Why mark targets?

[GunksFoy]

Someone may have stated this in the last few pages of the thread, I didn't check, but you realize that Full Thrust on drg does 330 potency instantly, and you can have cycled through this rotation twice by the time your dots expire, meaning that your math is completely flawed due to the fact that the single target rotation hits twice in the time dots can go through once. Therefore, you need to double that potency for your math to be correct, which, as you'll see, Is higher than dots.

[Shinkyo]

snip

+1 on that one.
While Marking should only be a nice to have at endgame, it's still a good tanking practice. though it may not always add value, it's never hurt to do it.

As for the dots, it's not true always that dots yield superior DPS because of combo bonuses. it's really class specific.
Also, we're talking about trash pulls so applying dot on every target would only shortening the pull by a few seconds while increasing the incoming damage and targeting complexity.

[ariaandkia]

+1 on that one.
While Marking should only be a nice to have at endgame, it's still a good tanking practice. though it may not always add value, it's never hurt to do it.

As for the dots, it's not true always that dots yield superior DPS because of combo bonuses. it's really class specific.
Also, we're talking about trash pulls so applying dot on every target would only shortening the pull by a few seconds while increasing the incoming damage and targeting complexity.

This

I have a few different rotations for BLM depending on the party. I had one older rotation that I don't use anymore since I shouldn't be tanking bosses. (Since I don't use it anymore, I don't have it memorized-a pity since I finally met some tanks that can hold aggro).

Regardless, to DoT or not to DoT? To do AoEs or not to AoE? It really depends on the situation.

For example, Stone Vigil Aevis mobs. Most tanks prefer that you don't AoE and that you drop one down. Why? They can't be slept, do a relatively high amount of damage, and do plenty of AoEs. So the goal is to drop one quickly, then get to work on the next. This is to reduce the chance that the healer will run out of MP and the Tank dying or reduce the chance that the healer can't keep up with the heals and the Tank dying or that the Tank will just straight die from the damage.

In addition, certain classes do MORE damage (specifically speaking of either time or TP/MP, not both) by focusing on one enemy instead of multiple. Especially for tanks that try to spread enmity (which means they might target multiple enemies), it can be difficult to make sure you are attacking the tank's intended target. I've had a few times where I notice that the DPS are attacking different targets from the tank completely (as in no enmity from certain DPS on certain targets).