Hey Anstarra! You are not alone in your frustrations. I used to play Lancer then Dragoon when it came out, almost exclusively in 1.0 and then as it underwent a million changes I slowly started to lose interest in the job. Which was unfortunate. Anyways,
There are a few rays of light.Â
The first and probably most relevant to you is Coil. Yes, melee dps have it rough in there, but you are so very useful. My Coil group brings a DRG every time just for the amount of DMG they can put out on a single target. Having a DRG LB for Caduceus and in T2 for Tier3 LB on ADS just makes the fight go so smoothly. You don't have to have a DRG, certainly, but my group prefers them. In T4 of Coil, we've even gone with 2x DRG just for fun. It worked out great. Knights and Rooks became a non-issue.Â
In Coil, I honestly think DRGs win out over MNKs just because of the way Greased Lightning works and the pure amount of dodging that goes on to interrupt attacks. Fortunately for DRGs, you don't have as many positional combos as MNK.
BLM and SMN have cast times. Which leads to many interruptions in dps for dodging. While skilled casters can usually ride right past this without too much difficulty, if unlucky, it can hurt their dps. Especially in T2 where ADS already has a magic resistance buff.Â
The issue becomes really, what are people willing to work with. If you get a good steady group, the answer is usually anything. Any DPS can do as well as any other DPS given the chance and gear. Maybe they aren't technically "Best In Slot" but I've still completed pretty much all content with a DRG in the party. I've never felt held back by one at least.
There are a few rays of light.Â
The first and probably most relevant to you is Coil. Yes, melee dps have it rough in there, but you are so very useful. My Coil group brings a DRG every time just for the amount of DMG they can put out on a single target. Having a DRG LB for Caduceus and in T2 for Tier3 LB on ADS just makes the fight go so smoothly. You don't have to have a DRG, certainly, but my group prefers them. In T4 of Coil, we've even gone with 2x DRG just for fun. It worked out great. Knights and Rooks became a non-issue.Â
In Coil, I honestly think DRGs win out over MNKs just because of the way Greased Lightning works and the pure amount of dodging that goes on to interrupt attacks. Fortunately for DRGs, you don't have as many positional combos as MNK.
BLM and SMN have cast times. Which leads to many interruptions in dps for dodging. While skilled casters can usually ride right past this without too much difficulty, if unlucky, it can hurt their dps. Especially in T2 where ADS already has a magic resistance buff.Â
The issue becomes really, what are people willing to work with. If you get a good steady group, the answer is usually anything. Any DPS can do as well as any other DPS given the chance and gear. Maybe they aren't technically "Best In Slot" but I've still completed pretty much all content with a DRG in the party. I've never felt held back by one at least.