They are gutting Black Mage even more in 7.2

[Nadda]

I know nothing about Black Mages but from reading and listening to a lot of Black Mage players - I do believe this is a step too far.

This is more than player dramatism.

This issue needs daylight and addressing.

[Daralii]

I know nothing about Black Mages but from reading and listening to a lot of Black Mage players - I do believe this is a step too far.

This is more than player dramatism.

This issue needs daylight and addressing.

Removing the timers and reducing the cast times so drastically brings it from one of the most difficult jobs to one of the easiest, very close to SMN territory. Keep Thunder up, don't overcap Polyglot, and know the correct(and obvious) static sequence for fire phases. That's all it has left.

[Kozh]

If this is the direction of jobs redesign in 8.0 ....

Though tbh I kinda want to see the community's meltdown if it's true lol

[Rithy255]

If this is the direction of jobs redesign in 8.0 ....

Though tbh I kinda want to see the community's meltdown if it's true lol

What you talking about jobs are already at the same level as the new black mage, black mage was the only sort of unique job left.

[Jeeqbit]

Black Mage was pretty much the last job left if you wanted to feel what jobs used to be like, and we are entering the "final days" of that now.

[User202503201232]

If this is the direction of jobs redesign in 8.0 ....

Though tbh I kinda want to see the community's meltdown if it's true lol

What can meltdowns do in this day and age?

The developers do not care. There won't be a reversal. They haven't cared about feedback in a long time now, except for random troll feedbacks on 2ch like SGE icon triggering a medically unrecognized "condition".

[Noveen]

As a veteran player of over 10 years, and as someone who has always gravitated back to BLM after flirting with other jobs, the projected 7.2 BLM changes have become a sad indictment of a process of streamlining that began in Shadowbringers and has culminated in the attack on identity of a job - admittedly one that's had its up and downs over the years - that represents a beloved and daring take on the caster role.

In a game that heavily enforces at least one job from each role in a standard party composition, it beggars belief that variety in gameplay style has been seen as anathema to the design of said jobs, and that there does not exist a spectrum of difficulty, class identity, and gameplay mechanics represented within each role, to offer something for everyone. Understandably, such a pursuit may inevitably lead to balance disparity, but I would argue that in attempting to appease everyone, such a philosophy ultimately pleases no one, and instead leaves a stale gruel of homogenisation that is bereft of charm and flavour.

I say this with no hyperbole, but I would have played BLM with all of its quirks and nuances until FFXIV's last dying gasp.

It seems laboured to reiterate what many have said before, and probably more eloquently and in-depth, but gameplay and job identity is the vehicle with which the player engages with the world of an MMO, and is the lens through which the experience is perceived. We've seen the homogenisation of tanks, then healers, the gutting of BRD's dot mechanics, the controversial reworking of SMN, the questionable changes to SAM, the peripatetic reworks of AST and MNK, the slavish obedience to the 2 minute buff meta, the panicked stripping of any 'stressful' aspects of VPR, and the list could go on and on.

Perhaps the problem is an individual one, but when a Live Letter that promises such a colossal amount of content fails to generate any excitement or spark - mainly due to the rehashed nature of its contents - and also portends the needless mutilation of a core job identity then it is difficult to remain invested in a a product that seemingly neglects parts of its audience. If there are actually voices crying out for such changes to BLM job identity, then perhaps consideration should also be concentrated towards the quieter but content portion that were perfectly happy with BLM as it was, and largely has been through the game's life.

Be as it may, and with little evidence to suggest that SE listen to such feedback - even if it is from the minority - then there is no recourse but to detach from the game and vote with one's wallet, which is not done with any vindictiveness but with a heavy heart, and a hope that there may again in the future be a space for a Lalafell that desires simple things in life: to wear an oversized hat, stand in place and with a grin on their face, and to melt things with long but satisfying blasts of Fire IV.

[ElysiumDragon]

So honestly?

After speaking to other Black Mage players, and taking some time to play Black Mage some more, I've changed my mind somewhat, and believe that removing the Enochian timer is probably a step too far. Reducing the cast times is objectively the correct decision, as the existing cast times make Black Mage feel clunky to play compared to every other job in the game.

However, Black Mage, if I'm seeing it correctly, is actually fairly simple to understand in it's current iteration, and the old memes of spreadsheets and 40+ page Google documents are largely a thing of the past.

[Supersnow845]

So honestly?

After speaking to other Black Mage players, and taking some time to play Black Mage some more, I've changed my mind somewhat, and believe that removing the Enochian timer is probably a step too far. Reducing the cast times is objectively the correct decision, as the existing cast times make Black Mage feel clunky to play compared to every other job in the game.

However, Black Mage, if I'm seeing it correctly, is actually fairly simple to understand in it's current iteration, and the old memes of spreadsheets and 40+ page Google documents are largely a thing of the past.

Why do long timers make BLM clunky?

Like PCT’s reverse aetherhue combo and muses are longer than an average BLM class and nobody ever calls them clunky

[TheDustyOne]

It helps if we can define what "clunky" even means.

I've heard old PLD defined as clunky, SCH Energy Drain, Kaiten, long cast times, cast times in general, every gap closer. What counts as clunky and not? And within that definition, why would X mechanic count as clunky?