3.2 drk vs pld dps

[Jpec07]

I can honestly tell you that Clemency is at best mediocre. I am 100% certain that all high DPS PLDs (see fflogs) don't ever use that skill unless if there are downtimes or when 1 healer is down and you are forced to use it to recover. Or maybe if your healers are so bad. Other than that? PLD just dps away.

Well right. Clemency takes two GCDs to cast and does zero damage, while also preventing you from autoattacking. It follows naturally that the players who have maximized their DPS aren't going to use it, because it can represent a substantial DPS loss.

But damage output isn't everything.

It's true that progression groups will probably want to pump out as much damage as they can get, to avoid hard enrages. But groups who are dying to mechanics, or to DPS/healers taking avoidable damage can really be helped out by a Paladin throwing an extra Cure 1.5 out. Once a fight is on farm? Clemency loses its value. But while a group is still learning the fight, the extra spot heal can be really handy.

The reasons why PLD is "better" vs DRK in this current patch is because of safety (instead of more damage, in which DRK excels in) from stacking RoH and Monk's DK in 1 boss, Divine Veils and Hallowed Ground cheesing. Clemency has nothing to do with how much better PLD is atm, almost nonexistent if I might add.

I said nothing about which is better. For most groups, unless you're pushing progression really hard at extremely low gear levels, the difference isn't going to matter. All three tanks function in both roles.

If the argument is about Clemency enabling healers to do DPS more, it's bullshit. Why? Strong WHM = more DPS.

On this we agree. Clemency isn't going to do anything to help healers DPS more unless the PLD and healer(s) are in lock-step.

No DPS class should ever lose to a WAR.

In general, after 3.2, this is accurate. However, if it's a PUG learning party, you could get a WAR who seriously outgears someone. I've seen it a couple times. Fell Cleavus is real.

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.

Highlighting the important bit, because that's ultimately what it boils down to. We can argue about the hypothetical situational uses of various abilities until we're blue in the face and our fingers are bloody nubs, but it boils down to using whatever job you're most comfortable with. This tier has done a pretty good job of ensuring that, so long as you don't duplicate jobs, and so long as people know what they're doing, you're going to be able to succeed with almost any comp out there.