"Just use True North problem solved"

[Bourne_Endeavor]

I feel like True North should have a lower cooldown.

Melee don't even have any tangible benefits over ranged to compensate for needing to account for positionals.

Agreed. Between the awkward positioning many fights this tier enforce and the sheer downtime, melee get especially screwed. If they did significantly higher damage, that would be one thing but currently DRG and NIN are the lowest. I think 80-90 seconds would be much better. Even 120 would be alright as mechanics tend to have two minute intervals. At least those where you'd need to potentially lose positionals.

My piece of advice about positionals is: don't think of it as missed positionals = gimped DPS. Think of it as correct positionals=bonus damage. This is especially true when you start raiding savage and there are mechanics that force you into positions where its impossible to hit rear/side (like Midgardsrmr's Ahk Morns, or Omega's Larboard/Starboard cannons). Sometimes it's impractical or impossible to hit your positionals, but SE has narrowed the gap between a correct positional and a failed positional such that it's usually only a 20-30 potency gap instead of 100+. Yes, you still want to try to hit positionals to maximize DPS but fights are also tuned that you can clear without hitting positionals.

I see it as bonus rather than a necessity. If it were "necessary" as opposed to "bonus", SE would time the mechanics in raids that require you to stand in front of the boss with melees' True North cooldowns. But, that isn't the case, as anyone who has done raided can tell you, there are phases and mechanics where you can't get to the flank or rear.

Those numbers add up over time though. 40 potency may not seem like much but 200 is essentially dropping Impulse Drive. Furthermore, melee are already punished by mechanics that force disengagement. O10S and O12S are particularly bad as melee DPS can be completed screwed both in positionals and uptime with minimal ways to compensate. Range and Casters don't suffer either problem while doing more damage than half the melee. As noted above, NIN and DRG are the two weakest jobs right now.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy finding creative ways to sneak in my positionals. But there are numerous points this tier where you're just going to lose damage and can't do anything about it.