Black Mage Sanctuary - A Guide to DPS

[7hurricane]

Hi everyone! I'm hoping the smarties in this thread can help with an A1S issue. I've been getting kicked from many groups for low dps on Oppressor. Here's what I know:

- My BLM has an eso weapon, body and ring. All other gear is 190.
- I use the rotation from Aikaal's BLM guide, especially for openers. I'm very comfortable with it.
- I use HQ x-int potions on my opener for fire IVx6.
- I currently use flint caviar for food buff.
- On Faust, I can parse 1200+ dps. On the first phase of Oppressor, my parse never reaches above 900. I'm using the exact same opening rotation.
- Most groups ask me to take an add during first phase if there is no SMN in the party.

Despite feeling like I am performing optimal rotations and having prioritized my gear, I'm confused as to why my dps is always so low on Oppressor in the first phase, where I'm the same turret as I am during Faust. (As a side note, I have been in parties where we've gotten Oppressor to 3% before enrage. Take that for what you will.)

Can anyone offer any advice? I feel like I'm out of ideas.

[Sleigh]

Alright, so when is it OK/Not OK to use the Thundercloud proc? What's the minimum duration of the dot for proc to be a DPS gain against F4? Is it OK to use the proc in UI even though I'll clip the dot big time? Do I use it after F1 refresh only on the fresh enochian timer/ 2nd refresh timer?

I'm seeing a variety of answers when to use/not use the proc. So, really which is it?

To quote myself:

"Rules of thumb for TC priority and use: Mobility > multi-DoT > in UI phase as supreme filler > as late as possible in AF phase, after F1 almost always > skip it or delay it if you can't meet any of those conditions."

It's not much more complicated than that, barring very situational circumstances.

Hi everyone! I'm hoping the smarties in this thread can help with an A1S issue. I've been getting kicked from many groups for low dps on Oppressor. Here's what I know:

- My BLM has an eso weapon, body and ring. All other gear is 190.
- I use the rotation from Aikaal's BLM guide, especially for openers. I'm very comfortable with it.
- I use HQ x-int potions on my opener for fire IVx6.
- I currently use flint caviar for food buff.
- On Faust, I can parse 1200+ dps. On the first phase of Oppressor, my parse never reaches above 900. I'm using the exact same opening rotation.
- Most groups ask me to take an add during first phase if there is no SMN in the party.

Despite feeling like I am performing optimal rotations and having prioritized my gear, I'm confused as to why my dps is always so low on Oppressor in the first phase, where I'm the same turret as I am during Faust. (As a side note, I have been in parties where we've gotten Oppressor to 3% before enrage. Take that for what you will.)

Can anyone offer any advice? I feel like I'm out of ideas.

Don't take an add in first phase (I assume you mean the first two adds who can die wherever, whenever). If you do, just Flare all 3 and wash your hands of it. Soloing an add in the first set is dumb, so many group AoE options, and their HP is low enough you can milk them with SCH Bane or Elixer Field or whatever you want really.

900 is very low for first phase, no matter your gear/comp. Are you losing hard casts during your dodges?

[Xenitan]

Alright, so when is it OK/Not OK to use the Thundercloud proc? What's the minimum duration of the dot for proc to be a DPS gain against F4? Is it OK to use the proc in UI even though I'll clip the dot big time? Do I use it after F1 refresh only on the fresh enochian timer/ 2nd refresh timer?

I'm seeing a variety of answers when to use/not use the proc. So, really which is it?

These are really good questions.

First thing you need to know is when you are *able* to fit a proc in. I used to go 4/1/4/4/4 to give my rotation a bit more flexibility than 4/4/1/4/4 (I can explain why, but it doesn't matter since it's no longer the right rotation in my opinion). I go 4/4/1/4/4 now because it gives you a few more opportunities to fit thundercloud in.

You can go 4/T/1/4/4/4, or 4/4/1 and then Thunder in any of the three other slots. You can also fit a thundercloud in at any point in umbral ice.

So to answer your other questions:
The maximum duration of the DoT currently on the target for Thundercloud to be a DPS increase is (drumroll please) 21 seconds. Yup.

Fire IV's potency from a spell speed neutral vantage point is 1.8*280/3 = 168
Thundercloud's potency all up front is 390/2.5 = 156.

But if we add just one tick of thunder to thundercloud-

390+40 guaranteed, with a 10% chance of another 390 (ignoring subsequent damage from a DoT refresh)

So a 90% chance of 430 potency over a GCD and a 10% chance of 820 over 2 GCDs = an expected potency per second of 171.2 which is higher than Fire IV. Thunder cloud is very good.

In fact, the fact that thundercloud is demonstrably this good is a pretty solid answer for your other questions.

Thunder and all subsequent procs (calculated the same way as thundercloud was earlier) is 120 potency per second. If you clip the dot from 15-18 seconds remaining with a thunder cloud you're expecting a 184 potency per second return. That's 64 potency per second more. To reach that much of an increase over Fire IV spam, you need to be at about 3 seconds remaining on Fire IV. It's safe to say that, because your other options in umbral Ice are so low, it's reasonable to always dump thundercloud procs during umbral ice if possible.

One other thing to note- at my current spell speed (761) and under leyline with ACT I can fit in Fire IV/Fire IV/Thundercloud/Fire and not lose stacks.

Black Mage DPS is more about having a toolbox for situations involving procs/mechanics. This is just another tool available in certain situations.

[Neophyter]

Fire IV's potency from a spell speed neutral vantage point is 1.8*280/3 = 168

Doesn't astral fire 3 give fire spells a 87.5% increase?

[Xenitan]

Doesn't astral fire 3 give fire spells a 87.5% increase?

Does it? I've only ever seen an 80% increase cited.

[Neophyter]

Does it? I've only ever seen an 80% increase cited.

This site is where I got my info from. This one makes the most sense to me due to the increasing diminishing returns, but I never really tested this myself.

[StouterTaru]

It's 80%, just tested it to make sure nothing changed

[Maero]

i just did ravana extreme and parsed 667 with i190 and eso weapon

do you think my dps is good or i still need to improve

I know someone else already replied and while this was BismarkEx and not Ravana, i parsed over 700 with an i180 weapon at the time, never really checked now that i have an eso weapon. Really do look at Aikal's guide if you have not, some good info there. Granted my openers are slightly different at times. Keep at it you will get better

[iro43]

What eso pieces are everyone getting this week/next?

[Maero]

I think i will be getting eso chest this week and then i guess accesories