
Originally Posted by
Roth_Trailfinder
Sophistry.
The whole DPS vs DD debate was settled long ago. Perhaps it went to calling them DD (but what do you call DoT classes then?) in FF11, but in the majority of MMO's they were called DPS and have been for well over a decade.
Every class puts out some kind of DPS. Those whose role it is to put out damage primarily, whether it be melee, ranged, nuke, or DoT, are referred to as DPS. Those whose role is not to put out damage, but instead to soak it up, are referred to as Tanks. Those whose role is not to put out damage, but to heal it, are referred to as Healers.
So why not call them DD instead of DPS? Because DD refers to a type of spell, as well : Direct Damage. Also referred to as Nukes, they are damage applied instantaneously after the spell is cast. Their counterpart is the Damage over Time spell, or DoT. These spells do damage gradually, over the course of the spell effect.
DPS refers to what those classes do, and is also the measure of how well they do it. DD may refer to what some classes do, but it does not refer to how they all do it.