Card potencies (class specific)

[FunkyBunch]

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.

Okay, I have now calculated it out. And there are three caveats to the data:
It assumes the PIE buff, and you get 4 (including sharp cast, which is around one more than statistically likely) TC procs over 63 seconds (without the PIE buff you literally cannot still cast the optimal F2s in the opener as you only have 85 MP left over with it) and it assumes you don't swiftcast->convert->flare.
It gets you 11402 potency over 63 seconds vs 10876 over 63 seconds. (these are some tough bloody mobs! but I needed rotations that balanced out).
These numbers were corrected for server side MP ticks. (EG-all portions where there was zero MP the time was rounded to the NEXT 3 second multiple).

Technically you appear correct, in that it's slightly better (potency wise) to use TC with 3 and only 3 mobs. IF you get 4 TC procs.
With that rotation though, you do lose out on 1 F3, 2 F2s and one Flare. So while strictly a minor potency increase, you lose out on 7 crit chances by having five extra single target spells. So I'm not sure the potency difference will actually make a DPS difference. Further, adding single target spells like TC will only serve to make it more likely one mob dies early even with proper target rotation which would again decrease potency.

To me it seems just like a way to make it seem busier with no real net benefit and rather large potential downside (losing an AoE target early) since there's no real group of 3 mobs that will take 63 seconds to kill.

[Judge_Xero]

I would say that Arrow for BRD is almost as potent as Balance.

While you wont get the damage to any of your oGCD skills, what you will get is a change in the # of Heavy Shots you can cast in a single target rotation. This will equate to a higher chance of getting Straighter Shot procs.

Getting extra SS procs allows you to replace a Straighter Shot with a Heavy Shot (+10 Potency) and a Heavy Shot with a SS Proc 150 Potency VS 140 Potency * Crit Multiplier.
So not only does get you extra damage, but it also greatly increases your average Potency/s for the duration.

AOE is pretty nice too for quickly multi-dotting + AOE Spam.

[Shurrikhan]

I would say that Arrow for BRD is almost as potent as Balance.

While you wont get the damage to any of your oGCD skills, what you will get is a change in the # of Heavy Shots you can cast in a single target rotation. This will equate to a higher chance of getting Straighter Shot procs.

Getting extra SS procs allows you to replace a Straighter Shot with a Heavy Shot (+10 Potency) and a Heavy Shot with a SS Proc 150 Potency VS 140 Potency * Crit Multiplier.
So not only does get you extra damage, but it also greatly increases your average Potency/s for the duration.

AOE is pretty nice too for quickly multi-dotting + AOE Spam.

In pure AoE where you won't run out of TP Arrow and Balance are basically identical bonuses. In any other situation, Balance is noticeably superior, especially if you have oGCDs at the ready.
Getting in an extra Heavy Shot, a filler of 150 potency—with a 20% chance at triggering 60(1-<Crit Rate>) relative potency bonus damage on a following filler GCD—per 18 seconds / rotational string, does not make up for the lost 10% damage of that whole string. That'd award you around 157 potency at a 30% crit chance (40% with SS). Compare that to the minimum 162 weaponskill bonus potency of Balance:

44 + 41 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 14 ;

starting the string with IJ increases that by a further 9, and each Straighter Shot produces a relative 6*(1-<crit rate>) more bonus potency.

plus 10% of all oGCD and AA damage dealt).

Arrow's anywhere from 93% to a mere ~50% of the bonus of Balance when not locked to filler damage (as in pure AoE — Quick Nock/Wide Volley spam).

[Venjamin]

Yeaaaaaah, I've been told about 9102801924 times to never hit a BLM with Arrow OR Ewer. They say it messes up their rotations somehow, so I don't. I hit them with Balance. Arrow almost always goes to a nin/dragoon/mch from me. BLM gets balance, Myself or alternate healer gets Ewer if I didn't RR it. Spire is pretty much always RR'd, unless for some odd reason someone is significantly down on the TP, but that's pretty rare. Spear is my "let's hope shuffle is up" but I use it if I draw it right before a fight, otherwise it's kind of iffy at best. RR if no RR is up.

[Saseal]

.....so, in other words - I'm not going to hit a BLM with arrow, again. o_o
I guess AoE-ing arrows with a BLM in the party would be the only thing >_>

[FunkyBunch]

.....so, in other words - I'm not going to hit a BLM with arrow, again. o_o
I guess AoE-ing arrows with a BLM in the party would be the only thing >_>

Single target rotation (EG- on a boss) give me an arrow as a BLM, otherwise thank you for not ^^

[Saseal]

Single target rotation (EG- on a boss) give me an arrow as a BLM, otherwise thank you for not ^^

Aha, thanks for the clarification!
(I...... got lost in all the math and abbrevs and skills.... and having no experience playing BLM... only Thaum for SC.... x.x;; )

Single target pew-pewing only... got it! +_+

[Aryn_Lastrov]

I ... don't get how arrow on blm's aoe rotation is not a dps increase?...

Your entire damage is sped up except for the umbral ice phase where you are dependent on server ticks. Your whole fire phase is sped up. I do not see how this is not a dps increase. It's not as good as a balance would be, but it's still a blatant dps increase.

I hate to say it, but if your reasoning for it being a dps loss is that it messes with your fire 3 back into astral fire and you only get 1 mp tick, git gud and learn to wait that extra fraction of a second.

[Rongway]

I ... don't get how arrow on blm's aoe rotation is not a dps increase?...

To do Fire III > Fire II > Fire II > Flare, you have to get two MP ticks during the Fire III. Arrow guarantees that you will only get one tick, and therefore not have enough for two Fire IIs. Any haste on the AoE rotation forces Fire III > Fire II > Flare or (wait or waste an action)> Fire III > Fire II > Fire II > Flare.

[StouterTaru]

if your reasoning for it being a dps loss is that it messes with your fire 3 back into astral fire and you only get 1 mp tick

Re-read, that is not the reason it's not a dps increase, that's the annoyance that goes with the lack of dps increase.

Your whole fire phase is sped up

And that time you gain casting faster Fire spells goes into waiting for the first MP tick after Flare > Transpose. The rotation is 15 seconds, with or without arrow.