Black Mage

Lore

"In days long past, there existed an evil clan and arcane art known as black magic—a potent magic of pure destructive force born forth by a sorceress of unparalleled power. Those who learned to wield this instrument of ruin came to be called black mages, out of both fear and respect for their gift. Yet great power served to corrupt the judgment of mortal man, and so he unknowingly set out upon the path of ruin.
Adventurers who take the black will become agents of devastation, capable of annihilating those who oppose them through little more than the force of their will." — Game Description

General Information

Black Mage is a job that specializes in devastating their enemies through the use of black magic. Black Mage evolves from the class thaumaturge. Using staves and scepters, Black Mages are ranged damage dealers with powerful AoE spells and crowd controls. They have all the abilities and traits of Thaumaturges. The most important stat for the black mage is intelligence, which increases attack magic potency. The level of your Black Mage is equivalent to that of your Thaumaturge.

Requirements

• Level 30 Thaumaturge
• Completion of Main Scenario quest: Sylph-management

Trainer Locations

NPC	Location	Description
Yayake	Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (x7,y12)	Job Start for ARR
Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal (x13,y14)	Job Trainer for 30-40
Kazagg Chah	Eastern Thanalan (x28,y21)	Job Trainer for 41-50
Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal (x13,y14)	Job Start for Heavensward
Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal (x13,y14)	Job Trainer for 52-60
Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal (x12.9,y13.5)	Job Start for Stormblood

Actions

Black Mages use all the Thaumaturge Actions in addition to having their own unique actions for their Job:

Black Mage received no skill removals with 4.0/Stormblood.

Action	Icon	Level	MP Cost	Cast Time	Cooldown	Range	Radius	Description
Convert		30	0	Instant	180s	0y	0y	Sacrifices 20% of maximum HP to restore 30% of MP. Cannot be executed when current HP is lower than 20%.
Freeze		35	532	3s	2.5s	25y	5y	Covers a designated area in ice, dealing ice damage with a potency of 100 and binding enemies that enter for 15s. Additional Effect: Grants Umbral Ice for 12s or removes Astral Fire.
Flare		50	100% MP*	4s	2.5s	25y	5y	Deals fire damage with a potency of 260. Nearby enemies take an additive 10% less damage after each target hit up to 50% reduced.
Ley Lines		52	0	Instant	90s	0y	3y	Connects naturally occurring ley lines to create a circle of power which, while standing within it, increases attack speed by 15%. Duration: 30s
Sharpcast		54	0	Instant	60s	0y	0y	Ensures that the next Scathe, Fire, or Thunder spell cast will trigger all additional effects of the respective spell. Duration: 10s
Enochian		56	0	Instant	60s	0y	0y	Increases magic damage dealt by 5%. Also allows the casting of Blizzard IV and Fire IV. Duration: 30s
Blizzard IV		58	884	3s	2.5s	25y	0y	Deals ice damage with a potency of 280. Can only be executed while under the effects of both Enochian and Umbral Ice. Additional Effect: Enochian
Fire IV		60	884	3s	2.5s	25y	0y	Deals fire damage with a potency of 280. Can only be executed while under the effects of both Enochian and Astral Fire.

Role Actions

Caster
Action	Icon	Level	Description
Addle		8	Lowers target's intelligence and mind by 15%.
Break		12	Deals unsapected damage with a potency of 50. Applies Heavy +40% for 20s.
Drain		16	Deals unaspected damage with a potency of 80. Absorbs 100% of damage dealt as HP.
Diversion		20	Reduces enmity generation.
Lucid Dreaming		24	Reduces enmity by half. Refresh potency 80 for 21s.
Swiftcast		32	Next spell is cast instantly.
Mana Shift		36	Transfers up to 20% of own MP to target party member.
Apocatastasis		40	Reduces a party member's magic vulnerability by 20% for 12s.
Surecast		44	Next spell is cast without interruption.
Erase		48	Removes a single damage over time effect from target party member other than self.

PvP Actions

Action	Icon	Type	Cost	Cast Time	Cooldown	Range	Radius	Description
Fire (PvP)	40px	spell	1000 MP	1.8s	2.3s	??	??	Deals fire damage with a potency of 1,250. Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire, increasing damage dealt by 10% Duration: 15s Spell has no casting time if executed while under the effect of Umbral Ice.
Blizzard (PvP)	40px	spell	-	1.8s	2.3s	??	??	Deals ice damage with a potency of 750. Additional Effect: Restores 1,000 MP Additional Effect: Grants Umbral Ice, reducing spell cast and recast times by 10% Duration: 15s Spell has no casting time if executed while under the effect of Astral Fire.
Thunder (PvP)	40px	spell	1500 MP	1.8s	2.3s	??	??	Deals lightning damage with a potency of 500. Additional Effect: Lightning damage over time Potency: 300 Duration: 15s Additional Effect: Grants Thunder III Ready if target is dealt over 6,000 points of damage while under the effect of Thunder Duration: 10s Thunder effect is removed from target upon receiving Thunder III Ready status. ※Action changes to Thunder III while under the effect of Thunder III Ready.
Enochian (PvP)	40px	spell	-	0s	15s	??	??	Allows the casting of Fire IV and Blizzard IV. Additional Effect: Grants Polyglot if Enochian is maintained for 30s. Can only be executed while under the effect of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice. Effect is canceled if Astral Fire or Umbral Ice end. ※Action changes to Fire IV while under the effect of Astral Fire and Enochian. ※Action changes to Blizzard IV while under the effect of Umbral Ice and Enochian.
Foul (PvP)	40px	spell	Polyglot	2.8s	2.3s	??	??	Deals unaspected damage to a target and all enemies nearby it with a potency of 4,500 for the first enemy, 25% less for the second, 50% less for the third, and 75% less for all remaining enemies. Can only be cast while under the effect of Polyglot. Cannot be cast while under the effect of either Astral Fire or Umbral Ice. Polyglot effect ends upon use. ※Action changes to Flare while under the effect of Astral Fire and Polyglot. ※Action changes to Freeze while under the effect of Umbral Ice and Polyglot.
Sleep (PvP)	40px	spell	1500 MP	2.3s	2.3s	??	??	Puts target to sleep. Duration: 3s Cancels auto-attack upon execution.
Swiftcast (PvP)	40px	ability	-	0s	30s	??	??	Next spell is cast immediately. Duration: 10s
Aetherial Manipulation (PvP)	40px	ability	-	0s	30s	??	??	Rush to a target party member's side. Unable to cast if bound.
Convert (PvP)	40px	ability	-	0s	60s	??	??	Restores 25% of maximum HP and MP. Can only be executed while under the effect of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice. Removes Astral Fire or Umbral Ice upon execution.
Thunder III (PvP)	40px	spell	-	0s	2.3s	??	??	Deals lightning damage with a potency of 2,000. Additional Effect: Lightning damage over time Potency: 300 Duration: 15s Additional Effect: Grants Thunder III Ready if target is dealt over 6,000 points of damage while under the effect of Thunder Duration: 10s Can only be cast while under the effect of Thunder III Ready. Thunder effect is removed from target upon receiving Thunder III Ready status. ※This action cannot be assigned to a hotbar.
Fire IV (PvP)	40px	spell	2000 MP	2.3s	2.3s	??	??	Deals fire damage with a potency of 2,500. Can only be cast while under the effect of Astral Fire and Enochian. ※This action cannot be assigned to a hotbar.
Blizzard IV (PvP)	40px	spell	-	2.3s	2.3s	??	??	Deals ice damage with a potency of 1,500. Additional Effect: Restores 2,000 MP Can only be cast while under the effect of Umbral Ice and Enochian. ※This action cannot be assigned to a hotbar.
Flare (PvP)	40px	spell	Polyglot	2.8s	2.3s	??	??	Deals fire damage to a target and all enemies nearby it with a potency of 3,000 for the first enemy, 25% less for the second, 50% less for the third, and 75% less for all remaining enemies. Additional Effect: Heavy +50% Duration: 2s Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire, increasing damage dealt by 10% Duration: 15s Can only be cast while under the effect of Astral Fire and Polyglot. Polyglot effect ends upon use. ※This action cannot be assigned to a hotbar.
Freeze (PvP)	40px	spell	Polyglot	2.8s	2.3s	??	??	Deals ice damage to a target and all enemies nearby it with a potency of 2,000 for the first enemy, 25% less for the second, 50% less for the third, and 75% less for all remaining enemies. Additional Effect: Bind Duration: 4s Additional Effect:Grants Umbral Ice, reducing spell cast and recast time by 10% Duration: 15s Can only be cast while under the effect of Umbral Ice and Polyglot. Polyglot effect ends upon use. ※This action cannot be assigned to a hotbar.

Quests

Quest	Level	NPC	Zone	Coordinates	EXP	Reward
Taking the Black	30	Yayake	Ul'dah - Steps of Nald	(x7,y12)	7410	,
You'll Never Go Back	35	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	9020
International Relations	40	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	11270
The Voidgate Breathes Gloomy	45	Kazagg Chah	Eastern Thanalan	(x28,y21)	12420	, , , ,
The Blood Must Flow	45	Kazagg Chah	Eastern Thanalan	(x28,y21)	12420	, , ,
Always Bet on Black	50	Kazagg Chah	Eastern Thanalan	(x28,y21)	0	, , ,
A Relic Reborn (Stardust Rod)	50	Gerolt	North Shroud	(x30,y20)	0
Black Books	50	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	24000
An Unexpected Journey	52	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	26400
A Cunning Plan	54	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	31200
Black Squawk Down	56	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	36000
Destruction in the Name of Justice	58	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	40800
The Defiant Ones	60	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12,y13)	0
Shades of Shatotto	60	Lalai	Ul'dah - Steps of Thal	(x12.9,y13.5)	0	-NA-

Job Gauge

Official Lodestone Job Guide (Always up-to-date)

Elemental Gauge

The Elemental Gauge indicates whether you are under the influence of Astral Fire (after casting a Fire spell) or Umbral Ice (after casting a Blizzard spell). While under the influence of Astral Fire, all Fire spells will have increased potency, but require more MP to cast. While under the influence of Umbral Ice, all Blizzard spells will have no cost, and will recover MP upon striking a target. Furthermore, when maintaining stacks of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, a spell of the opposite element can be cast at no cost but will deal reduced damage.

The action   Umbral Soul (acquired at level 35) halts the expiration of Umbral Ice. Reapplying this effect, or casting a spell of the opposite element, will cause its expiration to resume.

Coming under the influence of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice will grant   Enochian, and set the lower-right corner of the gauge aglow, indicating its effect is active. Enochian increases the potency of magic attacks, as well as unlocks powerful spells such as   Blizzard IV. Enochian fades when Astral Fire or Umbral Ice expires.

Casting   Freeze or   Blizzard IV grants 3 Umbral Hearts which are represented by the arrows in the gauge's lower-left corner. An Umbral Heart is consumed each time a Fire spell is cast, nullifying the MP cost increase applied by the Astral Fire status.

The Enochian bar will fill every 30 seconds the status is maintained. When the crystal at the bottom of the Elemental Gauge glows pink, you will be under effect of Polyglot, which allows the spells   Foul and   Xenoglossy (acquired at level 80) to be cast, consuming a crystal.

Upon learning the trait   Enhanced Polyglot, you will be able to stack a second Polyglot.

Upon learning the trait   Aspect Mastery V, the Paradox Gauge will be displayed. If your element switches to the opposite element when under the effects of either Astral Fire or Umbral Ice and in possession of the maximum number of Umbral Hearts, the left side of the Paradox Gauge will light up. You will then be able to use   Paradox.

Upon learning the trait   Enhanced Polyglot II, you will be able to stack a third Polyglot.

Simple Mode

Umbral Ice

Astral Fire

Umbral Ice Timer Halted

  Enochian

  Umbral Hearts

Polyglot

  Paradox

Astral Fire Gauge

Upon learning the trait   Enhanced Astral Fire, while under the effect of Astral Fire, casting   Fire IV or   Flare will grant stacks (1 and 3 respectively) of Astral Soul. At maximum stacks, you can cast   Flare Star.

Simple Mode

Astral Soul

Black Mage Guide

Endgame Rotations

Opener:

--> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> -->

Rotation (while under Enochian):

(or if proc’d) --> --> --> --> --> --> --> (or if procd) -->

Note:

I am able to get the six Fire IV in with around 840 Spell Speed/Full Prototype Midan gear. If you are having trouble, start off with two Fire IVs, not three, and work your way up to three in a row. Even with high spell speed, I can just barely get off Blizzard IV before Enochian drops. Remember in boss fights to do what you can to keep Enochian up!

Images