Before I say why I think Dragoons are viable, let me say that I agree with everything you've said. Its a tough life for a Melee DPS, but since 2.1 I honestly think its worth it if you can master it.
In my own personal opinion, I think part of the stigma with Dragoon is just its player base. We all have seen the Derpgoons. Flocks of them flooding the queues in AF gear (Not inherently evil) then standing in every sort of mechanic that can and will hurt them.
My main class is Paladin. That's where all my myth tomes have been going and it'll always be my first love. I've been working on getting relics for all my other DPS classes, and my Dragoon was my first DPS relic. (Point is, my opinion comes from a Relic/Full Darklight Dragoon and not any further)
So anyways, I think they're perfectly viable. I won't go into all the encounters saying why they'd be good in each instance, so I'll just use an example from last night. We were tackling Titan HM to get some LS mates their relics. I was there as Black Mage (around i62, not horrible but not great). We couldn't get past the heart. So I said "Screw it" switched to Dragoon, and we got past the heart without needing to LB.
This isn't to brag, I promise. I'm not some el1t3 uber DPSzorz. Its just to show how much more Dragoon was doing. Even though you have to move out of things, a lot of the time you're right there with him and not losing too much DPS. The casters are constantly having to break cast to pull up their skirts and run.
Not only that, but the gaols were being broken much quicker. They've got some nice burst damage that can save some time in a pinch.
Last thing I'll rant about is the LB. A single target LB is invaluable in A LOT of fights. Not only that, but with how the LB builds slower if you have more of the same classes, having a bunch of ranged isn't always the best choice. I wouldn't say this is the only reason to bring a melee along, but it still is an advantage they have.
So, yes. Its going to be hard to master Dragoon. But I think that's part of the fun for me, at least. I love all my ranged DPS friends out there, but I love it when I out survive them as a Dragoon. Its possible. Its viable. They're a good class.
Oh, and Monks don't always have the DPS advantage. In a lot of fights with mechanics, their Greased Lightning drops forcing them to rebuild it up. Their full potential isn't always able to be met.
Sorry for the long post. As one who's constantly making fun of the Dragoon stereotype I thought I'd chime in. If you love it, play the hell out of it. You'll be pulling off more DPS than people expect you to.
In my own personal opinion, I think part of the stigma with Dragoon is just its player base. We all have seen the Derpgoons. Flocks of them flooding the queues in AF gear (Not inherently evil) then standing in every sort of mechanic that can and will hurt them.
My main class is Paladin. That's where all my myth tomes have been going and it'll always be my first love. I've been working on getting relics for all my other DPS classes, and my Dragoon was my first DPS relic. (Point is, my opinion comes from a Relic/Full Darklight Dragoon and not any further)
So anyways, I think they're perfectly viable. I won't go into all the encounters saying why they'd be good in each instance, so I'll just use an example from last night. We were tackling Titan HM to get some LS mates their relics. I was there as Black Mage (around i62, not horrible but not great). We couldn't get past the heart. So I said "Screw it" switched to Dragoon, and we got past the heart without needing to LB.
This isn't to brag, I promise. I'm not some el1t3 uber DPSzorz. Its just to show how much more Dragoon was doing. Even though you have to move out of things, a lot of the time you're right there with him and not losing too much DPS. The casters are constantly having to break cast to pull up their skirts and run.
Not only that, but the gaols were being broken much quicker. They've got some nice burst damage that can save some time in a pinch.
Last thing I'll rant about is the LB. A single target LB is invaluable in A LOT of fights. Not only that, but with how the LB builds slower if you have more of the same classes, having a bunch of ranged isn't always the best choice. I wouldn't say this is the only reason to bring a melee along, but it still is an advantage they have.
So, yes. Its going to be hard to master Dragoon. But I think that's part of the fun for me, at least. I love all my ranged DPS friends out there, but I love it when I out survive them as a Dragoon. Its possible. Its viable. They're a good class.
Oh, and Monks don't always have the DPS advantage. In a lot of fights with mechanics, their Greased Lightning drops forcing them to rebuild it up. Their full potential isn't always able to be met.
Sorry for the long post. As one who's constantly making fun of the Dragoon stereotype I thought I'd chime in. If you love it, play the hell out of it. You'll be pulling off more DPS than people expect you to.
![[Image: HvjYXi5.png]](http://i.imgur.com/HvjYXi5.png)
