Why Black Mage Needs (a teensy bit of) Help

[EllieShadeflare]

...wait, I just did a post on Summoner, why does Black Mage need adjustment?

The answer is... it SORT OF doesn't, but... then you start looking at its paradigm, and the way it's built versus Red Mage and its intended melee contemporary, Samurai.

Let's get one thing out of the way. As it stands, Black Mage's damage, while considerable and indeed higher than Red Mage's isn't enough to justify its lack of utility. Sure, I spent a lot of time whinging about Summoner's lack of damage in the other topic, but let's just go over some things.

Black Mage AOE is perfectly fine. That's all I need to say. No need for adjustment, it is far more powerful than its counterparts in Red Mage and Summoner. As much as I'd like SMN to be able to catch up for AoE, Black Mage would be fine at least keeping this. Flare didn't need the dropoff nerf, though. Moving on.

Black Mage lacks power for its lack of mobility. This is technically a trapping of both casters and healers, but with Red Mage having it mitigated with Dualcast, and Summoner having mostly DoTs and Ruin II, Black Mage is in a strange place where its melee counterpart not only performs better than it, but also has less flaws. To improve this, I propose that Black Mage has their single target damage improved. In fact, I would dare say that either Fire IV and Blizzard IV ought to be buffed to a whopping 300 (technically 594 after Astral Fire III and Enochian for Fire IV) potency, Thunder III have a boosted potency, or the addition of Astral Fire IV, for a full 2x damage boost. Astral Fire IV seems like the more balanced adjustment, since it would put Fire IV at a practical 572 instead of 594, but it would still be an enhancement. Umbral Ice IV could simply allow instant cast for Fire III. Also, it wouldn't hurt if Thunder III was treated as an ability when players are affected by Thundercloud, so it wouldn't disrupt our Fire rotation. With that said, Foul could also do with a slight boost, depending on Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, with Astral Fire giving a damage over time effect and Umbral Ice giving it 50 potency per stack, or the other way round.

[Age_of_Oblivion]

BLM also desperately needs som QoL adjustments. One more second on AF/UI duration, and roughly 800 more mana at cap. It's not fair that I have to fight the server tick rate as well as the content.

[Jonnycbad]

BLM also desperately needs som QoL adjustments. One more second on AF/UI duration, and roughly 800 more mana at cap. It's not fair that I have to fight the server tick rate as well as the content.

You'll get more mana from gear that has piety on it in future patches, I'm sure.

[Thela]

You'll get more mana from gear that has piety on it in future patches, I'm sure.

Since when does caster gear come with piety on it? Correct answer is never

But yes you know something went wrong in the design when the 3.x and even 2.x pending firestarter luck yields more dps than the 4.0 rotation in movement situations (which is every encounter not a dummy)

[Waliel]

I should add in an actual fight. On paper 4.0 should be better, more F4=more dps, however if you cannot fit in 6 F4 for each B4, which in an actual fight you can't, it's a dps loss.

I once did a 10min test of both rotations. 6xF4: 93 F4 casts, 4xF4: 87 F4 casts.

I refuse to continue playing RDM out of spite at this point.

I find RDM extremely boring. I'd rather put SCH on /follow and watch the fairy solo heal bore-rak.

[Lelila38]

And we didn't even start about the broken Umbral Heart mechanic.
If our old 3.x rotation yields more dps than doing a rotation with our shiny new toys, something is seriously wrong.

[EllieShadeflare]

And we didn't even start about the broken Umbral Heart mechanic.
If our old 3.x rotation yields more dps than doing a rotation with our shiny new toys, something is seriously wrong.

I feel like the Umbral Hearts are actually perfectly fine. We essentially get our old opener 24-7, without needing to use Convert, but Fire IV could use a buff.

[NoxLumina]

Yesterday I killed a SussieEX dummy faster using Stormblood opener into A Realm Reborn rotation + Foul (yes, no Fire IV after the opener)) than I did using a full Stormblood rotation.
I'd say they need more than a teensy bit of help.

Not to mention the flat DPS increase when I just do the Heavensward rotation but replace Blizzard IV with foul.
Blizzard IV is a DPS loss as it stands.

[EllieShadeflare]

Yesterday I killed a SussieEX dummy faster using Stormblood opener into A Realm Reborn rotation + Foul (yes, no Fire IV after the opener)) than I did using a full Stormblood rotation.

#thathappened

Not to mention the flat DPS increase when I just do the Heavensward rotation but replace Blizzard IV with foul.
Blizzard IV is a DPS loss as it stands.

So... using Blizzard IV to get additional Fire IVs alongside Foul is a DPS loss... somehow?

I mean, if you're only using the HW rotation, you're actually at a DPS loss, especially versus the actual HW potencies. Besides, your HW rotation already has Blizzard IV, and it only costs 2.3-2.4 seconds to cast Foul, why not just bite the bullet and do that for the additional fire IVs?

[soslinky]

@EllieShadeflare

Check this thread out, it sums up why 3.0>4.0.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ers-on-4.0-BLM