Question About Pugilistl Skills

[Canadane]

Yes continue to work on your positionals.
Generally speaking, you, and everyone else will find that this works best on bosses instead of large packs of mobs. A boss isn't going to be moving wildly just because the tank has to step out of an AOE.

Edit: Also I'd like to point out that if you aren't already, don't be trying to get to the extreme flank or centre of the rear end for your positionals. Just a step into the rear area of the target circle and a step into the flank is all that's needed to keep your flow and damage high!

[Khaidal]

Yes continue to work on your positionals.
Generally speaking, you, and everyone else will find that this works best on bosses instead of large packs of mobs. A boss isn't going to be moving wildly just because the tank has to step out of an AOE.

Edit: Also I'd like to point out that if you aren't already, don't be trying to get to the extreme flank or centre of the rear end for your positionals. Just a step into the rear area of the target circle and a step into the flank is all that's needed to keep your flow and damage high!

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely try that out.

I'm glad to know that positions matter and aren't some arbitrary fluff thing. So far I'm enjoying the nuances of this job.

[Niwashi]

it's been a challenge since tanks have to keep the mobs constantly moving in order to dodge.

A good tank shouldn't have the mobs constantly moving. Occasionally mechanics might require the tank to switch to tanking them in a different spot, and you'll have to follow those moves. But when it's just a matter of dodging AoEs, the tank should dodge out of the way just while the mob is in the casting phase (during which the mob won't move), and then the moment the AoE actually goes off, the tank jumps right back to where he had been, so that the mob remains facing that direction rather than turning/moving towards the tank's new position. It can be tricky to time right, and particularly when there's lag issues involved, the mob might turn momentarily, but so long as it then goes right back to where it was and facing where it was, nearly all of your PGL attacks will hit while it's facing in that consistent direction.

(But as Canadane mentioned, this all works better when it's a single mob you're dealing with, and not a whole crowd of them.)

Also I'd like to point out that if you aren't already, don't be trying to get to the extreme flank or centre of the rear end for your positionals. Just a step into the rear area of the target circle and a step into the flank is all that's needed to keep your flow and damage high!

I'd been trying to get to the extreme (90 or 180 degree) flank or rear nearly the whole time I've been playing, since I only figured out how to spot the division between flank and rear a couple days ago. What I'd always seen as a double circle around the target is actually a three-quarter circle around just the target's front and flanks. It disappears around the target's rear. So that point where the circle disappears/reappears is the division between rear and flank. Rongway shows it in pics in this post.