Quote Originally Posted by viewtyjoe View Post
Are positional requirements more stringent? Obviously, but compared to DPS rotations in other games I've played, nothing in FFXIV is overly complex.
I agree. Even position requirements are not nearly as stringent as they used to be before they were patched (back when proper positioning actually effected your combo, not just the combo bonus dmg). I definitely wouldn't say it's very difficult. Especially if you just take the time to actually learn it.

That being said, I'm wasn't referring to overall difficulty of rotation. I was merely comparing War to a Dps class (drg, since I'm familiar with that one). Between the two of them, War has a much easier time optimizing their Dps, so much so that it actually does similar numbers. Personally, I don't think that's right, and I think it has had some serious consequences to the meta of the game.

Because War's can push Dps values, Dps checks have skyrocketed in HW. This makes sense, because if the Dps Checks were not raised any group rocking 2 Wars would basically be packing 6 Dps and have a ridiculously easy time meeting checks. Dps checks would only be difficult for groups with Pld/Drk (which would essentially have the correct fight makeup of 2 Tanks 4 Dps and 2 Healers). War groups would get a free pass, which means no one would ever play as Pld or Drk. Solution? Easy. Increase the Dps check.

The problem with this is that Dps checks are no longer the single responsibility of Dps. This pretty much eliminates varied play styles among the three tanks. War's are still the preferred Tank, because they make high Dps checks attainable even with bad/lazy Dps. Pld's have essentially been removed from end-game content, because they have the lowest Dps. Even if a Pld is brought along they are not permitted to fully utilize their defense. Moves like Stoneskin and Clemency are now written off as wasted time that could have been used for helping the Dps, when, in theory, they should be actively used during the fight to help the healers. Worse yet, some Dps will under-preform because they know that there are now 5 other players helping the Dps meet the check (7 if the healers are super active). Compared to the way things were before, I don't think this is a "better" way of designing end-game content, but SE has paved themselves into a corner because of the ridiculous kit they have given War's.