Opinions on Melee dps?

[SerDakota]

I just got my pld to 60 and currently lvling mch since i cant decide between drg and nin either lol both are 50 and fun but only taking 1 all the way but which.....

[VorpalSpork]

Having same problem deciding between drg and nin. Used to play bard, but just hate the way it was changed - I liked the mobility. Melee seems like the way to go, but dislike the positionals. Nin has fewer, but the really bad AoE and TP problems make me think drg is a better choice. Sooo hard to decide.

[Aeliott]

Which would you say is the simplest dps?

This might be a controversial opinion, but I actually think Monk is the simplest of the 3, at least "rotationally" and mechanically.
At first glance Monk looks complex as hell with all these positionals and forms and such, but spending just a bit of time with it the positionals become second nature and a non-issue. If we have to leave and any buffs not named Greased Lightning fall off, it takes us no more than 2 or 3 moves to reapply them. Whereas DRG / NIN may have to go through a longer process to reapply everything. We shift through 3 forms, and under normal circumstances only use one of two moves in each. One move in each is raw damage, the other is a buff/debuff/dot. So really doesn't take long to remedy those falling off. Greased Lightning can be a pain, but it's just a matter of experience, shifting stances when a boss is down and such. Obviously it gets more nuanced than that sometimes, like it depends when you last refreshed GL relative to the boss leaving (if you ended with a raptor form move you're in coeurl already and have the shortest window to refresh GL). It hasn't really changed much since 2.X, I've actually found myself getting a bit burned out doing those 7 core moves over like always >_>

It has a bit of a learning curve with buff timings and such, but again - in terms of what moves to do when there's generally not much to think about.

[Craiger]

Which would you say is the simplest dps?

It depends on what you specifically think makes a job simple...

DRG at 60 is the opposite of simple IMO. They have a ton more skills than NIN and MNK, and you have to be much more aware on when to use them. The optimal rotation for DRG is extremely tight, and in many cases you have to alter that rotation to not lose BoTD(Blood of the dragon) buff, which is a big DPS loss if you go without for any longer time. Playing DRG isn't too hard, but mastering it, is really complicated IMO.

NIN seems to still be very simple (only one of them I don't have at 60 though). Having Huton being reapplied with a skill, just makes it a little more simple actually, and the new positional requirements are still nothing complex at all. It all comes down to Mudras though, if you have high ping, you shouldn't play NIN. If you don't have a problem with that, then NIN is a pretty simple job, middle of the pack out of the 3 melee DPS IMO.

MNK is my main, so I might be biased on this, but you didn't ask what job we thought was easiest to play, just which is most simple. MNK IMO is the simplest of them all, because the core rotation is short and easy to follow. You simply rotate between 2 "paths" of combos all the time, and replace the last one with a dot if that needs reapplying. Very few skills overall. MNK's challenges are simply to keep up GL, and hitting all positional attacks that are possible. Positional attacks are easy IMO, but since pretty much all weaponskills have that positional bonus, you have a slightly harder time getting maximum DPS on certain fights.

The thing is though, I hear players saying MNK is complex because you need to constantly move from flank to back, and maybe you think that too, and want the job with least amount of movement... Then NIN is probably a better option, but it shouldn't really be a problem.

[MsCroc]

I'm going to offer a different opinion.

Melee DPS is my favorite role in MMOs and I would describe Monk as being 'too much'. For me. At first glance, it's rather simple. Opo-opo form, Coeurl Form, Raptor Form. Simple. When I was low level I was worried the class would be too boring. I didn't realize positionals were a thing until someone pointed them out to me, so I learned about them late. At first I was apprehensive but grew to enjoy them well enough.

Monk also has a number of cooldowns, some DOTs, and off-GCDs to consider. But mostly it's the Greased Lightning stacks that are my problem. It's personally hard for me to mind positionals, dodge enemy attacks, weave in extra skills, remember cooldowns, and mind GL stacks.

I was sadly under the impression that "flanking" meant "being behind the enemy", never once noticing the distinction in wording on the skills until I learned....in Hatali hard that was not the case. Yes, very newb and embarrassing but in any case I learned late. And while that was ages ago, positionals still don't come naturally to me. I do have to think about moving. Less so if it's tank and spank, but more so if the fight is mechanic heavy and stressful.

My point is what may have been a simple class became increasingly more complex. It would be a good amount of complexity if there were no GL stacks. GL stacks, I feel, are ultimately what makes me unhappy with monk. I find it stressful in a "not-fun" way to maintain them. I don't want to have to babysit a buff to be competitive DPS.

Thus, I find monk is too complex for me and not suited for my personal taste. Which is why I have chosen not to level it as my main for HW. It is definitely fast-paced and exciting. I admit my inability to enjoy the class comes from my own personal limitations. I'll probably go back and level it just in case the new skill additions really do make GL less of a pain but it's not a priority at that point.

Anyway, just wanted to share my side in case anyone else feels the same way.

[Jim_Berry]

I played Monk in ARR and now I play Dragoon in HS. It's a really fun job to play. I tried to lv up a bard once but find his gameplay really boring.

I didn't find BRD boring. It was my first DPS since I started the game in beta phase on PS3. However, I let the community shy me away from the job by letting them tell me that if I can't stay top DPS even with Ballad or Paeon up, then I suck. After hearing that so long, I went WHM. Since then, I have tried DRG (which I liked) but enjoy NIN more simply because it's like I'm "just there" lol...

[Cidolfas86]

My love affair with DRG is beginning to end. I really don't like maintaining a persistent buff ala Blood of the Dragon/Greased Lightning. You combine that with the RNG of Wheeling Thurst/Fang and Claw and its part of the reason why I've drifted toward being a DRK main. I think the only melee dps I still enjoy oddly enough is NIN, and thats because its the easiest of the 3 to maintain its persistent buffs with no nonsense during phase transitions.

plus there's the added joy of having the top dps get mad at you cause you nerfed his hate and put him further down the hate list

[Atreides]

plus there's the added joy of having the top dps get mad at you cause you nerfed his hate and put him further down the hate list

Why would anyone care about that?
I'd be grateful that I'm not the first target if the MT happens to die.