Best DPS class in the game?

[HerpnDerpidus]

i know this probably isnt 100% the right post to say this on, but i cant make my own posts so... yea.. anyway i really think they should add more alternate job roles for classes, like how the arcanist can be both a healer or a dps with its jobs, i was thinking like glad+pug= dual swords dps guy, and maradr+arcan= melee dps with a pet, lancer+glad= shield and spear tank, pug+conj= melee ish healer that would make sense if you played a warrior preist on warhammer online, just to add more diversity and usefull ness

[Vivi10]

I think it comes down to preference of Burst Damage or Consistent Damage.

[Antares]

I think polearms give enough damage, but TP can be the Achilles heel. In the end, I think the best is the one you get the best results in Full/Light Party.

[Relic]

It's going to be either Monk or Drg if this game is balanced. No ranged class should be able to safely attack from a distance and still do the same damage as a class that has to be within a few feet of a mob.

[Cajunflyboy]

I have BLM 50 amd MNK 31 so I love to DPS and I really think its situational as to which class is better. If I am going solo Definitely MNK but if I am doing a run with my FC with a tank I trust then I will take my BLM. Mnk for me is a lot faster when it comes to chaining attacks but With BLM transpose they have more staying power and are not as tied to TP watching as much as a mnk is in a long fight

[Yashnaheen]

BLM. Due to-

1. They never, ever, run out of MP.

2. Single target and AOE in both ice and fire, no combo necessary.

3. Spamable AOEs not tied to combos for situations like CBM where you can clear waves of mini mobs in 2 casts.

4. Crowd control. Sleep, bind, heavy.

5. THM is easily the best solo Leve / FATE / forced solo quest class.

6. THM is useful in a party situation whereas other classes aren't nearly as much.

[Zukkar]

BLM. Due to-

1. They never, ever, run out of MP.

2. Single target and AOE in both ice and fire, no combo necessary.

3. Spamable AOEs not tied to combos for situations like CBM where you can clear waves of mini mobs in 2 casts.

4. Crowd control. Sleep, bind, heavy.

5. THM is easily the best solo Leve / FATE / forced solo quest class.

6. THM is useful in a party situation whereas other classes aren't nearly as much.

I am inclined to agree. Although we haven't seen where SMN lies. I see it being something like BLM > DRG > SMN > PUG > BRD

[magenta_taco]

pshh, shame on you all. everyone knows that pld is dps masta and blm is the best tank.

nah in all seriousness, best dps is situational depending on the length of the fight, the amount of enemies you're fighting, enemy attributes (hp, abilities, etc.), aaaaand party make-up. the job/class that currently highest advantage though is arc/brd. mage dps have casting times and can't run and cast. melee can attack and run at the same time but they need to be up close at all times. arc/brd can run and shoot without a problem. of course, if there is only 1 enemy, and that enemy is stationary, then the point is moot which proves what the first sentence of the paragraph says. just some food for thought for you guys.

[Leigaon]

I'm not sure any will excel. Like someone said it's a matter of them doing different kinds of damage. Spike (Drg / Blm), Damage over time whether it's through constant fist bashing (Mnk) or DoT's (SMN). Thent here's bard who has multiple things windbite / flame arrow / poison plus being able to toss some damage dealing shots in, a nice middle ground. I am personally interested in Bard / Dragoon and SMN at the moment. Blm is a non stop caster, but the damage should fall when they switch to Ice shouldn't it? Or have those who played around with it in phase 4 not really see that being a problem? Anyways, should be interesting to test them all soon!!

[roflcaust]

Someone post the parsing numbers link, please.

Anyways, I'd like to clear a few things up as there's way too much conflicting information as well:

1. Right now, BRD are nowhere near the top of the DPS meter. The fact that they're pigeon-holed into this weird DPS/support role mix simply means that they'll never be top DPS as the class isn't designed to be that way -- it'd way be too overpowered otherwise.
2. MNK seems to sneak in the #1 spot on single-target DPS fights (especially bosses). The class has no AoE, the fastest GCD in the game, and the second highest base STR in the game, right behind DRG. They're designed to be at the top of the DPS meter since that's all they can do well: continuous single-target DPS on rather long fights.
3. After that (without taking into SMN consideration), it's a tight fight for the #2 and #3 spot between DRG and BLM. Depending on the fight (AoE-heavy; single-target centric), that's when these two classes will pull ahead of each other.

That's not to say that it's always going to be MNK > DRG/BLM > BRD but only in the scenario where everyone has BiS (Best-in-Slot) AF+1 gear. Depending on players' gear, skill, boss fight, and way too many other factors, this is a highly subjective topic.

Just play the class that makes you happy even if you might not be at the top of the DPS meter every time.