Quote Originally Posted by Jpec07 View Post
In terms of raw numbers? Dark Knight wins by a landslide. Their DPS rotation has a higher average potency-per-GCD than PLD does, and their "DPS stance" (not really a stance, so much as a lack of tanking stance) gives them a pretty significant boost to their overall output. They're not going to top WAR in Deliverance, but neither can some DPS classes.

In the MT slot, DRK actually has the potential to beat out WAR for DPS, if it's played right, while also providing near-PLD levels of damage mitigation.

If you bring PLD as MT, you do so because they have the greatest capacity to mitigate spike damage and tankbusters, and not for their DPS output. If you bring them as OT, you do so because of their spot-healing ability with Clemency, Cover (which can help cheese certain mechanics and swaps), and Divine Veil (a group-wide 2500 HP shield can be extremely helpful), and not for their DPS output.
No DPS class should ever lose to a WAR.

And the MT / OT definitions are irrelevant in A6S and A7S. I don't know about A8S since I'm not there yet. You bring a PLD because you want to bring a PLD. The strengths are exactly the same as they were pre 3.2. It's just that now, the content is a bit more favorable to PLDs and their DPS isn't as bad.

You bring them if the damage has a physical skew and/or Sheltron works well. You bring them if HG works well vs. the content. You bring them for DV.

Clemency did not become a relevant skill with the cast time reduction. Cover has some cute uses but it's still not really impactful utility.