Tactful ways to inform people that they're playing badly?

[Gemina]

I usually wait until after the final boss to say something along the lines of "[Job] you should look up a guide, because your rotation is reeeeally bad". I'm not using any personal insults, but I'm not dumb, I know this still comes across as condescending/bitchy. I'm not exactly in a position to explain what they're doing mid-dungeon, but I'm hoping to at least say something that will make them improve themselves.

You're already off to a bad start by saying anything negative. I don't know if you quoted yourself letter for letter, but adding "reeeeally" to 'bad' is just asking to get shut down before you can even make your suggestion.

Giving tips to players has everything to do with people skills and timing. Running dungeons with a PUG won't provide many windows. The thing about dungeons is the only time a window really opens up to help a player is if it is going horribly wrong, in which case you get this large window to finally explain things. Otherwise you risk spending more time in there than is necessary just to coach up a player.

You also have to choose your battles. Do you really want to burn up more dungeon time trying to get a SAM to nail his/her positionals or get them to use True North? Cases like these, it is a more efficient use of everyone's time to just suck it up and go instead of risking a "you don't pay my sub" debacle. However, if you have an ice mage, tank not using CDs, healers not healing and other scenarios that are literally destroying the run, then something needs to be said, and I have personally stopped a dungeon run to get everyone on the same page before continuing.

Has anyone mastered a tactful way to tell someone that they're severely under-performing when you're going through a dungeon, and there's not a whole bunch of downtime to write a whole essay on how to properly play a certain job?

Sure. You just have to make them respect you enough to value your criticism. You also have to get the other members respect and patience to value the time you put into correcting a player's playstyle. That is far easier to write than do with strangers you might not ever see again.

For the most part, in dungeons it isn't worth the time, effort, and added frustration. Players who want to improve will do it on their own. They'll seek out guides, read and understand their tooltips, spend hours on training dummies, and become open to constructive criticism. You also need to keep in mind that not all players have access or even want to use third party tools to measure their performance, nor are they supposed to be using them in the first place. So if your critique isn't coming from anything other than your observations on the battlefield, I wouldn't say anything.

[SerLuke]

Just vote-kick them and pray that you don't have any SJW/white knight in party that will vote no or worse make a fuss about it.
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The fact that you would label anyone who dares disagree with your decision to vote kick somebody as an SJW/white knight says much more about you or the people that you are kicking than you realize.

[MrKusakabe]

The fact that you would label anyone who dares disagree with your decision to vote kick somebody as an SJW/white knight says much more about you or the people that you are kicking than you realize.

She is right though. If someone is so bad that you and many others don't want to keep going under those circumstances and you would even eat an enforced break by replacing a (terrible) tank or healer then there is a problem in the group. And so far, I have never experienced that small hiccups make anyone getting angry. I had three SJW/White Knights in my past 3 months and their reasoning was so awful that it should be reportable.

I told the stories already, but I will make it short:

1) Garuda "Hard"mode - I was emnity #2 as Red Mage. Until I realized: What is the 2nd tank doing? Emnity #8 gunbreaker. I asked if the tank is AFK. Answer by the other tank: "No, he is with me". What kind of reasoning is that? I mean, really, I can't even come up with an example of how ridiculous this response was. We won though, but if you are in a premade group as filler and then you have a person slacking 100% (I repeat: Emnity 8 Gunbreaker) and you can not leave that crap without swallowing a punishment, what can you do but praying?

2) Tank in Tam Tara - Was doing NOTHING. Spun his chararcter around awkwardly (right mouse click + camera turn) in place. My cousin (BLM) tanked. Healer at the end: "BuT hE mIgHt bE nEw!! yOu wErE aLsO nEw oNcE!" No, I was surely not spinning around my Lalafell and I surely pressed other buttons than WASD only.

3) The ominous "new girlfriend" with a Level 7x character. Expect their friends to press NO (and remove you instead, which is not of a bad thing actually...) and then defend her for "Being a gamer gurl" or something. As if this even remotely a reason.

Another (unrelated) thing that baffled me regarding SJW was a Castrum Run. We had a AuRa tank that looked absolutely badass! I complimented on his looks (and he also was very chill when he chatted!) and that I disliked the bikini tanks. 3 Catgirls jumped on me, quintessencially saying that: "I am not allowed to give compliments like that because I put down Bikini tanks and everyone NOT that Au'ra". I almost fell inconcious as my brain tried to process that garbage statement. I asked if they buy all the ice cream at the parlor too because the strawberry ice cream would be discriminated if only chocolate and vanilla is bought. That made them shut up..

So, SWJ are a serious problem, especially in this game. I like the diversity, but when they block progress by their agenda the fun is over.

Sincerely,

[TheForce]

The fact that you would label anyone who dares disagree with your decision to vote kick somebody as an SJW/white knight says much more about you or the people that you are kicking than you realize.

Amen to that. I'd really hate to meet some of you in real life.

[jameseoakes]

1) Garuda "Hard"mode - I was emnity #2 as Red Mage. Until I realized: What is the 2nd tank doing? Emnity #8 gunbreaker. I asked if the tank is AFK. Answer by the other tank: "No, he is with me". What kind of reasoning is that? I mean, really, I can't even come up with an example of how ridiculous this response was. We won though, but if you are in a premade group as filler and then you have a person slacking 100% (I repeat: Emnity 8 Gunbreaker) and you can not leave that crap without swallowing a punishment, what can you do but praying?

Tanks don't get aggro multipliers so unless he had his tank stance on he should be low on the aggro table (unless GNB are bonkers broken at level 50 or something).

[SerLuke]

Tanks don't get aggro multipliers so unless he had his tank stance on he should be low on the aggro table (unless GNB are bonkers broken at level 50 or something).

Yeah the only times you need to be second aggro as OT is if there are mechanics like in Lakshmi that target the person in #2 aggro

[NessaWyvern]

Also LOL at server blacklisting over LB trolling in a dungeon.... these people need to get a grip on reality.

The person was new (so I think they weren't trolling in the end. They died to a fair few boss mechanics also), and would probably do it, not just in dungeons, but any end-game content if they didn't learn about it.
Maybe it wouldn't be as drastic as a server BL, but I can see them being blacklisted from a lot of EX and Savage parties if they kept up with the "healer LB 1 when everyone is at max health, always".

[Fynlar]

"Hey loser, my grandma does better dps than you"

"...and she's dead!"

[Granyala]

Maybe it wouldn't be as drastic as a server BL, but I can see them being blacklisted from a lot of EX and Savage parties if they kept up with the "healer LB 1 when everyone is at max health, always".

Nessa, you worry far too much.
The dude will get told not to do it. Then he will eventually get kicked (if he does it in an encounter where it would be detrimental to the kill).

A few kicks later he will change his behavior.

As a tank in WoW of eld (where aggro was actually a thing) I advised overnuking DPS once. Then I let them tank the mob. They died. Most got the message after 2 deaths, once they realized that their behavior was an actual problem.

Some humans only learn through pain and failure. As dumb as it sounds and as much as we would like to spare them said pain by passing on our experiences, oftentimes there is no other way.

[Gaethan_Tessula]

SJW

She is right though... I had three SJW/White Knights in my past 3 months...

So, SWJ are a serious problem, especially in this game. I like the diversity, but when they block progress by their agenda the fun is over.

Social Justice Warrior!?

Being used in a derogatory manner? Unironically? In a video game? In a context having little to nothing to do with social justice? Entirely confined within the area of your kitchen?

Well, it sure is nice to know the internet has finally nakedly boiled that set of words down to "people I don't like and rebuffed me for my words/actions for just about anything." Imagine thinking any of what was listed here ties into a movement for greater equity in human society, let alone that mad bikini catgirls relate to civil rights movements in some sinister and convoluted manner.

Forget what SerLuke said, it's more like using "SJW" at all reveals more about the person saying it than the people they're directing it against.