I've been asked an odd question...

[Chveya]

I've been leveling in Yhotar Jungle the last couple days, and the last two parties I've been in I've been asked the same question: "{Black Mage} are you afk?" Of course, I wasn't, I was just resting for MP during battle. But, I started to wonder if my party thought I was not casting enough spells in battle. I usually cast enfeebles at the beginning of battle, rest, nuke, rest, nuke, etc. And I MB when necessary. Is that right? Or should I be nuking until I get the mob to 'turn?' I don't like to draw hate because it always seems to screw up the party. That's why I take it slow with the nuking (plus I've seen one too many spell-happy BLMs get mauled). If I can be more efficient in my spell casting, I'd like to know. Please advise me! ^^

[Mhurron]

should I be nuking until I get the mob to 'turn?

No. In a good, well functioning party, no one ever pulls hate off the tank. Thats what they're there for. Now not ever party is going to work to that ideal, especially not at low levels where tanks don't have all their hate holding tricks yet. However that does not mean you are now free to go on a free-for-all, in reality it means you have to be more careful. On top of that, nuking slower can help you stretch out your MP so you're not resting when a MB is needed however don't nuke so slow that you draw battles out longer then they have to be.

BLM is all about balance. Nuking as much as you can without pulling hate but not so little that you do nothing. Not nuking so much so as to waste your MP, but again not so little that battles are longer because of you.

The other thing is, you don't have to do anything the moment the mob comes in sight. Don't even get up until the tank has done their first Provoke. Then cast the one or two Elemental Enfeebles you're going to use, you are going to use them right? By this time the tank should have provoked a second time and if the party has even a little bit of a clue hate is pretty well established. Now you can focus on efficiently killing the thing.

[Jenifa]

No. In a good, well functioning party, no one ever pulls hate off the tank.

yup i agree, but if you know you can kill the mob but will probably draw hate then I do..

e.g I have stoneskin up and i know I can slap it with a Burst2, draw hate and hit it with a thunder2 or similar whilst it hacks at my stoneskin to kill it. Saves time and hopefully some whm mp and maybe saves melee TP for next fight..

Then cast the one or two Elemental Enfeebles you're going to use, you are going to use them right?

or 3 in a long fight ... DoT ftw!!

[forster]

You are doing fine, it was a mistake on the part of the member that asked if you were AFK.

Now the black mage I had last night - christ - he was afk, and led to two party wipes in Crawlers. If he were there and actually used escape instead of leeching we wouldnt have died. Barsteward !

[Chveya]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I always cast two or three elemental enfeebles after the first voke (and a few melee hits). Maybe next time I exp I will try nuking just a bit more, to see where the 'hate line' is for me. Very rarely do I get close to running out of MP, so that's not an issue. I don't want my party to think I'm slacking or leeching exp.

[Ellipses]

At that level, you don't have to hold back nearly as much as all that unless your tank sucks. Don't go spamming Thunder or anything, but if you've got plenty of MP, you probably could be doing more. I didn't start longish spans of /healing mid-battle until late Yhoator. You'll never find the hate line if you don't take a few steps toward it. That's what Drain is for.