Why mark targets?

[YuriRamona]

How hard is it to macro a marking icon to your pulling ability like tomahawk? Not very hard. The least you could do is make that macro so that people know which target you are focused on. If you're a good tank, that's a good practice, then you should be rotating your enmity abilities through the rest of the pull to keep it going on you. Then you should be focusing on the target DPS is attacking next, which is usually the mob with the next lowest health pool, which you can control by attacking your desired 2nd target after you've secured significant enmity on your primary target.

You spent 100x more time making a post about anti-marking when you could have made that macro and solved the problem. It's not like people in your DF groups are going to come here and read your post and have a new view of the issue at hand. You're the "leader" of the group. I think tanks should act like it.

If people actually viewed tanks as leaders, then obviously, I wouldn't have posted this, would I? I'm trying to get feedback on how to encourage DPS to maximize their damage, whether it's through AoE or with DoTs. I've tried reasoning, using math, or just being a dictator. Thus far, no approach has proven reliable.

My point was simply that marking targets almost always universally signals to DPS: "kill the enemies in this order". That's why I avoid marking targets. Other people have noted that it's possible to mark targets and also have DPS spread their DoT love, but it seems to be the exception and not the rule.

The first half of your post is irrelevant. If enmity is an issue, then nothing I said in my original post applies (please see the exceptions noted at the bottom).

For the majority of groups, those exceptions are not relevant (even if people seem to think they are).

[YuriRamona]

While I agree that the op's argument has almost nothing to do with his title, very few dots require their full duration in order to be efficient. Just throwing that out there.

Thanks for contributing. I would avoid arguing with that one, as it seems they're not really willing to debate the numbers (because apparently this means we "must see the largest possible numbers from each engagement to feel satisfaction"?).

It seems like almost blatantly obvious common sense that DoTs are the best tool in the damage toolbox, behind only AoE. I can see now that it's really not that apparent to most people.

[glen7187]

It seems like almost blatantly obvious common sense that DoTs are the best tool in the damage toolbox, behind only AoE. I can see now that it's really not that apparent to most people.

While I don't entirely disagree with that, I think it is kind of situational. As a Bard, I will DoT everything in the group but mostly because I want the Bloodletter procs. However, as a BLM, just because of cast time mostly, I feel like trying to keep my Thunder 3 up on all targets is slowing me down when I can be going through my ST rotation or AoE rotation. So in the case of my BLM, I wouldn't DoT everything.

EDIT: I know you said behind AoE, but I mean in a situation where it may be 2 or 3 mobs.

[Kyros]

If people actually viewed tanks as leaders, then obviously, I wouldn't have posted this, would I? I'm trying to get feedback on how to encourage DPS to maximize their damage, whether it's through AoE or with DoTs. I've tried reasoning, using math, or just being a dictator. Thus far, no approach has proven reliable.

It is because your math relies on a lot of wrong assumptions:

1) That Physical DPS's have infinite TP. Most AoE's and DoT's have higher-than-average TP consumptions. AoE/dotting everything is simply not sustainable.

2) That Physical DPS have no upkeep buffs. Both MNK and DRG rely heavily on keeping certain stacks up.

3) Less Finishing Abilities. Mercy Stroke and Misery's end will be proc'd less if the mobs die at around the same time.

4) Tanks that don't mark are usually terrible. You are asking your party to both go the extra mile and take a leap of faith for an insignificant increase in DPS; whereas you can't be bothered to do something as simple as marking? I wouldn't trust you to keep hate on one target, much less 3.

5) It complicates Healing DPS. "Maximizing DPS" involves the healer contributing. The longer 3 mobs are up the less time a healer has to contribute. The longer mobs are up has an inverse relationship to how often I can Cleric stance-dps as a healer. The faster the first mob goes down the more DPS I can contribute.


As a tank one of the first things you have to learn is to know which DPS is best doing what. Your SMN and BLM should be DoT/AoEing everything respectively, whereas your MNK and DRG should be focusing single targets down (Wish small exceptions). Asking the MNK/DRG to AoE everything is like asking your SMN/BLM to focus a single target: it's retarded. It makes me glad that most of your parties had the common sense to stick to what they do best.

Trying to maximize DPS is a noble goal, but what you are doing is not the right way. I'd sooner free space for my healer to help (And tell him he should be) than run my melee DPS's dry.