New to DPS advice

So, for new players and existing players who are trying out DPS as a role or a new type pf DPS class, any advice? Especially given the particular crowd in DF who expect you to know everything from the start?

Some things I already know:

1. DF requires a thick skin
2. Practice helps (hence DF)
3. Read a guide (even though you will forget a lot of it/need to practice to really learn)

The queues for DPS are always longer than other roles in MMORPGs and much worse with the recent release of 4.0. I *could* use PotD or FATEs for PvP to level, but then when I do finally get into group instances the "How could you be at level X and not be good at Y by now?" mantra would begin.

Better to wait in the really long queues and do lower level dungeons to practice your way up or just YOLO right into things as best as you can as you go?

Read your tooltips. When you're leveling a dps and you unlock a new skill, carefully read your tooltip and think about how the new skill can be used to help you do your job, that is doing damage. Don't neglect your aoe skills. That's it, really.

In my experience potd is ok to get a basic understanding of your skills, provided you read skill description once you unlock them.
I'd still advise you to level up using a mix of it all, dungeons, potd, fates,hests, leves,...

In group content, don't be shy, tell people you're new, ask them to explain things. If you see someone that's rather good at the class you're trying to learn, don't be afraid to ask them for advice. I know the forum makes you believe the community is rather unfriendly, but believe me, these are just rare cases. The majority of players you'll encounter are actually very friendly and helpful. And if you do run into the occasional black sheep, best to shrug it off and move on.

Just YOLO. Spend the queue at a training dummy for 10 mins to understand your skills and then have atta. Dungeons are simple and don't need a perfect rotation, as long as you're doing the basics - 1, 2, 3 - you'll be fine and learn along the way.

Read your skill tooltips. Understand your skill tooltips. Read theorycraft & guides. Know your single target rotation and when to use it. Know your AoE rotation and when to use it. Practice execution on a dummy.

PotD is your friend. Yes, DF can give you a really good idea on how to work your class, but you get a much better idea of how your job will flow as you level up, prepping you for higher level things. DF is definitely where you want to venture into to make sure you've got things down as you level, but I learned more from PotD grinding a monk and machinist than I did fate grinding, in a much shorter amount of time.

Also, PotD is a great way to find a class that you actually enjoy playing. That is first and foremost about playing any class, not just DPS. For instance, I spent a while leveling monk, only to find I really didn't enjoy their end-game playstyle, whereas I slid right into a machinist playstyle as if it was meant for me. It's a great way to fool around until you find what you're looking for.

As a person who's recently moved from healer main to play more DPS jobs, this would be my advice:
1) While leveling, learn to know your skills. Read the tooltips carefully, and try to think what's the best thing to use in what situation in which order. As you hit 70, try to know all your skills by heart.
2) At level 70, study and practice your opener and rotation. Read guides and discussions about the rotation, since not everything is as it intuitively would seem (for example BLM level 60 rotation still beating level 70 one in DPS...). Practice on a dummy until you have your opener and rotation in your muscle memory, then move to easy content to practice more. Do the level 70 SSS dummies to make sure you have enough DPS for fights (at least without mechanics).
3) If you haven't played DD jobs earlier, you may be really bad at first (I know I was / am). Don't get discouraged, practice makes perfect! :)

Which DD job(s) are you interested in leveling?

When I started playing last year I tried all ARR magic-classes, got Thaumaturge to 26 for the stories, then went with ARN and CNJ to max level. Loaded it up and got through all available dungeons on Thaum (i.e. up to level 28 dungeon), hitting level 30 in Haukke Manor. No real problems, except that in Haukke I was asked to LB at the end of the final boss fight when the adds spawn. I have only used healer lb and only a few times. Figured it out (hey you ground target with it) and got the clear. If the skills stopped here I would feel pretty confident, but I know there is a lot more complexity if I keep going. Guess I can go get my crystal now at the guild...

(I am also looking at maybe trying a non-spellcaster at some point. But I don’t want to try too much at once and get confused/do them really badly.)

Good advice all as I think about actually maybe going past 30 on a DPS...

It's been said before and I'll repeat it Read your tool tips, that being said:


Always be attacking, learn the mechanics to an instance and minimize movement as much as possible to limit down time.
When you get OGCD skills learn to weave them into your rotation and don't use them back to back.
Do not get hit by AVOIDABLE damage your healer has enough to do
Focus anything attacking your healer
Keep dots up at all times and refresh them at 3 seconds or less without letting them fall off
If you have positionals hit them
Control your own Aggro, use aggro dump skills and if you have a new or undergeared tank try to throttle back a little if nessassary
Don't pull xtra mobs, the healer and tank determine the pace of the instance not you
Always be attacking (yes I said that twice)
Melee Dps have Aoe skills USE THEM
DODGE (refer to tip 3)
Melee Limit Break on single targets ( I don't care how cool your RDM lb looks)
Limit break is NOT used to finish off a boss it's wasted damage if it kills them and it should be used by the melee doing the lesser damage if possible
Don't be an Ice Mage
Have Fun

http://i64.tinypic.com/14e572h.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tsubaki75

Keep dots up at all times and refresh them at 3 ticks or less without letting them fall off
Melee Limit Break on single targets ( I don't care how cool your RDM lb looks)

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You might have meant "at 3 seconds". One tick is every three seconds, and the server tick does not necessarily line up with anything you have done.
To OP, DoTs are great. Especially with the addition of AoE thunder spells. Thunder spells are sometimes your highest damage ability available, if they'll tick for the full duration.

In re: Limit break, LBing single targets is a waste. See previous post:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rongway

A caster LB1 on just 2 targets does more damage than a melee LB1.
A caster LB1 on 4 targets does more damage than a melee LB2.
A caster LB1 on 7 targets does more damage than a melee LB3.

Caster should use it early on a trash pull, then again on a late trash pull. If the bar is full before the boss, it should only be saved if the boss has three or more simultaneous adds.

Melee DDs shouldn't LB except on primals and in non-alliance raids.


(For comparison, in a full party:
A caster LB2 on 4 targets does more damage than a melee LB3.
A caster LB3 on 2 targets does more damage than a melee LB3.)

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So if you like playing casters, get used to the idea of LBing big trash groups.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rongway

You might have meant "at 3 seconds".

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I did mean seconds. Edited
And in RE to the Lb comment that was referring to a single boss with no adds, and I agree that caster lb can and should be used on large pulls during the instance to maximize damage

My advice:

- If you're starting one of the higher level dps jobs like MCH, SAM, and RDM (where they dump a bunch of abilities on you at once) then head to a training dummy and get comfortable with the skills and job mechanics.

- Look up a guide for your job. Even if you have the basics down there could be more advanced tips you hadn't tried yet (ideal openers and such).

- Watch youtube vids of dungeons/raids/primals you haven't done yet (but know are coming up/about to do) so you're not going in blind and reliant on your team members to spell every mechanic out for you. With long dps queue times you can watch several videos while you're waiting lol. MTQcapture, Graehl Gaming, and Mrhappy1227 have great video guides.

- Be mindful of your mistakes and how to improve.

1. Learn your rotation. You should always try to use proper rotations. There is no reason to do bad DPS because you do not understand your rotations. Learn when AoE is plausible vs single target. You should understand how positionals work and what is required to do acceptable damage.

2. Don't get hit by Orange Circles. Being hit by things reduces your healer's ability to speed up dungeons via DPS.

That's pretty much the only things you need to do on DPS.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adualion

1. Learn your rotation. You should always try to use proper rotations. There is no reason to do bad DPS because you do not understand your rotations.

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I agree with this, but for the OP as a side note some Dps have a Priority Syetem instead of a set rotation in which case learn the priorities.