Black Mage Sanctuary - A Guide to DPS

[Sleigh]

Here's what I have, ignoring TC since all rotations can utilize it:

F4 F4 F4 F4 B3 T1 B4 F3 = 504 X 4, 161, 270, 280, 161 = 2888 potency over 22.5 seconds, or 128~ PPS
F4 F4 F1 F4 F4 B3 T1 B4 F3 = 2888 + 324 = 3212 over 25s, or 128~ PPS
F4 F4 F1 F4 F3P B3 T1 B4 F3 = 504 X 3, 324, 432, 161 X 2, 270, 280 = 3140 over 24.5s, or 128~ PPS (situational rotation, MP/Enochian not enough to get your final F4 in)
F4 F4 F1 F4 F4 F3P B3 T1 B4 F3 = 3212 + 432 = 3644 over 27.5s, or 132.5~ PPS (situational rotation, definitely can't always do this even with the proc due to MP/Enochian concerns but can occasionally)

In a vacuum the F4 F4 F1 F4 F4 rotation is one of the most mobile and leads to the average highest PPS due to its proc chance. That said ... with how MP and Enochian work, and TC procs work ... I'd say the F4 F4 F4 F4 rotation probably wins in practice, as simple as it is. If this napkin math is correct then they're all certainly close enough in PPS to go for the more consistent one. The F4X4 rotation also has the higher likelihood of being able to use a TC proc obtained in UI instead of AF, which is a pretty huge gain when that happens - well, it's a gain either way but more of a gain to rep a T1. Any mobility requirements/TC procs that would stop you from getting F4 F4 F4 F4 off can usually just be made into an additional F1 in there to maintain the rotation at some point.

If my napkin math's correct then ... yes I predict it will be wisest to do (opener/Sharpcast rotation) > F4X4 rotation > F4X4 rotation, assuming it's viable to do in the first place time wise. F1 rotations will always have a place if you need that F3P for possible mobility, of course.

If T2 in UI becomes the norm then F4 F4 F4 F4 will be the norm except on rotations where you have nearly full MP. F4 F4 F1 F4 F4 doesn't often let you immediately use T2 or B4 after B3.

Regardless of all that, if the F4X4 rotation works, do it if we get 10,000 MP. 10,200 MP works. 10,000 MP does not.

[OmegaStrongtan]

Wait our new rota is F4 F4 F4 F4 F1 B3 T1 B4 F3?

[Sleigh]

Definitely not.

It's either the same F4 F4 F1 F4 F4 as current, or F4 F4 F4 F4. Probably depends on MP and mobility requirements.

[BlackcatChen]

f4x4 would be totally worth it in situations where you need to do a 3rd blizzard 4 instead of popping a new enochian, since right now you would do 3 f4s and an f1 in whatever order you want for that. There's very few encounters in the game where you'll actually do this though.

[JackFross]

Quick question for all you blums, since this discussion came up as my friend finishes leveling to 60.

What's the optimal AoE rotation for Black Mage in 3.x?

I've been not bothering with Enochian for AoE, since I think cycling through Ice weakens the overall rotation, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Basically, mine has been:

F3>F2>F2>F2>Flare (x1-3)> [[ Transpose>(wait for 1 tick)>F3>F2>F2>Flare ]]

With the [[ x ]] part being repeated as long as shit's still alive, cycling to the mob with the most HP left during the F2 casts for the Flare>F3 part. I'm basically just asking if anyone's done the math on whether or not

[[ Transpose>B4>F3>F2>F2>Flare ]]

with Enochian would be higher dps (if you use B4 when you need it, ofc) and/or if there's a better AoE rotation I haven't managed to find that makes use of Enochian (or doesn't).


(Obviously not including buffs here, since I'm just looking for the generic rotation you'd be using most of the time, not the big burst opener, though the question of pot of INT v Max-Ether for bonus Flare is interesting to me)

[Waliel]

<stuff>
F3>F2>F2>F2>Flare (x1-3)> [[ Transpose>(wait for 1 tick)>F3>F2>F2>Flare ]]
</stuff>

F3 - F2 - F2 - Flare - Transpose - repeat is the norm. Done correctly, you will always get an instant mana tick after Transpose after the first rotation. B4 is less PPS than one F2 on two targets, and F2 on two targets is not even worth doing. Enochian is mostly number padding for AoE, as the 5% bonus with only 50% uptime rarely does anything meaningful.

One thing you can do is, if you need to burn specific mob(s) fast in where you'd otherwise use AoE, like the 4x dolls in A2S, is to do the single target rotation and replace one F4 with a Flare at the end. Transpose - B1 - B4 - F3 is what I've done after that. I'm not sure if B3 or B1 is better, but B1 gives you full mana and is better PPS than B3, and what time you save with UI3-F3, you lose by casting the B4 first. Or that's the logic I've gone with without doing any maths.

[drmambo1999]

^ Honestly, for AOE rotations that is pretty much what I use. I do throw is some fire 4s alternating on mobs though for some extra burst on ones that are close to dead though.

mine looks like this:

Sharp cast>F1>Leylines>enochian>F3 proc>F2>f2>f2>Flare>convert>swift cast>Flare>Transpose>Blizzard 4 followed by your rotation while throwing in F4s when needed to busrt down enemies. I am not sure the actual numbers sadly as I play on PS4 and still need to get myself parsed. XD

I will say that it certainly seems to make a difference using enochian though.

[Waliel]

I did some super rough calculations and thinking in my head while shopping about AoE and B4, and got this:

You have to B4 after every Flare.
Every B4 in AoE makes you lose 0.25xF3 + 0.5xF2 + 0.25xFlare worth of damage on average.
Every B4 in Aoe makes you gain 0.05xF3 + 0.1xF2 + 0.05xFlare + B4 worth of damage on average.
Wait... There's also mana ticks.

After getting here, I realised I needed a calculator, because casting B4 nets you another mana tic that can be used for extra F2 per rotation. After a quick test. you have to wait after every B4 to cast F3 or you might not get the tic because of SS (768 for me and didn't always get. Your mileage may vary depending on latency and button smash.)

Assuming instant mana ticks and 6 mobs (Flare 351 average). REPEAT(stuff) part is your actual rotation after emptying your mana once.

No Eno:

[F3 + F2 + F2 + F2 + Flare] + REPEAT([F3 + F2 + F2 + Flare]) = [240 + 540X + Flare (16,5s)] + [216 + 360X + Flare (13,5s)] = 5586/16,5 + 4482/15

First part: 338.5 PPS
Repeat: 298.8 PPS 15s tick

Eno:

[F3 + F2 + F2 + F2 + Flare] + REPEAT([B4 + F3 + F2 + F2 + F2 + Flare]) = [240 + 540X + Flare (16,5s)]x1,05 + REPEAT([280 + 216 + 540X + Flare (19,5s)]x1,05) = 5865,3/16,5 + 6159,3/21

First part: 355.5 PPS
Repeat: 293.3 PPS 21s ticks

Eno no refresh (have to use Eno after F3 to get second Flare at the start):

[F3 + F2 + F2 + F2 + Flare]x1,05 + REPEAT(2x[F3 + F2 + F2 + Flare]x1,05 + 2x[F3 + F2 + F2 + Flare]) = [240 + 540X + Flare (16,5s)] + REPEAT(2x[216 + 360X + Flare (13,5s)]1,05 + 2x[216 + 360X + Flare (13,5s)]) 5865,3/16,5 + (4706,1/15 + 4706,1/15 + 4482/15 + 4482/15)/4

First part: 355.5 PPS
Repeat: 306.3 PPS 15s ticks

----

Don't bother with trying to refresh Eno.

I feel like this is enough math to last me for the rest of the year.

[Hingin_Mince]

Hi all. Just need some expert guidence on something I have been thinking about.

Due to this new buff is the new stat priority Crit>SS>Det or still SS>Crit>Det? Spell speed was very useful before to give more flexibility in high movement situations although this won't be an issue anymore and we are limited in F4 usage per AF phase by MP anyway.

[thorgal]

Fellow Black mages who use a controller , what does your crosshotbar setup look like ?

I am trying a few different configurations out but i am curious how you have yours set up .