Black Mage - streamline the remaining spells

[Reinhardt_Azureheim]

I think I'd stick to what I once wrote before:

1. As a result, AoE spells are now removed. Or rather, they are now the default. They are all X potency + 50% AoE or so, and everything you do is automatically AoE, with an unnaturally wide radius. Big badaboom. This solves the AoE rotation problem.
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2. Upgrade the spells as would be sensible during levelling, giving each new mechanism not via a trait in itself, but as Fire I turns into Fire II for example.
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3. Overall rotation ~unchanged, you use Fire IV / Blizzard IV to enter their respective elements now, the effect the spells have just changes based on which stance you're in. This removes the need to even have Fire III / Blizzard III as separate spells.
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4. I'm definitely with you on Scathe, and I'd just go into removing it. Maaaaybe have it for levelling before a trait turns it into Triplecast? That'd be an idea.

Hi Carighan, here my opinions on your points (I took liberty to enumerate them for easier reading):

1. This... solves the AOE problem, by utterly reducing Black Mage's spell arsenal to virtually nothing, which is an incredibly lazy approach that even Summoner has yet to reach.
   
   It will also cause immense issues in two scenarios.
   • By removing single-target spells, Black Mage in any fight with 2+ targets will now be a balancing nightmare and they will either be OP, or receive nerfs accordingly to either make the AOE pitifully weak or have total potency account for it, meaning less 1-target damage.
   • Fights where you have to AVOID using AOE (controlled damage, see Jagd Dolls in Alexander Ultimate Phase 1 for instance) will be significantly harder for a Black Mage where it might not even be worth the hassle.
2. Not a fan of that. A lot of enjoyability about Black Mage is the variety in animations - just straight upgrading spells will lead to visual monotony.
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3. REALLY not a fan of that. Fire III + Blizzard III currently offer a fun way to optimize your damage by managing Firestarter procs, Swift/Triplecast for Blizzard III and Transpose for stance switching, so I am against the removal of it by folding everything into a single elemental spell. It will also make Paradox lose a fair bit of purpose by removing Firestarter/Fire III that way - so yes, it actually has significant impact to the spell rotation.
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4. Removing would be the nuclear option, but I'd prefer if they did something with it that doesnt kill a use of Fire I/Fire IV/Paradox (you need 800 MP to cast Despair/Flare, you usually have 1200 MP, so 400 MP budget for it).