Black Mage Level 100 Spell (Flare Star) SUCKS!

[Azebra]

It's funny to see people complain in the same breath that Flare Star is so strong it's impossible to adjust one's rotation but so weak that it's not worth the effort to cast.

I mean, the problem is that it is technically worth casting, it'd be a massive failing on SE's part to make it so underpowered that using a few seconds to cast it is actually sub optimal compared to just casting something else, but with how the mechanic to actually cast it works, it's damage doesn't feel worth all the hassle, even though mathmetically you should be doing it to maximize your damage. It feels like a meal you have to spend hours making only to realize when you finish and actually eat it you really don't like it, but you're stuck eating it anyway.

[Ferrinus]

Well, if it was stronger, you'd lose even more potency from failing to cast it (either on purpose or by accident), while if it was weaker, you'd feel less rewarded for managing to complete a full astral cycle without having to cut it short, so there's really no way to win.

After all, if Flare Star didn't exist, the reward for casting your sixth Fire IV would be even smaller, so it would feel even more pointless to do all that work, and, yet, it would still represent a small average potency increase, so we feel like we have to do it, so now we're complaining about Fire IV #6, wishing we only had 8400 max MP, etc.

[OgruMogru]

I personally think it'd be neat if casting flare star gave a blizzard 3 proc. It is a small dps gain to save f3 proc for after transpose, so I think if flare star also provided a proc like that for entering ice and skipping a weak b3 it could be a tiny bit of optimization without making flare star "too op" by itself. It would mean that if you find yourself in a situation where you have to use your f3 proc in AF you can still get a gain on transposing and if you manage your resources well you get to double transpose 2 weak spells.

[dspguy]

The playerbase min/maxes everything. If it makes sense to cast Flare Star, they will do so. If it makes sense to skip it and keep a certain rotation so other things line up, they will do so.

[Ggwppino]

Let's clarify that 400 potency is a bit fake, given that to cast it you are in AF3 + Enochian IV.
Bear in mind that it is a spell that is used after managing to cast 6 F4 in AF3. Making it too powerful would be really punishing if for any reason you don't succeed.
In my opinion its ok(?) because there is dps gain and still pushes you to optimize, but if for any reason you can't cast 6 F4 you don't want to throw yourself out of the arena unless you're parsing.

[Ferrinus]

I personally think it'd be neat if casting flare star gave a blizzard 3 proc. It is a small dps gain to save f3 proc for after transpose, so I think if flare star also provided a proc like that for entering ice and skipping a weak b3 it could be a tiny bit of optimization without making flare star "too op" by itself. It would mean that if you find yourself in a situation where you have to use your f3 proc in AF you can still get a gain on transposing and if you manage your resources well you get to double transpose 2 weak spells.

"Icefinisher" procs are a cute idea.

[AzaelOrunitia]

Also they're kind of stuck as far as FS potency goes. It has to be stronger than Despair otherwise what's even the point of having a level 100 capstone, but also they cannot really increase it's potency all that much.
No idea as to what the limit would be but increasing FS's potency could eventually open the door to double Flare->FS lines, and I think we all witnessed the war they're waging on any lines that aren't strictly standard Fire IVs...
So yeah if they do listen again to people's complaints, I'm curious about what they'll do with FS. The spell itself and Astral Souls need a complete overhaul...

[Tunda]

What will make flare star less worst is making it insta cast

I don't mind removing cast the animation all together

It doesn't feel good as xeno

[Valence]

Well, if it was stronger, you'd lose even more potency from failing to cast it (either on purpose or by accident), while if it was weaker, you'd feel less rewarded for managing to complete a full astral cycle without having to cut it short, so there's really no way to win.

After all, if Flare Star didn't exist, the reward for casting your sixth Fire IV would be even smaller, so it would feel even more pointless to do all that work, and, yet, it would still represent a small average potency increase, so we feel like we have to do it, so now we're complaining about Fire IV #6, wishing we only had 8400 max MP, etc.

There is a way to win: not force people to cast 6 F4 to cast it, which is the real reason behind its introduction in conjunction with the systematic demolition of non standard or even just early ice swaps for mechanical reasons.

Else the reason such skills as current Flare Star work on other jobs is because they don't necessarily rely on cutting short their rotation half way like BLM can.

Perhaps not losing stacks when swaping to Ice would help it immensely for starters. Could even bring some funky optimization of double flare stars in some astral fire windows, but we wouldn't want people to have some depth to their job right?

[Supersnow845]

Also they're kind of stuck as far as FS potency goes. It has to be stronger than Despair otherwise what's even the point of having a level 100 capstone, but also they cannot really increase it's potency all that much.
No idea as to what the limit would be but increasing FS's potency could eventually open the door to double Flare->FS lines, and I think we all witnessed the war they're waging on any lines that aren't strictly standard Fire IVs...
So yeah if they do listen again to people's complaints, I'm curious about what they'll do with FS. The spell itself and Astral Souls need a complete overhaul...

This would actually be hilarious so I calculated it

Standard line

Blizzard 4 (320 2.5 seconds)->paradox (500 2.5 seconds)->fire 3 (392 2.5 seconds)->high thunder (750 2.5 seconds)->3* fire 4 (1728 9 seconds)->paradox (500 2.5 seconds)->3* fire 4 (1728 9 seconds)->despair (630 3 seconds)->flare star (720 3 seconds)

Total rotation time 36.5 seconds total potency 7268

Hypothetical double flare line

Blizzard 4 (320 2.5 seconds)->paradox (500 2.5 seconds)->fire 3 (392 2.5 seconds)->high thunder (750 2.5 seconds)->flare (432 4 seconds)->paradox (500 2.5 seconds)->flare (432 4 seconds)->flare star (720 3 seconds)

Total time 23.5 seconds total potency 4046

Standard line potency per second 199
Double flare line potency per second 172

Double flare potency discrepancy 27 potency per second. Flare star would need to gain 635 potency after astral fire or 352 before for a final potency of 752