Quote Originally Posted by Galvuu View Post
I don't care a lot about this back and forth (although I lean more into agreeing with the other poster, Aco), but I think you have this part specifically backwards.
Having powerful adps jobs with a flatter damage curve (BLM/VPR) and a burstier one (SAM/PCT) is a good thing. These mechanics give the jobs identity. If this breaks balance, then the core, background issue is this 2 minute meta garbage and the multiplicative nature of raid buffs. There are many ways to address this- make some jobs free-form or make them adhere to different clocks (like 90s jobs), make raid buffs additive and not multiplicative, blanket nerf all buffs and provide compensatory potency buffs, diversify buffs (rip old Selene haste buff), etc. PCT is like a canary in the coal mine for an issue that's been getting exacerbated since ShB. This is why every job is a buffer/spender, because anything else (different clocks, more flat power curves) doesn't work with this 2 minute trash. I'd rather see that problem get addressed. Even if we did what you're proposing, you're just gonna get SAM as the biggest benefactor of the buffs next. This isn't going to help BLM at all. Do we kneecap SAM burst next? It's already tied for highest adps as we speak.

Like people are discussing surface-level solutions for a deeper problem this game has been brewing for a while. In a better version of the game (cough HW cough) this kind of design, with some jobs being bursty, some being flat in their dps curve and whatnot works. We just streamlined this game to a point where any deviation from their norm causes problems. I don't know. It's not like they're going to fix anything.
The reason why I used that specific example was simply to illustrate my point. I do agree with you: there should be different damage profiles for the jobs. The "problem" is that BLM didn't "fit" it as well as other jobs because it was one of the few ones that didn't fully adhere to the 2-minute meta. It's fine if PCT's aDPS is higher than RPR because the latter's burst takes longer or is flatter, as you say, as long as it's balanced.

Jobs like WAR or SMN (more in EW than now) are mostly 1-minute jobs, which we should have more of. They still have their buffs or biggest peaks at 2-minutes but the difference isn't that stark. Yes, in an ideal world, there would be different damage profiles and, perhaps, more common "niches" like 2-target fights or fights with adds similar to EX1. On the other hand, those niches can also become "unbalanced" in a game that "only" provides 12-15 Savage fights, 2 Ultimates, and 3 Criterion dungeons per expansion.

I don't want jobs to be homogenized but I also don't want a specific job to dominate in different aspects. If PCT has the best burst in the game and so benefits the most from buffs, then that's great. In EW, NIN's 2-minute burst was equal or even slightly better than SAM's until the latter was buffed. Imho, NIN should've kept the strongest burst back then considering that's all it had.

Surely the state of jobs will be addressed when 8.0 comes out, right?