Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

[Gwynn]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

My advice to a black mage is to stick to enfebling (sp?) magic unless a party does a skillchain. Then use your nukes during the skillchain.

Well, you don't want to enfeeble all the time, especially if theres a RDM in the party. What I usually do is wait for about 10~ seconds then cast my 3 Elemental DoTs, wait for a little bit, Drain, Aspir (if the mob has MP), wait, throw out a normal nuke, wait, Magic Burst, and by this time the mob is usually dead. If not, I'll throw out a weaker normal nuke to finish it off. Now, granted, I'm only 35 in BLM, but it seems to work out alright for me at the moment.

[zagex]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

As Blm I like to throw out a nuke most of the time after the tank gets a hate spike (provoke, weaponskill, flash, big cure, SATA onto tank). After those moves, the tank generally has enough hate such that it's "safe" for me to nuke. Also towards the end I try to nuke at the end of the fight when I know an unresisted nuke will kill it.
Of course don't just take every hate spike as a time to nuke. You still have to judge by if you've pulled hate recently, are they about to skillchain for you to burst off of, and most importantly when was the last time you nuked. Back to back nukes are never good, though I still pulled hate a few times with a nuke, then burst right after (wasn't ready for the skillchain and I hate letting a SC go by un-bursted)

[almighty_boof]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

in my experience, take your time and relax. This is a much more slack job than the always busy red mage or bard or tank, even. This job, i think, is one of the easiest and most laid back jobs in the game next to monk.

Personally, i only use about 2-4 nukes/spells every provoke. Also, i stick to the element the mob is weak to, or go with the element of the current day. This greatly reduces resists and still packs about as much damage as someone chainspelling nukes with resist after resist.

I'm not sure if this is true but i've seen myself get less resists casting 1 spell every 20 seconds than i would cast spell after spell. But i guess that is for a different thread...

[Macht]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

I've only played BLM to 30, but I can say from my experiences with Mages usually the shiny brand new up-to-date spell you get is best used sparringly. Reason is that the spell usually can just be to strong it draws to much hate.

In qufim yes Fire is a pretty bad one to use seems to be resisted a lot, makes sense since the fish, crabs (I'm guess you fight those if worms then this doesn't apply) are water based and water trumps fire. In there the spell combo I usually used was like Blizzard and Aero. Yes if you cast a powerful spell around the same time the Tank provokes the mob shouldn't really move, had occassion when I do it the mob will turn and look at me funny but just turns back and goes for the tank.

Kind of funny now that I think about it, I ride that hate line almost exactly like I did BLM with a few differences when it comes near that fights end. Had a many mobs turn around to look at me funny, but rarely do they advance towards me. If one does usually the tank is able to pull it back before it even lands a single hit, good for us because extra time the mob spends just moving around and not attacking.

[kuu]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

Every blm will have to learn(hopefully) to tweak their strats on a pt by pt basis.

Some pts will control hate better then others, and some pts will cater to blms(and you to them) then others.


One strat, which you will need a fair amount of skill, and judgement in, is a tactic blms use endgame. (And very effective in places like qufim where monsters are super weak to the element. Also helps a lot if you have multiple blm mana burning in pt)

The strat is to kill them before they kill you
No really...let me explain.

Rest, or hold back till the monster's HP is low enough for you to kill it within 1-3 spells, and smash it to bits before he can take you down.

Basically it's a killing blow, and it's somewhat risky, and you have to know how your pt performs. You can't waste all your mp on one monster and not have it for the next(that's even mor stupid then getting hate).

Also take advantage of magic bursts, and burn spell with this tactic, with say a burn, -ga spell, follow by your strongest, then next. Then Rest and sit out the pulling and perhaps half the next fight, repeat.

Good pts to do this in, are thf SATA pts, where they only need 1 skill chain to do major damage, and thus, you bursting and killing the last part.

Blm's as they get higher in levels, become one simple thing, heavy artillery. You don't do the most damage many times, nor do you take it, debuff, or heal very well..but you can do a lot of damage in a very short amount of time.

[Neomage]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

Taskmage, you would think that be the case. But I was in a party where a level 52 BLM thought it would be a grand idea to cast Freeze 5 seconds into battle. The Ninja thought it was a funny joke ... until about the 3rd fight where the BLM did this and then we're like ... wtf?

Omg... you serrious >.>

Another char buyer/bandwagin BLM >.>

[Matera]

Re: Is there practical way to avoid agro when casting?

It's interesting seeing how all you other Blms do things.

Personally, I do it from sense. I've been leveling Cor lately, but back then...

Use any enfeebles (Choke and Drown/Rasp depending on tank).

Use Drain and Aspir (Drain only if dark is capped, or mob doesn't have MP.) Recast whenever possible.

Use best spell that monster is weak to (Usually refer to crystals they drop, some have more than one.) Alternate with second best. If the monster bats an eye at you, stop.

Burst most powerful spell (Not Ancient Magic) whenever needed.

Dia two times per battle to keep enfeebling capped.