I'm having an incredibly hard time deciding which DPS to main

[Aldath]

I'm about to go and fight Bismark for the first time, and all this time I've been switching classes and getting quite frustrated as I have no idea what to do. I started playing the game as a Conjurer so I could queue faster into dungeons, but I disliked White Mage. Then, I found out that Arcanists actually become Summoner/Scholar at the same time, and I took my Summoner all the way to 60 pre-Heavensward just so I could FINALLY unlock Gunbreaker, the class which got me into the game to begin with.

Then I discovered I am a horrible tank and I'll need to keep practicing.

I kept going into the Heavensward storyline as a Red Mage, and queueing for dungeons here and there as Gunbreaker to build some confidence, and I'm starting to like the flow of the class and the role, so I'm slowly starting to use him for MSQ content as well.

Thing is, I don't wanna keep hopping around classes all the time... I'd like to focus on my Gunbreaker and a DPS.

I like the idea of Dancer, Ninja and Machinist.I didn't really like casters because they feel quite immobile, and I'm looking for something more fast paced.

-I like the idea of Dancer, since it also starts at level 60, but then that means I'd be wasting a lot of XP from the MSQ
-Ninja looks super fun, but I'm intimidated both by the rotations and the fact I'd have to start leveling the class from 0
-Been playing Machinist in PotD solo, and although I didn't like him at first, I'm starting to get the "feel" of the class, but just as Ninja, the feeling of having to make it all the way to 50 and lose on the main story makes me feel bad.

That said, I want to play DPS mostly for MSQ and casual content, as I eventually plan to raid as a Healer or Tank, once I FINALLY get to Endwalker, or whatever expansion comes next by the time I make it there.

Any suggestions and tips on how to deal with indecission?

[Elissar]

Try MNK or DRG. MNK is one of the fastest in terms of skills/animations and easier than NIN.
Later on, you won't worry about it tbh....i have all jobs 80+ and play as i feel like i want to play. Somedays i play only BLM, somedays i play as DRK, GNB...and it's not rare to play with 3 or 4 jobs in the same day for different stuff.


Btw, bismarck is the easiest trial available, seems like a good opportunity to test whatever you want.

[Zeastria]

Things i do when i lvl other jobs..
That get's me to 0-50 in a few hours:
- Hunting log
- RUN highest lvling dungeon with NPCs and exp scroll ( if dps job) - If heal/tank que with ppl.
- Duty Roulette ( Daily)

Jobs that starts at later lvls:
- Higest lvling dungeon spam.
- Some of the beast tribes can give some decent exp too.
- Duty Roulette ( Daily)

Best way figure out what you like is to try them all, also some jobs may seem boring at lower lvls but gets way more fun later down the line..

[Bad_Luck]

Who says you have to ‘main’ anything? Embrace diversity.

[Jeeqbit]

Then I discovered I am a horrible tank and I'll need to keep practicing.

Tanking isn't really that difficult.

There is a such thing as a good tank, and people will be able to see when you're not, but you don't need to be a good tank to do story content (most people aren't, and because Gunbreaker is pre-leveled to 60, it is common for new tanks to use that over others, so there is a meme that Gunbreakers are mostly novice tanks). That meme can help you because it means people will understand how likely it is that tanking is new for you. What might help though is...

1. Always make sure Royal Guard is turned on. Once on, it's on for good until you turn it off. It makes enemies focus on you after attacking them, instead of the party.
2. Pull enemy packs with Lightning Shot (although Provoke is useful for the extra range occasionally).
3. Use your aoe attack (Demon Slice into Demon Slaughter) on them to catch them all and make them attack you.
4. Reduce incoming damage with damage reduction abilities. Camouflage 10%, Rampart 20%, Nebula 30%, Heart of Stone (15%, upgrades to 30% eventually), Heart of Light 10% (magic only, usually useful to protect the party from area-wide aoe), Reprisal (reduces enemy output by 10%, often used to reduce area-wide aoe damage), Arm's Length (applies slow attack speed to all enemies attacking you, except most bosses, effectively reducing incoming damage), Aurora (regens HP), Superbolide (makes you invincible but takes you to 1HP, best used when you get low or are about to get low).
5. Damage reduction only really matters for packs of enemies, not bosses. Bosses hardly do any damage in most fights, compared to packs of enemies. You can use them when you see the red indicator on you, although it won't kill you in story content usually.
6. The amount of damage reduction you need really should depend on how much damage you are taking. Heavier is better at the start, then as some enemies get killed, there is less damage coming in, although sometimes your healer will have things for the start (such as White Mage's aoe stun).
7. Keep the boss as still as possible. If you don't need to move, then don't, so the boss doesn't spin and annoy the DPS. You can move during a boss cast, because bosses don't move while casting.
8. Keep 1 back and 1 side of the boss easy to access (ie. not faced to lava, poison or a wall), especially if there is a melee DPS in the party, because they have positionals that need a back and side.
9. Look at your enemy list. Any enemy that does not have a red icon (ie. it's orange, yellow or green), is not attacking you. Click it and attack it with Lightning Shot or Provoke. Or use your aoe.
10. If you are pulling multiple enemy packs, use Sprint after the last enemy dies. Sprint increases movement speed and lasts twice as long when used out of battle.

If a lot of this confuses you, you can open Actions & Traits (P if on a PC). Hover cursor over the actions to see what they all do and drag them to the hotbar and put them where you'll remember them. Then click Role and to find the Role actions and do the same. Sprint and a few other things (such as Limit Break) are found in the General section.

I didn't really like casters because they feel quite immobile

Summoner is mostly instant cast. Red Mage only casts every-other cast. So they are very mobile. It's just Black Mage that isn't. But you are right that Bard, Machinist, Dancer and all melee jobs are much more mobile.

and I'm looking for something more fast paced.

In terms of feeling busy with button presses like weaving abilities, I would say Dragoon (only at high levels), Ninja (when bursting), Machinist, Bard, Gunbreaker.

that means I'd be wasting a lot of XP from the MSQ

I wouldn't worry about this. Experience isn't that hard to get. Just do roulettes and other dailies and any job will be up soon enough.

Any suggestions and tips on how to deal with indecission?

The easiest way is just playing them, but that requires leveling them, so what you can try instead is either doing PvP with each of them at level 30 (different actions are used for PvP, but they are similar and inspired by their PvE versions), or you could watch videos of their gameplay (SE releases regular job action trailers for each expansion but they spoil the look of expansion areas).

[Surprised]

Tbh jeeqbit advice is best

[LilimoLimomo]

I think the best thing you can do for your indecision is to try these classes out. An overview will only give you so much, since the devil is in the details. Get your hands dirty, see how each class feels to play. That will help you make the decision that is genuinely right for you.

Also, I hope you're not worrying too much about doing perfect rotations. When you're still new to a class, I would honestly recommend that you not look up optimized rotations. Instead, look over your moves, figure out how they work, and use them in a way that feels good to you. The way you do it probably won't be perfect, but this will help you grow accustomed to the general feel of the class without getting bogged down in perfectionism too quickly. If you want, there will be plenty of time to do that when you're at max level! But for now I'd recommend that you walk before you try to run.

And finally, it's possible that your indecision might never go away. Most of my classes are at 90 and I still change mains every week or so. There are pros and cons to each class, and the best you can do is find the class that's right for you right now, and if it changes later, that's fine.

[Aldath]

Thanks for the help guys I made it to reduce my options to Dancer, Machinist, Summoner, and maybe Ninja and Monk.

I liked how Dancer feels but I have no idea what I'm doing half of the time, the intro quest looked like it was gonna explain me all there was to know and then they throw you to the lions. I've been just "pressing whatever is flashing".

Machinist I'm really finding fun in PoD, I made it to the point I unlocked my class gauge and I started using some early rotations, but I'm still trying to break him from level 35, as at this point I can only do Leveling Roulette with him and that only gives me about 50% of my XP bar. I'm on PoD 20 because I'm dumb and I've been trying to solo it (made it to 34 before a mimic and a land mine comboed me), so I'm just gonna rush it to Floor 50 with parties.

Summoner I already have at level 60, gives me Scholar (a class I can't play even if I like, I just don't grasp it), but I feel the rotation is way too simple and it might lead me to play worse as a DPS for getting used to the "easyness" of it.

Finally, Monk and Ninja, I'd have to take the classes all the way from 1 to 60 to get where the rest of my classes are, and pray my braincells aren't dead enough to be able to do "ok" in casual content with them.

Red Mage was a close competitor, but I feel we didn't click, despite me understanding how to play. I think I would have liked more a Melee that goes into a casting phase for burst than a Caster that goes into a melee phase.

[Frizze]

I liked how Dancer feels but I have no idea what I'm doing half of the time, the intro quest looked like it was gonna explain me all there was to know and then they throw you to the lions. I've been just "pressing whatever is flashing".

So for dancer you set "Cascade" to 1(or whatever the equivalent is for you) and "Fountain" to 2. Your single target rotation is 1 > 2 then follow the blinking lights while keeping the buff from Standard Step active at all times. Keep the GCD rolling as much as possible. Personally i have "Reverse Cascade" on 3 and "Fountainfall" on 4 since they activate off of 1 and 2 respectively. Then the AoE version is "Windmill" > "Bladeshower" with "Rising Windmill" and "Bloodshower" being the ones they activate. Same aoe rotation of 1 > 2 then follow the lights and keep your buff on while rolling GCDs. And of course, if youre doing content level 60 or higher then start everything by using closed position with another DPS to spread your buffs around. Optimization can come later, doing that much is likely enough to get you into the top half of dancer players.

[-Magnai-]

Dancer is super fun! Go with Dancer~! It's one of my favorites