Thunder IV (Final Fantasy XIV)

Thunder IV
(サンダジャ, Sandaja?, lit. Thundaja)
Icon
Availability
Required	Black Mage 64
Classification
Type	Spell
Skillset	Job action
Effect	Deals damage to target and nearby enemies
Additional effect	Deals additional damage over time 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
Element	Lightning
Status	Thunder IV Thundercloud
Specifications
MP cost	800 0 with Thundercloud
Cast time	3 seconds Instant with Thundercloud
Recast time	2.5 seconds (GCD)
Range	25 yalms
Area of effect	5-yalm radius
Duration	18 seconds (6 ticks)
Potency	Initial: 50 DoT: 30 per tick Total: 230 With Thundercloud: Initial: 230 DoT: 30 per tick Total: 410
Icon
Availability
Obtained	A Pup No Longer
Required	Black Mage 30
Classification
Type	Spell
Skillset	Job action
Effect	Deals damage to target and nearby enemies
Additional effect	Deals additional damage over time If target is dealt over 4000 points of damage while under the effect of Thunder IV, upgrades Thunder and Thunder II to Thunder III and Thunder IV
Element	Lightning
Status	Thunder IV Thundercloud
Specifications
Other cost	Thundercloud
Cast time	Instant
Recast time	2.4 seconds (GCD)
Range	25 yalms
Area of effect	5-yalm radius
Duration	Thunder IV: 15 seconds (5 ticks) Thundercloud: 10 seconds
Potency	Initial: 1200 DoT: 200 per tick Total: 2200

Thunder IV is a Black Mage spell from Final Fantasy XIV that deals area of effect (AoE) damage and additional damage over time. It is upgraded from Thunder II at level 64.

See also: Thunder (Final Fantasy XIV), Thunder II (Final Fantasy XIV), or Thunder III (Final Fantasy XIV)

Mechanics

PvE version
Base mechanics	Deals magic lightning damage to target and nearby enemies Inflicts Thunder IV for 18 seconds, dealing additional damage every 3 seconds Only one Thunder effect of any level per caster can be inflicted upon a single target Activates the global cooldown
Traits	Thundercloud gives Thunder IV a 3% chance per damage over time tick to grant Thundercloud, causing the next Thunder spell of any level to add its full damage over time amount to its initial damage, have no cast time, and cost no MP Maim and Mend II increases damage by 30%
Formulae	Base direct damage formula: $Damage = \lfloor Potency * f(Intelligence_{DMG}) * f(Determination) \rfloor * f(Magic Damage) \rfloor * 1.3 \rfloor$ Where Potency can be 230 with Thundercloud or 50 without.
	Base damage over time formula: $Damage = \lfloor 30 * f(Magic Damage) \rfloor * f(Intelligence_{DMG}) \rfloor * f(Spell Speed) \rfloor * f(Determination) \rfloor * 1.3 \rfloor +1$
	Cast time formula: $Cast = \lfloor ( 100 - Haste ) * \lfloor ( 2 - f(Spell Speed) ) * 3000 \rfloor / 1000 \rfloor / 100$ Cast time becomes instant with Thundercloud.
	Recast time formula: $Cast = \lfloor ( 100 - Haste ) * \lfloor ( 2 - f(Spell Speed) ) * 2500 \rfloor / 1000 \rfloor / 100$
PvP version
Deals magic lightning damage to target and nearby enemies Inflicts Thunder IV for 15 seconds, dealing additional damage every 3 seconds All Thunder spells grant Thundercloud for 10 seconds if a target is dealt a certain amount of damage while under their effects, replacing the next Thunder or Thunder II with Thunder III or Thunder IV Thunder IV's damage threshold is 4000 Thunder IV effect is removed upon gaining Thundercloud Only one Thunder effect of any level per caster can be inflicted upon a single target Activates the global cooldown

Use

Thunder IV is used to deal damage over time (DoT) to multiple enemies. 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 IV 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 IV from stacking with Thunder III, which is preferred in single-target encounters.

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 IV a 3% 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 IV becomes one of the most powerful AoE spells available to a Black Mage. Despite this Black Mages shouldn't use a Thundercloud Thunder IV 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.

As Thunder IV has a cast time longer than the global cooldown (GCD), it can pair well with Swiftcast and Triplecast if the caster has Thundercloud. Without Thundercloud Flare is a better use use of these abilities.

PvP

In PvP Thunder IV is instant cast with no MP cost. Thundercloud now activates whenever the target takes 4000 damage while under the effect of Thunder IV, 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, and Thundercloud is consumed in using the stronger spells.

Thunder IV's damage threshold to activate Thundercloud is lower than that of the single-target variations, allowing Black Mages to more easily activate Thundercloud without needing to focus on a specific target. 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 IV can be used to weave abilities that are off the global cooldown (oGCD), such as Night Wing, in between spellcasts.

Patch history

Version	Changes
Stormblood	Added with an instant cast time and 18% base MP cost. Thundercloud had a 12 second duration.
Patch 4.2	Thundercloud duration increased to 18 seconds.
Shadowbringers	MP cost set at 400 with MP system overhaul.
Patch 5.1	New PvP exclusive version added. See below for its patch history.

PvP version

Version	Changes
Patch 5.1	Added.