Perfect World Party Configuration for Einherjar

My experience with Einherjar consists of 3 runs, so the strategy below may be flawed. Please provide feedback.

This is what I'm looking at for party setups in general. It would be very nice as we get rolling if people in the shell take a particular slot in the configuration and always come as that job. That way, party formation becomes essentially trivial since we won't have to worry about so-and-so not wanting to be BLM tonight or some other person coming as DRG instead of WHM because they just got 75, etc.

Alliance I

1 Tanking Team consisting of:

2 PLD
1 WHM/BLM or WHM/SCH
1 RDM (Sub job /DRK on non-Odin runs, /WHM for Odin)
1 BRD (Pulling and single-party support)
Stragglers needing Refresh (probably BLM or BLU).
2 Nuking Teams each consisting of:

3-4 BLM
1 SCH/RDM (optional, for 3 BLM configuration)
1 RDM/WHM
1 DD COR (This means one that fires actual bullets, not one that fights with knives or subs /WHM).

Alliance II

2 Damage Dealer Teams each consisting of:

4 Melee DD
1 Healer (WHM/SCH* highly preferred, RDM/WHM, or SCH/RDM)
1 BRD/WHM * These two BRDs will be rotating back and forth between the two DD parties.


1 Damage Dealer Team consisting of:

4 Ranged or mixed DD
1 Healer (WHM/SCH, RDM/WHM, or SCH/RDM)
1 BRD/WHM

Totals:

Magic Damage: 8-10 (Not counting RDM)
Physical Damage: 12-14
Healers: 7
Buffers: 5

This is approximately similar to what we currently have in the shell and constitutes a very well rounded party with 36-45% representation by Magic Damage and the remainder being physical damage, which I think is a very good mix.

Current deficiencies: We lack Buffers.

I am told that most of the higher tier runs need the extra punch of a 6-song bard rotation, which I believe we can provide. Our DD alliance configuration had about 15 dd, whereas we would like to have 12 dd in the DD alliance with those 3 replaced by BRDs for the rotation. COR don't work well in rotation since their timing is much different than BRD. COR, however, work very well with BLMs and a two COR rotation on BLMs can be very effective.

The 3-BRD rotation is obvious: March x2, Minuet x2, Madrigal x2 and most have seen it many times.
The 2-COR rotation would be: Scholar's Roll (Conserve MP), Wizard's Roll (MAB), Warlock's Roll (MAcc), and Evoker's Roll (Refresh).

I'm not sure about using full-on DD-COR (COR/RNG) in Einherjar since it is one of the most frail DDs one can imagine--they have no natural defenses whatsoever and wear leather armors. It may be prudent, then, to have COR/NIN instead, but that significantly reduces the COR's damage output. I would leave the subjob choice up to the CORs. COR can still buff while weakened, especially when working with BLMs who are in the back line anyway. COR also have the option of backing away from the enemy and attacking from outside AoE range even though I believe this significantly slows their TP gain since they can't use their knife. I'm not sure if COR/RNGs use knives for TP, but I have seen COR's stand next to mobs, shoot, and melee; I assume it's a common practice at least, though I have no actual statistics.

In general, it would be preferable that any melee DD come with /NIN as there are bosses and mobs with devastating AoE special attacks that can be blocked by Utsusemi.

Feedback Please