The Black Mage remains one of the most iconic classes inSquare Enix’s landmarkFinal Fantasyfranchise. And thanks toFinal Fantasy 14,fans of this spellcasting class can bring the Black Mage to an MMO environment. Staying true to its original appearances, the Black Mage brings in Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder Magic to the party. Additionally, coming from the Thaumaturge Class, the Black Mage Job serves as a powerful crowd control combatant with its arsenal of destructive single-target and AOE spells.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Hidden Details You Didn’t Notice About Midgar
Thankfully, the Black Mage ofFF14contains a straightforward kit almost any spellcaster-oriented player can use. However, it does take time to get used to the Black Mage’s intricate set of cooldowns and timing. Just how should players use this class efficiently?
Updated October 2021 by Rhenn Taguiam:The Black Mage is one of the most iconic classes in theFinal Fantasyfranchise, and it remains the staple Job inFinal Fantasy 14when it comes to blasting opponents with powerful spells. And true to the fast-paced nature ofFF14, the Black Mage takes a step away from tradition as the Job now boasts a more mobile toolkit. However, given the fragile nature of Spellcasters in the game, playing a Black Mage can get tricky for newcomers. Thankfully, its straightforward kit can have new players getting the groove of this Job’s destructive potential in no time.
14Consider Strength In The Rotation
When using a Black Mage, a player should always remember that this Job has perhaps one of the simplest core rotations in the game. It offersdecent DPS regardless of the party composition.Thanks to their low number of global CDs, Black Mages have very low chances of double weaving and rendering their attacks useless.
Depending on the party’s needs, the Black Mage can rely on utility skills to adapt their rotation to various situations — useful forleveling up in different areas. For instance,Xenoglossy and Triplecast allow Black Mages to unleash burst attacks while moving away from damageat the same time. Meanwhile, Manaward is a great way to train in new raids due to its added survivability.
13Consider Weakness In Resource Limitations
Despite what the Job offers in sheer firepower, the Black Mage still needs teammates to compensate for defensive and survivability woes. For instance, the Black Mage is the only spellcasting class without a resurrection mechanic. This can make deaths in raids quite inconvenient, and at the same time demands a lot of mobility considerations for the player.
LIkewise, the Black Mage having to stand while casting spells puts quite a strain on their weak constitution. Without the proper setup,a Black Mage can become a sitting duck as they have to wait for their GCDs,leaving them vulnerable and not optimizing their damage potential. In these situations,a White Mage or another potent healing Jobcan ensure their survival.
12Take Advantage Of Party Potential
At first glance, one might think that the Black Mage’s retention of decent DPS regardless of party composition makes them great soloists. However, it’s precisely because of their stable combat performancethat makes Black Mages perfect for any party setup.
Their damage consistency even without buffs allows them to work with both coordinated and messy parties, a great solution to the chaotic compositions often found in the game’s dungeon finder. Likewise, a caster with a resurrection spell can ensure that the Black Mage can dish out its heavy damage attacks without fear of heavy retaliation from enemies.
11Always Remember The Elemental Gauge
Like all Jobs, the Black Mage alsohas a unique gimmickthat determines the efficiency of their spells. They come with an Elemental Gauge that frequently switches between Umbral Ice and Astral Fire depending on the element of the spell cast.Umbral Ice can recover MP at the cost of damage, while Astral Fire increases damage potency at the cost of AP.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 14: Best Items Obtainable From Retainer Ventures
In turn, Black Mages need to form rotations in such a way that switching gauges becomes efficient for them. Ideally, they need to cast their damage dealers under Astral Fire to maximize their damage potential. Afterwards, switch to Umbral Ice to get back MP while the spells undergo CD. Remembering this core mechanic while switching spells can maximize resource usage for the Black Mage.
10Always Cast Spells
Black Mages should remember that their strength liesin their sheer firepower. Unlike other DPS classes, Black Mages don’t need to do a lot to deal massive damage. However, they do need the time to both cast their spells and wait for their damage-dealers to cool down.
Black Mages shouldtake note of their abilities that can boost both their casting speed and their cooldowns.Triplecast and Swiftcast can add much-needed acceleration for Black Mages to cast their powerful attacks. When Black Mages find a few seconds where they don’t do anything, they’re likely doing something wrong with their rotation.
9Patience Is Key
A lot of players consider the Black Mage one of the most powerful DPS-oriented Jobs out there. Unfortunately, not a lot of players use Black Mages due to theirmobility limitations.Unlike other classes with moreversatile equipment options, Black Mages benefit mostly from theirstaves. Thanks to their skill set, a Black Mage could theoretically deal the most damage out of other DPS classes. Of course, this factor becomes possible provided the Black Mage can stand for prolonged periods of time.
Unfortunately, other players don’t like the Black Mage for this caveat. After all, the Black Mage can only dish out its more powerful spells while standing.Meanwhile, it’s possible to dodge AOEs by moving, but it does hurt the usefulness of the Black Mage in the party. As such, pro players should do their best juggling the Black Mage’s rotations and manage their cooldowns.
8Fire First, Then Ice
In classicFinal Fantasygames, Black Mages are recognized for their mastery of Fire and Blizzard. InFF 14, much remains the same for the Black Mage. Despite their unique set of abilities, Black Mages often follow a simple rotation: open with Fire, finish with Blizzard.
However, this suggestion isn’t solely out of damage output but out of practicality. Fire-based spells tend to deal more damage at the cost of more MP. Ice-based spells make up for this with combos that steadily regenerate MP. As such, players shouldspend MP on Fire, replenish it with Blizzard, and repeat the cycle.
7Integrate Umbral Heart
Some players might notice how the Black Mage seems to have some abilities and spells that work together really well. This factor gets vastly improved with Umbral Heart, which negates the MP cost increase of Astral Fire whenever Fire spells are cast. Since Black Mages get an Umbral Heart stack after Blizzard IV, this factor encourages element-switching whenever Black Mages go on rotation.
RELATED:Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Didn’t Know About Final Fantasy 7
With this in mind, a great Black Mageopener would be Blizzard 3, followed by Enochian, Blizzard 4, and Thunder 3. That way, Blizzard 3 starts MP regeneration, while Enochian opens the door for Blizzard 4. With Blizzard 4, players gather Umbral Hearts while Thunder 3 starts their damage-over-time.
6Ice Gives Back
Thanks to Umbral Ice, Black Mages who cast Ice-based spells not only get to deal damage, but also restore their MP.It’s best for Black Mages to maximize Umbral Ice as soon as they switch to their Ice Rotation.As such, Black Mages should cast Blizzard 3 (preferably with Swiftcast). If they possess Polyglot stacks, they should cast Thunder 3 in Umbral Ice mode in order to benefit from both the damage-over-time and MP regeneration benefits.
In the process, players should also cast Blizzard 4 to earn Umbral Hearts. If they complete this part of the rotation, they’ll likely have dealt decent damage and regenerated their MP, all powered up for Fire-based spells. This rotation will most likely look like Blizzard 3 going to Blizzard 4, and then Thunder 3. Afterward, Black Mages should start casting their main Fire-based spells to gain Astral Fire stacks.
5Fire Is So Extra
Black Mages who begin with an Ice rotation will likely get their MP back while getting decent Astral Fire stacks. As such, it’s a good time touse up those stacks to power up powerful Fire spells,such as Fire 4. This part of the Ice-Fire rotation is much easier to understand, as Astral Fire simply powers up Fire spells for added MP cost.
Ideally,the spell rotationwill most likely look like a set of Fire 4, Fire 1 to regain momentum, and then Fire 4 followed by Despair. After Despair, Black Mages should switch back to their Ice rotation.
