Why the nerf to p8s?

[Last_Username]

Let me start off by saying that I understand the HP Nerf in p8s is (assuming the patch notes are accurate) roughly only a 1% nerf. While this isn't the most massive of nerfs, it is still the first time since I started playing the game in Stormblood that I can remember them nerfing any content like this.


I don't really understand this nerf and its honestly a little upsetting to be. For the last 2 weeks I had been hearing about how the dps check in p8s was really tight and how a lot of players were struggling to clear it before enrage. For me, this was exciting news. My static doesn't have a ton of time to play each week so we were never going to reach p8s this soon, but I was still excited to have a legitimately difficult dps check.

Reasoning given for the nerf:
Under normal circumstances, the DPS of this team serves as a base for determining a boss HP value that results in clears as close to the time limit as possible. However, as extra time was dedicated to testing this battle, the team's overall performance proved to be higher than usual. As a result, the base values used for adjustments were too high, with final values roughly 1% higher than intended.

Translation:
Our testers played the fight a lot and got good at it, but we aren't going to give the player base that same opportunity.

Why are we, the players, not afforded the same opportunity as the testers? The fight being at its maximum difficulty would only serve to make completing it, and showing off the rewards for doing so, that much sweeter. I personally would love to bash my head into a fight over and over again until I get good enough to actually clear it rather than being given a non-optional handicap.

This also sets a precedent for the developers to start nerfing content if they believe the player base just simply isn't good enough (on average) to complete, even if completing the content has been proving to be possible with a wide range of jobs and party compositions and this worries me. I really hope that this is a one time thing.

Anyways, I don't really come to the forums often, and most likely won't come and check on this post but waking up to these patch notes made me a little perturbed.

[Atreides]

I don't understand the nerfs either, the DPS check was tight and required meta teams during week one but as gear comes and the weeks pass it will become a non issue, it's way easier already and now we even have 3rd week gear.

[Iyrnthota]

Because they couldn't figure out how to fix the job balance in time

[Curisu]

Because by "fixing" the job balance with a 2min burst window, they created the biggest overall imbalance since Heavensward.

[Kazhar]

I don't understand the nerfs either, the DPS check was tight and required meta teams during week one but as gear comes and the weeks pass it will become a non issue, it's way easier already and now we even have 3rd week gear.

In PF there's no guarantee any members of your group got loot in previous floor, so the overall ilvl increase week by week is much lower. This is probably the reason they still made the change.

I do agree that it does very little to fix the underlying issue of terrible job balance making meta comp much more valuable than they ever were.

[CaptainLagbeard]

The explanation more or less reads that when testing it internally for balancing, they did a little too throughout testing and became very good at the fight and then after that they balanced it for a group that's beaten it several times rather than a fresh group...

[Saraide]

A bandaid fix to distract from the true scale of our job balance issues.

[SaberMaxwell]

The issues in job balance have existed since p4s as has been stated. The only reason it really blew up now was because job balance issues become that much more in-focus when the damage check is tight.

So instead of addressing the job balance issues...they simply made the check easier. Why solve the problem when you can treat a symptom and call it good?

[CaedemSanguis]

I understand the HP Nerf in p8s is (assuming the patch notes are accurate) roughly only a 1% nerf. While this isn't the most massive of nerfs,

Oh my sweet summer child

[Dionysius]

They've moving away from difficult fight strictly based on DPS check because it's never fun. While full 8 members with 99 pink parse can still beat it, PF with random people won't have such luxury.
At least they didn't nerf any of the mechanics.