My review of Black Mage

[Jinrya-Geki]

After doing a lot of boss fights and what not in parties I am going to give my review on Black Mage. To sum it up quickly, I am extremely disappointed with the job. You don't have to read what;s next if you don't want to, just writing down my reasons why.

Damage, it's pitiful, pathetic, laughable. There is no difference between the damage I did on Thaumaturge and on black mage. On Ifrit in Felt Hat (1 Int Materia IV), Robe, Boarskin ringband of Lightning, Warlock Pattens, Raptorskin belt, Thallasian Targe, woolen tights(1 piety/int materia), vintage cudgel+1, and 4 Dated Black Pearl Rings.

On Black Mage I wear, full AF, with 2 new black pearl rings, zircon bracelet, and spinel choker, with same weapon and shield. The damn even with critical is the same damage against every boss I have fought so far.

In the Ifrit fight with all nails down and Sanguine Rites up. I still took 1995 damage...

Freeze only the enmity drop makes this spell worth casting. With Critcal against the Warrior quest great buffalo 589, against Ifrit with critical 299.
Flare- Self aoe with dot effect, worthless. It's only positive thing is how it looks when you use it in town.

Burst The biggest disappointment of the ancient magic spells. 15 Minute recast with damage proportionate the enemies health and yours. This was against the ogre. It did 1900 damage with Critical and less than 300 HP comboed. Pulling that off is extremly difficult to combo in time, then convert to make sure you hp is low, then put up excricuate, and cast it. Yu are cutting it close to managing to combo it. The damage should be be 1900 on it's own and 4k for managing to do all that in time.

I fail to see what Black Mage does besides being a big pain in the ass to white mage. Where as Thaumaturge can do the same exact damage, and not need heals after Hellfire or Moogle Memeto becuase it is self-reliant.

Convert while useful is irrelevant in this discussion MP management is not the issue. Besides the moogle fight I hardly run out of MP, therefore not a problem to me.

Sleepga and convert are the only two worthwhile abilities of black mage, all others need to be drastically improved. If it wasn't for Sleepga or Convert there really would be no reason to have black mage stone equipped.

What are we gaining for giving up abilities such as Sentinel, Raise and Cure? It's certainly not damage., which is should be. Most often examples can be used the defense is the best offense, or sacrifice defense for power. Where is this? Why play Black Mage at all when you can do the same as Thm, and better?

[NoctisUmbra]

Convert is priceless. Some fights might not demand it as much as others.

Sleepga is very useful in dungeons, obviously not so much for primals.

Freeze is a very large enmity reduction every 2 minutes. Very useful.

Flare is far from worthless. It's useless on Ifrit and Moogle due to the mechanics of the fight. Very, very useful in Cutter's for example.

Burst is rather disappointing. No surprise here. Can definitely use a solid damage buff, at least greater damage increase for lower HP.


Conclusion: Depending on your strat and party make-up THM may be better. There do exist scenarios where BLM is better.

P.S: I've also read people saying Hellfire isn't so crazy with all nails down + stoneskin + sanguine rite. So, idk what went wrong with you that you took basically almost full HP damage.

[Jinrya-Geki]

I know I don't know why I took full damage either.

Flare I just can't like unless mobs can be slept or can be one shotted. Why use it if the mobs can be slept and picked off one at a time. Seems safer.

Freeze I said was only useful for it's enmity drop, it's damage is severely lacking like it's blizzard and Blizzara cousins.

I like Sleepga and convert.

[NoctisUmbra]

I know I don't know why I took full damage either.

Flare I just can't like unless mobs can be slept or can be one shotted. Why use it if the mobs can be slept and picked off one at a time. Seems safer.

Freeze I said was only useful for it's enmity drop, it's damage is severely lacking like it's blizzard and Blizzara cousins.

I like Sleepga and convert.

Warrior uses Collusion on BLM. BLM uses Flare. Massive damage, 0 enmity, a lot of shit on WAR tank. Teamwork.

No downplaying Freeze. It's primary purpose is the enmity down. Not everything has to be massive damage numbers. There are enough attack spells for damage. It lowers your enmity by a lot, which is much more valuable to a BLM than another massive nuke that's gonna be situational give you more enmity.

[Al_Harrington]

Maybe down the road I will use BLM more then I do now, but I also view it the same way as OP. It just feels like a weaker limited THM to me. I personally don't use a single BLM AF item as my crafted gear is double/triple meld. Same damage but less flexability. It's really just my sleepga machine and I go back to THM before any real fight. Don't get me wrong it has its up side, but not enough for me.

[Jinrya-Geki]

I am just surprised. Seems like few care about it.

Paladin is getting reworked again, I think Black Mage should too.

But really is every black mage really satisfied with it's damage? I don't want to depend on others to do more damage, it makes me a hindrance otherwise.

[NoctisUmbra]

I don't want to depend on others to do more damage, it makes me a hindrance otherwise.

You just described the point of jobs. There's a difference between players of a team being co-dependent, and being a hindrance. Two different things.

[Keftenk]

This isn't just BLM, it's most jobs.

Since the skills given to us are incredibly underwhelming for most of them, it'll be gear which moves people from playing a job over a basic (which IMO is backwards thinking). Unfortunately for BLM, none of the Darklight gear is good lol unless you're having some ridiculous Enmity issues or need to go a Enf./PIE build for Thundara.

If M.Crit wasn't a broken stat (the formula is based off of the dLVL, which means the higher the monster the lower the effect you get), BLM AF might have actually been good.

[tachi]

I can't tell if your trolling or what but BLM is an absolute powerhouse right now and getting convert makes you limited only by survivability. You have the potential to double, and maybe triple with exceptional gear the DPS of every other class in ifrit.

Flare: the strongest form of AOE CC on trash mobs combine with sleepga and you are a god in controlled large group burn down sessions.

Freeze: designed as a hate reduction move just like chameleon except you get to deal dmg in the same move, try telling a class like MNK that their chameleon is useless.

Burst: a situational spell and the weakest of the new additions on top tier bosses like ifrit, however a timed forced excruciate on any extremely dangerous boss would work really well. My fav so far: excruciate>thunder>thundara>convert>necrogenesis>burst (you get more dmg for less HP and convert+necro refills your HP back to near full. Follow with chameleon>2nd wind>freeze to reduce that hate back down and continue the rotations.

PS: OP's gear is absolute sh-- I'm not surprised your dps sucks.

[Jinrya-Geki]

I can't tell if your trolling or what but BLM is an absolute powerhouse right now and getting convert makes you limited only by survivability. You have the potential to double, and maybe triple with exceptional gear the DPS of every other class in ifrit.

Flare: the strongest form of AOE CC on trash mobs combine with sleepga and you are a god in controlled large group burn down sessions.

Freeze: designed as a hate reduction move just like chameleon except you get to deal dmg in the same move, try telling a class like MNK that their chameleon is useless.

Burst: a situational spell and the weakest of the new additions on top tier bosses like ifrit, however a timed forced excruciate on any extremely dangerous boss would work really well. My fav so far: excruciate>thunder>thundara>convert>necrogenesis>burst (you get more dmg for less HP and convert+necro refills your HP back to near full. Follow with chameleon>2nd wind>freeze to reduce that hate back down and continue the rotations.

PS: OP's gear is absolute sh-- I'm not surprised your dps sucks.

Didn't know Blm AF was absolute crap.

Flare then sleepga? You'll never put the mobs to sleep because of the DoT on them. If the mobs are trash mobs and die in one hit, why bother wasting the time trying to cast flare and just hit them with Fire/Fira combo.

Freeze is considered an ancient magic spell, I said it's damage was crap not it's effect. It should be improved or called something else.

What are you wearing for your gear, you know that with the Blm body on excruciate usually goes off on the first spell definitely the second? I actually managed to pull off Excruciate with dark seal with less than 300 health on the ogre in the warrior af fight. it only did 1900 and my Thundara did 1500. That is a ridiculously low amount for the crap you have to do to make it powerful.