We should have a "Lance mage", "Ninja Sword mage", "Fist mage"

[Snowaeth]

Ninja is a melee with positionals. What further trade off is needed? They are in a less safe environment and are more prone to periods of not being able to do anything than range classes, and due to having to be in constant motion while keeping up with postionals, and maintaining buffs/debuffs have a harder time keeping up with a rotation.

Please do name me these less safe environments inside raids, heck even primals, in which melee's are finding themselves that do not affect ranged players equally or even more if they have to cast cancel.
Not really interested in hearing basic open world stuff, normal dungeons as that's faceroll content for pretty much anyone and anything.

[Leonus]

Please do name me these less safe environments inside raids, heck even primals, in which melee's are finding themselves that do not affect ranged players equally or even more if they have to cast cancel.
Not really interested in hearing basic open world stuff, normal dungeons as that's faceroll content for pretty much anyone and anything.

Do you want to start in 2.x? Or just 3.0, because there is a lot actually.

Edit: this is a serious question. I'd say blm is more negatively affected by having to move than smn or brd/mch. I can list things but I'm genuinely asking.

[Snowaeth]

Do you want to start in 2.x? Or just 3.0, because there is a lot actually.

Start wherever you want.

Edit: this is a serious answer I ll gladly hear about all the hardships of you having to press 123 145 6 while taking two steps to the left or right.

[Snugglebutt]

Do you want to start in 2.x? Or just 3.0, because there is a lot actually.

Edit: this is a serious question.

Feel free to list them all, all the 360 circular AoE's that centered on bosses which for the most part are really the only major ones melee's need to avoid. Cone and line AoE's coming direct from boss should most often be facing away from the DPS unless the tank is not doing a good job plus the line ones ranged classes also tend to need to avoid.

Most of those boss centric AoE's do not need to be dodged unless a melee is for some reason standing in front of the boss which they should not be. Add up all the boss centered 360 AoE's that only melee have to dodge and then add up all the ranged AoE's, I think you'll find more ranged AoE's than boss centered 360 ones which require the melee's running away from boss.

On your latter added point about BLM's, I agree they have harder time dodging AoE's but they do a crap load more damage to make up for it than bard. I personally wouldn't want to play a BLM or SMN partially because of that mobility limitation though SMN I think according to others has more mobility than BLM by a fair amount. My next main now that bard is no longer fun will be either one of my current melee's or maybe a melee class I have yet to try like DRG.

[Tila]

snip

You forget that many of the cone and line AoE can't be directed as they purposely shift around so they aren't always tank centered. Due to constant movement of the boss, melee DPS are always struggling to maintain the proper positioning.

Meanwhile the BRD takes two steps to the left and doesnt worry about which way the boss is facing. Or the BLM stops a cast, takes a few steps, and doesn't worry about which way the boss if facing.

Melee working harder to do their job is a thing in pretty much every MMO, FFXIV included.

[Snugglebutt]

You forget that many of the cone and line AoE can't be directed as they purposely shift around so they aren't always boss centered. Due to constant movement of the boss, melee DPS are always struggling to maintain the proper positioning.

Meanwhile the BRD takes two steps to the left and doesnt worry about which way the boss is facing. Or the BLM stops a cast, takes a few steps, and doesn't worry about which way the boss if facing.

Melee working harder to do their job is a thing in pretty much every MMO, FFXIV included.

I play melee and ranged and I do not struggle much in avoiding boss centric AoE's, not to any large degree more so than when playing ranged. If the tank is doing their job 'most' of the boss centered AoE's do will not target the DPS to the side or back. Most boss skills are either ranged, frontal or raid wide unavoidable. Some are coned but most coned are frontal and very few side or back, there are also lined but the lined ones tend to require range class dodge just like melee dodge.

In most fights there are more ranged, frontal or party wide AoE's than side or back boss centered ones. I know this from experience playing both types. I actually have to dodge less on melee than ranged quite a lot these days as so many bosses use ranged AoE's more often to target not only the ranged physical DPS but also the ranged casters and ranged healers more so than close combat melee DPS.

I get the impression people who look down on ranged regarding AoE's are looking through tinted glasses or relying on nostalgia of how things used to be. Possibly making assumptions based on other MMO's but these days simply count the amount of ranged AoE's vs side/back AoE's which require movement (exclude bad tanks not keeping control of boss enmity) and you'll find bosses tend to use more ranged skills than one's melee's 'alone' have to dodge. This means do not include ones ranged also have to dodge in the melee only tabulation just because melee do too, if the ranged also have to dodge then put that in the ranged tabulations also.

[Leonus]

Feel free...

There is more than just the 360 ones. There are conails that do face to the rear. There are the ones that target individual characters that happen to melees as well (usually one melee and one ranged). There is any time you have to move to an add that spawns across the map (really only a dps loss for melee).

Just recent examples are in bismark ex and Ravana ex. There is seeing wings/right/left ( they don't affect ranged right? ) I mean , not to take anything from ranged but there is a lot.

If it wasn't for ravana being invincible so much, ranged dps would do even better as they can get to the safe spots where as if a melee is trying to push their dps, they stay on him as long as they can before being forced to disconnect.

Everyone deals with mechanics, but don't downplay what melee put up with too much.

[Tila]

snip

People forget that bit. Being at a distance often puts range at a better position to deal with mechanics when they need to. Like pt4 Alexander: they can more easily take tethers and orbs when needed. On Bismark they can more easily deal with a wind stage and target switching. Its not that range do not have to move. Its that they have to move a lot less and don't suffer as many penalties for doing so.

[Snugglebutt]

People forget that bit. Being at a distance often puts range at a better position to deal with mechanics when they need to. Like pt4 Alexander: they can more easily take tethers and orbs when needed. On Bismark they can more easily deal with a wind stage and target switching. Its not that range do not have to move. Its that they have to move a lot less and don't suffer as many penalties for doing so.

So what your now referring to is because you might be a melee DPS, you have to run further to reach the adds? In many fights the melees don't even need to deal with the adds as that generally is handled by the ranged physical DPS and ranged casters. The OT also has a large part to play in regard to adds but I am not sure you can use running distance to adds as a melee DPS as an adequate excuse against ranged classes.

Those ranged classes are quite often the ones who have to handle/deal with or kite those adds or take the laser damage or take the orb damage while melee focus on the boss, there are exceptions but overall I think the excuse is on shaky grounds. I can understand what your saying but as someone as said who plays melee and ranged I consider what have said so far to be dubious at best. If anything I consider most of your excuses regarding this have more to do with how things used to be more so than how they are now.

I am not having a go at you, I have nothing against you personally. I just do not agree with what your saying.

[Leonus]

So ...

Conails maybe be the easiest to dodge, but it's usually the melee who takes care of activating rear conals. Everyone else stays clear (or should anyway).

Ranged dps and melee dps do move the same distance for the single target stuff, but the difference is, if it has to be a good distance away from the boss and melee dont have gap closers up (mnk and nin only have 1 each) they waste time getting back to the boss.

Ranged handling adds is done because it is easier on raid dps as a whole to have ranged take care of it. So the melee dps don't loose time striking something ranged just have to be in range and start attacking. Plus the ranged classes have better AoE. Groups did it for the sake of efficiency. Of the ranged classes, it's usually bard or smn to kite because the loose far less dps than others for moving.

I would post more but, most brds/mch tend to believe melee can't handle the mechanics the do. When, they actually can... it's just not efficient... at all.

Melee only have so many cap closers, a lot use them as ogcds for extra damage rather than holding them. Any time you don't use them when they are up is a dps loss. You already know that though (seriously, not being snarky)

The stress from melee having to take care of those mechanics (and blm) and keep their rotation/dots/gl/BotD etc would probably be a lot worse than what brd or mch having to put up with the same thing. Especially with the lack of gap closers and retargeting/moving from add to add. Unless everything was right next to each other. Melee loose more time/dps doing that than others... except maybe blm.