Couple BLM questions!

[ChickensEvil]

Wait, Thunder 1? I thought that one did less damage AND less up time? I thought the only real debate was between Thunder 2 and 3. For my proc rate, I tend to prefer Thunder 2 anyway since it is normally just barely wearing off as I am casting it, making it perfect (or near perfect) for timing. The only way Thunder 1 might be good is is you get 0 firestarter/thunder procs... so you burn through all your mana and still have your DoT on the target... but that is very rare.

The other issue I would have with T1 over T2 is that since the cast time is shorter, I might not get all my mana back up in time. I already have this happen on rare occasion using T2. It happens something like this: B3 - T2 - F3 (end up with ~2800 mana on tick shy of a full bar). This happens when the timing of the regen ticks just *happen* to fall out of line with my cast timer and thus I "miss" a tick. I would imagine this problem being even more of an issue with the shorter cast time on T1... so if T1 is somehow better what are you doing with that time gap to ensure a full mana bar? Not casting anything for half a second? Throwing in a scathe (thus being well over the proc regen timer?)

Maybe It is just an issue for me, because of the amount of spell speed I have, vs other people? Unless the spell speed would also speed up the mana regen ticks. But on a 5 minute fight using my normal rotation I have this "issue" happen to me at least 1 time.

[Shisou]

The only way Thunder 1 might be good is is you get 0 firestarter/thunder procs... so you burn through all your mana and still have your DoT on the target... but that is very rare.

^This situation is why it's there, yeah. I prefer a bit of DoT downtime at the end of Thunder to having wasted time in between GCD's in my rotation. It normally never happens, but I include it on the off-chance. Ymmv, of course. Thunder II syncs up perfectly so that I finish casting it in my UI cycle right as it's falling off.

[ChickensEvil]

^This situation is why it's there, yeah. I prefer a bit of DoT downtime at the end of Thunder to having wasted time in between GCD's in my rotation. It normally never happens, but I include it on the off-chance. Ymmv, of course. Thunder II syncs up perfectly so that I finish casting it in my UI cycle right as it's falling off.

My personal experience has also placed it where Thunder 2 seems to be wearing off just as I am casting it in a worst case scenario on procs, in a best case I lost the DoT because I get like 2 firestarter procs.