LVL 25 party tactics?

[nuklearkrack]

i finally started reading these boards and learned that there is a WEALTH of information out there! (i've also learned that i need to start learning how to play my BLM more efficiently...grrrr). i know there may be a lot of other posts about this, but i'm looking for BLM specific tactics to use at lvl 25. (my char is 25 blm/ 12 whm)

right now my system in a party is like so:

- puller gets monster
- first spell i cast is blind (sometimes i'll cast paralyze or both)
- depending on my MP and if monster has MP i'll cast Aspir next (this is done rarely though)
- then i'll cast an offensive spell that the monster is weak to
- cast backup cures until i see a renkei, then i try to magic burst (still have to get used to the timing)
- when the monster gets low on HP i cast another offensive spell


so far this seems to be working okay since i don't really cast spells like crazy anymore (man, that was stupid), and i don't waste all my MP. but i feel there is a more effective way to play this character.

i know there is no real RIGHT answer since people will play how they see fit and a lot of stuff is situational. i was just wondering what you high level BLMs would see fit for a lvl 25 to be casting. should i cast other stuff like poison, burn, frost, shock...etc instead of blind? just looking for strategies that i can adopt that other people have found to be effective.

[Fippish]

Well, the 3 best elemental debuffs all stack, and are better for you to be using than blind, since others can do that, and when you get higher lvl, paladins will be doing it for aggro.
I ALWAYS use Burn, which reduces elemental resist, because even if ONE elemental spell is not resisted for 1/2 damage because of it, it's more than paid for itself to me. Its usefulness increases with more nukers in the pt.
Choke is also good, in a melee-heavy party, as it will increase the damage the melees do a noticeable amount.
Shock is good if you've got a RDM in the PT, or two WHM.. in other words, if a lot of enfeebling is being cast on the mob. Just let them know their spells will land easier after Shock, so they can cast sure things like Bio or Dia first.
Lastly, try to avoid using backup cures on a regular basis. Your WHM can handle anything you should be killing for exp, with exceptions. You should only be helping heal if the tank is possibly going to die, or the WHM keeps getting aggro from healing. You can't nuke as much with healing aggro on you.

[Hadoken]

The amount of debuffing you do is going to depend a lot on the party and your targets. If you're taking down enemies quickly, don't bother with a lot of debuffs. Spend less time on backup cures, because it's just better if your MP is used for nukes. Don't sit around not nuking in the middle, but also don't chain cast. The best thing you can do is keep your MP% about the same as the other mages in the party so that you're not at half MP when they are empty, or vice versa. If you see that the WHM is running low on mp and you're not, start slinging those spells a little faster.

As for the "coup de grace" spell to finish the mob off, I'd say you're better off doing that with 2 spells. If you're not casting much, you can be pretty sure that you will not get enough aggro from 1 spell to pull it off the tanks. So wait until it is somewhat low and then finish it off with 2 good spells back to back (assuming you have 2 high level spells that it's not resistant to).