3.1 PLD Changes

[Yonanja]

@Brian_: What you don't seem to have the intellect to be able to see, is how players work in an MMO. The first question that comes up when considering an encounter (from the players point of view) is, "which classes can survive this fight without having large issues with it that would slow us down? All of them? OK... which class would make the fight the shortest?" This is how the playerbase of an MMO works. Having classes that perform so differently during different situations only leads to "Flavor of the month" classes and compositions... this is NOT having balanced classes. Balanced classes would be pointing at any given encounter or dungeon and being able to say "It doesn't matter which of the 3 classes we bring, since they perform the same". Having encounters "cater" to specific classes is just plain dumb... unless the devs plan is having the players spend time lvling and gearing classes they might not enjoy playing, in which case, by all means continue... since it's working perfectly.

[Brian_]

@Brian_: What you don't seem to have the intellect to be able to see, is how players work in an MMO. The first question that comes up when considering an encounter (from the players point of view) is, "which classes can survive this fight without having large issues with it that would slow us down? All of them? OK... which class would make the fight the shortest?" This is how the playerbase of an MMO works. Having classes that perform so differently during different situations only leads to "Flavor of the month" classes and compositions... this is NOT having balanced classes. Balanced classes would be pointing at any given encounter or dungeon and being able to say "It doesn't matter which of the 3 classes we bring, since they perform the same". Having encounters "cater" to specific classes is just plain dumb... unless the devs plan is having the players spend time lvling and gearing classes they might not enjoy playing, in which case, by all means continue... since it's working perfectly.

How many times do I have to repeat the point?

All of what you said is only relevant to the current content and will only stay relevant if raid design does not change. The questions you have posed are only questions because raid design makes them the priority. They have said they are looking to change that. I'll be extreme in this example and hopefully you will finally get the point --

What if SE designed an encounter that was not dependent on DPS and was based solely on surviving until enrage?

The best classes and the best raid comp would be totally different from what we see now. The questions you ask when considering an encounter would also change.

It doesn't matter what type of raid you are designing, you will always be catering to specific classes. Even if classes have the same eHP, the same raid DPS contribution, and the same utility, you will still have to cater to specific classes because of the differences in how they reach those ends. Unless you are suggesting homogenization to the point that all DPS classes deal identical damage in identical ways, you will need to cater to a certain class. Again, I'll be extreme in this example --

What if SE designed an encounter that had an incredibly tight DPS check within a 2-3 GCD window?

While your tanks, healers, and DPS might contribute the same overall raid DPS, certain classes will have higher burst because that is their flavor. Unless you completely homogenize the classes, certain classes will be left out even if they are "balanced." Again, balance is relative to the content.

The point is raid design is always tuned to soften the differences between classes. It is about achieving class balance through raid tuning so that every class has their place within the content. That's not happening now because the tuning is off by SE's own admission.