Returning player in desperate need of input.

I was leveling my BLM to 50 to get access to the MCH, and then I went and read the DPS forums a bit.
I am now no longer going after the MCH, and I'm considering abandoning my BLM.
I read a lot of things about how MCH is too proc based and RNG dependent to be reliable.
I then read about how BLM is one of the most daunting DPS classes in game, because if you screw up your Enochian window, your dps is toooootally shite. And this scares me, as I know I'm not that good at the Enochian windows and I really don't have hundreds of hours to dedicate to learning it perfectly for every fight.
So my question is this: what is a good Job that could be useful in every raid scenario, that likely won't be replaced with a new job (cough BRD cough), and is fairly easy to learn and be competitive with as someone that only has about 4 hours a day to play?
Please help forums, you're my only hope!

Don't just read horror stories about DPS. Almost every DPS class has a "if you don't do this, you will do badly" thing.

Every class is perfectly viable, no job replaces another if you can perform well.

Just stick with them and see how you like it, instead of fearing something you haven't experienced

First go for the job you like most and the role you like most. With time you can learn anything, dont matter how much time you have to play, maybe will just take you longer.
Second, how you know you are not good at Enochian windows if you only lvl 50 blm?
The most easy dps job, in my opinion, is brd. Just dont expect to be on the top of dps charts. For me nin, mnk and drg are the hardest to learn and maintain.

I think you should go with whatever class you find to be the most enjoyable! Not every class is for every person and that is why there is variety.
Don't take everything on the forums as the end all. If you were interested in MCH I would at least give it a shot before deciding not to play it(I almost didn't level it because people said it was so boring but I actually really enjoyed it). Heck try all the classes that is really the only way you'll know which one is for you.

As far as dps goes I am an avid monk lover and totally say give it a shot! I didn't find it terribly hard to learn. Every class will take time to learn.

Man don't drop BLM. I love playing BLM. And there's nothing that feels quite so good as those 10K+ crits.

Though I do understand the worry of losing a ton of DPS because you're unfamiliar with a boss' attacks, transitions, and other mechanics. So personally, I play DRG as a "Learning Class"; finding it the easiest to adapt on the fly and learn a fight with. Plenty of mobility, and the DPS loss is more forgiving if you wind up dropping a combo or BotD when compared to MNK or NIN.

Anecdotal stories about people's bad experiences playing a class/job/role in any game are not things to make decisions based upon.

If MCH appealed to you initially don't be scared away from it before you even give it a try. The "OMG RNG based gameplay is awful" stuff is horrendously overblown. MCH hold their own just fine with the rest of the DPS and are completely on par with their pre-HW equivalent, Bard.

As with most things personal experience is going to give you the most mileage when it comes to making a choice. Letting other people's experiences spoil a class for you without ever touching it yourself seems like the only way you could make a bad decision in your situation.

BLM people only talk about it being daunting in comparison to the sit on Fire 1 spam and don't miss your Firestarter/Thundercloud procs that was 2.x gameplay. BLM is still your standard run of the mill turret based caster dps and will play as such with managing your rotation and buffs.

As a BLM, ill agree totally that dropping Eno is frustrating as it gets. But it really doesnt take THAT much practice to get down the basic level of it. And while a specific fight may still get you from time to time this will happen less and less often the more you know the fights. And if you do drop it entirely? Well remember that your down time will be 30 seconds or less, then you can reapply and get back to work. Also, "if you screw up your Enochian window, your dps is toooootally shite" isnt exactly true. I ran the numbers a few months ago, and if im remembering it all correctly the drop in damage for your Eno downtime worked out to roughly 25%(and since you have guaranteed uptime of 50%+ that means the hit on your overall DPS would be half that or less). Doing a quarter less damage isnt good, but it isnt "toooootally shite" either. So to reiterate what several others have said, dont let horror stories scare you away. If you like it, play it.

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Originally Posted by Myrhn

Second, how you know you are not good at Enochian windows if you only lvl 50 blm?

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Palace of the Dead

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Originally Posted by iVolke

Palace of the Dead

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Palace is a hard place to learn new skills imo. I was leveling my blm there and he's ~44 - Stuff gets added to your action list so quick that it's hard to really learn to utilize it all appropriately in PotD.

"I read a lot of things about how MCH is too proc based and RNG dependent to be reliable."

:O
That's a negative, sir. There are phases in your "rotation" where you're more RNG dependent, but it's neither something that particularly bothers me, nor is it anything other people judge the job on. It's certainly not unreliable, in fact it's arguably the ranged support of choice, not that BRD isn't viable. The variance in DPS caused by bad proc luck without ammunition is something pretty much never talked about...it's not the biggest deal.

As for BLM, it is punishing to drop that one buff, but that's a fight by fight basis - getting to know what's going to happen when, and adjusting your refreshes accordingly. Saving Swiftcast for emergencies also doesn't really hinder DPS. If you're in Astral Fire for example and only have 3 seconds left on Enochian for whatever reason you can quickly Tranpose -> Swiftcast -> Blizzard 4. As said above every DPS class has some kind of punishment for failing certain things, even if some are a bit more forgiving than others.

Stick with MCH/BLM and judge for yourself. *nod*

Edit: On the subject of Palace, people recommend it to get a "feel" for jobs but it only goes so far. Enemies die so quickly that dots and things aren't worth applying, also lots of downtime means getting a feel for buff timers on jobs like DRG and BLM is really skewed. You have maybe 1 boss to practice a proper rotation on but even they melt in no time depending on the composition. Take Palace with a grain of salt for judging anything other than "feel"

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Originally Posted by AlecCorvin

I was leveling my BLM to 50 to get access to the MCH, and then I went and read the DPS forums a bit.
I am now no longer going after the MCH, and I'm considering abandoning my BLM.
I read a lot of things about how MCH is too proc based and RNG dependent to be reliable.
I then read about how BLM is one of the most daunting DPS classes in game, because if you screw up your Enochian window, your dps is toooootally shite. And this scares me, as I know I'm not that good at the Enochian windows and I really don't have hundreds of hours to dedicate to learning it perfectly for every fight.
So my question is this: what is a good Job that could be useful in every raid scenario, that likely won't be replaced with a new job (cough BRD cough), and is fairly easy to learn and be competitive with as someone that only has about 4 hours a day to play?
Please help forums, you're my only hope!

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Bard didn't get replaced it depends on the raid group if they want bard or mch...

Stick with either BLM or MCH depending on what is more fun for you and don't look what random statics want. If you like your class and you are good on it you are usefull in raids!

You have 4 hours a day to play this game? You're really lucky! I get like 1 or 2 hours at most for myself with life being very busy for me. I recommend checking out Summoner as you already have the gear for it from playing a Black Mage.