Easiest class rankings?

[Renathras]

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True, and that's what I meant by no metric being perfect. Why I think the spread is a decent (not flawless) metric, though, is by comparing it with subjective perspectives.

Subjectivity is hard to measure or quantify, and obviously subjective...but that doesn't mean it has no meaning. For instance, if essentially 90+% (or a nebulous "the vast majority") feel that SMN is easy, then SMN is PROBABLY easy. This is useful in testing metrics. If there was a proposed objective metric that showed SMN as the hardest Job in the game, we could safely say that metric is measuring something, but not difficulty. On the other hand, if we look at an objective, quantifiable metric that DOES show SMN to be the easiest, and this agrees with the subjective community perspective, we can use that as a point in favor of that metric's validity, even if it's imperfect. We just have to recognize it's not THE WHOLE story.

That was why I pointed out looking at the variance within roles (instead of across all Jobs), for example, specifically pointing out Healers having some other considerations.

I think the fact that the variation on the forbidden sight does have narrow bars for the Jobs considered easier (WAR, SMN, DNC) and wider bars for the ones considered harder (BLM, DRG, SCH), there's probably some accuracy to it. I don't remember the term in statistics (I think it's "R-squared value"), but the one that means "this model explains ~x% of the observed behavior"; I think the variation probably should be assigned something like 50-70%. There are other things that obviously come into play, like APM (higher APM will generally be harder than lower APM; though note APM doesn't count target swapping, so AST might be more difficult than APM would suggestion, and it doesn't factor in strategic fight knowledge, so BLM appears "easy" by that metric since it has a low APM due to long cast times and few weaves), technical complexity, and things that can be hard to some people but easy for others (some people are great are handling procs or juggling buffs/DoTs while others suck at it; some are great at handling a rigid rotation while others suck at that), so ultimately, any given metric can only be so good and comes with those caveats.

As I say, many people find WAR the easiest Tank and GNB among the hardest, but I find GNB easiest for me to play well since the rotation is more rigid and I don't have to think about juggling upkeep buffs, and GNB's powder charge is a much simpler system to my brain than remembering where in fights to pool WAR Rage; all I need with GNB is "have 3 charges going into No Mercy", which my brain tracks a lot better than "upkeep buff and pool X amount of Rage for Inner Release", even though the two SHOULD be more or less identical on paper. Somehow "3" is easier for my brain than "100 +2x 50 + X that next Weaponskill will give". So what individuals find easier won't NECESSARILY track the metric, even all other things being equal.

...it's also why I don't think damage should be based on "difficulty", since that IS subjective.