Frustrations with BLM immobility

[LilimoLimomo]

It used to feel like a trade off for the big booms but I feel like SMN provides big booms without a trade off in mobility.

A few things here. First, in the FF series, Summoner has generally outshined Black Mageswhen it comes to big booms, so the recent Summoner update seemed like it set things right with the cosmos in that regard. And if you want big booms without the mobility trade off, one option that's always open to you is to switch to Summoner. It's a simpler class than Black Mage but it's loads of fun, with a simple rotation that offers a bit of flexibility without punishing mistakes to nearly the same degree that Black Mage does.

Sometimes I switch my main to SMN for awhile, but so far I always come back to Black Mage because the challenge of it excites me. And the pointy hats, those excite me, too.

Ever since the SMN update, I feel like BLM has become more frustrating to play comparatively due to its immobility.

I am a passable Black Mage seeking to improve, and while the class is transparently less mobile than SMN, in trying to take my game to the next level I've found that it's a surprisingly mobile class. At level 90 there are so many sources of free movement via instant-casts, including:
2 stacks of Xenoglossy
2 stacks of Triple-cast
Swiftcast
Ice phase Paradox
Thunder Procs
Fire 3 procs
2 stacks of Sharpcast, which guarantees procs of the above

Additionally, Between the Lines can instantly get you back to your Ley Lines, and Aetherial Manipulation can teleport you to your more mobile ally's safe positions at the last moment after your lengthy Ley Lines casts. There are so many toys that Black Mage has to play with to give them mobility when they need it.

Most of my frustrations center primarily around Ley Lines, which is a cool ability and Between the Lines is a fun mechanic to exploit in certain situations but Ley Lines is too important to overall DPS while being too easily completely screwed over by too many mechanics in the game. It either has too short a duration or too long a recast, probably both frankly.

I think it's also worth saying that Ley Lines is probably the most difficult part of Black Mage's kit, as optimizing its timing and placement is dependent on the specifics of the fight you're in, meaning it's something new that you have to learn distinctly for every single fight. But I also think that's kind of cool. When I do Ley Lines well (and that's very rare), I feel like I'm the prettiest princess at the dance. The challenge of playing Black Mage is what makes it feel so rewarding when you do it right.

Whenever I'm feeling down about Black Mage, I watch Pint's absolutely fantastic playful-but-spot-on video essay on the class, and that helps me re-center my perspective and decide what step I want to take next. If you feel frustrated with your recent Black Mage experience, I cannot recommend this video enough! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVXSWE7KE68