If parsing is needed to clear challenging content then why is it not in the game?

[Sciwolf]

From a viewpoint of a casual player, I see a lot of discussion regarding DPS and HPS parsing. Just about every you tube video about DPS rotations has a parser running. A lot of serious raiding guilds require specific minimum numbers on FFXIV logs.

Now, to be honest, I have never stepped foot in savage. But I just want to understand. If the current savage content is so challenging that people need external programs to measure their performance, then why wasn't it implemented in the game in the first place?

Now the argument that I most often hear is: "because having a DPS meter promotes elitist attitude." It seems like a lazy and weak argument, honestly. Because people are now using external programs as a workaround.

Also, if you implement DPS/HPS parsing in the default UI, at least in endgame, then more players might be encouraged to re-learn or change their rotations.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Because its not. You can complete any content without a parser.

[Zojha]

Your presumption fails at the "If", because a parser is not actually "needed" for clearing challenging content - yet. The ACT plugin for triggers is getting pretty borderline and if SE designs fights with the assumption that people use it in the future (i.e. lower the time you have to react to make up for that advantage), it likely will become de facto mandatory.

That aside, well...we have at least a dozen of parser threads already, so I'll leave it to the rest of the forum to argue forward and back and then forward and back and then go forward and back and put one foot forward and back over and over.

[Ghishlain]

A parser itself isn't needed to clear the hardest tiers of content. With that being said, having a parser readily available can provide feedback for players to see what they are and are not doing correctly.

IE - Two DRGs queue into Sephirot (Story) together. Both have similar HP values so you can imagine they have similar ilvls but at the end of the fight, one DRG is at 1.4K DPS and the other is a 900 DPS. That's a pretty big difference so someone can start to ask "why is the weaker DRG weaker?". This can range from not knowing how to play the job optimally, multiple deaths, unfamiliarity with mechanics resulting in lower DPS, same ilvl left side pieces but dramatically different (or even incorrect) right side pieces, etc. Or even a combination of all the above.

The number itself means little without context hence why it's not entirely necessary to clear content. With that being said it certainly gives players red flag if something is amiss compared to equally geared jobs or something is correct if the numbers match up nicely.

Sadly, something that an ingame parser will most likely be unable to do is interact with FFLogs, which is a tool that basically de-compiles your ACT parse in a very readable way that allows parties to analyze all the details of their fights to see where they can and cannot improve - which is a great benefit for both progression parties or farm parties as they try to find optimizations in their performances.

So, is a parser necessary? Not in the slightest. However it does provide a lot of feedback that can be useful to many players as long as they understand the context behind the number.

And now. *Gets the popcorn for the drama to ensue*

[Xlantaa]

Because is not necesary. It is a optional tool. I cleared the coil 1 to 9 without knowing what a parser is (pre-echo by the way).

[GMERC]

Parsing is a tool for self-improvement and understanding weaknesses in your current party, not something you need to succeed. And given that I quite like my personal customizations to my overlay, I'd really rather not switch to a standardized, generic in-client variant.

[Khanscott]

Because its not. You can complete any content without a parser.

Regarding a 3rd party website already mentioned, I often wonder just how many people actually know how to read statistical data. Percentiles are nothing without the sum total of their associating factors.

[Xyno]

If all of you say, that we no need parser in the FF14, so why it is exists in the another very good and most popular PvE game like WoW? You think, that FF 14 need not the in-game parser? You are all wrong

Fully agree with the TS. The game must have in-game parser, because it is full of DPS and HPS challenges and players must have an instrument to control their performance. Lots of games with challenging PvE content have in-game parser

[GMERC]

full of DPS and HPS challenges and players must have an instrument to control their performance.

The instrument to control their performance is their own hands. A parser doesn't make your hands play better.

[Malzian]

A parser is a metric that can be used as an indicator of skill. Note, that does not mean that good parses = high skill and bad parses = low skill... But, like standardized tests, it is one way to evaluate performance. A parser will never capture the full picture off what a player can or can not accomplish, but it can give you a place to start off setting your expectations.

Personally, if I want to know if I'm capable of doing content, I go into the content and I run it a few times. If we clear out, great. If not, try again and see if we improve... And keep trying until you get good enough to clear or realize that you're not ready and need to improve. Many people today, however, want that metric going in because their time is so valuable that they can't even stomach the thought that someone would waste a single second of it trying to clear content and failing.