[Guide] Black Mage - Because, heavy deeps, that's why.

[Shaano]

blm head/ring, blm feet on alt
blm feet/waist on main :u if anyone cares

[Ratatapa]

blm head/ring, blm feet on alt
blm feet/waist on main :u if anyone cares

Gonna care, only when you are gonna be strong enough to win T5

[Salodin]

Don't know if this is answered, but is it better to jump cancel fire to use firestarter, and save the mp for another chance at firestarter, or should I let fire finish and lose the possible firestarter proc?

[Seravi Edalborez]

Generally always let Fire finish. Not worth delaying every cast (equivalent of being Slowed or wearing negative spell speed) just to "check".

[Taint]

Don't know if this is answered, but is it better to jump cancel fire to use firestarter, and save the mp for another chance at firestarter, or should I let fire finish and lose the possible firestarter proc?

Just cast fire and weave FS proc into your rotation. Even if you are already casting blizzard3 and the proc triggers, you still have time for Thunder2 and use the proc.

[Salodin]

Generally always let Fire finish. Not worth delaying every cast (equivalent of being Slowed or wearing negative spell speed) just to "check".

What I'm doing is jumping when I see the firestarter effect on my character (I think its faster then icon), insta fire 3 mid air, and waiting for gcd on the way down + an extra second or so. My reasoning being I dont lose damage on instacast, cause instacast makes up for the mid cast i lost by jumping, its higher damage any ways, and i save mp for a fire 1 which is another shot at firestarter.

No no? I just came back after taking many months, don't know what's new to the job play style wise.

I should add, if its at the end if my rotation I just use it after UI for quick start to fire rotation.

Some more edits lol, I only do this when I can focus on my status effects. If I can't, I don't cancel any fire.

[Sylvrdragon]

It really revolves around the GCD. FS may be instant, but it still triggers the GDC, which means it costs you the same amount of time in the end. Instant cast only really affects movement, and burst damage. And because your damage is all about your GCD, it suggests that any time you aren't on GCD, you're losing potential damage. The Fire3 might do more damage, but not enough to make up for the 1-2 seconds it keeps you off of GCD.

[Salodin]

But it doesn't, an interrupt doesn't trigger gcd. I can literally be casting fire, jump and insta fire 3. The only thing I need to test is the time difference between finishing fire and jumping fire 3. If its the same or better then I'm not seeing why not? Idk, I'll bring proof before I continue any more.

[Qeomash]

You're still wasting half the length of the GCD by ending an in progress Fire cast.

[gaogaostegosaurus]

Prefacing this with "I am not a good BLM probably" but I always assumed that you want to be in Astral for as long as possible. I figured that even if you take 1.5 GCDs to cast Fire III it's still better dps than ending Astral "early" because you double proc'd.

Although honestly I just wanted an excuse to twirl around in circles spamming Fire III.

If anyone has actually mathed it out I think a lot of people would find it useful and interesting.

[Salodin]

So it basically boils down to, "Is the saved mp for extra firestarter procs worth the time lost precasting a Fire I you never let go?". Being able to jump and instacast makes things easy, wonder if I could make a macro for it. I haven't mathed out to see if a 40% proc rate is enough to make it worthwhile though.

[Sylvrdragon]

Someone has indeed mathed it out.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...h_math_4_fire/

[Skai]

Inexperienced BLM here looking to make it my main range DPS. My character is a midlander and to get 251 piety, is it better to reallocate my bonus stat points or consume piety food (mulled tea, pineapple juice etc.)?

[Niiro]

So it basically boils down to, "Is the saved mp for extra firestarter procs worth the time lost precasting a Fire I you never let go?". Being able to jump and instacast makes things easy, wonder if I could make a macro for it. I haven't mathed out to see if a 40% proc rate is enough to make it worthwhile though.

Look at it this way, you only have a 16% chance of getting 2 FS procs in a row, so you'd only be wasting a potential FS proc ~16% of the time by not interrupting.

In exchange you gain a consistent increase in overall DPS by casting without interruption.

[gaogaostegosaurus]

Someone has indeed mathed it out.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...h_math_4_fire/

I did it when I got home too because nerd, but I got something similar. Assuming you cast straight through any Firestarter proc, on average you will have better DPS if you have a reaction time more than about 0.4 seconds. If you can react to every Firestarter proc within 0.4 seconds, then using on proc is better.

However, I did a simplified rotation with no tricks and no Thundercloud procs because I'm too lazy to try to model that right now. I think that and anything involving movement would also favor casting through simulations, because it would give you chances to use procs you would have otherwise skipped. So it might actually need reactions under 0.3 seconds or something. (And of course, this all additionally depends on me getting the math right, but I'm fairly certain I did.)

0.3 seconds might be doable, I suppose, but at that point you're having to react 0.1 seconds faster for 2 more Potency per GCD, who wants to try that hard, not I.

[Cutriss]

Inexperienced BLM here looking to make it my main range DPS. My character is a midlander and to get 251 piety, is it better to reallocate my bonus stat points or consume piety food (mulled tea, pineapple juice etc.)?

You can eat for PIE. You can't eat for INT.

[Classikmage]

Inexperienced BLM here looking to make it my main range DPS. My character is a midlander and to get 251 piety, is it better to reallocate my bonus stat points or consume piety food (mulled tea, pineapple juice etc.)?

I am a Keeper of the Moon and according to http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/ you have 5 less PIE than me, with a SCH in PT I am exactly at 251 PIE, you could try melding an i70 crafted accessory with 5 PIE and than you only need to use Mulled Tea when you don't have a SCH in PT, and Buttons in a Blanket when you do.

[Slycer]

Look at it this way, you only have a 16% chance of getting 2 FS procs in a row, so you'd only be wasting a potential FS proc ~16% of the time by not interrupting.

In exchange you gain a consistent increase in overall DPS by casting without interruption.

I personally don't interrupt casts, but just to clarify, if you never interrupt the next cast after you get a FS proc, you're wasting a proc 40% of the time by not interrupting, not 16% of the time. The odds of the second cast procing FS are 40%, unrelated to whether or not the first one proced it. Like flipping a coin twice, or whatever other analogy you want to use.

[Niiro]

You only lose the 2nd proc if you already have a proc, there's only a 40% chance you have a proc to begin with. The odds of FS procing on two consecutive casts is .4 * .4....

That's a 16% chance of any given cast becoming a wasted FS.

Not sure what the coin flip is supposed to mean, what are your odds of flipping heads twice in a row? Not 50%.

[Kaslo]

You only lose the 2nd proc if you already have a proc, there's only a 40% chance you have a proc to begin with. The odds of FS procing on two consecutive casts is .4 * .4....

That's a 16% chance of any given cast becoming a wasted FS.

Not sure what the coin flip is supposed to mean, what are your odds of flipping heads twice in a row? Not 50%.

Actually it's 16% that two will be in a row before a single proc procs. After it procs, its still a 40% chance the next one will proc. #statistics