Why is my damage so low?

[Mhaeric]

ended up just upgrading my gear and seeing a big dmg difference. its weird how gimped the dmg from 40-50 was. thank you everyone for the advice!

In general, anytime you hit a level cap for an expansion (50, 60, 70, etc.) there will be a large jump in damage potential. All of the patches between expansions increase the ilevel cap so you end up with a large range of ilevels at the level cap for that expansion. As you level up from 50 to 59 for example, the ilevel and gear level both gradually increase together but as soon as you hit level 60 you suddenly get access to 4 patches worth of level 60 ilevel upgrades at once allowing you to increase your ilevel a lot in a single go.

[Hasrat]

As others explained, potency doesn't translate to damage.

Not sure how far int he story you are but when you finish the "main" Main story you can start buying Ironworks gear at Mor dhona (merchants area). Ironworks is the best you can until you make it to Heavensward (unless you buy crafted gear at the market board). Also make sure you do your level 50 Paladin quest, they will give you really good level 50 gear (Ironworks is better though).

PS. Make sure to ask questions in Novice Network (ask in shout chat for someone to invite you if you're not in it yet).

Can't remember if this is the case with Ironworks. You've likely been through more recently and may know better anyway, and it's been so long for me I could be remembering wrong. But seem to feel like you can walk up and buy whenever, or at least as soon as you're 50. Though I do know that changed with Shire in HW, so, might be that I'm wrong.

[Gothicshark]

Potency on spells says one number, but im doing like 1/4th-2/3rd the potency damage on mobs and even quest items. It makes literally no sense. I'm level 50 with decent gear and its like my gear isnt even being added into the equation at all. I understand that maybe mobs have armor or something, but 1/4th on basic trash mobs way under my lvl or even just quest items like in screen shot below? That doesnt make any sense at all

RP: Marielle Steps in to see what the fuss is about, sees it's a Paladin, she then smiles and goes about her business, as usual, there is nothing to see here.

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If you want to feel like you are actually doing damage as a Tank Might I suggest a Job other than Paladin. I hear Warrior, Dark Knight, and Gunbreaker all have a better DPS feel than Paladin.

[Mhaeric]

Can't remember if this is the case with Ironworks. You've likely been through more recently and may know better anyway, and it's been so long for me I could be remembering wrong. But seem to feel like you can walk up and buy whenever, or at least as soon as you're 50. Though I do know that changed with Shire in HW, so, might be that I'm wrong.

You have to have completed the quest up to a certain point for the merchant to appear which I believe is completion of the quest that takes you through The Praetorium. The new Rowena's Representative NPCs you can find near major city aetherytes don't show up until you do at any rate, and I think they have the same requirement.

[Shougun]

If you want to feel like you are actually doing damage as a Tank Might I suggest a Job other than Paladin. I hear Warrior, Dark Knight, and Gunbreaker all have a better DPS feel than Paladin.

If you look at the logs all the tanks are very close to each other in damage potential. It would be better to play the tank you think is fun than the one that'll have that tiny bit more damage.

In general, anytime you hit a level cap for an expansion (50, 60, 70, etc.) there will be a large jump in damage potential. All of the patches between expansions increase the ilevel cap so you end up with a large range of ilevels at the level cap for that expansion. As you level up from 50 to 59 for example, the ilevel and gear level both gradually increase together but as soon as you hit level 60 you suddenly get access to 4 patches worth of level 60 ilevel upgrades at once allowing you to increase your ilevel a lot in a single go.

You must be cuter or something. . xD. I said that on the first page after investigating their quest progress and gear, seeing their gear was holding them back and even where they indeed said updating their gear was a help to the feeling they were having yet I'm the chocobo doodoo part of the sandwich on the first page lol.

It's that signature isn't it?!

[Roda]

RP: Marielle Steps in to see what the fuss is about, sees it's a Paladin, she then smiles and goes about her business, as usual, there is nothing to see here.

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If you want to feel like you are actually doing damage as a Tank Might I suggest a Job other than Paladin. I hear Warrior, Dark Knight, and Gunbreaker all have a better DPS feel than Paladin.

Literally wrong, while the gunbreaker is doing top tank dps rn and all the tanks are quite close, paladin is still parsing better than both drk and war.

[MaraD_]

If I remember correctly, your basic auto attack is your normal damage (excluding enemy defense/buffs/weapon delay effecting dmg/etc)
So a Weapon Skill with 100 potency will do the same dmg as an auto attack.
200 potency would do the damage of an auto attack, but times 2.

Think of it as a damage modifier.
(There's some other parts to the equations, but this is the easiest way to explain it)
Just think of it to mean "Deals X% of the dmg of your auto attack". This of course doesnt quite make sense in the case of magic, but its still along a similar train of logic.
100 potency is 100% dmg.
200 potency is 200% dmg. (Which is normal dmg + an additional 100%. or x2 dmg.)
350 potency is 350% dmg. or x3.5 dmg modifier.

so if your damage would be "59" then a potency of 300 would deal 177 dmg.
Again, other factors are involved, but for simplistic sakes of understanding how "potency" works, this helps.

[Gothicshark]

Literally wrong, while the gunbreaker is doing top tank dps rn and all the tanks are quite close, paladin is still parsing better than both drk and war.

You missed a key word in my post, "feel", not actual damage, as all the tanks are basically identical with minor differences every time there is a patch. Paladin doesn't feel very DPSy, not that it's actually doing less damage.

--Edit:

Also Literally and Figuratively, Paladins do not feel like a DPS class, the do not feel like masters of dealing Damage, The do not feel like DPS, they feel like a Tank. They feel Tanky McTank face, Here let me shoulder this shield and get your attention, so you can't do me damage while the DPS kills you.

Warriors & Dark Knights feel like DPS sacrificing DPS for tankyness. Gunbrakers feel like well "Like here I am, I'm cool, I've got a Gunblade look at me act cool with my shiny new Gunblade". Paladin is like "I'z gotz a Shield, dur, so I'm a Tank"

[Jojoya]

Can't remember if this is the case with Ironworks. You've likely been through more recently and may know better anyway, and it's been so long for me I could be remembering wrong. But seem to feel like you can walk up and buy whenever, or at least as soon as you're 50. Though I do know that changed with Shire in HW, so, might be that I'm wrong.

Unless they changed it in with the revamp, you don't unlocked the ability to earn tomestones until you've completed the 2.0 MSQ. You don't even get tomestones for your first runs through Castrum and Praetorium even though they're level 50 dungeons.

[Legion88]

Unless they changed it in with the revamp, you don't unlocked the ability to earn tomestones until you've completed the 2.0 MSQ. You don't even get tomestones for your first runs through Castrum and Praetorium even though they're level 50 dungeons.

You get tomestones as soon as you reach level 50 and do content that rewards tomestones like the roulettes, also your first cleares of Castrum and Praetorium. You just cant use them till you completed "The Ultimate Weapon" and unlock the vendors.