Mythic Rose’s Tips for Damage Dealers

Let’s all be honest here. We all know where the true glory of any team is….it’s the damage dealers. Tanks only believe they control situations. Healers falsely believe their attention should be on the tanks. Here are some tips to help you damage dealers steal the spot light and show everyone how 1337 you truly are!

Tanks have such a small range to pull targets to them. Bards, this is really your place to show how awesome you are. With your instant attacks, you can easily out range that tank’s puny shield lob or tomahawk throw. You should feel compelled to unleash hell on the first target in range. Don’t stop attacking once the tank finally gets his pudgy butt to the mob. You can’t maximize your output by stopping. Instead, impress that healer and make the melee envious of your style as you run, jump, and flip turn your way to victory. Your tank will love you for it.

Casters, you can’t let that bard out shine you now, right? So what if he wants to help the tank by pulling a single mob. Usually that mob has friends…and friends love AoE! Focus your biggest, strongest AoE attacks when the mobs are in range. The tank may catch up to the mobs by the time your cast is complete. With your devastating magiks, you know that tank is grinning ear to ear seeing mob health melt. After all, you’re just making his life easier.

Melee. I feel your pain. You see that Bard and Caster already climbing the damage charts while you’re stuck trudging in the mud to the target. Take this time to pop every single damage buff you have. You’re going to need it. The tank is already quite happy with the ranged damage dealers performance thus undecided on which mob really needs his attention first. Take this opportunity to use your fresh buffs on the nearest target of opportunity. Shame that ranged damage dealer as you rip enmity off him. Hell, he may even thank you for it (except a bard…those bastards are never happy). By all means do not move out of red AoE markers. Your dps will plummet (especially you monks!). That healer needs something to do besides tossing the occasional heal at the tank. Don’t worry about enmity drops. The tanks love being challenged for the top enmity spot.

Summoners, don’t forget to use pets with knockback effects. If you’re good (and we know you are) you’ll use that knock bock to screw the melee over thanks to their positional attacks. You’ll also give that tank a nice moment to relax and breathe as that mob is not longer hitting him. The healer may even give you a furtive wink for displaying such uncanny ability. While not as impressive as flare or fire 3, don't forget to bane every time you can....shadow flare too! Help keep that tank on his/her toes. The marked mobs are just for show, after all.

Black mages, you don’t ever want to sleep targets. Sleeps means you’re doing your job wong! So you have skill that could enhance a party member’s elemental resistance? Don’t you dare use it. Besides being a pointless skill (really…why make the healer’s job easier?) you aren’t doing damage when you cast it! Popping any and all cooldowns and your biggest AoE attacks is the way to go. We want to see 2k Flares here on the opening pull!

Bards, you don’t need to use songs. Why the hell would you? If you kill things fast enough, that healer won’t need mana. You certainly don’t want to give TP generation to melee as they may yet further climb the damage charts. You’re a damage class after all, not support. Leave those silences to a paladin.

Monks/Dragoons never ever, ever, ever, take your attention of bosses to do something trivial like “killing adds”. You’ll never keep up or pass the ranged damage dealers if you don’t do perfect rotations. Be very vocal when a tank moves the boss causing you to miss a positional requirement in your combos. That’s clearly a bad tank and it’s his fault your dps just plummeted. Again, don’t worry about standing in the Red Zones. That’s what a healer is for right? Just be sure to blame them if you don’t get topped off asap. That boss won’t die without you after all. Who cares if the tank goes down. Surely a Bard can kite it while the healer raises the tank.

With these tips, I’ve no doubt you damage dealers with awe people with your amazing numbers be it friends you’ve known for years, or people you’ve never met before through the Duty Finder. It can be hard to impress the former, but with just the right display of skill, the latter shall always remember about you. If you really made an impression, that duty finder person may even create a thread about your awesomeness on the Square Enix website! Woohoo!!