Which job has the lowest skill cap?

[Kuroyasha]

MNK>DRG>BlM>SMN>BRD

My Reasoning: MNK = Has steep initial learning curve when 50 is reached if you want to optimize damage. In addition to learning a pb opener that's not Snap punch spam, mnks have to learn to live within the "ebb & flow" of mnk, meaning not just do all flanks, then do all backs, b/c if you do you are losing out on dps from Demo every time. They also should (if they want to optimize dps) know/learn when applying fracture will not be a big tp drain. Example - Hey ifrit ex is about to pop eruption after he finishes casting howl, let me apply a fracture after my demolish and tod b4 i run back. This isn't make or break, but im talking about optimization. They have to stay aware of their surroundings while be up close to boss in addition to near constant movement to get bonuses. They also need to know when to use CDs for bursty dmg since their burst lacks outside of those cds. (Internal Release CD is crazy when u get all those crits on GCD along with the oGCD crits).

(To be continued in edit post)

DRG = DRG also has an initial big learning curve at 50. Yes theirs is a long rotation and longer if you want to do that C-C-C-COMBO BREAKEEEER ultimate burst combo (which feels really good to pull off by the way). Can be annoying when you need to run behind a boss to hit impulse drive for disembowel. I put DRG under mnk b/c u can stand in place once you hit those requirements and do what you do as drg, really nice/quick burst. Breaking down the long rotation into parts like the dragoon rotation reborn thread advises helps simplify the sequence for memory, along with practice of course so you don't have to constantly think about what you should do next(and just let the habit of knowing the rotation take over so you can focus on the boss).

BLM = I have BLM above SMN for a couple of reasons. BLM main difficulty imo comes from tactical positioning versus remembering a difficult rotation. On the outside looking in it may be a class where you just stand there and spam fire, hit a blizz 3/thunder and go back. However, BLM dps suffers if they do not know how to minimize movement to maximize dps. On top of that, they need to know how to maximize dps within shorter periods since they have long cast times, and they are relied upon for their burst. Example- on Titan Ex, casting fire on gaol can take a long while and not be much help if the blm doesnt start casting at an optimal time. However, it's more effective for the party (and for the blm's overall dps) if casts flare before gaol appears so it hits gaol and titan at same time right as gaol appears. BLM can then swiftcast>transpose> F3 the 2nd gaol, and maybe hit it with a scathe b4 going back to titan. Swiftcast will be aavilable every time for the blm to do this. Of course a firestarter proc could also be used, should it be available after flaring 1st gaol and titan, on the 2nd gaol which allows for swift to be used on b3 to more quickly regain mana. I don't see many do this however. There are no "set it and forget it" DoTs that blm can use outside of thunder, so they are relying more on precise movement and selection/timing of abilities to maximize dps.

SMN = SMN i put below BLM b/c of the "set it and forget it" feel of the class in my experience. Of course this is an advantage in DPS as they can still contribute dmg with garuda and DoTs even when they have to move or are disabled from atking, but I believe this makes it a little easier to play smn even though I have to press more buttons versus blm. It's not really that big of a challenge (to me) optimizing my dmg by applying DoTs fester contagion etc. I think of it as more of a convenience versus a nuisance. This may be b/c I come from playing a blm first for a long time(used to really love blm pre-2.1), so when I went in depth with SMN and saw how i could maintain my dps in extremes, I felt liberated from the "ehhhh" feeling of knowing my dps is being shot when i have to move as blm(outside of fortunate procs).

Bard = Bard is relatively easy, which makes even more mad when i see crappy bards lol. not to make a claim that it's just faceroll easy but easier than the others imo. Bards can do some boss dmg when played correctly, even if they have to sing in the fight, and it requires little memory. Plus they can atk while moving, which makes me cringe when i see other bards stop atking when they're dodging. With proper mp management(popping shroud as whm to replenish when you've spent around 1k-1.5k mp, not constantly spamming, ect) , bards shouldnt even have to sing a dps-draining song more than once. Of course, if dps are dying left and right in a pug you have to adapt to the situation. In terms of dps, unless the grp is making a lot of mistakes(forcing the bard to sing to help whm), the bard doesn't know how to pop battle voice to speed up replenishment, or he/she doesnt know how to pay attention to mp bars of casters so they can stop singing( we all have seen the bard who wants to sing until their mp is gone regardless of the status of the mp bar of the healers), it should not be difficult at all to optimize and/or do great dps as a bard. Oh and of course having invigorate as well ( I cant stand running with lv 50 bards who dont have invigorate in extremes).

This is my opinion based on my personal experience with each of the classes. I have researched and practiced with each class in depth in battle (t5 with blm/drg/mnk , extremes with all of them many a time), not just on a test dummy. Feel free to agree/disagree/debate