Why is the next new job a melee DPS?

[Seraphor]

At one point there was some gear that had both strength and dex. iLvl 110 stuff

I see. So all stuff 50 and below, and even then, it's simply a fraction of the gear available to it that was retroactively given Dex as well as Str, at a stage where all DoW still shared most of their gear as well.
This is purely because Ninja wasn't an original job, it was added in 2.4 and so it needed gear to use.
Every single piece of gear after it's release has been Ninja exclusive 'scouting' gear.

[Kazelus]

isnt the amount of each role implemented proportional to full party slots rather than melee/ranged/caster? if you go by that we're actually due a melee.

This ! I've been waiting for someone to tell that !
It was sure we will getting a melee because the standard composition of a full party is supposed to be: 2 Tanks/2 Healers/2 Melees/1 Physical ranged/1 Magical Ranged.

[Seraphor]

This ! I've been waiting for someone to tell that !
It was sure we will getting a melee because the standard composition of a full party is supposed to be: 2 Tanks/2 Healers/2 Melees/1 Physical ranged/1 Magical Ranged.

While is is the most common party composition, it's not one that the devs regularly promote. Some fights are tailored around it, but many aren't.
Their official stance is that it's usually 2T/2H, 1 Melee, 1 Ranged, 1 Caster, 1 Wildcard.
The 2 melee typically comes up due to melee generally dealing more damage, but 2 casters is also viable.

[Kazelus]

While is is the most common party composition, it's not one that the devs regularly promote. Some fights are tailored around it, but many aren't.
Their official stance is that it's usually 2T/2H, 1 Melee, 1 Ranged, 1 Caster, 1 Wildcard.
The 2 melee typically comes up due to melee generally dealing more damage, but 2 casters is also viable.

You are right but think about developing battle content, you have a party composed with 3 melee (2 tanks + 1 melee), 4 ranged (2 healers + 1 physical ranged + 1 magical ranged) and a wildcard, the wildcard will be considered as a melee by default to avoid any trouble if a melee takes that spot cause a ranged can take a melee slot but not the reverse. So they have in mind a party of 4 melees and 4 ranged when it comes to creates battle content.

[Vyrerus]

While is is the most common party composition, it's not one that the devs regularly promote. Some fights are tailored around it, but many aren't.
Their official stance is that it's usually 2T/2H, 1 Melee, 1 Ranged, 1 Caster, 1 Wildcard.
The 2 melee typically comes up due to melee generally dealing more damage, but 2 casters is also viable.

Two melee has been more standard since Second Coil due to fight mechanics. With two caster, there's usually so much overlap from having essentially 5 ranged, that one of them has to be commanded to stay in a melee's spot anyway. Most ranged players don't like doing that.

I remember filling in for a buddy's static during Sigmascape. They ran NIN, RDM, BRD, and either BLM or SMN. I can't remember but I think it was BLM. Anyway, they were very cruel to melee players, and would not shut up about, "Why play melee?" And they purposely killed me with Ink repeatedly, citing I was in their spot... while I'm in melee range on the side I was told to be on. Then they wondered why I was mad at them. Then they said I was parsing horribly. Like, no shit, you just killed me with Ink, and the RDM couldn't even be assed to raise.

I still get pretty grumpy about two caster comp to this day. It makes me uncomfortable, even if I'm not on melee.

[Seraphor]

Two melee has been more standard since Second Coil due to fight mechanics. With two caster, there's usually so much overlap from having essentially 5 ranged, that one of them has to be commanded to stay in a melee's spot anyway. Most ranged players don't like doing that.

I remember filling in for a buddy's static during Sigmascape. They ran NIN, RDM, BRD, and either BLM or SMN. I can't remember but I think it was BLM. Anyway, they were very cruel to melee players, and would not shut up about, "Why play melee?" And they purposely killed me with Ink repeatedly, citing I was in their spot... while I'm in melee range on the side I was told to be on. Then they wondered why I was mad at them. Then they said I was parsing horribly. Like, no shit, you just killed me with Ink, and the RDM couldn't even be assed to raise.

I still get pretty grumpy about two caster comp to this day. It makes me uncomfortable, even if I'm not on melee.

RDM and NIN are each very capable of filling in for either the melee or ranged slot.

[Vyrerus]

RDM and NIN are each very capable of filling in for either the melee or ranged slot.

Uhh, sure, they both have melee and ranged moves, but at that time especially, unless it came around in NIN's rotation that they were going to use Ten Chi Jin to trigger Suiton, they used it to do the combo ending in Doton. This meant more than ever, be in melee range, but it's not like a NIN is going to stand at 15y and Throwing Dagger for the whole fight. That'd be insane. A RDM standing in melee range the whole fight is much more believable, just reverse Displacement after melee combo if the timing of mechanics allows it.

[Seraphor]

Uhh, sure, they both have melee and ranged moves, but at that time especially, unless it came around in NIN's rotation that they were going to use Ten Chi Jin to trigger Suiton, they used it to do the combo ending in Doton. This meant more than ever, be in melee range, but it's not like a NIN is going to stand at 15y and Throwing Dagger for the whole fight. That'd be insane. A RDM standing in melee range the whole fight is much more believable, just reverse Displacement after melee combo if the timing of mechanics allows it.

You always end TenChiJin with Suiton for single target.
That's what Meisui is for and why it lines up with TCJ's cooldown.

No fight in which you have an assigned ranged position, actually needs to stand at a distance for the entire fight, only for specific mechanics. Which is what Raiton is for.
In fact, all players should be within melee range for most of the fight anyway for AoE heals.

Most recently done Hades and SoS EXs as a ranged NIN. There's one mechanic in each of those where the ranged position has to be at range for more than a GCD, and only about 2-3 GCD's at that. Raiton and a little weaving easily covers that and you barely lose a single GCD.

[Vyrerus]

You always end TenChiJin with Suiton for single target.
That's what Meisui is for and why it lines up with TCJ's cooldown.

No fight in which you have an assigned ranged position, actually needs to stand at a distance for the entire fight, only for specific mechanics. Which is what Raiton is for.
In fact, all players should be within melee range for most of the fight anyway for AoE heals.

Meisui didn't exist in Stormblood, and the potencies of Ninjutsu were different.

[Seraphor]

Meisui didn't exist in Stormblood, and the potencies of Ninjutsu were different.

We're in Shadowbringers now.