Card potencies (class specific)

[StouterTaru]

You Don't lose dps by adding à DoT

It will if that DoT extends the time for your rotation.

Optimal AoE (15 seconds ~170 Potency/sec with 3 mobs) - Transpose > Fire 3 > Fire 2 > Fire 2 > Flare > Repeat
Add in Thunder (18 seconds ~157 Potency/sec with 3 mobs) - Transpose > Thunder > Fire 3 > Fire 2 > Fire 2 > Flare > Repeat

It won't cast quick enough to not extend your rotation by 3 seconds. It won't take up enough time for you to get a 3rd tick of MP under UI (another Fire II).

[FunkyBunch]

It will if that DoT extends the time for your rotation.

Optimal AoE (15 seconds) - Transpose > Fire 3 > Fire 2 > Fire 2 > Repeat
Add in Thunder (18 seconds) - Transpose > Thunder > Fire 3 > Fire 2 > Fire 2 > Repeat

It won't cast quick enough to not extend your rotation by 3 seconds. It won't take up enough time for you to get a 3rd tick of MP under UI (another Fire II). Someone else can figure out the potency change, but I can tell you it is a substantial drop.

You forgot Flare...

[StouterTaru]

You forgot Flare...

Fixed it, and added in potency numbers, it's about an 8% drop in dps with only 3 mobs, larger with more mobs. That's before throwing in the thunderclouds, which won't make up the difference.

[Lilyth]

Arrow is not a DPS loss in any cirscunstance for a BLM, AoE or ST. Aimply put, Arrow means more fire IIs and more flares.

If you are annoyed that you wont get a second mana tick if you start casting fire III immediatly after flare, then just wait half a second before casting it. The timing is not that hard.

[FoxyAreku]

Fixed it, and added in potency numbers, it's about an 8% drop in dps with only 3 mobs, larger with more mobs. That's before throwing in the thunderclouds, which won't make up the difference.

The more spell speed the better as a black mage, arrow makes you cast faster with a lower GCD. There is nothing negative about it, telling someone to not arrow a black mage is silly.

[Lilyth]

I never said arrow was a dps loss, I said casting thunder because of arrow was a dps loss. It is not a dps gain because AoE rotation revolves around the 3 second server-side mp tick. It does not give you more Fire 2s or Flares, it's dps neutral. In an AoE situation, that arrow is much more useful on the tank keeping hate off me, or a MNK/DRG that knows how to AoE.

So you suggest that the AST annoys me for no gain instead of putting the card to actual use.

While that's true, that's not all there is for BLM AoE. On 3 targets you can safely use a sharp cast thunder and the extra SS would help you weave those TC procs. Not to mention the overall versatility of having faster cast times if you have to move or dodge an AoE. In the end of the day, if you dont like it you can always click it off.

[Rennies]

While that's true, that's not all there is for BLM AoE. On 3 targets you can safely use a sharp cast thunder and the extra SS would help you weave those TC procs. Not to mention the overall versatility of having faster cast times if you have to move or dodge and AoE. In the end of the day, if you dont like it you can always click it off.

If someone clicks off my buffs I'll probably just leave the run.

[FunkyBunch]

While that's true, that's not all there is for BLM AoE. On 3 targets you can safely use a sharp cast thunder and the extra SS would help you weave those TC procs. Not to mention the overall versatility of having faster cast times if you have to move or dodge an AoE. In the end of the day, if you dont like it you can always click it off.

Why would you ever us TC on the AoE rotation?
That costs you TWO F2 times (one for the T1 and one for the T3 proc because GCD is still GCD).
T1+TC proc=980 potency
2xF2=1080 potency on 3 mobs.

PLUS (most importantly) it slows down your Flares. Which is the entire purpose of the AoE rotation.
That is not a net gain on any day of the week. Furthermore, clicking off a buff is a pain in the butt on the PS4.

[Lilyth]

Why would you ever us TC on the AoE rotation?
That costs you TWO F2 times (one for the T1 and one for the T3 proc because GCD is still GCD).
T1+TC proc=980 potency
2xF2=1080 potency on 3 mobs.

PLUS (most importantly) it slows down your Flares. Which is the entire purpose of the AoE rotation.
That is not a net gain on any day of the week. Furthermore, clicking off a buff is a pain in the butt on the PS4.

A GCD is a GCD?
While two fire IIs take 6 seconds to cast (not taking into acount SS), a Thunder plus a TC proc only takes 5. And even then you're ignoring the possibility of another TC proc'ing for another 745.5 potency which is highly likely to happen with 2 mobs having Thunder (this is particularly fun to do when a known tank is still moving forward pulling mobs so you can keep moving with him and casting TC procs instead of scathes). I find 100 potency on an AoE pull is worth sacrificing for a chance of having a higher DPS, but that's just me.

Also you're not really losing any flares. You should always end the AoE pull with a Flare regardless of your MP so you'd only realistically lose a Flare if you delayed the rotation for around 10 or more seconds. And Fire II is only really a filler used until transpose comes off CD. You can easily swap a Fire II for a TC proc and still gain DPS (on 3 targets) while not delaying your rotation.

[StouterTaru]

A GCD is a GCD?
While two fire IIs take 6 seconds to cast (not taking into acount SS), a Thunder plus a TC proc only takes 5.

That's the heart of the issue, a GCD isn't the main factor in BLM Flare AoE. Your 2 GCD casts of 2.2 seconds each doesn't add 4.4 seconds to the rotation, it adds 6.0 seconds. Your rotation doesn't change from 15 seconds to 19.4 seconds, it becomes 21 seconds due to server side 3 second MP ticks.

(this is particularly fun to do when a known tank is still moving forward pulling mobs so you can keep moving with him and casting TC procs instead of scathes)

That is part of the pull, not part of the AoE rotation. Thundercloud works during the pull, at the start of a rotation to weave in RS/QS, and sometimes after that first Flare > Transpose while waiting on the first MP tick. After that first Transpose > Fire 3 it's a dps loss.