Black Mage Sanctuary - A Guide to DPS

[Rongway]

normal Virus is useful on things that don't need INT down. All of that applies even when you have both SMN and a SCH.

On a single mob, Virus can only be applied once every 60s. At 90s cooldown, two users are the strict upper limit for "useful", so those two users might as well be the ones with the Super version, or otherwise the WHM, so that we don't lock them out of being able to use their own Virus at times of their choosing.

[MagiusNecros]

Eye for and Eye is always useful and normal Virus is useful on things that don't need INT down. All of that applies even when you have both SMN and a SCH. Now Physick on the other hand...

Physick can be good if you are silly like me and stack Mind Materia for those 1000+ Physick heals. *shrug*

I will agree that E4E is always good however Virus should only be taken for heavy hitters like bosses such as for BJ's Dbl Rocket Punch.

[Garotte14]

Thanks Garotte, this is what I what I came up with http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/THE7 Though I may swap the lore chest for the crafted one for the added SS

Yes, with 699 accuracy, you are 100 acc over what's needed A8S. I would definitely swap the chest for the crafted chest. Other than that, it looks good for 220-230 gear

[Garotte14]

"Useful in the specific case that you have an AST healer and no SMN DD buddy" is just barely more useful than "for one specific attack in one dungeon".

You can use virus and E4E on big pulls in dungeons. I use it on CD. I'm sorry, but they are both 10 times more useful than Hawks eye. The only argument would be between the last slot, and choosing between Hawks Eye or Physick. There are countless times that I've used virus. T13 adds, T12 while healers are passing brand, A3 Savage while stacked for the hand cleave soak. If I can use my virus oGCD, losing no dps, so the healers can either focus on outputting their dps or occupied with healing, then it's a utility. And a pretty good one. If level if you aren't a raider, virus can be useful in almost even pull in a dungeon. If you aren't using it, then you aren't using your job to its full potential.

[JackFross]

You can use virus and E4E on big pulls in dungeons.

I agree with everything you're saying, except for one point. Virus is basically worthless on a large pull in a dungeon. It's best used to mitigate a large incoming physical attack from a single target (generally a boss). You don't have the INT/MND aspect of Virus as a cross-class, so it doesn't help for magical attacks, and it only has a duration of 10s, making it /completely/ worthless to mitigate a single add's auto-attacks in a pull with 8+ mobs.

Eye for an Eye is nice in those situations, though, and if your healer isn't using it (they should be, unless they're an AST), you absolutely should, as long as it doesn't interrupt your DPS.

Virus is far less useful of a cross-class on BLM than you imply it to be, is all I'm saying, especially if you have someone else in the party who can use it as a not-cross-class, since theirs is superior in every way, and your less effective one will still lock them out of using theirs for the next 60s on that boss.

[Maero]

How do you all link your gear sets from Ariyala? lol
Anyhow i definately suggest crafted chest piece. I just had it melded yesterday and am sitting a little over 700 crit, and my ss is over 1K atm

[Garotte14]

How do you all link your gear sets from Ariyala? lol
Anyhow i definately suggest crafted chest piece. I just had it melded yesterday and am sitting a little over 700 crit, and my ss is over 1K atm

There is a save button at the bottom of the page. Once you select your gear, click the save button and it will supply you with a link. Copy and paste and voila!

[Garotte14]

snip

I will have to respectfully disagree. Mitigating auto attacks for 10 seconds on a mob in a pack of 8 is still something. I'll use it after Transpose waiting for a mana tick. Mitigating any incoming damage is helpful. Even if it's minor.

On boss fights, yes we don't have Supervirus. But as a hardcore raider, you'd be surprised how often this is useful. Shadow of Meracydias in T13 dealt massive tank damage during progression. Sch Virus is on cd because they used it for gigaflare. There are 3 Shadows in that phase. If Whm uses one, there are still 2 more.

A3S - during hand split. Both tanks takes a big cleave right before add phase, T10 charge if healer is stunned, T12 on Revalation while healers are focused on Brands, T1 snake split, T4 on Dreadnoughts, T5 snakes, T7 adds, T9 Ghost of Meracydias, and I could go on and on. Any add in a raid that deals physical damage. Its going to die so it's not like you have to worry about antivirus.

[Maero]

Many thanks Garotte
This is what i have for melds on my gear in case some want ideas
http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/THT6

[JackFross]

I will have to respectfully disagree. Mitigating auto attacks for 10 seconds on a mob in a pack of 8 is still something. I'll use it after Transpose waiting for a mana tick. Mitigating any incoming damage is helpful. Even if it's minor.

:0

10s of Autos is 3 hits or less from that one mob. And they're going to get a 15% reduction in STR/DEX for 10s. In an 8-mob pull in the current content with relevant gear, you take ~800-1000 damage per auto - this might be an underestimation, but the lower this per-auto damage is, the more effective Virus becomes. Assuming 15% STR reduction = 15% reduction in damage output, and, let's even assume this mob hits 5 times in the 10s window.

You mitigate 120-150 damage per auto. 5 autos = 600-750 damage mitigated. That's less than 1 auto attack.

To really break this down for you as to why this is a complete waste of time, 1 single-target Cure spell from my i210 WHM heals ~3400 health. One tick of Regen heals 1300. One cast of Adloquium from my 210 SCH heals (and mitigates) ~2300. So, looking at our gross overestimation of the skill's effectiveness in even a single-mob encounter and comparing it to the volume of heals that we can do coupled with the fact that you, as a healer, should never let your tank fall below 1000 health, unless Holmgang or Living Dead is active, it speaks for itself. And that's not even considering the fact that every single healer has some percentage of overheal in mob groups which will be /at least/ 10%. And, considering that a tank is taking 1000 damage per auto from 8 different mobs, if that healer actually heals less than 8000 health over the course of the encounter, you wiped.

Every bit helps, sure, but let's not call people out for not playing to the fullest when they don't use a mathematically worthless skill in a trash pull.

That's all I'm saying.


You are right on the boss side of things, and I wasn't very clear/specific in what all I was saying in regard to Virus in those situations.



/// As an aside, question.
A6S - Blaster.

As a Black Mage, how do you handle the first (and third, if you see it) Mirage Dash mechanic? Our BLM insists on staying out of the raid for his DPS, but I'm trying to convince him that this is bad and dangerous and wrong.