Quote Originally Posted by SpookyGhost View Post
As an example:

Turn 5. Do you, as a PLD, need 8,000 HP to tank it without giving your healers heart attacks? No. You don't need that much HP. I'm going to go with a high number here because I've no idea what the actual HP threshold is for T5, but let's say you need about 7,000 HP to comfortably survive any DS + Crit Auto Attack. That is the maximum amount of HP you need for the turn, and the rest is essentially going to waste (no healer is going to be like "well, he's at 1,000 HP, I'll keep DPSing!"). So, what do we do with all that extra VIT? Throw it into STR, of course! See, the thing is, VIT actually has diminishing returns that vary from encounter to encounter. However, STR never actually hits a point where you have Too Much of it. That extra 1,000 HP is completely wasted because you're never going to sit at that HP after a big attack and not be healed up. I know a lot of people believe more HP = more healer DPSing, but that's just not how it works, especially not in this game where all the encounters are scripted and big attacks come on a timer.

So, even if the STR you gain only contributes as little as 0.8% group DPS, it's still better than a completely wasted chunk of VIT.
0. This isn't terribly relevant, but a full i90 PLD focusing on mitigation had 7000 HP. Twintania still gave healers heart attacks at that HP.

1. When the big attacks are on a timer and that's the only time big damage comes out, the healer DPS opportunity is between the big attacks.. Having 1000-1500 extra HP in that situation is one more auto-attack that can be weathered before a heal is necessary, which is 1 extra DPS spell per cycle of the big attack. If the healer throws out said extra attack and deals 250 damage, that makes up for 62.5 seconds of you dealing 10 additional damage per attack. Being so tanky that your healers can comfortably provide more DPS provides more damage for the raid than forcing them to pay more attention to you will.

2. There is literally no such thing as wasted HP. Stop spreading this around. What happens if you're at the minimum and someone makes a mistake? The healers aren't going to toss a heal at them because they can't leave you alone for a second. That person dies. What happens if the healer(s) makes a mistake? You die. Your ability to survive isn't just about you surviving; it's about the entire party surviving. Any reduction to your HP is a direct reduction to their chances to survive should something go wrong. Any amount of HP that you consider to be wasted is a measure of your party's ability to screw up without wiping. No party is consistently perfect enough to make literally zero mistakes in the most stressful fights in the game. A comfortable one shot is always, always better than a risky potential one shot that will end 6 seconds faster.