Eat It or Dodge? What to Do About AoE?

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Originally Posted by Jpec07

After numerous complaints from friends in my FC who play these jobs, I started to listen. Looking at their theoretical outputs, NIN and DRG are just as ill-suited to burning down mobs with AoE as PLD is. I've taken to trying to adjust my pull size to the AoE output of the group. If I've got a NIN or DRG, I'll slow down and do smaller pulls to let them single-target the mobs down. Where it gets complicated is when my healing friend requests larger pulls because she's bored with the DPS rotation, and wishes to have more reason to heal.

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Ninja has pretty good aoe output for big trash pulls in dungeons. A NIN should be using AOE for group pulls (4-5 or more mobs) as should every single DPS jobs. Only slow down if the dps players in a particular run are playing bad and mobs are taking long to die.

Multiple grouped AoEs ⇒ targets are grouped ⇒ targets should be AoE'd ⇒ positionals do not apply ⇒ dodge AoEs.
Single AoE ⇒ one target ⇒ targets should be hit with single attacks ⇒ positionals apply ⇒ any marked AoE skill will always immobilise its caster ⇒ dodge AoE, then move back in before that mob has a chance to move or rotate.
If the AoE is particularly large such that it is not possible to move back in before the mob moves, it will also always be the case that you can interrupt that attack. Do so and earn a few limit break points. You may reduce your DPS slightly now, but you'll pull LB faster, which raises party DPS when it actually matters.

The only possible case for standing in an AoE is when you're a DRK, you need to be hit to get the MP for your damage output, you know that specific AoE does low enough damage that your healer can handle it, and it inflicts no status effect that would lower your dps.

Sometimes you have to eat it to know how hard it hits. That lets me know yes, I have to move no matter what; or no, regen will take care of it and I can eat it so melee can hit positionals.