Can we just take a moment to talk about Black Mage?

[Colt47]

OP would have hated ARR BLM.

Anyway, BLM is all about forethought and encounter knowledge. The first few times doing something you're DPS is likely going to suffer but the more you get used to the fight then your damage will go up. That's true of all jobs, true, but it's extremely apparent with BLM

I actually DID hate ARR black mage. That was back in the day where you used ethers to triple cast Flare. :P

Just after all these years and seeing how this works right now, as well as participation in end game, this isn't so much as a problem of skill as much as the direction doesn't work. Slapping a bunch of instant cast skills to correct a bad design choice on long casts in a game where you have to dodge attacks, when other casters with shorter cast times or more opportunities to move can dance around unimpeded, is what makes the job feel clunky.

Ultimately the direction they are heading with all the jobs is that the role is the job, and the job is the paint for the role. All the tanks are the same, really. Same with the melee except for the jobs they haven't gotten to updating yet. Even warrior got their cone taken away for a circle aoe. People probably don't even remember Lethargy, Freeze, or Apocatastasis, but those were around when I first played the job.

Also not pointing this comment directly at you so much as just trying to deal with all the other comments people have made so far in protest of my opening statement. Like these haven't already been done before. People like digging a rut in the floor apparently and kind of pop their head out to protest the person mentioning they are in a ditch.