Black Mage Sanctuary - A Guide to DPS

[Wolf_Gang]

Should I use T3 procs in place of F4? Or just ignore until Umbral phase?

[Galvuu]

Should I use T3 procs in place of F4? Or just ignore until Umbral phase?

It's a priority system! The first rule is:
If your T3 is ticking, let it tick as much as possible. You can always let it tick thrice (9s).

For TC location in your 3.X rotation:
At the end of the UI cycle (guarantees full mana for next AF cycle) > Somewhere in your UI cycle > Somewhere in your AF cycle

For TC location in your 4.0 rotation (assuming no Triple or Sharpcast up):
At the end of the UI cycle (guarantees full mana for next AF cycle) > Somewhere in your UI cycle > Before your Fire (lose a Fire IV) = After your Fire (lose a Fire IV unless if you have Firestarter)
(If you get a Firestarter proc, you can refresh AF, so delay TC as much as possible, then use it and refresh AF. Sharpcast is equivalent to the Firestarter scenario, since you're guaranteed that proc)

For TC location in your 4.0 rotation (using Triple after F3):
At the end of the UI cycle (guarantees full mana for next AF cycle) > Somewhere in your UI cycle > Before your Fire (after Triple'd 3x Fire IVs) = After your Fire (before Triple'd 3x Fire IVs)

[Ferrasper]

snip
At the end of the UI cycle (guarantees full mana for next AF cycle) > Somewhere in your UI cycle > Before your Fire (after Triple'd 3x Fire IVs) = After your Fire (before Triple'd 3x Fire IVs)

I think I lost track of the amount of times TC timer disappeared in the 4.0 rotation. I definitely prefer using it more in 3.0 rotation.

Edit: I would like to add that I cleared the extreme training dummies faster with the 3.0 rotation then I did with the 4.0 rotation.

[Fatshine]

So what is the consensus right now regarding optimal rotation or is there not enough data yet?

Also, for the 3.0 rotation, is the best:

Blizzard III > LeyLines/Enochian > Blizzard IV > Thunder III > Fire III > Fire IV [x3] > Fire I > Fire IV > Blizzard III > Blizzard IV > Thunder III ?

Also, when do we use Procs? (Aside saving for movement) Thanks for the help.

P.S. I recently returned to the game. Left before 3.1 dropped after playing non stop through 2.0

[Thela]

So what is the consensus right now regarding optimal rotation or is there not enough data yet?

Also, for the 3.0 rotation, is the best:

Blizzard III > LeyLines/Enochian > Blizzard IV > Thunder III > Fire III > Fire IV [x3] > Fire I > Fire IV > Blizzard III > Blizzard IV > Thunder III ?

Also, when do we use Procs? (Aside saving for movement) Thanks for the help.

P.S. I recently returned to the game. Left before 3.1 dropped after playing non stop through 2.0

3.x rotation if movement is required (almost anything not a dummy) 4.0 rotation only if you can turret.

Blizzard IV is not used in the 3.x rotation outside of the opener, basically after opener would be T3->F3->F4->F4->F1->F4->F4->F4->B3->T3->F3... use procs whenever they occur, same for foul.

[Fatshine]

3.x rotation if movement is required (almost anything not a dummy) 4.0 rotation only if you can turret.

Blizzard IV is not used in the 3.x rotation outside of the opener, basically after opener would be T3->F3->F4->F4->F1->F4->F4->F4->B3->T3->F3... use procs whenever they occur, same for foul.

Cool thanks. Why is Blizzard IV not used outside the opener?

Also what about AOE rotation?

[magnanimousCynic]

B4 just isn't needed for 3.x rotation as we only use 4 F4s, making the MP discount wasted. It also makes our UI go by faster due to not casting it, meaning we spend more time in AF.

The AoE rotation I use is T4 > B4 > F3 > F2 > F2 > Flare > Foul > Flare > Transpose. I use TC procs whenever they come up.

[Galvuu]

B4 just isn't needed for 3.x rotation as we only use 4 F4s, making the MP discount wasted. It also makes our UI go by faster due to not casting it, meaning we spend more time in AF.

The AoE rotation I use is T4 > B4 > F3 > F2 > F2 > Flare > Foul > Flare > Transpose. I use TC procs whenever they come up.

Skip F2 for 3 enemies btw. Pps loss.

[soslinky]

I'd like to clear something out as people might be getting the wrong idea on this whole 4.0 versus 3.0 debacle. In terms of pure uninterrupted PPS, 4.0>3.0. Yet when translated to an actual non-dummy fight with necessary movement that causes interrupted F4 chaining, 3.0 surpasses 4.0. This does not mean you drop 4.0 like it's hot and use pure 3.0 outside the opener. No. If you want the best DPS possible you use 4.0 when it's applicable (those times where you can get away with B4>6 F4 uninterrupted), then revert back to a 3.0 AF phase when you need to move or when you need to get some T3Ps/Fouls off. PPS is merely the potential of a certain rotation that when applied as written on spreadsheets would yield the best end DPS. But mechanics and movement will severely alter that end DPS and in some cases, the concluded 'best' PPS rotation is overtaken by the inferior one.

I was in a blm discussion and I got burnt for stating 3.0>4.0. I may have chosen my words poorly and may have come off as someone promoting the use of solely 3.0 and abandoning 4.0 altogether. This is not my intention. I want to promote awareness that given the current state of BLM, you'd have to be willing to spend the majority of the fight on that 'shit rotation'(as someone coined it) called 3.0 if you want to get big deeps.

I did a run of Susano and I only cast B4 5 times and yielded a DPS score far greater than any i-will-4.0-for-the-majority-of-this-fight run I ever did. Yes, 4.0 should be primary and 3.0 is secondary. But none of that matters when on my best run so far, I was only able to set off 5 B4s and the majority of the fight was with 3.0 AF windows. Some people may say that I simply need to git gud with 4.0. Thing is, I've studied the fight and there simply is no way doing a pure 4.0 rotation would let you hit the numbers you would probably get by mixing it up. Purists would say their 4.0 numbers greatly exceeds whatever they're getting with a 3.0 run. I care not for a 4.0 run doing 200 DPS more than your 3.0 run if the DPS you are getting is 3700 and 3500 respectively. What matters to me is how do I get to the 4k club and in my experience, 4.0 when possible and 3.0 when it's not.

We should adapt with what we currently have as this has been what BLMs have been doing since day 1. If you aren't utilizing the tools you have, old and new, then I wish you luck in your quest for top-tier DPS.

[Thela]

I'd like to clear something out as people might be getting the wrong idea on this whole 4.0 versus 3.0 debacle. In terms of pure uninterrupted PPS, 4.0>3.0. Yet when translated to an actual non-dummy fight with necessary movement that causes interrupted F4 chaining, 3.0 surpasses 4.0. This does not mean you drop 4.0 like it's hot and use pure 3.0 outside the opener.

I don't think anyone has claimed otherwise? The problem is with the random nature of abilities targeting you for most encounters, you never really know if you can pull off a 4.0 AF phase or if you will be required to move during it, sure common sense where it applies, if you know you can turret for like 30 seconds or whatever, by all means utilize 4.0 rotation it is more dps after all if not interrupted. But again the problem is usually that you never quite know whatever you can pull it off or not beforehand, and this sadly means that its quite the opposite of what you suggested, 4.0 ONLY when you know you can pull it off and 3.x otherwise.