Dragoon is not an easy job to play, but that does not make them any more or less viable than any other job. A lot of the problem does stem from the player base of the Dragoon job itself. Like the DRKs of 11, there are a lot of people out there that only half utilize the tools at their disposal. There are a lot of things that most Dragoon players completely for get to do. I notice this mostly when I am tanking through the daily roulette fun. The most common things would be.
1. Jumps are there for a reason, use them. When ever they are up, whenever power surge is up. Granted the jumps were a bit broken in 2.0 and are much better in 2.1, but I feel like Power Surge and the Jumps are wicked under utilized. Which is sad because I have seen Jump damage spike for crazy amounts, and none of the Jumps cost TP. They also have some very nice side benefits, which leads us too...
2. Battlefield Mobility. Yes, BRD and other Ranged DPS can do their rotations from a longer distance, but DRG has a lot of tools that let them get where they need to be very very quickly. Elusive Jump is a great "oh crap button" and with practice allows you to stay in a void zone for just a bit longer to finish off that last link in your combo. Spineshatter and Dragonfire Dive take you to your target, and have a crap ton of range. You can also move while executing a Doomspike or Ring or Talons. With practice this leads to DRGs bouncing around battlefields like Gummy Bears, which is a valuable thing in fights that require good positioning. This is also a really good tool for setting up your combos.
3. There are more combos to your rotation than the Full Thrust Combo, use them and increase your damage out put. I see many many DRG simply sticking to the Full Thurst combo, sometimes without slapping down Heavy Thrust. They should utilize everything. Impulse Drive > Chaos Thrust, Phlebotimize, Everything. The Full Thrust combo reaches its maximum potential only when Disembowel, Heavy Thrust, and Blood for Blood are stacked up. Throw up Life Surge and giggle with glee when Full Thrust hits with those ducks in a row, it is nuts.
4. Last strange thing I see people do with DRG is gear it like MNK. This is a mistake. They are two different jobs and they play very very differently. They reach their full potential by focusing on very different gear builds. DRGs get a little more out of Skill Speed than MNK does, and their skills hit harder. You want DRGs to go faster than they you would normally think they should. The exact ratio is a subject for debate, but the main point stands. Don't gear build a job just like another job. You are not playing to the job's strengths that way.
I am not telling anyone here anything they did not already know, just pointing out my own observations of others playing DRG when I step outside the box into another role. There will always all be a lot of tunnel vision from other players as far as "what set up is best in life." The answer is there is no set up that is "best." All things are viable, everything is permitted. Everyone just needs to be on their game and know their job and their role, and how to maximize their potential.
Have fun out there guys. ^ ^
1. Jumps are there for a reason, use them. When ever they are up, whenever power surge is up. Granted the jumps were a bit broken in 2.0 and are much better in 2.1, but I feel like Power Surge and the Jumps are wicked under utilized. Which is sad because I have seen Jump damage spike for crazy amounts, and none of the Jumps cost TP. They also have some very nice side benefits, which leads us too...
2. Battlefield Mobility. Yes, BRD and other Ranged DPS can do their rotations from a longer distance, but DRG has a lot of tools that let them get where they need to be very very quickly. Elusive Jump is a great "oh crap button" and with practice allows you to stay in a void zone for just a bit longer to finish off that last link in your combo. Spineshatter and Dragonfire Dive take you to your target, and have a crap ton of range. You can also move while executing a Doomspike or Ring or Talons. With practice this leads to DRGs bouncing around battlefields like Gummy Bears, which is a valuable thing in fights that require good positioning. This is also a really good tool for setting up your combos.
3. There are more combos to your rotation than the Full Thrust Combo, use them and increase your damage out put. I see many many DRG simply sticking to the Full Thurst combo, sometimes without slapping down Heavy Thrust. They should utilize everything. Impulse Drive > Chaos Thrust, Phlebotimize, Everything. The Full Thrust combo reaches its maximum potential only when Disembowel, Heavy Thrust, and Blood for Blood are stacked up. Throw up Life Surge and giggle with glee when Full Thrust hits with those ducks in a row, it is nuts.
4. Last strange thing I see people do with DRG is gear it like MNK. This is a mistake. They are two different jobs and they play very very differently. They reach their full potential by focusing on very different gear builds. DRGs get a little more out of Skill Speed than MNK does, and their skills hit harder. You want DRGs to go faster than they you would normally think they should. The exact ratio is a subject for debate, but the main point stands. Don't gear build a job just like another job. You are not playing to the job's strengths that way.
I am not telling anyone here anything they did not already know, just pointing out my own observations of others playing DRG when I step outside the box into another role. There will always all be a lot of tunnel vision from other players as far as "what set up is best in life." The answer is there is no set up that is "best." All things are viable, everything is permitted. Everyone just needs to be on their game and know their job and their role, and how to maximize their potential.
Have fun out there guys. ^ ^