Thunder III is a Black Mage spell from Final Fantasy XIV that deals damage to a single target and additional damage over time. It is upgraded from
Thunder at level 45.
Mechanics[]
|
Use[]
Thunder III is used to deal damage over time (DoT) to the target. It should always be applied as soon as possible against a target to maximize its effects. Against weak enemies expected to die in less time than its duration it may be safely skipped. Thunder III is best used during the Umbral Ice state, as the MP it consumes will not regenerate in the Astral Fire state and it doesn't benefit from the state's damage increase.
Only one Thunder spell-induced damage over time effect per caster can be inflicted upon a single target, preventing Thunder III from stacking with Thunder II or
Thunder IV.
DoT effects deal damage every server tick, or 3 seconds, independent of the effect's duration. This means that the effect may deal damage anywhere between 0 and 3 seconds after it is applied, and in 3 second intervals afterwards. In order to maximize efficiency on damage over time effects, it is generally recommended to reapply them with under 3 three seconds remaining, as the final tick of damage from the effect can occur anywhere in that window. This may result in the loss of a tick, but waiting for the effect to drop off before reapplying can result in the loss of two or more ticks and greater DPS loss.
The Thundercloud trait grants each damage tick of Thunder III a 10% chance to grant the
Thundercloud status. The status causes the next Thunder spell of any grade to add its full DoT amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP. With Thundercloud active, Thunder III becomes one of the most powerful spells in the Black Mage's arsenal. Despite this Black Mages shouldn't use a Thundercloud Thunder III until either the previous DoT or Thundercloud itself are about to run out in order to maximize the damage of the previous DoT.
Sharpcast will guarantee a Thundercloud proc on the next Thunder spell used, and it is generally preferable to use it in this manner than for the other effects it provides.
PvP[]
Thunder III is instant cast with no MP cost. Thundercloud now activates whenever the target takes over 8000 damage while under the effect of Thunder, which also ends the DoT effect. Thundercloud's effect is changed to instead upgrade Thunder and
Thunder II to the much stronger Thunder III and
Thunder IV.
As Thundercloud only activates when the affected target takes heavy damage, Black Mages should focus their damage on the affected target to ensure Thundercloud activates. Since Thunder III and Thunder IV can generate their own Thundercloud procs, it is possible to chain Thundercloud spells together.
As an instant cast spell that activates the global cooldown (GCD), Thunder III can be used to weave abilities that are off the global cooldown (oGCD), such as Night Wing, in between spellcasts.
Patch history[]
Version | Changes |
---|---|
A Realm Reborn | Added with 60 base potency, 35 DoT potency, 24 second duration, 3.5 second cast time, and 16% base MP cost. Thunder and Thunder III were distinct spells, but all Thunder spells applied the same ![]() Was also available to ![]() ![]() Had a base potency of 340 under the effect of Thundercloud. |
Patch 3.05 | Base potency increased to 70. DoT potency increased to 40. Thundercloud activation chance increased to 10%. Base potency while under the effect of Thundercloud increased to 390. |
Stormblood | Cast time reduced to 2.5 seconds. Now replaces Thunder via the trait ![]() Each Thunder spell now inflicts their own unique status, but these statuses still cannot stack. Thundercloud activation chance reduced to 3% for ![]() Now learned from the quest ![]() No longer available to Thaumaturges. No longer available in PvP. New PvP exclusive version added. See below for its patch history. |
Patch 4.2 | Thundercloud duration increased to 18 seconds. |
Shadowbringers | MP cost set at 400 with MP system overhaul. |
Version | Changes |
---|---|
Stormblood | Added with 2000 initial potency, 300 DoT potency, and 2.3 second recast. Granted the ![]() Replaced Thunder while under the effect of ![]() Thunder III Ready was granted for 10 seconds if an enemy took 6000 damage while under the effect of Thunder or Thunder III, and removed the DoT status upon activation. |
Patch 4.05 | Damage threshold reduced to 5000. |
Shadowbringers | DoT potency increased to 400. Recast time increased to 2.4 seconds. |
Patch 5.1 | Base potency increased to 2400. Damage threshold increased to 6000. Thunder III Ready renamed to Thundercloud. Thundercloud now also replaces Thunder II with Thunder IV. Only one Thunder spell-induced damage over time effect per caster can be inflicted upon a single target. |
Patch 5.58 | Damage threshold increased to 8000. |