I'm going to throw in my own wrinkle into this mix.
Now, I should sat at the onset that I roll a Monk. And I am (in my personal opinion), a damn good one. The Monk skill set has a lot of utility and potential. While there have been classes that have out damaged me (usually BLM, though sometimes I do run across a DRG or a BRD that gets higher on the aggro meter), the point is that right now I'm at a skill level where not being the top DPS doesn't bother me too much -- the other DPS just happened to be a little bit better and that's that.
To the topic, I think that quite a few players take on the casting rolls because of their utility and their survivability. Sure, they get torn through as quickly as a tissue paper in the wash cycle, but the way the game mechanics are set up, if they fail it is entirely the mage's fault. They didn't notice the ability proccing. They didn't run out of the gaol. And nine times out of then when they do that, they die. We are also under the same constraints (and depending on the fight, we're also stepping aside and watching our melee range get swiped from under us), but 1) we actually do have a little bit more survivability than other classes (we can take one aoe to the face and survive -- not that I recommend it), and echoing what has been said 2) our dps is a constant and reliable source of damage. With the way the game is set up, we may not necessarily see the net benefit of our class. Since mobs are intended to take time to kill, it is the combined combination of multiple classes that finally falls the mob. The final result is that the contributions of each individual class (that is dealing damage) is harder to determine. In fact, it is easiest to notice a DRG or a MNK playing badly because it's taking that much longer for the thing to die...
Now, here's my wrinkle. I'm a Monk. I am damn good at it. It's my class and I love it. But I also have an appreciation for the other classes, especially if they are melee, and have been giving DRG a shot. Currently I just hit 36 and I am bored. to. tears. I'm not sure if it's this level, or if it's the class itself, but the damage output and the effort I have been putting into it just doesn't seem significant. Worse, because there is no greased lightning effect, I feel like my DRG is plodding at the lowest gear and stuck there. I see things that are coming -- Disembowel looks amazing. And there are a couple more Jumps down the pike. But, and please forgive me from saying so, I can't help but feeling like DRG is a class that is for people who don't want to bother with the mechanics of MNK and get a slightly less potent dps as a compromise.
Now, I should sat at the onset that I roll a Monk. And I am (in my personal opinion), a damn good one. The Monk skill set has a lot of utility and potential. While there have been classes that have out damaged me (usually BLM, though sometimes I do run across a DRG or a BRD that gets higher on the aggro meter), the point is that right now I'm at a skill level where not being the top DPS doesn't bother me too much -- the other DPS just happened to be a little bit better and that's that.
To the topic, I think that quite a few players take on the casting rolls because of their utility and their survivability. Sure, they get torn through as quickly as a tissue paper in the wash cycle, but the way the game mechanics are set up, if they fail it is entirely the mage's fault. They didn't notice the ability proccing. They didn't run out of the gaol. And nine times out of then when they do that, they die. We are also under the same constraints (and depending on the fight, we're also stepping aside and watching our melee range get swiped from under us), but 1) we actually do have a little bit more survivability than other classes (we can take one aoe to the face and survive -- not that I recommend it), and echoing what has been said 2) our dps is a constant and reliable source of damage. With the way the game is set up, we may not necessarily see the net benefit of our class. Since mobs are intended to take time to kill, it is the combined combination of multiple classes that finally falls the mob. The final result is that the contributions of each individual class (that is dealing damage) is harder to determine. In fact, it is easiest to notice a DRG or a MNK playing badly because it's taking that much longer for the thing to die...
Now, here's my wrinkle. I'm a Monk. I am damn good at it. It's my class and I love it. But I also have an appreciation for the other classes, especially if they are melee, and have been giving DRG a shot. Currently I just hit 36 and I am bored. to. tears. I'm not sure if it's this level, or if it's the class itself, but the damage output and the effort I have been putting into it just doesn't seem significant. Worse, because there is no greased lightning effect, I feel like my DRG is plodding at the lowest gear and stuck there. I see things that are coming -- Disembowel looks amazing. And there are a couple more Jumps down the pike. But, and please forgive me from saying so, I can't help but feeling like DRG is a class that is for people who don't want to bother with the mechanics of MNK and get a slightly less potent dps as a compromise.
Thy life is a Riddle to bear Rapture and Sorrow
To Listen, to Wonder, to Entrust unto tomorrow
In One fleeting Moment from the land doth Life flow
In One fleeting Moment from the land doth Life flow
Yet in that Same Fleeting moment Thou must Live, Die, and Know
