Dragoon Meriting

[tcharleyd]

Would love some suggestions for how to properly merit a Dragoon. Any help/builds would be appreciated.

[Mirage]

I'm not a pro drg, but I did 1 angon 4 empathy 5 deep breathing. As for group 1, I did jump and high jump recast, because I don't think 30 seconds off spirit link isn't gonna significantly improve my wyvern's survivability if I'm in a situation where it takes a lot of damage anyway. High jump recast down to 2:30 will however let me get that huge TP boost from soul jump a bit more often.

[Mizuharu]

5/5 Jump
5/5 High Jump
5/5 Angon
5/5 Deep Breathing

I do recommend at least one merit into Angon. I have 5/5 because my DRG was the only DD job I had when I was in a HNM/Event linkshell that was allowed (BLU sometimes... PUP was never allowed at HNMs /cry) Also that 1:30 duration for -20% DEF, which most monsters can't overwrite, is hot.

[Ophannus]

I did 4/5 angon 5/5 DB and 1 Empathy. Empathy only so I can give Shell5 to Wyvern and so I can Spirit Link to transfer Wyvern TP even if my Wyvern is at 100%.

[Laciante]

I focused on boosting my wyvern:
Jump and HighJump: 2, Spirit Link: 5, Ancient Circle: 1
DB: 4, Angon: 3, Strafe: 1, Empathy: 2

I know most people merit down Jumps, but I didn't feel like I needed to shave off those few extra seconds

[Pikel]

Jump / High Jump for sure. Depends how you play / what you like for group two. I need to change mine around a bit since Restoring breath was added you would probably want 5/5 Deep Breathing there. Then probably 4/5 Empathy and 1/5 Angon just so you have Angon option if you kill hard shit with dragoon.

[Mookie]

It really depends on what kinda Dragoon you wanna be. If you wanna be more focused on yourself, merit jump and high jump and angons. If you wanna focus on your wyvern merit empath and deep breathing and strafe. If you wanna be middle of the road do both. Personally I focused on myself cuz my wyvern dies way too much for my tastes.
5x jump
5x high jump
4x Angon
4x Deep breathing
1x empathy
1x strake

Super jump and ancient circle are well...kinda silly

[Panthera]

Angon is very potent, and the recast isn't bad, either. It's worth maxing out. Between 2 Drgs, a mob would have Defense down on full time.

I maxed out Deep Breathing for frequent, potent Cure Breaths.

[Kjara]

5/5 High Jump (It affects Soul Jump which is as of now the jump with highest TP return, and meriting jump is just not worth it seen how few secs it takes off)
5/5 Spirit Link (Wyvern MUST stay alive!!)
----
5/5 Deep Breathing (A cure V (with proper HB gear) every 5 mins? Yes please!)
3/3 Angon (For zergs)
2/2 Empathy (For at least two buffs on your wyvern)

This is what I merited on DRG back in 2007 and never felt the need to change them. Hope it helps^^

[Anucris]

5/5 jump
5/5 high jump
3 empathy
3 angon
4 deep breathing

Was 1 DB. And 5 angon but changed it after abyssea. Strafe is useless. Literally 100%.

[noodles355]

5/5 Angon is great. with 2 drgs in the alliance you can keep angon up fulltime on long fights.
Empathy transfers random buffs, and not in the order they appear up top. Seem to remember it used to do them in order so it would almost always give haste, but it doesn't anymore so loses a lot of appeal. My wyvern doesn't benefit from protect or hasso or whm cureskin being transfered.
1 Empathy is still worth doing so you can spirit link @ full wyvern HP for the TP boost. Wyverns usually only get off 1-2 attack rounds per drg WS, but if you're getting hit by mobs and end at 96% or above TP, spirit link should give you enough to WS.

Deep Breathing is more worthwhile than multiple empathy merits unless you always cancel non-DD buffs and always have a bard and/or corsair. Strafe is crap.

5/5 Angon
4/5 Deep Breathing
1/5 Empathy
It's really the best choice. Cat1 is easy, Jump and High Jump.

[Ophannus]

4/5 Deep Breathing is such a godsend. I've saved myself and others so many times from activating Restoring Breath, then while it's charging useing Deep Breathing. With full Wyvern HP set usually heals a good 700-800. Times in abyssea lowman stuff where we couldn't find a healer so I came as a DRG healer with HP atmas and Atma of Dragonrider. I think my normal healing Breaths were doing ~900 or so and 1500-1600 with Deep Breathing

[Anucris]

nice ophannus i need atma of the dragon rider still. im on a newer account still havent kill ne of those dragons :( noodles probably has the best layout up there for the OP, but nothing wrong with dropping an angon for another empathy

[noodles355]

I used to have 2/5 empathy, I guess it gives you a better chance of giving your wyvern haste, however 5/5 Angon gives you the niche of being able to keep a monster Angon'd for 100% of the fight if you partner up with another 5/5 angon drg.

[Ophannus]

5/5 Angon is a must, if anything take away from DB if you wanna add another Empathy, but in general a hasted wyvern's DoT is still a drop in the bucket, but another few minutes off of Deep Breathing is omguseful. Pic related: http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4884/ffxi20110505012151.png

Your first post that stated 5/5angon 4/5DB 1/5 empathy is really the gold standard of DRG group 2 merits until they/if they get rebalanced or changed. I hope all Dragoons here see the merit (no pun intended) of this combination.

5/5 Angon is a must, no questions asked. It's 90 seconds of -20% defense down, that's Dia IV without the DoT and no mob will resist it. Not only does it give DEF down, but it will also dispel and negate DEF UP abilities like Cocoon/Harden Shell etc. Infact the DEF down from Angon is such high priority, some DEF UP abilities will fail to take effect when Angon is up.

4/5 Deep Breathing is so useful as outlined above. If DRG is your main job, make it a priority to go out there and collect Wyrm Armet, Wyvern Mail, Drachen Brais+1, Lancer's Earring, Ostreger Mitts and Lancer's Torque(or Chanoix Gorget). Now that we have can use HBIII regardless of SJ via Restoring Breath there's no reason not to collect gear that enhances it, turning a crappy 200HP heal into a heavy 500-600 HP, 0 MP cure V.

1/5 Empathy. Honestly the only reason this is here is cuz it allows you to Spirit Link while the wyvern is at 100% which is useful if you Spirit Link to take 50% of your wyvern's TP. Situational at best but better than nothing. Could be used to give your wyvern shell if its the first buff cast on you, and haste later but bufs like haste/blood rage/march/rolls are so underwhelming on the Wyvern due to their natural low base DMG, it's not even worth it. If wyverns had some physical blood pacts reliant on TP or if breaths did a ton more dmg based on TP, I'd say why not.

[Reiterpallasch]

Did 5/5 jump, 5/5 high jump, 5/5 deep breathing and 5/5 angon

I've been debating dropping a deep breathing or 2 in place of empathy just for the few times it actually is useful (shell V, as others have said). Angon will likely never change, as there are still at least SOME NMs you don't just zerg down in an instant (voidwatch stuff, odin, etc).

Never quite understood why people merit stuff like strafe, or worse yet ancient circle. I mean really?

[Ophannus]

I wish there was a way to inhibit a Wyvern from using Elemental Breaths after your WS so you can use Spirit Link's TP transfer easier to use. Maybe make it a pet command?

Refrain
Level 1
Wyvern will not use breaths regularly and will take reduced damage.

In this state, the wyvern won't use Healing Breath from a spell or Attack breaths from a WS but will still use them via Restoring/Smiting Breaths. In addition the wyvern will suffer 25% less damage from physical and magical sources.

This would be good for things like HNM or Battlefields where Wyvern breaths already suck in terms of damage while letting the wyvern build up TP without it being expended on said weak breaths. This in turn would let the DRG spirit link and take 50% of their TP store(which I imagine could be pretty high on long fights) giving the DRG a TP battery not unlike an instant Meditate every 3 minutes(only giving you 150ish TP assuming the wyvern can keep up 300% TP every 180 seconds)

[noodles355]

Reiterpallasch I would recomend dropping one merit for 1 Empathy, not for buff transfer but for TP absorb at full wyvern HP without losing HP. Like I said earlier, especially when you're getting hit, ending up at 96%+ TP nd having to wait another attack round (or two enemy mob rounds) can be annoying, and spirit link should give you the TP to WS again.