How to classify each Job.

[Gemina]

Technically yes, all jobs are priority-based but the difference is that there's a certain linearity the job design offers, like combos, and others that don't, which are where SMN and Bard fall under.

I think managing Trances and summons is the number one priority out of anything else, it's what you do most of the time, and that the reliance on DoTs have been decreased so much through updates. hence I think it's lesser of a DoT-based job than it used to be.

In theory yes, Pets are DoTs but you don't exactly manage their auto-attacks, but their Egi Assaults. I wouldn't count it personally, but it's worth noting.

Combos are just another type of priority based system. I thought about subbing it into a category of its own like I did with the others, but optimal rotations is what everyone does/should strive for regardless if their job mechanics are based on combos, procs, situational abilities, etc. The reason I gave Positionals their own category goes back to my OP. I don't play all the jobs, and two of the heavier positional jobs which I believe are MNK and DRG are two of those. They probably need to be lumped along with priorities like with combos.

I don't want to downplay trances. They are vastly important in the SMN kit, but I stand by my earlier comments about the DoTs. Reliance on DoTs has not decreased through updates. Potencies have been adjusted in order to accommodate updates. It is still super important to keep these up as their total potency is usually super efficient for the mana and GCD cost. If they are not made to be this way, then there is no point using them. Demis cost a s-ton of GCDs in order to optimize their duration. When they are out they become your top priority for sure. Neither are out full time, and both have CDs. However, the demi summons give the SMN something to focus on while their DoTs are active. The way these two kits work together is actually quite well designed imo.

[dinnertime]

Combos are just another type of priority based system. I thought about subbing it into a category of its own like I did with the others, but optimal rotations is what everyone does/should strive for regardless if their job mechanics are based on combos, procs, situational abilities, etc. The reason I gave Positionals their own category goes back to my OP. I don't play all the jobs, and two of the heavier positional jobs which I believe are MNK and DRG are two of those. They probably need to be lumped along with priorities like with combos.

I don't want to downplay trances. They are vastly important in the SMN kit, but I stand by my earlier comments about the DoTs. Reliance on DoTs has not decreased through updates. Potencies have been adjusted in order to accommodate updates. It is still super important to keep these up as their total potency is usually super efficient for the mana and GCD cost. If they are not made to be this way, then there is no point using them. Demis cost a s-ton of GCDs in order to optimize their duration. When they are out they become your top priority for sure. Neither are out full time, and both have CDs. However, the demi summons give the SMN something to focus on while their DoTs are active. The way these two kits work together is actually quite well designed imo.

Combos being another type of priority based system is basically what I said. Let me rephrase, SMN in particular has a playstyle where the system isn't exactly guiding you to do what's next, which means there's no buttons lighting up for combos and there's not a set-in-stone way to do things like you would if a job is combo-based. Instead, you go through a series of stand-alone abilites that you should prioritize and match with other abilites for the best results. That's the general idea of a "priority-based" system. It can be called something else but right now that's what it is universally. It could be identified as situational in gameplay but it depends on what people mean by that.

And I'm very sure reliance on DoTs have been decreased. Remember the days of Contagion extending DoTs, Miasma II, Shadowflare and the short-lived days of Fester-Ruin? There's also Fester being adjusted to a point it's less detrimental if you used it wrong, and they've been gradually nerfing the two DoTs. SMN was so DoT-centric back in 2.0 until 4.0, but nowadays the DoTs feel more like an afterthought. Obviously it's still important to keep DoTs up at all times, SMN is about multi-management and DoTs are a part of it, but now it's only a small portion of what the job does, that's why I wouldn't call it a DoT-based job anymore. Also by summons I'm also including Egi summons, and those Egi Assaults come up frequently, so I think managing your summons is what now makes most of SMN's gameplay at this point, and that's how it should've been from the start.