Getting back different tier spells?

[Jynx]

How often did you actually ever cast a previous-tier spell in XI?

If you were a good mage? Often.

[Raldo]

If you were a good mage? Often.

Your myriad examples are breathtaking. Thank you for explaining it all to me.

[Jynx]

Your myriad examples are breathtaking. Thank you for explaining it all to me.

Oh I'm sorry if it wasn't obvious.

MP managment is pretty much the prime example of why you would be selective of your tiers, not wasting MP on a overzealous cure or a overpowered nuke could give you much better DoT than pulling massive ammounts of emnity or wasting MP that you didn't need to.

So yeah...good mages knew how to select tiers.

[Alhanelem]

Oh I'm sorry if it wasn't obvious.

MP managment is pretty much the prime example of why you would be selective of your tiers, not wasting MP on a overzealous cure or a overpowered nuke could give you much better DoT than pulling massive ammounts of emnity or wasting MP that you didn't need to.

So yeah...good mages knew how to select tiers.

FFXI did a reasonable job of enabling lower tiers to be relevant in some cases. But WHM was really the only job where you EVER used less than the highest tier spell until that stupid proc system came out and had you casting random spells just for the sake of casting them. And FFXI was like the exception to the rule. Most other games had tiered spells become irrelevant as soon as you gt the next tier- it got to the point in WoW where the lower tier spells are hidden from your spell book unless you consciously choose to view them.

In FFXIV, the current system still allows you to chose spending more MP for more healing or less for less.

Sometimes simpler is better.

[RudyFails]

Oh I'm sorry if it wasn't obvious.

MP managment is pretty much the prime example of why you would be selective of your tiers, not wasting MP on a overzealous cure or a overpowered nuke could give you much better DoT than pulling massive ammounts of emnity or wasting MP that you didn't need to.

So yeah...good mages knew how to select tiers.

This guy is right on the money (per usual). I can't describe the frustration of knocking a mob to about to 5% only to have to cast a 300mp spell, or pull out my weapon and smack it for 15 seconds. So yea, it CAN be useful.

[tymora]

If you were a good mage? Often.

Jynx is right. We use lower tiers when
1) We're near hate cap
2) Mob only needs a low level nuke to die - MP conservation
3) Doing a double Magic Burst.
4) Timers

So yes, quite often.