Black Mage Sanctuary - A Guide to DPS

[StouterTaru]

Since the function of transpose and waiting for MP is pretty much impossible to factor with any reliability

MP ticks happen on server-side 3 second timer. At around 800 SS, it takes 15 seconds for the cycle of Transpose > Fire 3 > Fire 2 > Fire 2 > Flare > repeat.

The overlooked factor in best AoE rotation is when everything dies. That will vary based on you, your party, and what you're fighting. Sometimes you'll do better with a Transpose > Freeze > F3 > F2 x3 > Flare.

[Ferth]

MP ticks happen on server-side 3 second timer. At around 800 SS, it takes 15 seconds for the cycle of Transpose > Fire 3 > Fire 2 > Fire 2 > Flare > repeat.

The overlooked factor in best AoE rotation is when everything dies. That will vary based on you, your party, and what you're fighting. Sometimes you'll do better with a Transpose > Freeze > F3 > F2 x3 > Flare.

I will some times add in an extra Fire 2 near the end of a given set of mobs' life span because of where their health is at. But unless that Freeze is the thing actually killing something I don't think that rotation would ever be better.

My comment about mp ticks and transpose was more about that unless you start at exactly the right time and have a rotation that without exception is always divisible by 3 seconds you won't be able to rely on constantly getting favorable mp ticks every time. Nor can you really compare two seperate people with two seperate sets of gear using two different rotations reliably because of the differences in when each person will hit transpose compared to when the server ticks over.

[StouterTaru]

I will some times add in an extra Fire 2 near the end of a given set of mobs' life span because of where their health is at. But unless that Freeze is the thing actually killing something I don't think that rotation would ever be better.

If you go back a few pages on this thread, you'll see Freeze being more dps on large packs (9+ mobs or so) when the pack lives forever.

When stuff actually dies, there are times when your rotation could end with one of these two:

• Transpose > F3 > 2x F2 > Flare > Transpose > F3 > F2
• Transpose > Freeze > F3 > 3x F2 > Flare

The difference between them is Fire 3 under UI on 1 mob (216 potency) vs Freeze on all mobs (100 potency each) and 24 less potency on the F3 from UI2, with the Freeze rotation taking about half a second less. Or it could be one of these two:

• Transpose > F3 > 2x F2 >Flare > Transpose > F3 interrupted because your target died and everything else dies before you can get anything off
• Transpose > F3 > 2x F2 >Flare > Transpose > Freeze on everything still alive

If you transpose more than twice in a dungeon pack, that it means your party AoE is very weak. That is the only time that sustained AoE makes any difference. In most cases, how you finish matters more.

[Ferth]

Thanks for directing me to those tables. I was able to put my rotation into a comparison for yours. And you are right, they meet up at 3 targets then mine slowly falls behind. I don't have the spell speed for your proposed freeze rotation, so I will worry about that at another time.