Quote Originally Posted by aodhan_ofinnegain View Post
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No, what you've written is by and large incorrect. I posted the damage output by percentile for tanks at multiple points across each tier in Stormblood, and the posts are still on this very forum.

PLD started out with a significant advantage over WAR and DRK, the two of which were roughly on par with each other. WAR was then buffed just before the start of the first raid tier, and PLD/WAR became the most common comp. A series of subsequent buffs pushed WAR ahead of PLD. DRK only started to catch up in the end following the 4.3 changes. And even when it did, it was fight dependent, and on the fights where DRK did pull ahead it was generally on the top few percentiles through raw skill and superior uptime.

Overall, PLD has always been designed to be a safer tank, right down to its aesthetics and player expectations. I think it's appropriate to reward DRK for being a higher risk playstyle. Why use a greatsword when a toothpick and cower, oops, I meant tower shield could suffice?