I will go over the basics of the Black Mage Job, describe the play styles, give an example of a build, and more. Check out my Beginner Tips and Tricks for more help with the game.
This guide will go over everything about the Black Mage Job in Final Fantasy Explorers including:
Black Mage Job Basics - Everything you need to know when deciding whether or not to play Black Mage. Black Mage Ability Build - An example build that I use for Black Mage and why I use it. Black Mage Job Mastery - What you need to complete the Mastery Trials: Black Mage quest and what you get for doing it. Black Mage Job Equipment - What materials you need to craft the Black Mage-Only gear and how to get them.
Black Mage Job Basics
Black Mage is a pure damage magic Job. Their unique ability is Barrier, which creates a damage-absorbing barrier around them. The barrier has durability equal to your max AP and nullifies all damage until it drops to 0.
Their passive ability is Gather Magic, which reduces the amount of AP consumed by attack magic.
Even though Sage has a higher load and can increase their damage with Concentrate, Black Mages have more survivability with Barrier. They are also proficient in all Black Magic, allowing them to fit more abilities in their load. I haven’t had as many AP issues using Black Mage as I had with Sage, so I prefer Black Mage when I want pure damage.
Black Mage Ability and Mutations Build
I’m going to give you the build I currently use for Black Mage and describe why so you can get a good idea of one of the ways you can play Black Mage. If you need info on mutations and how to get each one, visit my Mutations and Crystal Surge Reference List.
Left Abilities
X - Barrier Suggested Mutations - M-Attack, Buffs Y - Poison Suggested Mutations - Status Ailments A - Bio B - None
Right Abilities
X - Ultima Suggested Mutations - Attack Buffs, Remove Buffs Y - Firaga Suggested Mutations - Link Ability, Attack Buffs, Elements A - Blizzaga Suggested Mutations - Link Ability, Attack Buffs, Elements
B - Thundaga Suggested Mutations - Link Ability, Attack Buffs, Elements
Barrier greatly helps with survivability, and adding buffs to it can help increase damage. Even with the proficiency, there wasn’t a lot I could add after the big attack magic. I went with Poison and Bio to get some extra damage over time. Poison can also add other status ailments.
I have Blizzaga linked to Thundaga, which links to Firaga. Blizzaga also links to Ultima, so I can get less delay and more damage for all of them. I usually don’t want to stand in the same spot for all of the abilities, so I broke them up.
Black Mage Job Mastery
When you complete 10 quests as a Black Mage, you can do the Mastery Trials: Black Mage quest. You must defeat Phoenix and activate 3 Crystal Surges to complete the quest.
Completing this will do multiple things:
Allows Black Mages to dual wield Allows Black Mage to equip staves and firearms Increases max HP and AP for Black Mage Gives Black Mage Guide
The last part is an item used to craft gear that only the Black Mage Job can equip.
Black Mage Job Equipment
All of the Black Mage Only equipment start with the word Black. There are pieces for Head, Torso, and Legs. Besides the unique look, Job specific gear adds 5 to your max ability load and takes away 1 from the base equipment trait for each piece. This gives you a total of 15 extra Load.
They all require the same types of materials, but torso uses more. Below is a list of the materials needed and where to get them.
Black Mage Guide - Completing Mastery Trials: Black Mage quest. Amount Needed: 1 for each piece, total of 3 Medusa Glare - Drops from Medusa monsters, located in Porjio Cavern. Amount Needed: 1 for each, total of 3 Karmic Lantern - Drops from Tonberry monsters, located in Mount Hibat. Amount Needed: 2 for each, total of 6 Small Compass - Random from gathering pile spots. Amount Needed: 3 for Head and Legs, 4 for Chest, total of 10
An easy way to fight Tonberry monsters is to do the 6* quest, “The Royal Cleaver”. This involves summoning a Tonberry King in Arha Marsh. Multiple Tonberry monsters spawn during this mission, so it is faster to go in, kill them and take the items, then leave.
This is it for my guide on Black Mage in Final Fantasy Explorers. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!
