[Coinspinner]

If both INT boosting and MP boosting BLMs are expected to do X damage per fight, the INT guy is spending less MP to do that damage and can sit down sooner because he has to cast fewer spells than the MP guy. Sems to me that an INT setup leads to less downtime and faster damage than an MP setup...

[AtraposBLM]

Originally posted by Coinspinner
If both INT boosting and MP boosting BLMs are expected to do X damage per fight, the INT guy is spending less MP to do that damage and can sit down sooner because he has to cast fewer spells than the MP guy. Sems to me that an INT setup leads to less downtime and faster damage than an MP setup...

this is more true in earlier levels, as adding 10-15 int adds 15-25 damage or so, which is a *big* improvement when your spells are barely cracking the 100-150 damage mark. When your spells are doing 600-750 damage (blizzard III -> water IV for me), adding 10-15 damage is much less attractive.

IMO, it'd be best to use both. I didn't bother, though, as I never felt I really could've utilized much more MP. I went the INT route, and still have only been outdamaged by one blm, who was the first NA on midgardsormr with all the elemental staves...and was basically the richest NA ever (he had a lot of JP friends), for a good long while.

Early levels, INT makes a MUCH bigger difference. Adding 15 damage to a normally 75-100 damage spell is adding more than 10% damage, and that's on everything you cast. That'll *reduce* mp consumption by 10% or more. Adding 50 mp might seem like a big deal, but you have to consider that it really only helps you get a free spell off at the beginning of chains. Worthwhile, maybe, but I'd still rather have the INT.

[Icemage]

I was levelling BLM in Crawlers' Nest a couple days ago with some friends and had a chance to compare different equip/nuking philosophies firsthand:

Party started as:
WAR33/MNK16 Hume
NIN35/WAR17 Hume
RDM35/BLM17 Hume
WHM35/SMN17 Hume
BLM35/WHM17 Taru
BLM35/WHM17 Taru (me)

Equipment-wise, the other Taru BLM had roughly the same MP and INT as I did.

Only main difference was she was using Melon Pies(+4 INT and +30MP), and I was using Hobgoblin Chocolate(+5 mp recovered while healing).

We were fighting Worker Crawlers, which are weak to Ice and Darkness.

It was really interesting to observe the differences in our play styles. She wasn't choosing her spells by day of week/weather, and she hadn't learned Drain yet, but because of the +INT, her Blizzard spells were hitting a bit harder than mine.. she'd get 90 damage, I'd get 86, give or take a point.

When we started, it was firesday with rain weather prevailing, so she was outnuking me on every spell. There wasn't anything I could cast that was sticking reliably... Firesday was hurting my Blizzard damage, rain would hurt my Fire damage, and water just wasn't hitting for much damage. Only reason I was keeping up was because I had extra MP to play with due to the chocolate, and because I was opening fights (and closing them occasionally) with Drain.

When Firesday changed to Earthsday and the rain went away, though, I pulled ahead. Blizzard spells were sticking more often, and her damage advantage on Blizzard was only ~4%. I switched to Stone as my secondary nuke, while she chose Fire. Stone was hitting for anywhere from 4 damage (full resist) to 48 damage (no resist), while she stayed with Fire for 6-80 damage.

Moral of the story - more INT is good at low levels. I had to nuke more often to keep pace against a similarly-equipped BLM. Even a handful of INT makes a big difference, as you can see.

Of course, when spells start hitting for 200+ damage, a few points of INT makes far less difference (which is why MP recovery becomes so much more important as you gain levels).


Icemage

[Lightseeker]

Granted I'm elvaan and not hume, but I went with one of each at that level. The extra 25 MP would not have really done much good, since most parties at that range are incapable of chain 5. Plus blms can rest more often than any other mage job (except maybe smn, i don't know much about that job).

[Andry]

Serket Ring =D

[Blood Red Poet]

Trust me. Eremites +1. First off if you are not resting in between spells you are not playing that great.

x2 Astrals is simply free x2 Elemental Debuffs. Nothing REALLY worth the huge 6 INT lost.

2 Elemental Debuffs, rest for like 30-40 MP, Nuke, rest, Nuke, rest, and nuke. You get the point.

INT >>>>>> MP.

If you are a Galka or an Elvaan I would say one of both. But if you Hume/Mithra/Tarutaru dont need the MP boost. Trust me.

[fuz]

Isn't the effectiveness and chance of sticking for enfeebles determined by int as well?

If so, it really seems like +MP gear takes a backseat to +INT.

[CarbonFibre]

Originally posted by fuz
Isn't the effectiveness and chance of sticking for enfeebles determined by int as well?

If so, it really seems like +MP gear takes a backseat to +INT.

I'm not sure, but INT definitely affects elemental enfeebles like frost, burn, drown, etc. I think the stats that affect different enfeebles depend on the specific spell. INT helps with dark magic too, correct?

PS: Galka look funny in BLM AF and Errant gear (lol @ Khronic)

[Rodin]

Just buy one astrals, and one Eremites +1. That's a compromise that should work

[Scatman]

Besides, you still have to wait for the WHM even if you somehow manage to keep enough mp to continue a chain.

[Blood Red Poet]

INT's effect on MBs is HUGE. Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but pre50(maybe a little lower?) the damage ratio of WS vs MB is far, with MB in the lead. 1-3 more dmg INT gives to a normal spell. MB it is like 5-7 more dmg PER INT.

[Ungerpurr]

If you have to choose, I'd say go with the eremite's +1. If you can get both, that's the best, as you can basically have an extra 50 MP any time you get full MP (at the start of the chain, sometimes mid-chain).

As far as running out of MP, and the group being held back by the blm's MP...huh? Since when is a group held back by the blm's MP? Assuming you have a rdm, the blm doesn't need to start nuking/debuffing at the start of the fight, and can rest into it...50 MP is nothing over the course of a 5-chain, and if you're never full MP, that extra MP doesn't help at all.

Granted, I haven't leveled my BLM in a while, but when I did, the only thing we'd wait on was the healer's and pld's MP. No need for me to get up and start nuking at the start of the fight, the spells do the same damage either way.

[Niland]

i use +int always.

use juice in lower levels, and you won't have many MP issues.

[Thegod]

I recently had this exact same problem, and i've tried all three ways as a result (up to level 20 blk)

I leveled red/blk to 30 to get ranger advance, and took that to 55 before i realized i hate pulling, so back to blk mage i went (ima mithran if that matters)

I sold leaping and hairpin and whatnot to afford two astrals, I have 190 hp, and 315 mp with two astrals.........


...when i first got the astrals at level 15, my nukes were fine, it seemed like i really didnt miss the 6 int that much, but then we started fighting gobs, and a taru blk with no ermites, no astrals, no int rings at all was outnuking me in damage, granted i had 70 more mp then him, but still he outdamaged me.


....so i went back to the two ermites+1, and outnuked everyone taru's included (not many on titan have ermites+1 at level 15) BUT when the party was introuble, i wasnt able to help......


...so i went 1 astral 1 ermites+1, my nukes were average to above average (prolly based on my having garrison boots and gloves and later mage's tunic and slacks and black silk necktie) but again, i noticed i missed the mp more then the damage, at level 20 50 mp is alot, way more then it is at level 40 per se.


ok you guys seem to think you'll always end up in the perfect party, i now have both astrals equiped, and two regular ermites if mp isnt a problem, the astrals make me so much more flexible with my playing, i can enfeeble, heal, and nuke without emptying my mp supply.

[Rones]

In all honesty the +50 mp from 2 astrals is worthless unless you are going from full mp to 0 mp regularly. Look at it like this:

Blm 1 300 mp with +6int
Blm 2 350 mp with 2xastrals

Fight 1: Each blm uses 150 mp, blm 1 does more dmg.
Each blm rests up 100 mp after 2nd fight is started
Fight 2: Each blm uses 150 mp putting their mp amounts like this:
Blm1 100
Blm2 150
Each blm rests up 200 mp before finishing off fight 3 with 100 mp spent nuking.
Putting them at:
Blm1 200
Blm2 250
This cycle continues on for every fight and hopefully the pattern is clear by now.

Since both blms are regaining mp at the same rate, and until blm2 hits 0 mp, the +50 mp from astrals doesn't even come into play. Even when they do both hit 0, blm 1 will just rest sooner and with less downtime, blm 2 will rest later with more downtime. Of course the longer you rest at one time the faster the mp fills up, but a blm won't usually have time to go from 0 to max, so that isn't a factor.

This works the same with whms. I have 780 mp, but I only use the top ~400 of my mp tank due resting every chance I get. I could have 500 mp or 10,000 mp and I would function practically the same if I continued to rest every chance I got. The main reason whms use +mp gear instead of +mnd is because our cures cap in power +0mnd (unlike blm nukes) and it is important for whm's to have emergency mp ready. However, if cures weren't capped, you bet I would replace all my +mp with +mnd to make each cure more mp efficient. Higher mp efficieny means I get more out of each mp tick gained from resting.

On top of all this, blms have a lot more choice as to when they rest and nuke (unlike whms), so the extra buffer given by +mp is even less of a factor.