Why is BLM getting a buff?

[RygaenYuui]

This has to be the first FF game I've ever played where BLM is not a powerhouse glass cannon...So why not make use of exploiting elemental resistances? Or does that not apply to enemy mobs?

And if it doesn't, who's bright idea was it to not include it in the damage calculations?

Or how about allowing for double casting on single target spells?

[Raestloz]

And if it doesn't, who's bright idea was it to not include it in the damage calculations?

The problem lies in the fact that they want BLM to only use Fire and Frost. They throw a bit of Arcana there like Scathe, but mostly Fire and Frost

I don't like the idea of that, I agree.

But I don't know how to implement elemental weakness. If you include a weakness, everyone will start using only magic class. If you only include strength against, even if you include multiple magics they'll just use either one and be done with it.

BLM itself needs to be overhauled. The current idea is just terrible, but I don't know how they can achieve it.

And why, for all that is holy, is Fire not the DoT and Thunder be the direct damage?

[Kiara]

But I don't know how to implement elemental weakness. If you include a weakness, everyone will start using only magic class. If you only include strength against, even if you include multiple magics they'll just use either one and be done with it.

@ Rygaen, Raestloz,

Good questions about Elemental Weakness. There were a lot of good threads and feedback to the Devs during 2.0 Beta from myself and many others. An Elemental system is one of those staples and fits "Final Fantasy" so well, but Yoshi P decided against it. Even back then, many of us felt it made no sense that you're nuking and damaging Ifrit (a being of pure FIRE), with "Fire" spells, LOL.

Some of the suggestions would've worked, such as:

* Melee Classes could have Weaponskills with Elemental Aspects to them (e.g., "Red Lotus Blade" (would have Fire Damage Properties in addition to regular Damage)).

* Materia could imbue a Job with Elemental Aspects (e.g., an "Ice IV" Materia could grant "+ Ice Damage"). (Of course this was before their decision to make Materia meldable gear generally less powerful.)

* And ultimately we weren't asking for any game-breaking Bonus Elemental damage; just enough to make it worthwhile and interesting.

Final Fantasy feels better with Elements meaning something. It's more engaging IMHO.

The irony in all this is that Yoshi P's answer back in Beta was that Elemental Systems would lead to imbalance because people would just play Black Mage (or any Elemental user). But here we are at 2.28, and there are clearly imbalances, and hierarchies for Job / DPS output, etc., and BLM is actually not desired.

Removing the Elemental Wheel didn't make all the Jobs "balanced" nor "even" in terms of usability at all. It's just led to blander, vanilla Jobs.

[Verne]

So why not make use of exploiting elemental resistances? Or does that not apply to enemy mobs?

And if it doesn't, who's bright idea was it to not include it in the damage calculations?

This is a design decision that actually makes a lot of sense with the current system. Black Mage was a much different class (not that all weren't) back in 1.xx, where resistances were actually A Thing. Now we have our Big Damage spells, our MP Recovery Spells, and our DoT Spells, all being of different elements, but getting their fair use and having roles to play.

Imagine if it were like 1.xx. You could not cast fire spells on Ifrit. Most of what you did on BLM in 1.xx was Thunder --> Thunder II (and it was not an issue because Ramuh was not around then). We'd also get the shaft if/when they'd have added Shiva, as we would not be able to transition into UI3 effectively. The lack of resistances on enemies, from a game play perspective, makes sense as is.

As an aside, the only thing I do miss from 1.xx is Freeze. God, Freeze used to be so awesome.

[hotroderx]

This has to be the first FF game I've ever played where BLM is not a powerhouse glass cannon...So why not make use of exploiting elemental resistances? Or does that not apply to enemy mobs?

And if it doesn't, who's bright idea was it to not include it in the damage calculations?

Or how about allowing for double casting on single target spells?

I think this post nails it. BLM should be the highest DPS in the game with the lowest armor and health pools. They should be a glass cannon capable of dishing out extreme damage but unable to take it. Monks and Drags both have higher health pulls and wear high armor gear compared to blm cloth. Why hasn't anyone brought up survivability yet? As a WHM healer and a BLM main I can say for a fact its much easier to heal a monk or a Drag then it is to heal a BLM. That should factor into DPS output. Otherwise the argument can be made that tanks should be on par with all other classes for damage output.

[Alukah]

I think this post nails it. BLM should be the highest DPS in the game with the lowest armor and health pools. They should be a glass cannon capable of dishing out extreme damage but unable to take it. Monks and Drags both have higher health pulls and wear high armor gear compared to blm cloth. Why hasn't anyone brought up survivability yet? As a WHM healer and a BLM main I can say for a fact its much easier to heal a monk or a Drag then it is to heal a BLM. That should factor into DPS output. Otherwise the argument can be made that tanks should be on par with all other classes for damage output.

BLM should be whatever the devs decide it should be.

Bringing up survivability, melee is more likely to get hit than caster, the devs just went with "high risk - high reward", hp pools have little to do with this.

[Halloween]

I think they're going about it the wrong way. Sure, our top single target dps may not be able to reach as high as mnk or even smn, but we shouldn't just have a damage increase. Give us the tools to keep our dps high in movememnt heavy fights and let us learn to use them. Give blm's a faster swiftcast cd, Make Surecast not useless, maybe a buff that lets us cast while moving for 10 seconds.

I don't understand why the devs always go for the simplest ideas and fixes

[Kenji1134]

I think they're going about it the wrong way. Sure, our top single target dps may not be able to reach as high as mnk or even smn, but we shouldn't just have a damage increase. Give us the tools to keep our dps high in movememnt heavy fights and let us learn to use them. Give blm's a faster swiftcast cd, Make Surecast not useless, maybe a buff that lets us cast while moving for 10 seconds.

I don't understand why the devs always go for the simplest ideas and fixes

I, and several other members of the community have been throwing around the idea of making Surecast allow BLM to cast on the run for a short time FOR MONTHS...
Somehow people dont want to do that... Probably people who've never played BOTH BLM and SMN on T6.

[Halloween]

In my static, our tank quit and the first idea was to get rid of me blm and make me war so we could get a smn replacement ;-p I like war just the same, but it's just the way the environment is for blm's in coil2

[Ransu]

Wasn't blm supposed to get buffed in today's patch? I saw no mention of it in the patch notes.