Could Black Mages Be Improved...

[Kacho_Nacho]

It makes me happy so many experienced black mages have hopped into this thread to review my idea and take the time to explain why it would not significantly increase the job's performance in the raiding scene. Thank you for teaching me some things!

Now, if only I could play a black mage as well as I can a frost mage in WoW...

/laugh

[zuzu-bq]

It's good to see people trying to understand BLM. Recently it seems like everyone just simply doesn't know how the job works or what is behind its rotation's design and because of that, so many people don't really know what is wrong with the Job. Yoshida even said on his JP server visits that only BLM players would understand the change if he explained it there. If you want more in dephts about their issues you can totally check out the big thread Sfi made or Harold's thread as well.

[Sfia]

I honestly think it's a change that SHOULD happen to lower the skill floor a little, but as it has been stated it doesn't address the issues of the skill ceiling also needing raised.

Doing this would also cause the issue of needing a higher spell speed threshold to get 4 casts between f1 and b3.

[Tzain]

I have to agree with some of the other commenters. My first kneejerk reaction to it was 'Does it really do enough?' but the more I thought about it and played through scenarios in my head the more I realized it really does address many of the core 'Timer maintenance' and 'Mobility' concerns that BLM suffers from.

But there are some serious side effects.

First of all, for the first 60 levels of the BLMs life, the 'turret gameplay' is removed. Until Fire IV comes around at 60, the core gameplay of BLM is to cast as many Fire I spells as you can (and consume as many Firestarter Procs as you can). If Fire I and Firestarter Fire III are both instant, the 'Turret' is gone and replaced with a 'Run and Gun' style akin to a Bard.
I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing at the end of the day, but it's a significant change pre-60.

So I think the best place for your change is to tie it to Enochian.
If Enochian unlocks Fire IV and Blizzard IV as well as making Fire I and Blizzard I instant cast I think you have the best of both worlds. 1-50 is unchanged, The 50-59 range gains the run and gun style, but it would help quite a bit given how movement heavy those levels tend to be and it's only a few levels . At 60 we have the modified 'Fire IV 3x3 turret cycle' with the run and gun option of 'Fire I/Firestarter spam'. Those things are essentially unchanged through 70.
Now looking at 60-70 content, the Black Mage now has two playstyles at their disposal. The higher damage 'Turret of Fire IV' or the High mobility of 'Firestarter run and gun'.

So yeah, long story short....Great idea.

[zuzu-bq]

Yeah its a great idea, why bother learning a job when you can demand it to be easier to play instead.

[Kacho_Nacho]

Yeah its a great idea, why bother learning a job when you can demand it to be easier to play instead.

Bleah, Zuzu-bq.

[Shiroe]

drg wanted a change, got more than they asked for ... smn wanted a change, got more than they wanted, ... mnk wanted a change, just might receive more than they asked for etc..

why do I get the feeling Blm wont get (near) as much as they wanted?... cause Yoshi doesn't want to seem biased? 4.0 and 3.0 were blm piles of dump..., ca. 4.01 and 3.01 then kind of made blm playable.., devs, are you seeing a patern here?? pls tell Yoshi not to fvck it up with 4.2

(AetherM new CD will be great.., BUT, BUT, BUT... F4 please? just how much??)

[Remedi]

wanna know something funny? If yoshida was to buff BLM to be in a very good place, ppl will say that BLM is his favorite job and all that comes with that narrative

[zuzu-bq]

Sometimes I think the only reason BLM can never be good it's because Yoshida likes it.

[Kacho_Nacho]

wanna know something funny? If yoshida was to buff BLM to be in a very good place, ppl will say that BLM is his favorite job and all that comes with that narrative

There are always players who feel developers favor jobs other than their own. Such are ideas are nothing but clickbait.

Sometimes I think the only reason BLM can never be good it's because Yoshida likes it.

Let's all hope that is not the case.