My Analysis of BLM's issues and why it is currently the worst DPS class.

[HaroldSaxon]

i'm curious, but don't ninja is slash damage?

Yes, but its entire toolkit is really strong. The class has been overpowered since it was introduced to the game.

plus i want to point out something interesting, the real end game is only touched by something like 5-8% of the community, do they must tailored a jobs for this little part of the community and content?

Yes, and it affects more players than that.

good blm is 3-4 in terms of dps... but if i'm right it fighting for the first place in terms of ranged dps, no?

Personal DPS does not include raid wide DPS. Black Mage contributes the second least amount of DPS to the party. Bard, Machinist, Dragoon, Ninja, Summoner, Monk and Samurai all contribute more DPS to the party. The current "meta" comp is Bard, Machinist, Dragoon and Ninja. Summoner is pretty close, then you have Monk and Samurai that are ahead. Red Mage isn't ahead on party DPS, but its raising utility makes it far more useful in progression.

i have always fail to understand why people try to compare different type of dps together, melee have other trouble that they need to deal with, like need to move between enemy, avoid all cleave and such, respect positional is not the same demand... the fact that melee outshine ranged is normal... i don't say that blm is not means to be a strong dps, i only say that melee need to be above ranged or else, we will see one more time the situation of the 2.1 where no melee dps was wanted only ranged was used because it was safer and better to have ranged dps that was dealing as much dps than melee without any of them trouble.

ranged dps have to deal with a different sort of positional... but it's part of the jobs, at least you don't loose 30% of damage and 15% of attack speed if you don't attack for more of 15 second...

That isn't how the game works for top end players. Melee have less uptime issues than Blackmage does in Savage level content. Melee's do not have cast times. They absolutely should not be above ranged at all.

Do you even know what Black Mage loses from not being able to cast or use OGCD's?

all in all, yoshida have said that the blm will receive a bit of love, but if they make it first dps it will kill the whole purpose of the samurai... that bring nothing to the table and is only here for dps. at least blm with role skill can help on some stuff. not the sam. it's a story of balance...

Samurai has less uptime issues than Blackmage. There is 0 reason for SAM to have more DPS than BLM. Sam certainly does need help, but Black Mage is in absolutely the worse spot. As a reminder, Black Mages LOSE dps having to use role skills if we don't get lucky with a proc. There are only certain times we can use them (such as Manashift in Umbral Ice).

i will repeat it, make ranged > or = melee in terms of dps is simply bad and will lead to a situation that will not be healthy.

I don't think you realize what cast times are like in Savage Level and Ultimate level content. Right now the current situation is completely unhealthy

ps: to the op how a jobs that is about the 3rd or 4th dps is the worst dps... seriously?

Personal DPS does not include raid wide DPS

pss: to haroldsaxon, well yes one person play the black mage in the dev team a certain Naoki Yoshida ^^

He doesn't play it to a high level.

i will return to you the question, why focus the blm only for 5-8% of the content? i don't say to ignore it, but reach a balance that will work all over the game.

Which is what we are asking for

for me the blm must stand at the top of the ranged dps yes, but be over melee dps? simply no... like said in the 2.1 we did get the situation where the difference of dps between ranged and melee was close of null... leading to raid not wanting any melee in the group, simply because it was safer to get a ranged that deal the same damage and less affected by positional and can still attack even when far from the enemy, able to take care of the add without move or (in the case of the monk) will loose not that much to move from the boss or positional.

That absolutely wasn't the case. The meta has always been AT LEAST 2 melee classes. Caster classes have always had more uptime issues than Melee classes at high level gameplay.

i haven't said that the blm must'nt be strong, i only say, it's ranged dps, by default he is in safer place than melee, more risk for the melee need to be rewarded. for me the dps need to be in this order, sam, monk, blm first and the other that have far more utility and bring more stuff to the raid behind them.

That absolutely is incorrect. Monk provides raidwide DPS and should never be above BLM, and as i've repeatedly said, Casters have more uptime issues than melees.

i feel the balance of the game is plagued with the utility need over the basic damage of the group. they have worked hard to try to make the dps not that different, what is a bad idea.

DPS classes playing in exactly the same way IS a bad thing. Classes should be unique. Homogenization is a lazy way of balancing the game.

and in the end, it's more about what your group try to accomplish, not what the other do... play what you love (even if it's a monk *cry*) and try to beat the challenge with your friend.

I enjoy clearing end game content as quickly as I can and challenging myself to clear the fight in the most optimal way possible. I love playing BLM, but I am not able to do that with the class. Furthermore, BlackMages are excluded from many groups and have been for a long time.

i'm not against competition, but when the competition lead to a meta that force people to play something only because is the best... we do loose the main purpose of a video GAME.

Just because you do not have the same outlook as other players, doesn't mean their way of playing the game should be excluded. I could make the argument that changes to balance do not affect players who don't play high end content and do not play the game well - but that would be just as unfair as your argument here (and about it not affecting many players).

ps: if your group force you to change of jobs instead to try to overcome the challenge that was created for be completed with any group, you have a trouble...

I force myself to change jobs because I don't want to waste the time of the 7 other players in my group.