The Black Sacrament -- A Guide To Black Mage

Did you happen to test whether it's a conflict due to being an augment or not? Slap on cape+staff w/o shoes and eat a 1000 Needles for us if not? :D

If it's due to the augment being an augment, might be able to file a bug report and get it fixed..

It's pretty clear there's just a 95% mana wall cap.

Already tested, i have MW10% on staff and i took a 1000 Needles with staff+feet but without cape, same results than cape+feet without staff

Bummer. :(

So it's just a really expensive upgrade to terra's staff (damage taken - +15%)?
example set for the lolz
ItemSet 343718

So, fun question:

I'm building my own lua out of pretty much just boredom, and I feel like i learn a lot about a job when making the lua.

With that in mind. Is there any point to HighTier/LowTier specific sets anymore?

Specifically, i get that this is a game of small increases, i get that you can change sets around to maximize damage of both low tier and high tier when fighting the same targets, but...

When in the hell am i going to want to maximize low tier damage anymore? ***, most of the time something small is needed its needed because its small.

Assume no relevant gear is unobtainable.

you could maybe assume since empy+2/3 is going to come out that abyssea procs may become relevant, and specific low damage maybe needed again?

yeah idk man, i already have a set that locks everything to garbage gear for vagary, and a staff toggle seems mandatory for other legit reasons.

It just feels like something we used to need to pay attention to that's just...dead.


edit: does anyone here have separated sets? Why? What does the gear look like?

Where exactly does Orpheus's Sash fit into all of this? I have one, and have been playing around with it as of late, and noticed basically all my t5 t6 nukes vs aligned elements cap 99k every time nearly on a lot of things. (not dynamis, havent tried yet)

How would orph's work vs obi?

If you have weather and day or weather 2 spell etc the Hachirin-no-obi bonus is higher than that of the Orpheus's Sash
10% bonus for magic of the day
10% bonus for magic matching single weather
20% bonus for magic matching single weather and day
25% bonus for magic matching double weather
35% bonus for magic matching double weather and day

Also the bonus of Orpheus's Sash being tied to being as close as possible to the target is a downside, since most mage strats take advantage of distance to avoid moves debuffs etc.

In Dynamis you would not want to be next to most mobs, stones in particular.

Thanks. While i've done a bit of Wave 3, i haven't had any xp except blue mage. Appreciate the clarity. My blm doesn't have obi yet. So it'll do til i get off my butt and farm it up then.

Keep in mind that you can still get day and weather bonus while wearing orpheus. Just not 100% of a time like with obi.

Use Orpheus when both day+weather are neutral to the element you are using, when only day OR single weather matches, or when either is strong vs the element you are using. IIRC, Hachirin also guarantees day/weather penalties too, so invert the values when needed.

Basically, any time the total day/weather bonus totals out to less than 10%, then Orpheus should win as long as you are able to stand inside melee range of the target. I've heard that Orpheus requires you to stand inside your target to get max benefit possible, so keep that in mind as well.

For reference:

ItemSet 363872

Question. What are people free nuking in for dynamis mobs? Want to max sure I’m maximizing my potential!

When burning wave 2 mobs. For the below example, the only buff is GEO and storm2.

1) Stones?
2) Mobs with geo?
3) Mobs without geo?

My guess is...

1) Lathi
2) Lathi
3) Grio with int/macc/mab

Thanks in advance!

BTW Byrne great job on the guide and keeping up with it!

Kind of pulling my hair out I assume this is something very small I am missing.

I am using the lua file attached to the guide with some changes (ive tested with a few other lua out there with same result) and I see the section with degrade_array. When I try to cast a high tier spell it does not automatically switch, so my macro for Aspir III just says cannot be cast if the timer is down.

Do I need to be putting something else in my macro other than /ma "Aspir III" <t>, like using the shortcuts addon or something?

Anyone would have updated BIS sets for freenuke, Burst , Burst with Macc abd Death ?

Im struggling with which of AF+3 and relic +3 pieces I should go with, especially the gloves ;)

Thank you !

All sets are up to date on the front page

So JSE neck isn’t best burst neck moving other armor pieces around? I thought you tested this yourself and posted it was?

Updated, the max burst set, sorry I thought I had updated it

Thanx Toralin!
Given the price of the BLM shards I’d have thought that at least some relic +3 pieces would have a room in a situational Burst set but not even.

I'm having a very hard time believing alm+1 is better than arch+3 at this point. Archmage+3 has more INT (even if using the 2 INT to 1 MAB ratio) is barely a smidge behind Almaric +1 in total MAB including INT trasistion...not to mention so much more macc. If it's true 1.8 INT is 1 MAB, then Archmage +3 is easily better than Almaric +1 in any free nuke scenario. I could be wrong though /shrug

Well the free nuke set has been updated and is 5/5 arch. +3

Well that's why I commented though, it just says 3/2018. Other slots are just variations of stuff. Thinking its all bis for most part.

*edit* and description talks about sacking MAB, which really isn't too much of the case with all factors taking in.

Just because its newer, doesn't make it better.

The sets are for max damage, m.acc requirements change for the content you are doing. Its just like melee sets, people build the max damage for tp/ws sets and then add accuracy as needed.

This is NO different.


Lathi is old as ***.. 2015-16? But just because its old doesn't discount it will still OUT damage a max aug grio that's 15INT 30mab/30macc. If you want to argue that the Grio will outnuke it over the long term because it has more M.Acc and you will possibly get resisted less, that is fair, but nearly impossible to quantify in nuking class jobs especially if depending on content you are doing, CP/Omen/Vagary/Dyna D Wave1/2/3???

Amalric Hands+1
36 INT
63 MAB 53+10(set)
20 macc
14 skill

Archmage Hands +3
36 INT
50 mabb
38 macc
23 skill

Amalric+1: +13MAB 0 INT -18M.Acc -9 skill
Amalric nukes harder Archmage more M.Acc

Amalric Nails +1
21 INT
62 MAB
20 macc
23 skill
Archmage Sabots+3
30 INT
54 mabb
38 macc
17 skill

Amalric+1: +8MAB -9INT -18M.Acc +6 skill
Amalric nukes harder Archmage more M.Acc, I still believe there maybe something mis-translated on the Nails+1, I have free nuked level 100-129 content with both these items and Nails won



Amalric Slops +1
40 INT
70 MAB
20 macc

Archmage Tonban+3
50 INT
58 MAB
46 macc

Amalric+1: +12MAB -10INT -46M.Acc
Amalric nukes harder Archmage more M.Acc

Amalric Doublet +1
38 INT
63 MAB
53 macc

Archmage Coat +3
46 INT
52 MAB
40 macc
24 skill


Amalric +1: +9MAB -8INT +13M.Acc -24 skill +9% Crit Dmg
Amalric +1 nukes harder Archmage more M.Acc

The head the clear winner is Archmage+3 vs Amarlic+1, no comparison needed

Merlinic Hood (max aug of 15/40/40 for comparison)
44 INT
50 MAB
55 macc

Archmage Petasos +3
34 INT
55 MAB
43 macc
21 skill

I am not opposed to changing sets around, but slap on Focus/Malaise, which I think the majority of people would say is available in BLM nuking scenarios the needed for massive M.ACC diminishes. Now a BLM that is always out soloing? Sure get all the +3 and leverage it all.

This is personally what I use for for free nukes, even though the Nails+1 beat it in overall damage. But looking at the numbers it looks almost better to swap out the legs for a massive m.acc jump, for me I have the feet in inventory because of the massive bump on ele debuffs. Taking a targets INT down 43 is massive, every BLM should cast burn on everything they are nuking.(unless its needing to be slept)

ItemSet 351867

i have a question, Jhakri pigaches +2 not better over amalric nails +1 for MB set ?

Almaric Nails +1 will be 21 INT, 62 MAB vs Jhakri Pigaches +2 33 INT, 39 MAB, for a difference of -12 INT and +23 MAB towards the Nails. Pigaches have +7 MBD, but I don't know of any set where that would help it win. Almaric Nails +1 win by a landslide for damage.

Macc wise, Pigaches +2 have +22 Macc and +12 INT more than Nails +1, so it's a sidestep piece if you need Macc, but in that case Ea Pigaches +1 would be a better compromise.

But Ea Pigaches/+1 lacks INT (+1 has 5 though) for god who knows why SE never picked up on that(yes I know ilvl feet usually lacks INT but it's a F-ing mage role piece that should fit into that sort of consistency)