Why mark targets?

[Bixby]

What's the most effective way to get DPS to play their role to fit this style?

Passive-aggressive posts about target-marking on the tank forums. I mean. That's the first thing I look for when I'm researching optimizing my MNK DPS.

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

I think for Arcanist, I definitely prefer laying DoTs across multiple enemies rather than DoT one enemy, then cast a happy 80 unaspected damage attack until it's time to refresh.

For Bard, I'll Windbite and Venomous Shot a second target, but mostly for Bloodletter proc against the first. I will rarely touch a third target with DoTs unless in one of the tank scenarios where I may overtake hate as the result of blasting a target. One exception is in Crystal Tower, between two Vassagos with a Napalm or Balloon add. There's a good chance Vassagos will keep DoTs while the napalm or balloon is the recipient of everything else.

But in most scenarios, am still a fan of mitigating damage/reducing stress on the healer where the downtime may shift toward healer MP if I take full advantage of DoTs and their durations.

[Bridgeburner]

If you need a third-party tool to tell the difference between 226 potency True>Full Combo and 330 potency Phlebotomize, you need some serious help with math.

Freshly-edited Post 1:

Phlebotomize: 170 initial + (25 x 6 [ticks over 18 seconds]) = 330 potency

170 + (25 x 6)
= 170 + (150)
= 320

[baopee]

Because those aren't readable without manually clicking off to every target, which interferes with the ability to deliver skills on GCD to your primary target.

Also, your second graphic is actually showing the health bars of the enemies remaining on the field - not the threat. In the pic:

Top Shade Seeker is T; full health, full bar
Middle Shade Seeker is R; partial health gone, partial bar, to scale.
Bottom Shade SEeker is Q; full health, full bar
Clam is S; partial health, partial bar, to scale.

People like marks because many tanks don't Flash regularly enough to keep AOE threat established. No good DPS wants to overrun the tank.

what i meant to show on the second picture was the enmity indicator, the bubbles before the HP bar of the mobs.

[Bridgeburner]

what i meant to show on the second picture was the enmity indicator, the bubbles before the HP bar of the mobs.

You can see the limits to the utility in this picture, too, though.

A solid red orb means you have threat, but by the time that orb changes to a red triangle, you're typically already losing the monster's focus.

Additionally, as demonstrated in this picture, you only get those floating health/threat indicators on enemies you've attacked. This picture shows the Princess and two Soldiers, but the threat/health indicators are only showing two of the three targets. (The person taking the photo has not interacted with/done damage to/established threat on the 3rd target, thus no indicator.)

... out of curiosity, why's the DPS fighting Soldiers in Cutter's Cry? Usually Heals secure aggro and sprint 'round the outside to let everybody focus the Princess down, no?

[zakalw3]

Marking simply equals: put your auto attacks/instant damage here, in this order.

Anyone with experience will know to throw dots around. Most post end game groups I find will have players who know who to work inside and around the marks efficiently.

It just makes things tidy.

[C-croft]

Your comparisons are skewed.... Not saying the DPS of DoTs is wrong... Just that per global a DoT is more effective, but you get the efficiency over time. Early reapplication and the usefulness of the DoT is diminished. Whereas any other skill gives you full potency at time of attack and none is wasted. So yes a fight over the course of time will definitely benefit from the use of DoTs, but you would never spam a DoT in the first place. You would focus the rest of your DPS somewhere. On average you will have 4 GCD's between your DoTs depending on job. This is where marking mobs can come in handy. Marking mobs can reduce the chance of pulling threat if they follow marks.

Also, if you were to do nothing but weapons skills for your 7 cooldowns on DRG the average potency is actually 215.

[BazFamrit]

I tend to mark only if I have to. Saves time and effort. I don't lose hate unless the DPS are exceptionally good. Last week in Copperbell HM I had a BLM that took hate on only one mob of a pack of 3+ every time and it would always be the exact moment I was hitting it with BB. That's where the shapes on the enemy list come in. I watched it flash to the orange arrow and back to red square immediately yet the mob walked all the way over to the BLM, forgot what he was doing, and walked back to me. Was pretty funny to watch. But knowing I had full hate even when the mob was walking away allowed me to stand still to let the melee make full use of positional attacks and I didn't have to waste TP on a tomahawk.

Yes the shapes system is flawed and slightly inaccurate but as long as you understand hate well and know its limits it can be very helpful.

[glen7187]

I tend to only mark in lower level dungeons cause I feel like there just isn't enough tools in everyone's tool kit to be doing AoE's and holding hate on groups of mobs efficiently. Well, maybe I should say dungeons before Stone Vigil. But after that I tend to only mark if I know a specific target needs to go down first for sure, or that there really needs to be an order.

[Menae]

No reason not to mark if you've the spare keybinds to do so quickly. Nothing says people can't throw dots up on targets two or three.

And if it's a new healer or new tank, I've no issues with folks sleeping mobs. It lowers outgoing dps, but also lowers incoming dps, and if it means the tank doesn't have to dodge a cone AoE and screw up somebody's positionals, the dps loss is (somewhat) mitigated.