Black Mage Job Guide for FFXIV — Endwalker 6.55
Black Mage is a caster ranged DPS job in Final Fantasy XIV that uses black magic to unleash a wide array of destructive spells on their enemies. This job can be played after reaching Level 30 as a Thaumaturge and equipping their job stone.
What is Black Mage's Playstyle?
Black Mage is a caster DPS job with high damage, focused around steady-state output with long, hard-hitting spells.
Black Mage is classified as a selfish DPS, providing no raid buffs or unique utility to the party other than strong personal damage. The rotation follows a cyclical flow of burning through MP during Astral Fire phase for bonus damage on potent fire-aspected spells like Fire IV and Despair, then entering Umbral Ice for increased MP refresh to get back to full, keeping the Thunder III DoT up throughout. At higher levels, Black Mage must also keep track of another resource, Polyglot, gained by maintaining Astral Fire/Umbral Ice.
The base rotation for Black Mage is fairly simple and easy to pick up, with some built-in flexibility. However, translating it to an actual fight may be intimidating or difficult for some newer players. Learning how to utilize movement options like Triplecast, Xenoglossy, procs, and other options is integral in order to maintain uptime as well as Astral Fire/Umbral Ice timers. While it may take some experience to get used to the job, Black Mage is very satisfying to get good at, with a lot of optimization and skill expression at the top end of gameplay.
Black Mage Strengths and Weaknesses
- High personal damage without specific reliance on party performance/alignment with buffs.
- Variety of flexible movement tools and resources in order to keep uptime without loss.
- No combat raise, unlike the other two caster DPS.
- Mismanaged movement tools and resources can lead to a massive damage loss.
- Newer players to the job may have difficulty learning to adapt and maintain the rotation amidst mechanics.
How do you Unlock Black Mage
In order to unlock Black Mage, you must first complete the level 30 Thaumaturge class quest, "Facing Your Demons," as well as the level 20 main scenario quest "Sylph-Management." Following this, the quest "Taking the Black" will be available from Yayake in Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (x7.3, y12.4). Completing this will grant you the Black Mage job stone, which you can equip to continue on in your adventures as a Black Mage.
Black Mage Gauge
The Black Mage Elemental Gauge displays information on quantity and timers of various resources, detailed below.
The number of stacks of Astral Fire/Umbral Ice are designated by the tick markers at the top of the gauge, with the duration remaining on the timer displayed at the top. Astral Fire (displayed on the gauge in orange) is granted/refreshed by Fire, Fire II, Fire III, Despair, High Fire II, Flare, and Paradox while in Astral Fire. Umbral Ice (displayed on the gauge in blue) is granted/refreshed by Blizzard, Blizzard II, Blizzard III, High Blizzard II, and Paradox while in Umbral Ice.
Umbral Hearts, available at level 58+, are designated by the tick markers on the bottom left. These are granted in single-target using Blizzard IV, during AoE via Freeze, and built up during downtime via Umbral Soul.
At level 70, Polyglot is added to the Black Mage Elemental Gauge. On the bottom right of the gauge, a meter will build up while Astral Fire or Umbral Ice are active. Every 30 seconds, this bar will fill and add a Polyglot to the gauge, designated by the bottom crystal, which can be used on Foul. At level 80, a second Polyglot charge can be held, and a new Polyglot spender, Xenoglossy, is added.
Paradox is added to the gauge at level 90, designated by the crystal on the left side of the Elemental Gauge. This resource is obtained from being in Umbral Ice III with three Umbral Hearts and swapping to Astral Fire, as well as being in Astral Fire III and swapping to Umbral Ice.
Black Mage Video Resources
If you would prefer to watch a video that provides an overview of Black Mage, feel free to give the video below a watch. The video was provided by Julia Care, a member of the community on The Balance Discord server.
Black Mage Actions
Action Name |
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Effect |
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Blizzard Lv. 1 |
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MP Cost: 400.0 Deals ice damage with a potency of 180. Additional Effect: Grants Umbral Ice or removes Astral Fire Duration: 15s |
Fire Lv. 2 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals fire damage with a potency of 180. Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire or removes Umbral Ice Duration: 15s Additional Effect: 40% chance next Fire III will cost no MP and have no cast time Duration: 30s |
Transpose Lv. 4 |
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Swaps Astral Fire with a single Umbral Ice, or Umbral Ice with a single Astral Fire. |
Thunder Lv. 6 |
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MP Cost: 200.0 Deals lightning damage with a potency of 30. Additional Effect: Lightning damage over time Potency: 35 Duration: 21s Additional Effect: 10% chance after each tick that the next Thunder spell of any grade will add its full damage over time amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP Duration: 40s Only one Thunder spell-induced damage over time effect per caster can be inflicted upon a single target. |
Blizzard II Lv. 12 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals ice damage with a potency of 100 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Grants Umbral Ice III and removes Astral Fire Duration: 15s |
Scathe Lv. 15 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals unaspected damage with a potency of 100. Additional Effect: 20% chance potency will double |
Fire II Lv. 18 |
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MP Cost: 1500.0 Deals fire damage with a potency of 100 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire III and removes Umbral Ice Duration: 15s Astral Fire Bonus: Grants Enhanced Flare Effect is canceled if Astral Fire ends. |
Thunder II Lv. 26 |
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MP Cost: 400.0 Deals lightning damage with a potency of 50 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Lightning damage over time Potency: 15 Duration: 18s Additional Effect: 3% chance after each tick that the next Thunder spell of any grade will add its full damage over time amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP Duration: 40s Only one Thunder spell-induced damage over time effect per caster can be inflicted upon a single target. |
Manafont Lv. 30 |
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Restores 30% of maximum MP. |
Manaward Lv. 30 |
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Creates a barrier that nullifies damage totaling up to 30% of maximum HP. Duration: 20s |
Blizzard III Lv. 35 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals ice damage with a potency of 260. Additional Effect: Grants Umbral Ice III and removes Astral Fire Duration: 15s |
Fire III Lv. 35 |
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MP Cost: 2000.0 Deals fire damage with a potency of 260. Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire III and removes Umbral Ice Duration: 15s |
Freeze Lv. 40 |
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MP Cost: 1000.0 Deals ice damage with a potency of 120 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Grants 3 Umbral Hearts Umbral Heart Bonus: Nullifies Astral Fire's MP cost increase for Fire spells and reduces MP cost for Flare by one-third Can only be executed while under the effect of Umbral Ice. |
Thunder III Lv. 45 |
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MP Cost: 400.0 Deals lightning damage with a potency of 50. Additional Effect: Lightning damage over time Potency: 35 Duration: 30s Additional Effect: 10% chance after each tick that the next Thunder spell of any grade will add its full damage over time amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP Duration: 40s Only one Thunder spell-induced damage over time effect per caster can be inflicted upon a single target. |
Aetherial Manipulation Lv. 50 |
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Rush to a target party member's side. Unable to cast if bound. |
Flare Lv. 50 |
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MP Cost: 10000 Deals fire damage to target and all enemies nearby it with a potency of 220 for the first enemy, and 40% less for all remaining enemies. Enhanced Flare Potency: 280 Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire III Duration: 15s Can only be executed while under the effect of Astral Fire. |
Ley Lines Lv. 52 |
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Connects naturally occurring ley lines to create a circle of power which, while standing within it, reduces spell cast time and recast time, and auto-attack delay by 15%. Duration: 30s |
Sharpcast Lv. 54 |
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Ensures the next Scathe, Fire, Paradox, or Thunder spell cast will, for the first hit, trigger Scathe's additional effect, Firestarter, or Thundercloud. Duration: 30s Maximum Charges: 2 |
Blizzard IV Lv. 58 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals ice damage with a potency of 310. Additional Effect: Grants 3 Umbral Hearts Umbral Heart Bonus: Nullifies Astral Fire's MP cost increase for Fire spells and reduces MP cost for Flare by one-third Can only be executed while under the effect of Umbral Ice. |
Fire IV Lv. 60 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals fire damage with a potency of 310. Can only be executed while under the effect of Astral Fire. |
Between the Lines Lv. 62 |
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Move instantly to Ley Lines drawn by you. Cannot be executed while bound. |
Thunder IV Lv. 64 |
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MP Cost: 400.0 Deals lightning damage with a potency of 50 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Lightning damage over time Potency: 20 Duration: 18s Additional Effect: 3% chance after each tick that the next Thunder spell of any grade will add its full damage over time amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP Duration: 40s Only one Thunder spell-induced damage over time effect per caster can be inflicted upon a single target. |
Triplecast Lv. 66 |
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The next three spells will require no cast time. Duration: 15s Maximum Charges: 2 |
Foul Lv. 70 |
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Deals unaspected damage to target and all enemies nearby it with a potency of 600 for the first enemy, and 60% less for all remaining enemies. Polyglot Cost: 1 |
Despair Lv. 72 |
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MP Cost: 10000 Deals fire damage with a potency of 340. Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire III Duration: 15s Can only be executed while under the effect of Astral Fire. |
Umbral Soul Lv. 76 |
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Grants Umbral Ice and 1 Umbral Heart. Umbral Heart Bonus: Nullifies Astral Fire's MP cost increase for Fire spells and reduces MP cost for Flare by one-third Can only be executed while under the effect of Umbral Ice. |
Xenoglossy Lv. 80 |
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Deals unaspected damage with a potency of 880. Polyglot Cost: 1 |
High Blizzard II Lv. 82 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Deals ice damage with a potency of 140 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Grants Umbral Ice III and removes Astral Fire Duration: 15s |
High Fire II Lv. 82 |
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MP Cost: 1500.0 Deals fire damage with a potency of 140 to target and all enemies nearby it. Additional Effect: Grants Astral Fire III and removes Umbral Ice Duration: 15s Astral Fire Bonus: Grants Enhanced Flare Effect is canceled if Astral Fire ends. |
Amplifier Lv. 86 |
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Grants Polyglot. Can only be executed while under the effect of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice. |
Paradox Lv. 90 |
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Deals unaspected damage with a potency of 500. Astral Fire Bonus: Refreshes the duration of Astral Fire and 40% chance to grant Firestarter Duration: 15s Firestarter Effect: Next Fire III will require no time to cast and cost no MP Duration: 30s Umbral Ice Bonus: Spell is cast immediately, requires no MP to cast, and refreshes the duration of Umbral Ice Duration: 15s Can only be executed while under the effect of Paradox. ※This action cannot be assigned to a hotbar. |
Role Actions
Action Name |
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Effect |
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Addle Lv. 8 |
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Lowers target's physical damage dealt by 5% and magic damage dealt by 10%. Duration: 10s |
Sleep Lv. 10 |
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MP Cost: 800.0 Puts target and all nearby enemies to sleep. Duration: 30s Cancels auto-attack upon execution. |
Lucid Dreaming Lv. 14 |
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Gradually restores own MP. Potency: 55 Duration: 21s |
Swiftcast Lv. 18 |
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Next spell is cast immediately. Duration: 10s |
Surecast Lv. 44 |
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Spells can be cast without interruption. Additional Effect: Nullifies most knockback and draw-in effects Duration: 6s |
Black Mage Traits
Action Name | Acquired | Effect |
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Aspect Mastery | Lv. 1 |
Casting of certain fire and ice spells will grant a stack of Astral Fire and Umbral Ice respectively. Maximum Stacks: 1 Duration: 15s While under the effect of either Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, casting a spell of the opposite element will consume no MP. Effect does not apply to Flare. |
Maim and Mend | Lv. 20 |
Increases base action damage and HP restoration by 10%. |
Aspect Mastery II | Lv. 20 |
Allows the stacking of a second Astral Fire and Umbral Ice. |
Thundercloud | Lv. 28 |
Grants a 10% chance that after each damage over time tick inflicted by Thunder or Thunder III (3% for Thunder II or Thunder IV), the next Thunder, Thunder II, Thunder III, or Thunder IV will add its full damage over time amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP. Duration: 40s |
Aspect Mastery III | Lv. 35 |
Allows the stacking of a third Astral Fire and Umbral Ice. Casting Fire II or Blizzard II grants maximum stacks of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice respectively. When maintaining three stacks of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, the cast time of spells of the opposite element is halved. |
Maim and Mend II | Lv. 40 |
Increases base action damage and HP restoration by 30%. |
Firestarter | Lv. 42 |
Grants a 40% chance that after casting Fire, your next Fire III will require no MP and have no cast time. Duration: 30s |
Thunder Mastery | Lv. 45 |
Upgrades Thunder to Thunder III. |
Enochian | Lv. 56 |
Increases damage dealt by 5% while under the effect of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice. Upon successfully landing Fire II while under the effect of Astral Fire, grants Enhanced Flare. Enhanced Flare effect ends if Astral Fire is lost. |
Enhanced Freeze | Lv. 58 |
Grants 3 Umbral Hearts upon casting Freeze. |
Thunder Mastery II | Lv. 64 |
Upgrades Thunder II to Thunder IV. |
Enhanced Enochian | Lv. 70 |
Grants the effect of Polyglot upon maintaining Enochian for 30 seconds. Also improves Enochian's magic damage increase to 10%. |
Enhanced Sharpcast | Lv. 74 |
Reduces Sharpcast recast timer to 30 seconds. |
Enhanced Enochian II | Lv. 78 |
Improves Enochian's magic damage increase to 15%. |
Enhanced Polyglot | Lv. 80 |
Allows the stacking of a second Polyglot. |
Enhanced Foul | Lv. 80 |
Allows for the immediate casting of Foul. |
Aspect Mastery IV | Lv. 82 |
Upgrades Fire II and Blizzard II to High Fire II and High Blizzard II. |
Enhanced Manafont | Lv. 84 |
Reduces Manafont recast time to 120 seconds. |
Enhanced Enochian III | Lv. 86 |
Improves Enochian's magic damage increase to 23%. |
Enhanced Sharpcast II | Lv. 88 |
Allows the accumulation of charges for consecutive uses of Sharpcast. Maximum Charges: 2 |
Aspect Mastery V | Lv. 90 |
Adds a Paradox marker to your Elemental Gauge. The marker is made active after reaching Astral Fire III then swapping to the opposite element. Conversely, the marker can also be made active after reaching Umbral Ice III and gaining 3 Umbral Hearts then swapping to the opposite element. Blizzard and Fire become Paradox when the Paradox marker is made active. |
Black Mage Lore
In days long past, there existed an occult 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.
Changelog
- 19 Dec. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 6.55.
- 19 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 6.55.
- 19 Jan. 2024 (Leveling page): Updated for Patch 6.55.
- 19 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Updated BiS sets with Manderville relic for Patch 6.55.
- 19 Jan. 2024 (melding page): Updated for Patch 6.55.
- 10 Oct. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 6.5
- 10 Oct. 2023 (Leveling page): Updated for Patch 6.5
- 10 Oct. 2023 (gear page): Updated TOP sets with dungeon gear for Patch 6.5.
- 10 Oct. 2023 (melding page): Updated for Patch 6.5
- 10 Oct. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 6.5.
- 24 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated TOP and DSR sets with Manderville relic for Patch 6.45.
- 27 May 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 6.4.
- 27 May 2023 (Leveling page): Updated for Patch 6.4.
- 27 May 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 6.4.
- 27 May 2023 (melding page): Updated for Patch 6.4.
- 27 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 6.4.
- 11 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 6.3.
- 11 Jan. 2023 (Leveling page): Updated for Patch 6.3.
- 11 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 6.3.
- 11 Jan. 2023 (melding page): Updated for Patch 6.3.
- 11 Jan. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 6.3.
- 28 Aug. 2022 (Asphodelos page): Updated for Patch 6.2
- 28 Aug. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 6.2.
- 28 Aug. 2022 (Leveling page): Updated for Patch 6.2.
- 28 Aug. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Patch 6.2.
- 28 Aug. 2022 (melding page): Updated for Patch 6.2.
- 28 Aug. 2022 (this page): Updated for Patch 6.2.
- 20 Apr. 2022 (Asphodelos page): Updated for Patch 6.1
- 20 Apr. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 6.1.
- 20 Apr. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Patch 6.1.
- 20 Apr. 2022 (melding page): Updated for Patch 6.1.
- 20 Apr. 2022 (this page): Updated for Patch 6.1.
- 31 Mar. 2022 (Asphodelos page): Guide added.
- 31 Mar. 2022 (Leveling page): Guide added.
- 28 Feb. 2022 (rotation page): Guide added.
- 20 Feb. 2022 (gear page): Guide added.
- 20 Feb. 2022 (melding page): Guide added.
- 15 Feb. 2022 (this page): Guide added.
Guides from Other Classes
Rika Vanih is a long-time FFXIV player, starting back mid A Realm Reborn, then maining Black Mage since mid-Heavensward. She has cleared all savage fights on the job since then, often within the first week or two for each raid tier, as well as all three ultimate fights. With a passion for helping others learn and improve, she is an active Black Mage mentor on the Balance Discord, more than willing to assist players new to the job, seasoned veterans looking to min-max, and everywhere in between. You can most easily find her there, on various other FFXIV-related discord servers, or directly via Discord DM at Rika Vanih#1340.
Tsutsumi Tsumi is a Black Mage main that has been raiding since Heavensward. He primarily enjoys progression and has consistently been clearing Savage week 1 since mid-Stormblood. He can be contacted for any questions regarding Black Mage through his dms on Discord by messaging The Scarlet Devil#2637.
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