BLM

[NeoAmon]

What is the best GC for BLM gear wise?

[f1ashfire]

I'm a little confused about our rotation at 50. Namely, is flare worth using on a single target?

It seems to me that when our fire spam reaches about ~500 mana or so, we have two options: cast blizzard 3 and start our regen phase, or cast a super hard hitting flare, transpose, and have a longer regen phase.

I almost feel like flares mana cost and cast time make it not worth it, but I'm a fresh 50 so I dunno lol

[Foullacy]

Problem with this, if you cast Flare you lose all of your mana and you get 3 stacks of Astral Fire. What do you do now? Transpose? You go to one stack of umbral ice, regen takes forever, and you have to either cast Blizzard 3 times or cast Blizzard III once, which has a long cast time because you don't have three stacks of astral fire. You end up losing so many Fire cast waiting for the regen. Fire is your highest damage per cast spell.

This is your rotation-

Fire until your mana is greater than the cost to cast Blizzard III + Thunder I but low enough to maximize your Fire cast, while using your Firestarter procs for Fire III as soon as you get them. We can call this the damage phase.

Once your mana is low, you cast Blizzard III (Which has a very fast cast time because you have three stacks of Astral Fire)

Once you cast Blizzard III you instantly gain three stacks of Umbral Ice following up with Thunder I into Fire III.

[Foullacy]

All of you people that are using Thunder III in your rotation, stop using it and follow the rotation I posted above. You will find your damage phases are longer, and your regen phases are faster, smoother, and allow for boss issues (Ifrit doing his charge where you cannot target him, ect)

Thunder III cost DOUBLE the mana nearly DOUBLE the cast time, and only adds THIRTY potency. The Thunder Storm proc does add 100 potency, but it's a 5% chance, it's simply not worth sacrificing 1 Fire cast per damage phase.

[Sandkat]

Thunder III cost DOUBLE the mana nearly DOUBLE the cast time, and only adds THIRTY potency. The Thunder Storm proc does add 100 potency, but it's a 5% chance, it's simply not worth sacrificing 1 Fire cast per damage phase.

It is double the mana but only 1 second extra cast time.

Thunder 1:
Cast time - 2.41
Mana - 212
Potency - 30
Dot Potency - 35
Duration - 18
Thundercloud Potency - 240

Thunder 3:
Cast time - 3.37
Mana - 425
Potency - 60
Dot Potency - 35
Duration - 24
Thunder Cloud Potency - 340

its also a 5% chance no matter what Thunder you use.

Also, if you only refresh Thunder during Umbral, you arent wasting any mana.

Blizzard 3 > Thunder 3 > Fire 3 > Fire 1 > Firestarter Proc > 500 mana > Blizzard 3 > Repeat.

[Foullacy]

I never said the chance for Thunder Storm is higher or less than 5%, it's 5% for each cast of Thunder no matter the rank of it.

Also I never said refreshing Thunder during Umbral was a waste of mana. Did you even read my post or go into angsty teen mode to refute my point by stating a rotation with nothing backing it.

Your rotation during Umbral Phase is Blizzard III to start it, cast Thunder X and cast Fire III. Go back and read man.

[Foullacy]

Just tested on a target dummy, if you're casting Thunder III during regen phase ( you should be casting Thunder during regen) you sit on full mana for nearly an entire tick, that's less Fire up-time and less Firestarter up-time. Even without damage meters you would have a hard time convincing me that 30 potency on cast and 100 potency at a 5% chance per tick of Thunder is worth a single Firestarter proc.

[Moor]

I never said the chance for Thunder Storm is higher or less than 5%, it's 5% for each cast of Thunder no matter the rank of it.

Also I never said refreshing Thunder during Umbral was a waste of mana. Did you even read my post or go into angsty teen mode to refute my point by stating a rotation with nothing backing it.

Your rotation during Umbral Phase is Blizzard III to start it, cast Thunder X and cast Fire III. Go back and read man.

And thats where you are completely wrong. 5% chance is applied for each TICK OF DOT your thunder applies, and thunder 3 applies 6 more seconds of dot, for just 1 more second of cast time. In those 6 seconds of dot you can insert much more fire spells than you can insert by casting thunder 1.

[DrEubanks]

It is double the mana but only 1 second extra cast time.

Thunder 1:
Cast time - 2.41
Mana - 212
Potency - 30
Dot Potency - 35
Duration - 18
Thundercloud Potency - 240

Thunder 3:
Cast time - 3.37
Mana - 425
Potency - 60
Dot Potency - 35
Duration - 24
Thunder Cloud Potency - 340

its also a 5% chance no matter what Thunder you use.

Also, if you only refresh Thunder during Umbral, you arent wasting any mana.

Blizzard 3 > Thunder 3 > Fire 3 > Fire 1 > Firestarter Proc > 500 mana > Blizzard 3 > Repeat.

Sandkat's post was well written. Thunder 3 adds 100 potency always which scales with int. With thundercloud this happens instantly, but otherwise it still happens as long as the mob doesn't die first.

[DrEubanks]

What is the best GC for BLM gear wise?

Immortal Flames