Is this it?

[Cynfael]

As others have said, BLM is very much a late bloomer in terms of fun factor and all-around effectiveness. I tend to prefer magic classes, but I remember thinking that BLM was surprisingly blah up until at least 44, and then tremendously more fun to play after hitting 50.

[Maero]

I agree very much with what everyone has said. I have out dpsed many dragoons and other dps on single targets but by no means does this mean blm is king everything. Aoe other classes do not come close to blm damage. Flare is the hell yes spell once you get it similar to when whm gets holy (feeling wise)
Coil and EX Primals is more so the test of a blm as position and less amount of movement is key to keep your dps up.
Aetherial manipulation is also of great use later on. Myself however i have always loved thaumaturge and then blm
Enjoy yourself and post back

[Serephine]

Definitely keep going with BLM! It is SO worth it! I'm a main BLM and though the rotation itself isn't hard, you definitely learn when to cast what spells, how to move and cast, when to use less popular spells, etc. Get to 50 then you will see how useful you are!

[ShaolinMike]

I started this game on the path to BLM, then decided to go with SMN (I lke pets). After taking SMN all the way to i99 and the animus weapon, I decided to come back to BLM; I don't think I'll be going back. Although it's been said that a good SMN will out DPS a BLM in a long fight, I like the challenge of balancing out putting up big DPS numbers along with having to move just enough to avoid danger. Even though the rotation itself is not very complex, the little nuances that take someone from being a herp-derp BLM to a serious DPS contributor and substantial enough to make it fun and challenging at the same time.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

BLM vs SMN DPS race over time is rather weird. In an extended, uninterrupted fight, Black Mages will actually outDPS summoners simply because they'll either run out of MP or have to use Aetherflow for Energy drain instead of Fester (which is a small damage loss). But this is extremely situational. The only encounters I could name up off the bat is T8. Combined with the conditions that the encounter lasts over 9 minutes (or perhaps less? I never timed this) and that the bard doesn't use ballad the entire encounter. While with the same conditions, a Black Mage can maintain it's rotation for the entire encounter without worrying about MP.

And before some people get butt hurt over mentioning the possibility for summoners to run out of MP: I did mention it's extremely situational.

[Roshidon1]

< is buthurt.

[Sanguisio]

That is basically it, its a simple job.
The movement aspect is the same for all caster jobs, not mention as a BLM you will have the mana shields to help.

As a BLM you are responsible for the burst damage and AOEs, if you wanna be more helpful use E4AE, Virus, Lethargy when necessary, save FS and TC procs if possible for high dps checks so learn the fight to know when your dps is required the most.

General things like if you are not going to use it to avoid DBS in T9 or T5 use mana shields to mitigate dmg on yourself.

Learn scathe, stutter step and proc usage.

[Zencurse]

After buffs, Black Mage does more single target damage in stand still situations than Summoners (as opposed to pre patch when they were relatively equal, with Summoners tending to pull ahead if skilled). However SMN utility and ability to do more dps on the move does seem more desirable at most times. That said a skilled Black Mage who knows how to minimize movement (which is where, as oft mentioned, the true complexity of this job is) through careful movement during procs, server delay on casts, and of course AM will not be as affected by movement as a less skilled Black Mage. All of these factors come together to make the Black Mage a very enjoyable (if not favorable over a Summoner during progression if running a double melee comp with a bard) and rewarding job. I whole-heartedly suggest it to anyone. Especially after the aformentioned buffs, which while they didn't address all of the Black Mage's issues, certainly made the job a little less clunky.

[Kaskel2000]

I can actually see why people seem to believe the blm job is boring. For me it was the first profession I levelled and found it to be really fun. Once I had gotten him to mid 90 iLvl I levelled a whm. WHen I went back to blm on things like the hard modes it was boring because I knew the fight inside out. These days I only really find blm fun in extreme modes where I do not really yet know the fights well enough. If i want to dps anything below extreme modes I'll normally take my smn now as there are just more buttons to press. If there is something easy where they need some reliable DPS I will take my blm as I'm more confident at hitting high numbers with knowing the fights. I'll also take my blm first into any new dungeon as I find it much easier to learn with such a simple roation, then once i know the dungeon/encounter, I'll heal or take my smn.

[FizzyGiggles]

I think BlackMage is a fun job at 50. I have played it since 1.0 and it has changed a lot. It is pretty boring until you get FireStarted, and then when you get your 50, you get flare. Now you can work Flares into rotations, time your raging strikes and manage mana to the fullest.

Moving in fights and maintaining high dps is the fun of the blackmage. A good blackmage can out dps lots of players if you move with procs, know when to scathe when the GCD wont effect your rotation, Utilize swift cast for spells, and absolutley minimize movement to as close to 0% as possible. Manawall is a helper, and fun!

Also if you can Apocotestasis the tank when magic dmg is incoming that helps. Even if it doesnt, its fun to use it!

Aetherial Manipulation is fun too if you are quick, but if you cant use it quickly then its a waste of a GCD. If it doesnt save you time, it takes away fire casting time.

I think its a blast, but I also think other jobs are great too.