3 Rules:
  1. We'll be attempting to match jobs closely to Dragoon rDPS.
    Our implicit goal is to keep difficulty the same for parties that are roughly only half-meta, tuning difficulty more appropriately for the currently overtuned full-meta parties (BLM, MNK, DRG, SAM), and to improved performance for everyone else.
  2. Specify your "taxes".
    "Taxes" here refers to rDPS reductions resultant from (1) average inflated in-practice rDPS due to ease of play, positioning, or mechanical involvement or (2) utilities meaningful to rDPS that cannot be quantitatively measured, such as Mantra, Warden's Paeon, Minne, Rescue, Cover, or Verraise. Essentially, these are things attractive enough that a job would still often be taken even if it had slightly inferior rDPS due to the ease of clear they'd bring despite tightening the hard enrage dps check for the party.

    For our purposes here, let us assume fairly tight dps checks, future-proofing for Week One in the next tier. These "taxes" therefore should be applied sparingly.
  3. Build around intended gameplay improvements first, numbers thereafter.
    If you think Tsubame-Gaeshi shouldn't require use on the immediate next GCD or Yaten-Enpi should be more viable, (1) fix their functionality as necessary first, (2) see what numbers could arise from this improvement in functionality in optimal builds, and then (3) finally tune for the internal balance (relative strength of skill choices, which in turn allow for the breakpoints that guide gameplay) while bringing your job up to DRG rDPS.


Yes, this does mean BLM and MNK will have to be nerfed somewhat. Such is balance without excessive power creep.