BLM needs more damage

[StragoMagus]

@Claire
That scath sounds like a good idea. Or give it a drain for mp/hp with a chance of double absorb. This will enable spamming Flare and help us at lower levels

[Krisom]

While it would be a good idea to give Black Mages some offensive raid utility, I don't think it's going to happen. Even in future expansions I'd expect at most the MNK treatment, minor offensive raid utility that no one cares about because it's such a minor increase.
If this proves to be true, there's multiple ways to close the gap.
By buffing BLM damage through pure damage AND throwing them a bone during downtime, give them a way to pause the countdown on their Astral Fire/Ice duration by using Scathe to stop/increase it for a # of seconds and a meditation-esque ability that does the same thing but doesn't require a target. This goes with the Time/Black Mage theme they seem to be going for.

Another thing to do ALSO is to nerf other current raid utility. Battle Litany, Disembowel, Trick Attacks, give Shadewalker to caster cross-role and Smokescreen to melee or range cross-role.
Buff the damage of those that lose their offensive utility by something near what they lost personally from it, not what the whole raid loses.

[Kabooa]

Another thing to do ALSO is to nerf other current raid utility. Battle Litany, Disembowel, Trick Attacks, give Shadewalker to caster cross-role and Smokescreen to melee or range cross-role.
Buff the damage of those that lose their offensive utility by something near what they lost personally from it, not what the whole raid loses.

More powerful paired buffs are another option. Got your ninja and bard all set? Now you want some heavy hitters. Bring in your Dragoon for Dragon Eye, Monk for Brotherhood (revamp it into a much more powerful buddy buff), or Black Mage with something something buddy buff.

[EllieShadeflare]

Some personal changes I'd suggest:

Fire IV and Blizzard IV potency changes from 260 -> 280-300 (Reasoning: Further damage is necessary for BLM to maintain its position as a good turret DPS without making it absolutely terrible as a result. Make moving less punishing.)

Foul Potency changes from 650 -> 700 (See above)

Scathe Potency changes from 100 -> 150-200. (Make this a viable, emergency mobility attack)

Enhanced Scathe Effect changes to "current duration of Astral Fire/Umbral Ice increases by 3s to a maximum of 13s." (Keeps Enochian while forced to move)

Manaward: Decrease cooldown from 120s to 60s (because we're the turret class, and beyond Scathe being a movement mitigation, this is a damage mitigation to accentuate turreting without being TOO durable).

[Lelila38]

Some personal changes I'd suggest:

Fire IV and Blizzard IV potency changes from 260 -> 280-300 (Reasoning: Further damage is necessary for BLM to maintain its position as a good turret DPS without making it absolutely terrible as a result. Make moving less punishing.)

Foul Potency changes from 650 -> 700 (See above)

Scathe Potency changes from 100 -> 150-200. (Make this a viable, emergency mobility attack)

Enhanced Scathe Effect changes to "current duration of Astral Fire/Umbral Ice increases by 3s to a maximum of 13s." (Keeps Enochian while forced to move)

Manaward: Decrease cooldown from 120s to 60s (because we're the turret class, and beyond Scathe being a movement mitigation, this is a damage mitigation to accentuate turreting without being TOO durable).

Thanks, I really like those propositions. Can I like you twice?

[Remedi]

Mh better if you also post those in the other thread too

[Llugen]

No matter how much you increase the potency of Scathe it's still a Fire IV lost, and two if you count the MP cost as well as the GCD itself. 200 potency vs 468 (or 504, if they do increase it back to 280 base) is significantly more than ANY other ranged, and again that's not to mention losing the MP to do the last Fire IV in the rotation, so more effective potency lost. This is a MASSIVE damage discrepancy, as I mentioned before.

They really need to simply remove it from the level 70 "rotation" by making another option for instant cast, preferably Fire/Blizzard under Enhanced Enochian. Furthermore, this would allow for potential Firestarter procs while moving to compensate for the damage loss, if you pray hard enough to RNGsus.

Scathe has its place as an emergency filler in the level 50 rotation, it doesn't need to be used at level 70.


Side note: You say increase potency of Fire IV to make moving less punishing, but that's counter-intuitive; that makes moving MORE punishing by making a bigger damage loss from needing to move. Outside of that and the one about Scathe, I like your other suggestions, except that I might say Foul deserves an even bigger buff than 50 potency (remember that 20 potency to a fire spell is huge because Astral Fire III multiplies it by 1.8, Foul gets no such love. I'd suggest both increasing it to 700 diminishing AND doubling Foul potency single target). I'd also add in the Sub-Zero idea that we were discussing last week.

[crc0427]

At the time this was written, blm had (and still has) one of the highest, if not the highest, damage caps unbuffed in the game.

You might have been doing something incorrectly, but it’s an old post so hopefully you figured it out.

[Lastelli]

At the time this was written, blm had (and still has) one of the highest, if not the highest, damage caps unbuffed in the game.

You might have been doing something incorrectly, but it’s an old post so hopefully you figured it out.

They buffed BLM (and SAM) twice after this thread was started. BLM is fine now. It clearly wasn't before. That it took so long for the devs to acknowledge it, despite players saying it for years, is quite disheartening.

[Kabooa]

At the time this was written, blm had (and still has) one of the highest, if not the highest, damage caps unbuffed in the game.

You might have been doing something incorrectly, but it’s an old post so hopefully you figured it out.

At the time this was written, Summoner was better in every single way while maintaining the mobility advantage and emergency raise.