split, but for now it's very back and forth, advantage here and advantage there.

[scarebearz]

Eh, smn will do better on a parse because of double dotting, but blm will do better in p1. Since every hit in p1 is essentially 2 hits, that's relevant to consider. Kiting the adds isn't a big deal if you position yourself well in advance.

They're pretty interchangeable on a1s tbh. a3s they both shine on different phases, so pretty interchangeable there depending on what your group has more trouble with. a2s is the only one where smn is handsdown better, but if you're really forming an ideal a2s group you'll want both.

Casters are more balanced atm than the forums would have people believe :P

You have a point, but a SMN can easily solo the first 2 adds, with very little dps lost on the boss itself, leaving the rest of the party to single target the boss. I would imagine this would atleast make up for the difference in single target burst diffirence, SMN burst is not exactly weak.

When you consider the SMN's better party utility, for me it's an easy choice between the 2 classes on that turn.

I am not saying BLM dps is bad or that BLM is weak for a1s, but do think SMN is more use to a party.

[Malevicton]

You have a point, but a SMN can easily solo the first 2 adds, with very little dps lost on the boss itself, leaving the rest of the party to single target the boss. I would imagine this would atleast make up for the difference in single target burst diffirence, SMN burst is not exactly weak.

When you consider the SMN's better party utility, for me it's an easy choice between the 2 classes on that turn.

I am not saying BLM dps is bad or that BLM is weak for a1s, but do think SMN is more use to a party.

Healers can solo the first adds. Regardless of your caster that's better for group dps. Smn doing it is just parse fluff. Supervirus and apoca can both help for the tank buster. Extra res is good, but a death is probably a wipe in learning progression anyways, and sch has enough extra mp in that fight (even dpsing) that the res isn't a huge deal.

[Sleigh]

You have a point, but a SMN can easily solo the first 2 adds, with very little dps lost on the boss itself, leaving the rest of the party to single target the boss. I would imagine this would atleast make up for the difference in single target burst diffirence, SMN burst is not exactly weak.

When you consider the SMN's better party utility, for me it's an easy choice between the 2 classes on that turn.

I am not saying BLM dps is bad or that BLM is weak for a1s, but do think SMN is more use to a party.

I look at it as ... SMN is more consistent and easier post-split, and thus if you spend a lot of time in that phase SMN will prevail. BLM will prevail if you get help or have more of the fight's % pre-split.

Personally my group is only a couple % from skipping jump 2. If I was BLM we'd have skipped it already, but, gear being what it is, I'm SMN for now. Maybe next week.

[scarebearz]

While BLM may have it's place in a Speed kill setup, for the majority of party's I'm pretty sure SMN will make things easier.

[Kiara]

Smn would be aoe king with decent sustain damage

Smn sustain in a raid environment is generally easier to keep up and can at times surpass blm due to double dotting.

SMN has the AoE advantage (best in game)

Hi All / Dev Team,

What Psyco and Sleigh are saying...

3.0 launched, and Yoshi P made such a *major* change to Black Mage (from AOE King to "Not So Good AOE"), and it seems like there hasn't been much chatter about it from the community.

Back in the 2.0 era, Yoshi P even said that the Black Mage AOE strength was one of the reasons why it was balanced the way it was (that its AOE was a key characteristic of BLM), yet now in 3.0, he just makes Summoner the AOE King?

Seems like a bad tradeoff.