Dragoon leveling rework

Dragoon Leveling Rework

I feel like DRG mains may be against a rework, but hear me out as I think you will agree with some points I have to make. As This is recommended rework for leveling Drg more-so than 80 changes although I feel there are some changes that should be carried over into 80.

1. Doom Spike - I find it odd Drg doesn't get AoEs until 40 and afterwards they seem to specialize in it. It makes the class seem to make a sudden change 40+. They even get a 3 combo weaponskill AoE despite getting their first AoE so late. I would like Doom Spike to be more around 18 vs 40 to establish it as an AoE class early on.
AoE After 40 = Dragonfire Dive, Geirskogul, Sonic Thrust, Coerthan Torment, Nastrond, Stardiver, Raiden Thrust
Single Target after 40 = Spineshatter Dive, Chaos Thrust, Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust (covered next), High Jump (only an upgrade of Jump)


2. Wheeling Thrust/Fang and Claw - This is where I started not liking Drg as much. Monk starts out positionals for increased damage while Drg doesn't get it to 50... it made everyone I know who leveled Drg seem to drop the job from 56-58 due to the changes of adding positionals (besides Chaos thrust where you can just stay behind them for full thrust). Also adding Wheeling Thrust/Fang and Claw to a combo only adds 2.5 potency on average weaponskill if in the correct spot vs losing 7.5 potency if in the correct spot. I know Lance Masery increases the potency by 100 if using the previous one beforehand, but Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust is still kind of useless from 56-64.
True Thrust = 210
Vorpal Thrust = 310
Full Thrust = 530
Fang and Claw = 320-360
Wheeling Thrust = 320-360
210+310+530=1050/3=350 average weaponskill potency
(1050+360)/4 = 352.5 average weaponskill potency
(1050+320)/4 = 342.5 average weaponskill potency

3. Jump and Drg Gauge - Most jobs can use their gauge whenever they want. Drg is the only one I know that has to wait 30 seconds after using something to activate the gauge to get it due to the recast on Jump. Drg needs a way to go right into Life of the Dragon because as it is now the battle seems to end by the time you activate it and if you are doing a boss... you are using an AoE on one target. There doesn't seem to be a good time to use it.
Either give Jump multiple stacks it can save up so you can use jump twice in a row to get right into Life of the Dragon or make the gauge also activated by Spineshatter Dive/Dragonfire Dive.
My personal preference would be to make it a toggle between Blood of the Dragon and Life of the Dragon. Make one allow you to use the strong AoE abilities and then switch to the other for increased single target damage (like increasing Jump damage) on the other one. Maybe make Jump potency increase for each marker you get on your gauge so the longer you are in single target mode the more damage your jump does.

Okay. As someone who plays Dragoon religiously, I wholeheartedly agree about the AoEs.

For the love of all that is good, give me something other than DOOM SPIKE at low-levels. Nothing is more fun than getting a low-level dungeon and being outclassed by a RDM or BLM who are just EXPLODING mobs while you point things in the butt with your pointy stick.

Wheeling Thrust/Fang and Claw - I honestly despise the idea of positionals as either the boss is constantly turning around because of "mechanics" or the tank is keeping the bosses arse pointed towards the wall. If they are so determined to constantly have the boss jump around all over the place, at least extend the use of True North.

Given that the lack of AoEs, or AoE potency, is almost universal across melee, I'd honestly rather see the leveling experience made difficult enough to again oblige some focus targeting, melee's former niche.

By the time any melee has gotten even a single AoE, Ranged are doing 165+ AoE potency per spammable GCD, with Dancer doing 248 in cycles with a 1000-potency AoE per 30 seconds. Monk can only even perform that AoE once per 3 GCDs for at most 143 potency (or an average of ~48 AoE ppgcd). SAM does 100 flat and cannot maintain it. Rogue does 120 flat.

The thing is, trying to keep each of those skills balanced across that range would require heavy reworks of all the AoEs melee classes get thereafter. Or, it just requires us to go back to when CC, focus targeting, and a decent portion of healer GCDs spent on healing spells were each actually a thing.

I realize there are differences between Ranged DPS and Melee DPS with Ranged DPS getting AoEs earlier. My main point I think I missed was to make Doom Spike earlier to establish it as a AoE class early on so later on when it got Sonic Thrust/Coerthan Torment/Geirskogul/Nastrond later it wasn't as much a dramatic change. Also looking at Nin and Sam as a comparison I would totally drop down from 170/200/230 potency combo to like 100/200/300 combo if it meant getting it earlier. I don't think it is asking much considering Drg doesn't have a Dot until much later than both.

Ninja gets Death Blossom at level 38 - 120 potency AoE
Ninja gets shadow fang at level 30 - 90 potency DoT

Sam gets Fuga at level 26 - 100 potency AoE
Sam gets Iaijutsu (Higanbana) at level 30 - 40 potency DoT

Drg gets Doom Spike at level 40 - 170 potency AoE
Drg gets Chaos Thrust at level 50 - 45 potency DoT