What's with all these people single-targetting during big pulls in dungeons?

[TankHunter678]

As a tank if I see DPS single targeting then I shift to doing single group pulls so the DPS and healer can focus fire down mobs quickly. Making the run take about as much time as if I had DPS that do lots of AoE so I can do large group pulls.

Its part of a tanks job to read the group and adjust.

[VitalSuit]

As a tank if I see DPS single targeting then I shift to doing single group pulls so the DPS and healer can focus fire down mobs quickly. Making the run take about as much time as if I had DPS that do lots of AoE so I can do large group pulls.

Its part of a tanks job to read the group and adjust.

It's EVERYONE'S job to adjust.

[TankHunter678]

It's EVERYONE'S job to adjust.

I would rather adjust to pulling smaller groups that the DPS can handle rather than stubbornly pull big groups where the healer cannot take part in doing the DPS as otherwise I would die and the group go down with me, because the DPS were empty of TP and had already blown their TP recovery options. In every run the tank is in the best position to adjust for the performance level of the party.

You can say everyone needs to adjust but sometimes the DPS simply cannot bring the numbers you want because they are not geared enough, or are on classes that have weak AoE to begin with. Those same big pulls can also lock the healer out of being able to use their AoE DPS and often times it is the healer who has the best AoE DPS out of the group. So enabling them to be able to use their DPS would speed the run up better then doing big pulls where their DPS is eliminated from the equation to keep you alive.

[AdamFyi]

Of course, there will always be exceptions. Some mobs are just too dangerous to not burn as fast as possible.

Yep, there are always exceptions that you as a DD need to pay attention to. As you said, some enemies that are generally more dangerous need to go down as soon as possible. Additionally, if you notice that there are still more than three enemies still alive but your TP is dipping into the ~200s with your TP recovery tools unavailable, it's best to swap over to using your Single Target attacks while relying on your Tp-less costing oGCDs to compensate while your TP recovers i.e. Elixir Field, Gierskogul, and Hellfrog Medium.

[Laerune]

I have noticed this aswell, even after telling them to do AoE, 60% of the time they still keep doing single targeting. I healed this group with 2 DPS who did single damage only and a tank that pulled big groups and never used any defensive abilities. The run was painfull.

[Ashbury]

My biggest gripe is when a tank does mass pulls and a dps single target mobs down, and this goes for several pulls without both players coming with a compromise.

Then you either have to tell the tank to slow down or the dps to AoE and hope you don't step on a snowflake toes and open the floodgates for an unecessary 'let me lecture on how this way is better and everyone else is wrong' drama.

[Conquistadork]

That would depend on the job and play style. As in my case, when I'm using SAM, I tend to do a one single combo on each pull to get my dmg up buff first and then proceed to do my AoE combos. It also depends on the type of mobs you are fighting, if there's one of those huge monsters that love to do AoEs, I will focus it first to remove it as fast as possible.

Some classes have better ways to deal with group mobs than others, so I see why they would feel more comfortable doing single combos, is it the best viable option? perhaps not, but you can't expect everyone to play the same way as you, or your FC mates do.

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

I was hoping someone would note the "Flare" treatment a lot of aoes got. No issues using aoe skills on reasonable pulls, but when you pull half the dungeon, anything after #5 is getting half damage, and I'd call that pretty inefficient.

To clarify, do your big pulls, but keep them reasonable. At one point it's more of a disservice to the entire party than it is helpful, especially if the tank or healer can't keep up. I've had tanks nearly die in the span of an Aero 3 cast, and that's just not right.

[Avatre]

I was hoping someone would note the "Flare" treatment a lot of aoes got. No issues using aoe skills on reasonable pulls, but when you pull half the dungeon, anything after #5 is getting half damage, and I'd call that pretty inefficient.

That's where switching the focus of your AoE every few casts/attacks so that it somewhat balances out comes into play. While it's still not as effective as it could be, it does sort of balance out the damage. I always try to target the one closest to the middle of the group, and in big groups like the dog things in Ala Mhigo, that point is almost constantly shifting.

[Catwho]

Been doing MNK lately so here's my two cents (chink chink): I'll have to do a single target once every 15 seconds to keep up Twin Snakes. No way around that. I generally only do my AOE rotation when I'm faced with a group of four or more, not the standard 3 or more, because Perfect Balance is only good for spamming Rockbreaker 3-4 times if I'm careful with timing, and Arm of the Destroyer's (the immediately accessible AOE ability) potency is only 50. Form Shift takes up a GCD so it's pointless; might as well just crit a Bootshine and refresh my Twin Snakes.

At 4+ enemies the math works out for MNK to AOE. At only 3, we get a bit more potency doing single target with proper positionals.

(Disclaimer: I'm only 64 MNK and this might be different at 70. But looking at the Riddles and Brotherhood, I don't think it changes.)