head to head
vs
Demon's SoulsvsFinal Fantasy XIV
Demon's Souls leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Final Fantasy XIV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Demon's SoulsFinal Fantasy XIV
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 6
Demon's Souls leans harder on execution: Stamina-timed dodges and parries punish sloppy hands.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 1
Demon's Souls leans harder on variance: World tendency and upgrade drops add mild noise.
Optimization7 vs 9
Final Fantasy XIV leans harder on optimization: Rotations and raid solves are theorycraft puzzles
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.