As a main BLM and occasional tank (when I really need those roulette tomes and don't have time to wait for DPS queue), I hate with passion the DPSs who don't watch their enmity pool. No, not the happy dots on the middle left of the screen. Yes, that cute little pool over your job icon in the party menu. The one that eventually fills up and displays a radiant 'A' when the boss turns away from tank and decides to come hug you.
Sometimes I feel like I am the only DPS in the game keeping that thing in check. Is it SO hard to slow down on the damage if you see you're close to capping the pool and get hate? Why must you make me struggle, even though I, the tank, am trying my damn best to keep hate? I don't have a pimp novus sword. And I very certainly will not hold aggro if you start spamming Fire when I'm still in the process of pulling the boss in the right spot of the arena.
I've discussed this with friends and it seems the general answer I get is "DPSs don't need to worry about enmity. That's the tank's job and checking enmity lowers my damage out, which is my job to do." Is it? So do you not avoid AoEs because it's the healer's job to keep you alive? I mean, running away from an AoE lowers your damage output as well, right? So let's just sit in the glowing AoE field and be hit. Who cares if the healer gets headaches healing us for something that was totally avoidable. It's the same for the tank and having to restore his enmity because you, little DPS prick, need to show off that you do more damage than him/her and will get the boss to HATE you.
Let's be a little serious here. You're a big ass guy with a huge spear. I'm a fool with a sword toothpick. I already know you do more damage than me and so does the rest of the party. There is no need for you to go all out to get aggro. So please, just please. Keep that enmity pull on check. Don't go on your most damaging combo while I'm still trying to place the boss in the right spot. If your enmity pool is approaching tank's, switch to Umbral Ice for a few seconds, or refresh DoTs instead of doing the main damage combos and for the love of the Twelve DON'T START RUNNING IN CIRCLES WHILE STILL SHOOTING ALL YOUR BEST ATTACKS AT THE BOSS. Stand still, let me Cover you. Let me Holmgang. You won't die if you eat a couple hits, the healer got you. And if the healer doesn't get you, that's really what you called for when you ignored that cute little enmity pool, so eat your Raise. My enmity will be back to A and we'll be buddy-buddy again. At the start of fight, take a look if the tank needs to position first, or just HOLD for a bit. We won't wipe if you wait a second or two before starting to deal damage, I promise.
Mind you, I am not defending noob tanks
(A little pause here to explain my definition of Noob. If you're new and you don't know things, you're a newbie. If you're not new, know things, and still refuse to learn, that's when you're a noob.)
that don't do their job, treat Flash like it's a precious last resort or don't pop their Defiance/Shield Oath. I am talking about genuine players who see themselves forced to go to bed with a headache because, no matter how hard you try. It can be lag, it can be gear difference, it can be timing. DPS at some point will take aggro from you and you'll be the one to be blamed. And if you try and argue that, you're the "asshole tank". Enmity managing is an effort the whole party must do together, as much as it is dodging AoEs and positioning in the right places. As a DPS I used to think all tanks were stuck up assholes, but with this crap they've got to deal with, I'm not surprised they start to act like they hate the whole community.
It's just a glance to the upper left, and it can make the duty more enjoyable to everyone.
2) Minor, but just as common: DPSs who just think they can burn any boss and that you, tank or healer, must take care of the adds. This seems to happen especially in things like Pharos Sirius' first and second boss. Agh...
Sometimes I feel like I am the only DPS in the game keeping that thing in check. Is it SO hard to slow down on the damage if you see you're close to capping the pool and get hate? Why must you make me struggle, even though I, the tank, am trying my damn best to keep hate? I don't have a pimp novus sword. And I very certainly will not hold aggro if you start spamming Fire when I'm still in the process of pulling the boss in the right spot of the arena.
I've discussed this with friends and it seems the general answer I get is "DPSs don't need to worry about enmity. That's the tank's job and checking enmity lowers my damage out, which is my job to do." Is it? So do you not avoid AoEs because it's the healer's job to keep you alive? I mean, running away from an AoE lowers your damage output as well, right? So let's just sit in the glowing AoE field and be hit. Who cares if the healer gets headaches healing us for something that was totally avoidable. It's the same for the tank and having to restore his enmity because you, little DPS prick, need to show off that you do more damage than him/her and will get the boss to HATE you.
Let's be a little serious here. You're a big ass guy with a huge spear. I'm a fool with a sword toothpick. I already know you do more damage than me and so does the rest of the party. There is no need for you to go all out to get aggro. So please, just please. Keep that enmity pull on check. Don't go on your most damaging combo while I'm still trying to place the boss in the right spot. If your enmity pool is approaching tank's, switch to Umbral Ice for a few seconds, or refresh DoTs instead of doing the main damage combos and for the love of the Twelve DON'T START RUNNING IN CIRCLES WHILE STILL SHOOTING ALL YOUR BEST ATTACKS AT THE BOSS. Stand still, let me Cover you. Let me Holmgang. You won't die if you eat a couple hits, the healer got you. And if the healer doesn't get you, that's really what you called for when you ignored that cute little enmity pool, so eat your Raise. My enmity will be back to A and we'll be buddy-buddy again. At the start of fight, take a look if the tank needs to position first, or just HOLD for a bit. We won't wipe if you wait a second or two before starting to deal damage, I promise.
Mind you, I am not defending noob tanks
(A little pause here to explain my definition of Noob. If you're new and you don't know things, you're a newbie. If you're not new, know things, and still refuse to learn, that's when you're a noob.)
that don't do their job, treat Flash like it's a precious last resort or don't pop their Defiance/Shield Oath. I am talking about genuine players who see themselves forced to go to bed with a headache because, no matter how hard you try. It can be lag, it can be gear difference, it can be timing. DPS at some point will take aggro from you and you'll be the one to be blamed. And if you try and argue that, you're the "asshole tank". Enmity managing is an effort the whole party must do together, as much as it is dodging AoEs and positioning in the right places. As a DPS I used to think all tanks were stuck up assholes, but with this crap they've got to deal with, I'm not surprised they start to act like they hate the whole community.
It's just a glance to the upper left, and it can make the duty more enjoyable to everyone.
2) Minor, but just as common: DPSs who just think they can burn any boss and that you, tank or healer, must take care of the adds. This seems to happen especially in things like Pharos Sirius' first and second boss. Agh...
To be an interesting, intriguing, well-written character, there needs to be something to allow the audience to relate to them. That is what the problem is with who wants their character to be "perfect". Perfect characters will never be strong, and strong characters will never be perfect, because WE (those who read, who watch, who RP) are not perfect.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
