Black Mage or Summoner, which is the easier Magic-based DPS class?

[Tharian]

I wasn't sure if this really belonged here, or if I should post it in the Disciple of Magic section of the forums, but I wanted an opinion, and this seemed like the best section to post this in...

I was wondering if you guys could help me figure out which of the two main Magic DPS is easier to play at end game? I have heard several different opinions on the matter. Some people say that Black Mage is easier, while others claim that Summoner is easier.

The main thing that I need people to keep in mind is that I am not necessarily looking for a class that I can play high tier Alexander Savage, and the new Primal Extreme stuff with, as I personally think that those things may be a tad bit outside of my league at the moment. What I am looking for is a class that is fun to play, but also which doesn't have a huge amount of graphical errors the way that Bard does.

For a long time Bard was my go-to class, but lately that has changed as I realized I am not really fond of the graphical errors caused by the quivers on most of the end-game Bows.

[Waliel]

There's a DoM sub-forum...?

You're changing your job because of quivers clipping? I guess that's a reason as any. Anyways, from what I know about SMNs -- which is not that much in the end, I'll give you that -- it seems that BLM would have the more straightforward rotation in the the sense that you basically use two different spells in fire, one to two in ice, and two different for transitioning between them. There's more to it than that, of course, but that's the basic gist of it. It's also very error-prone and you can easily screw yourself over if you're not used to the timers you have to manage which, by the way, should get more lenient come next patch. At least Enochianless DPS is not horrible tier, but still drops noticeably. Any movement can and probably will kill BLM DPS, if you're not used to the fight

SMN, I believe, has more min-maxing than BLM and their opener is quite complicated from what I've heard, but you shouldn't need to worry too mcuh about that, if you're not interested in the end game raids, and I don't think you can do too much wrong with the Dreadwyrm Trance as long as you don't blow Deahtflare immediately. Pet management is also a thing, but they can work pretty autonomously, which is good enough for dungeons -- unless it's a Garuda throwing mobs around. Please don't do that. I don't even know what knockback works on nowadays, though.

BLM staves tend to clip through benches and big hats.

I think it's more about the playstyle in the end. Do you like watching your dot timers and managing your pet while doing constant small stream of numbers, or do you want to keep an eye out for self buffs and making sure they don't drop while getting big hits in? Someone who actually plays Summoner can chime in more, and the BLM explanation was pretty bare bones.

[Sleigh]

SMN.

SMN might even be the easiest DPS at level 60; you learn how to execute your desired opener, and you just do it. Any changes in the fights are usually pluses to the rotation, like multi-DoTing or getting some stronger Painflare/Deathflare action and with some practice, it's really easy to know how to adjust. Hopefully you have a preference for a lot of buttons though, if you're on a controller be prepared to swap between 2-3 pages of commands constantly.

BLM presses less but has the potential to get screwed over much harder. It's not exactly rocket science but you can't just learn the rotation and go do well, you're adapting many things to any fight at hand.

[Tharian]

There's a DoM sub-forum...?

Oops, ignore that part... that was a relic from where I originally posted this...

The clipping through benches and big hats shouldn't be a problem on Black Mage for me, as I tend to not have the weapon visible when sitting. The main problem I had with Bard was that it clipped when it was out for attacks, which was irksome for me.

My biggest problem that I have is the level to which I tend to tunnel vision. My tunnel visioning is the primary reason I can't play tanks, as I tend to focus on doing one thing to the exclusion of all else, which is why the more people describe the level of stuff that the Summoner has to focus on, the less I am beginning to think that particular class is really for me...

[MagiusNecros]

Do you want to manage a Pet and manage all your DoT attacks on all enemies while having free movement? And shooting the occasional Satellite Laser? Summoner is for you.

Or do you want to just stand still and blow the crap out of something and never really worry about MP? Black Mage is for you.

So take your pick. Watch things burn slowly or give them the bomb.

[SnugglesD]

SMN is much more involved than BLM, but also more forgiving. SMN is easier for learning fights and BLM is easier once you know the mechanics.

Its easier to be a decent SMN than a decent BLM, but harder to be a great SMN than a great BLM.

It really just comes down to personal preference and play style. SMN requires more micromanaging and BLM requires more raid awareness.

[Tharian]

SMN is much more involved than BLM, but also more forgiving. SMN is easier for learning fights and BLM is easier once you know the mechanics.

Its easier to be a decent SMN than a decent BLM, but harder to be a great SMN than a great BLM.

It really just comes down to personal preference and play style. SMN requires more micromanaging and BLM requires more raid awareness.

I guess what I really want to know then is this:

Will end-game Raid Groups take a "decent" Summoner, or will they only take those of the "great" category?

I ask mainly because I have enough experience micromanaging pets due to having spent most of my level 30-60 time leveling Scholar, but I don't think I am quite up to par to being a truly Great Summoner at the current time...

[Sleigh]

I guess what I really want to know then is this:

Will end-game Raid Groups take a "decent" Summoner, or will they only take those of the "great" category?

I ask mainly because I have enough experience micromanaging pets due to having spent most of my level 30-60 time leveling Scholar, but I don't think I am quite up to par to being a truly Great Summoner at the current time...

Groups take SMN. Very few groups will only take one or the other, unless it's a group stuck on A2 Savage I suppose.

[Tharian]

And is it possible to be a "decent" Summoner without having an absolutely perfected Opening Rotation?

I only ask because I am not nearly obsessive compulsive enough to really spend a crap ton of time perfecting the opening rotation at the current time.

[Sidra]

Well...you are looking for an end game raid group. So when you move beyond the level of casual play, you really should learn your opener pretty well. It takes practice to be good at any job in this game. And the opener is the easy part. Chopping up your rotation to maximize dps as bosses jump and become invulnerable, adds pop, and you do mechanics is where more of the learning and skill kick in. Your opener should just be muscle memory...which it won't be...if you don't practice it and use it pretty frequently. That being said, even if you don't dummy practice it, you will have plenty of time to work on it as you group wipes over and over in A3.

Don't confuse being obsessive compulsive and wanting to the the best teammate you can be, within reason. They are not the same thing. If I was a raid leader, and your post was an application...I wouldn't take you. But it has nothing to do with the job you are playing. So much has to happen to have a strong raid team to come together and succeed, not wanting to put in some effort to perfect your opener isn't a great sign of things to come. Caring about your performance and putting in effort to be good are a core part of becoming successful. If you deem that as a chore, instead of fun, perhaps end game raiding isn’t for you.