Let me preface this topic by saying that I love Melee, and I love Dragoons. I am one. I play it well. I out-threat most people I run with (and don't pull hate like a noob when it matters) and am very good at dodging AoE's. I say this not to brag, but to stymie any notions that I suck at playing Dragoon and am thus blaming the class.
In fact, I enjoy playing Dragoon. It's fun, and a challenge to do RIGHT (like almost any class). I strive to be useful, and not to live down to the reputation that most Dragoons have, of being a ball and chain that holds back progression.
And with that we come to the crux. In this game, Melee, and especially Dragoons, suck.
I know all about Melee, and its trials and tribulations. I've been playing MMORPGs since EverQuest, and I've ALWAYS played Melee, almost exclusively. Through EQ, DAoC, AoC, FFXI, EQ2, Warhammer Online, WoW, Rift, SWToR, TERA, a lot of other free MMOs, and of course this game, I've stuck to my guns, enjoying Melee, even though almost always it has found itself gimped in comparison to Ranged or Casters. I'm not some elite master, but I've always pulled my weight at the very least.
Now though, I find myself coming up against some real opposition. FFXIV has it in for Melee, and especially my beloved Dragoons, in a bad way. So I ask this community...
What Are Dragoons Good For?
Has anyone EVER seen a raid call requesting a Dragoon? Or any Melee? I would be shocked. It's always "Looking for one more ranged DPS" or "Looking for BRD/BLM" and so on. And why not? What EXACTLY does a Dragoon offer, that BLM/BRD/SMN can't do better? Or even MNK, though they're almost as cursed just for being Melee?
Here are some of the reasons Melee is so gimp in THIS game:
Survivability. Normally Melee classes in MMOs are tankier than ranged. But Monks are squishy as hell and Dragoons only have moderate armor; this is mitigated entirely by needing to be adjacent to mobs. Many bosses have mechanics that ONLY destroy you if you're Melee, and are either laughably avoidable for Ranged or else not an issue whatsoever. Try doing Garuda Extreme and you'll see what I mean. That's if they'll even let you come; most groups will REFUSE to take more than one Melee, and even then it's not by choice.
Positioning. It's bad enough you need to be in the monster's face. You also need to hit their flank and rear, at strategic times, or lose DPS. While the Bard is facerolling two keys and standing still, you're timing your cooldowns and hurrying to get behind that huge bastard who'll tail-swipe you to death (or piss off the healer) or stand in that Chimera's flank and get cone'd. And sometimes it's bloody hard to hit a flank, on mobile targets while the tank is repositioning, or if the enemy allows only for limited movement. Yes, you get used to it, but again, between this and just hammering out skills while standing still, you can see who is likelier to get their full DPS and who is likelier to be stuck waiting for an AoE to end so they don't get creamed.
Sprint. "Oh, that awesome ability that lets you run fast when you need to," said every caster and NO MELEE EVER. Because, thanks Square-Enix, our resource is TP. And it eats all our TP to use, reducing our DPS to something resembling a small child whipping around one of those pool noodles. Yes we have an ability to regain it, but if you have to use it before its time you WILL run out of TP or need to slow down your rotations before it comes off cooldown, both options which gimp our DPS. Yes, Bards use TP too, but again, because of being ranged, they're less likely to ever need it. Also, anyone who's PVP'd knows exactly how effed you are as Melee, trying to chase down a caster who's Sprinting. And why the heck WOULDN'T they sprint?
I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea.
Now for the issue that renders Dragoons the most singularly unappreciated class in end-game: Utility.
When asked the question of What Does A Dragoon Bring To A Raid, what do you say?
"Mad Deeps!" No, SMN and BRD have at least as good single-target, BLM blows away AoE AND becomes a monster if there's a SCH's Selene fairy to buff their cast speed. Also DRGs do less than MNK, the only other Melee class.
"Self-Heals!" Such little heals WOULD be a unique contribution, but BLMs do it too. And survivability? BLMs have better 'Oh Shit' buttons; our Elusive Jump doesn't even protect us from AoEs while it's running.
"Stuns!" You mean the ones Paladins do much more often and more reliably? And Monks can do too, and probably everyone else?
"Slows!" As if anyone uses this ability and BLMs do it better anyway.
"Mobility!" Ranged don't need it nearly as much, BLMs can zoom around, MNKs can move faster...
"Off-tanking!" If your off-tank is a Dragoon, you've got other problems. This is for amusement, at best, on trash mobs and SOMETIMES rarely on adds that need to be DPS'd down and not tanked by an actual tank.
"Reduce piercing resistance of mob by 10% for Bard!" Yay, we have a minor utility: helping a better DPS class be better. You'll get more return by having a SECOND Bard (LB gauge aside).
"Limit Break!" Monks can do it just fine. Does the DRG one do slightly more? I honestly don't know. But this is an extremely limited advantage. If you're lucky you can use it to parley your way into a group. Maybe.
The fact of the matter is, unless I'm missing something in the mechanics of the various classes (because though I know Dragoons rather well, I don't know ranged except insofar as my friend keeps telling me how superior they are, and why) Dragoons are not a desirable addition to a raid. NO ONE has ever said "Oh yes, a Dragoon!" when one joins the raid, unless they're being sarcastic. Usually it's more like "Uh we don't need more Melee..." or "Ranged would be better" or some equivalent.
As it stands, we suck. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise though. Can anyone give me REAL reasons to want them in your raid? Yes, I know they're cool-looking, and fun to solo, and fun to play, and none of this matters in End Game. I'm talking sheer efficiency here. Bring me your arguments, if anyone HAS any. I want to be able to defend my class from detractors, but all I can say is "I out-dps YOU", and they can just reply, "If you bothered to play a REAL DPS class you'd do even better!". And it makes me sad that they're probably right.
In fact, I enjoy playing Dragoon. It's fun, and a challenge to do RIGHT (like almost any class). I strive to be useful, and not to live down to the reputation that most Dragoons have, of being a ball and chain that holds back progression.
And with that we come to the crux. In this game, Melee, and especially Dragoons, suck.
I know all about Melee, and its trials and tribulations. I've been playing MMORPGs since EverQuest, and I've ALWAYS played Melee, almost exclusively. Through EQ, DAoC, AoC, FFXI, EQ2, Warhammer Online, WoW, Rift, SWToR, TERA, a lot of other free MMOs, and of course this game, I've stuck to my guns, enjoying Melee, even though almost always it has found itself gimped in comparison to Ranged or Casters. I'm not some elite master, but I've always pulled my weight at the very least.
Now though, I find myself coming up against some real opposition. FFXIV has it in for Melee, and especially my beloved Dragoons, in a bad way. So I ask this community...
What Are Dragoons Good For?
Has anyone EVER seen a raid call requesting a Dragoon? Or any Melee? I would be shocked. It's always "Looking for one more ranged DPS" or "Looking for BRD/BLM" and so on. And why not? What EXACTLY does a Dragoon offer, that BLM/BRD/SMN can't do better? Or even MNK, though they're almost as cursed just for being Melee?
Here are some of the reasons Melee is so gimp in THIS game:
Survivability. Normally Melee classes in MMOs are tankier than ranged. But Monks are squishy as hell and Dragoons only have moderate armor; this is mitigated entirely by needing to be adjacent to mobs. Many bosses have mechanics that ONLY destroy you if you're Melee, and are either laughably avoidable for Ranged or else not an issue whatsoever. Try doing Garuda Extreme and you'll see what I mean. That's if they'll even let you come; most groups will REFUSE to take more than one Melee, and even then it's not by choice.
Positioning. It's bad enough you need to be in the monster's face. You also need to hit their flank and rear, at strategic times, or lose DPS. While the Bard is facerolling two keys and standing still, you're timing your cooldowns and hurrying to get behind that huge bastard who'll tail-swipe you to death (or piss off the healer) or stand in that Chimera's flank and get cone'd. And sometimes it's bloody hard to hit a flank, on mobile targets while the tank is repositioning, or if the enemy allows only for limited movement. Yes, you get used to it, but again, between this and just hammering out skills while standing still, you can see who is likelier to get their full DPS and who is likelier to be stuck waiting for an AoE to end so they don't get creamed.
Sprint. "Oh, that awesome ability that lets you run fast when you need to," said every caster and NO MELEE EVER. Because, thanks Square-Enix, our resource is TP. And it eats all our TP to use, reducing our DPS to something resembling a small child whipping around one of those pool noodles. Yes we have an ability to regain it, but if you have to use it before its time you WILL run out of TP or need to slow down your rotations before it comes off cooldown, both options which gimp our DPS. Yes, Bards use TP too, but again, because of being ranged, they're less likely to ever need it. Also, anyone who's PVP'd knows exactly how effed you are as Melee, trying to chase down a caster who's Sprinting. And why the heck WOULDN'T they sprint?
I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea.
Now for the issue that renders Dragoons the most singularly unappreciated class in end-game: Utility.
When asked the question of What Does A Dragoon Bring To A Raid, what do you say?
"Mad Deeps!" No, SMN and BRD have at least as good single-target, BLM blows away AoE AND becomes a monster if there's a SCH's Selene fairy to buff their cast speed. Also DRGs do less than MNK, the only other Melee class.
"Self-Heals!" Such little heals WOULD be a unique contribution, but BLMs do it too. And survivability? BLMs have better 'Oh Shit' buttons; our Elusive Jump doesn't even protect us from AoEs while it's running.
"Stuns!" You mean the ones Paladins do much more often and more reliably? And Monks can do too, and probably everyone else?
"Slows!" As if anyone uses this ability and BLMs do it better anyway.
"Mobility!" Ranged don't need it nearly as much, BLMs can zoom around, MNKs can move faster...
"Off-tanking!" If your off-tank is a Dragoon, you've got other problems. This is for amusement, at best, on trash mobs and SOMETIMES rarely on adds that need to be DPS'd down and not tanked by an actual tank.
"Reduce piercing resistance of mob by 10% for Bard!" Yay, we have a minor utility: helping a better DPS class be better. You'll get more return by having a SECOND Bard (LB gauge aside).
"Limit Break!" Monks can do it just fine. Does the DRG one do slightly more? I honestly don't know. But this is an extremely limited advantage. If you're lucky you can use it to parley your way into a group. Maybe.
The fact of the matter is, unless I'm missing something in the mechanics of the various classes (because though I know Dragoons rather well, I don't know ranged except insofar as my friend keeps telling me how superior they are, and why) Dragoons are not a desirable addition to a raid. NO ONE has ever said "Oh yes, a Dragoon!" when one joins the raid, unless they're being sarcastic. Usually it's more like "Uh we don't need more Melee..." or "Ranged would be better" or some equivalent.
As it stands, we suck. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise though. Can anyone give me REAL reasons to want them in your raid? Yes, I know they're cool-looking, and fun to solo, and fun to play, and none of this matters in End Game. I'm talking sheer efficiency here. Bring me your arguments, if anyone HAS any. I want to be able to defend my class from detractors, but all I can say is "I out-dps YOU", and they can just reply, "If you bothered to play a REAL DPS class you'd do even better!". And it makes me sad that they're probably right.