Black Mage

[Kabooa]

I thought 5xF4 was a small but definite dps gain and its only drawback was that you had to use B4->6xF4 every so often regardless just to buy Foul charge time. Did the math get corrected or am I remembering something wrong?

I think it swings one way or another based entirely on MP ticks.

Which, suffice to say, is real !@#%ing dumb.

[TsuKoj]

I thought 5xF4 was a small but definite dps gain and its only drawback was that you had to use B4->6xF4 every so often regardless just to buy Foul charge time. Did the math get corrected or am I remembering something wrong?

It's a dps gain if you don't have to wait for a mana tick before casting thunder 3 and you can foul that ui phase. Or if you can immediately foul, and you time thunder 3 so that it casts before the last mana tick so you can go back to af with full mp. In other words, it's a gain if you have thunder cloud or if you have really good timing on your mana tick. It's a loss otherwise since you'll lose a fire 4 next af.

[Ferrinus]

Either way, I’m with Galvuu that BLM just needs more damage and that that damage should be located within B4 to make B4 an indisputable rather than marginal DPS gain.

Idea: Spells cast with Umbra Hearts benefit from a UI3-style cast speed bonus AND mp cost halving, which is to say their cast times (not recast times) are halved. So, your first three F4s always enjoy the effective dps increase afforded by Triplecast.

Also, each time you spend one or more umbral hearts, Foul gains a couple seconds’ charge time instantly.

[Llugen]

Not a bad suggestion, but I'd still like to see a blaringly obvious damage increase on them like +10% damage for each heart. Polyglot timer increase I think would be most effectively served under procs, which would give it "the RNG" that both SMN and RDM have with their proc timings/Enkindle reduction.

And although obviously Galvuu and I don't see eye to eye on much, I appreciate that their heart is in the right place about the job needing improvements. I'll once again say, however, that any "selfish DPS" will be certainly out of "the meta" and STILL out of "favor" of parties whenever concerning party play when it comes to utility. This is a no-brainer, so I would rather see BLM get some meaningful utility (maybe not AS MUCH as other jobs, but SOMETHING) than simply a damage increase. Furthermore, whatever can raise the floor for progression would be very welcome, which is why I suggest a raise ability and most of my suggestions involve increased mobility and timer management rather than potency adjustment, because ultimately the reason that BLM is bad at progression is mostly because of movement and partly because of phase push planning (not getting your whole thunder dot ticks or fire phase etc).

Once more: unless its damage can be buffed SO HIGH that it is still STRONGER than the utility (see also, PARTY DAMAGE), then taking the classes with utility will ALWAYS be more worthwhile as far as synergy/"the meta" are concerned.

[TsuKoj]

Agreed, I want more damage or offensive utility. Defensive utility on a class is clunky and counter-intuitive to the design of the class. Not for lore reasons, but due to class design. Since blms timers are strict, and the class is about fitting the most into those timers, it's detrimental anytime you have to clip a cast unexpectedly. Blms imo are the worst users of manashift after smn changes just due to the fact that it's not On demand unless you don't mind losing a cast. Using it during af means a lost f4, using it at the end of the af phase means you can't b3, using it at the end of ui means you might not have full mp going into af, so blms have 1 ideal spot to use it, and that is at the start of ui, after the first mana tick before the second. In a situation manashifts even needed(if a healer/rdm/smn/pld died) blms have to cut their rotations short or sacrifice a cast. Blms are also the probably the worst users of apoc even though it was their own spell before. Using apoc clips a cast and since blms have the longest cast timers(veraero/thunder doesn't count), they have a more inconsistent timing for apoc. Clipping a cast with an ogcd during certain times , like when your doing quad fire 4 during ll+convert is also really risky to the af timer.

Offensive utility can at least be timed and is consistent regardless of pug or static groups, and it makes learning fights easier, and I miss seeing big burst phases with blm. Consistent dps is nice, but with the way most fights are designed in this game, burst is much better than sustain due to mechanics forcing downtime and phase transitions essentially cutting 20s off cd timers.

[Remedi]

Either way, I’m with Galvuu that BLM just needs more damage and that that damage should be located within B4 to make B4 an indisputable rather than marginal DPS gain.

Idea: Spells cast with Umbra Hearts benefit from a UI3-style cast speed bonus AND mp cost halving, which is to say their cast times (not recast times) are halved. So, your first three F4s always enjoy the effective dps increase afforded by Triplecast.

I agree and proposed this a while ago

[HaroldSaxon]

Until Square Enix acknowledge the disadvantage of being a permament caster is (i.e. every spell is a cast outside of 4 spells every 60 seconds and RNG procs) and the power of stacked dps buffs, then BLM is always going to be undesirteable. That along with Square Enix's obsession with buffing MCH and keeping disembowel in the game.

Right now, BLM is the flat out worst DPS class. It doesn't offer anything that isn't provided in a better way by another class.

I would go as far as to say that anyone who doesn't agree with the above needs to actually attempt to play the class to a high level, or is biased.

[Bernkastelx]

Probably mobility lower aetherial cd to the same or at least 10 secs cd instead of 30 secs. Playing the new smn feels so good cause I have mobility throughout my entire dwt phase, even then ruin iv instant casts and ruin ii make so I can still push something during the mechanic. Blm its just a pain to play now, I even stuck with it for sophia ex "not fun to learn as blm btw". Now its "I hope triplecast is up oh its not oh look my ley lines is in aoe again guess i'll deal with it >.>", just not fun at all. I could deal with blm not being mobile or not having utility if their dmg made up for it which sadly imo its not worth the headache.

[zuzu-bq]

I thought 5xF4 was a small but definite dps gain and its only drawback was that you had to use B4->6xF4 every so often regardless just to buy Foul charge time. Did the math get corrected or am I remembering something wrong?

Only if you can guarantee a Foul after that all. It's not absolute. And to guarantee it you need MP tick manipulation and a natural Thunder proc. That's why I said "if the stars align".

[HaroldSaxon]

Probably mobility lower aetherial cd to the same or at least 10 secs cd instead of 30 secs. Playing the new smn feels so good cause I have mobility throughout my entire dwt phase, even then ruin iv instant casts and ruin ii make so I can still push something during the mechanic. Blm its just a pain to play now, I even stuck with it for sophia ex "not fun to learn as blm btw". Now its "I hope triplecast is up oh its not oh look my ley lines is in aoe again guess i'll deal with it >.>", just not fun at all. I could deal with blm not being mobile or not having utility if their dmg made up for it which sadly imo its not worth the headache.

Aetherial manipulation having a lower CD will not fix things because of the animation lock and lack of instant cast spells.