Black Mage sends up a distress Flare!

[WordOnTheWind]

I submitted this as a suggestion to the in-game help desk, but I wanted to post it here for feedback.

With Enochian, we effectively have F4 replacing F1 as our "Cast this all the time" spell for the big numbers, then we switch over to ice to recharge in various respects. However, BMs now lack meaningful AoE which used to basically be the primary selling point of the class. To this end, I had an idea that I think would result in an agreeable solution.

With Enochian: Flare is altered; Minimum MP cost becomes it's actual cost, it does not generate Astral Fire stacks, and it's damage falls off as per increased target numbers. This is being frugal with channeling the power from Enochian through Flare.

Without Enochian: Flare operates as it always has; MP has a minimum price but always drops to 0, Astral Fire stacks go to 3, damage does not fall off for increasing target numbers as per prior to HW. This is dumping in all of one's power for the biggest boom.

[WordOnTheWind]

(Had a character limitation, thus the two separate posts. My apologies.)

This would bring about a functional equivalent to F2 while under Enochian being a slower casting, lower potency AoE spell, much like how F4 is equivalent to F1 as a faster casting, higher potency spell. Further it would also blend well with the use of prior actions, such as Leylines which is of novel use while performing the Enochian in casual play. In this case, Leylines would be key to getting maximum casts of Flare out per volley and maintaining Astral Fire.

I feel this would help restore the Black Mage's class identity as an AoE thrower and make it fun to play again, because as things stand, everyone I knew who was a black mage isn't any more.

[Sleigh]

BLM doesn't need buffs to its AoE, unless you advocate SMN and BLM should be nearly equal in that department.

If so, SMN needs about 10% more single target DPS, and that's a can of worms we don't want to open.

[BptzLegend]

I agree with this. I would also like to see a set refresh timer for using Blizzard IV to refresh Enochian. Every other DPS with the same restrictions have set refresh timers. I do want to see B4 reset the timer, but that may be asking too much.

[BptzLegend]

Sleigh,

I am not trying to challenge your logic. I'm genuinely curious. What would be so bad about allowing SMN to do 10% more single target damage?

[Sleigh]

It would outclass BLM in almost every way. Funny thing is SMN actually does need a little help in the ST department regardless, right now in the current environment, but at least SMN is the god of AoE to help compensate the difference.

SMN = AoE king, low-end ST compared to all DPS, mobile, consistent, options galore
BLM = ST king, high-end AoE compared to everyone but SMN, relatively immobile beyond short bursts of movement, riskier compared to SMN in progression and honestly in general, you're just more likely to have an execution error on BLM than SMN.

You give BLM an AoE buff and it's gotta get toned down in ST, or SMN needs to get buffed in ST, or SMN needs to get their AoE toned down (which would be terrible because that's just about all they have right now DPS wise), or some combo of these three things in some fashion.

[WordOnTheWind]

I was being outdone on AoE damage by a White Mage throwing Holy. my F2/Flarex2 was largely negligible. I'd rather Summoners be better at single and BMs be better at AoE. AoEs are the reason I leveled the class in the first place. I find the switch to F4 all day with all of the timer juggling and immobility to be a miserable, unfun trade off and the most enjoyment I get out of playing my class to be the occasional World of Darkness runs that crop up. I could at least live with the Enochian dance if I had my AoE back.

[Xisin]

Pretty much what seigh said. spamming flare woulod be a really bad idea because if flare is hit on 3 targets or less, it's actually more effective than death-flare. The drawback of course is smn gets a clean transition into anything else they want whileblm waits for ticks. That said, blm is perfectly fin in the aoe department. I break over 2k dps in A2 savage now. (summoners still destroy that number however.) But nothing else except for maybe monk can get that.

And ya smns need a small nudge in ST. mayble like a 1-2% increase.

I was being outdone on AoE damage by a White Mage throwing Holy. my F2/Flarex2 was largely negligible. I'd rather Summoners be better at single and BMs be better at AoE. AoEs are the reason I leveled the class in the first place. I find the switch to F4 all day with all of the timer juggling and immobility to be a miserable, unfun trade off and the most enjoyment I get out of playing my class to be the occasional World of Darkness runs that crop up. I could at least live with the Enochian dance if I had my AoE back.

Then either you are playing poorly or the fight only lasted 2-3 globals. with fire 3 being one of the globals

Still think this is the best caster patch the game has seen so far, contends with 2.0 i suppose.

[BptzLegend]

While BLM may have better ST, I think you hit the nail on the head, execution. With the current Enochian restrictions, every time a BLM moves, they essentially lose a cast of F4. Of course, fight knowledge helps time these things more adequately, but there are still a lot of fights that randomly target the BLM (or any DPS). A moving a BLM is not a damaging BLM. It is a delicate balance, yes, but some sort of buff would make the BLM more viable than it currently is.

[Lumivyory]

It would outclass BLM in almost every way. Funny thing is SMN actually does need a little help in the ST department regardless, right now in the current environment, but at least SMN is the god of AoE to help compensate the difference.

I suppose that makes sence but the thing is, after 3.0 SMN got buffed in every way.
They don't have such low ST damage anymore, and they are pretty much OP, especially in PvP. While BLM needs to cast every single spell SMN has Fester, Painflare and Deathflare which are all instant skills that hit very hard. Yes, SMN can't use them without Aetherflow stacks, but it's not taking such a long time to get them back.
I understand that maybe they wanted to make it that SMN wouldn't be too far below BLM damage-wise but imo they overdid it. BLM got AoE nerfed while SMN got boosted in both ST and AoE way. They have a looot of instant spells, even the one that puts all the DoTs at once.
We could at least have Flare the way it used to be. I don't see how it would affect SMN as "AoE-king", they still have a lot of AoE and most of them are instant spells.