Dragoons: A Rotation Reborn

[JetBrooks]

Has anyone confirmed any lower acc than 468 without misses in Coil just from flank/rear attacks? Not counting AoEs or required front facing moments?

I took about 465 into Turns 1-4 for about a month, no misses.

[Vhyl]

I forgot to use my coil gear set up and I end up at 428 acc n got twin down in 1 shot. I dont parse but I have a miss on the big snake when I performing disembowel facing front. Other than that I dont see any misses.

[ColdestHeaven]

What does WD stand for? Weaponskills in general or a specific skill?



Anyway, I'm currently at a loss. Item level 90 (not BiS) and I still get outdamaged by BLM and sometimes a couple of bards in my FC even on static fights like Caduceus - and the BLM is well equipped but I think he didn't reach my level in terms of gear/item level. I might be wrong, since I know close to nothing about BLM gear, but still. He is a good player and can pull his weight even among other BLMs. As for me, I'm trying to understand what I am failing.

I do not use a set rotation, maybe this is the problem? I have always thought of this class as one of the most dynamic regarding combos, so I never really tried to follow strict patterns except for trying to maintain Heavy Thrust/Disembowel/Chaos Thrust/Phlebotomize (albeit a little less this last one) as long as possible before going Full thrust and so on till refresh. Of course I use Leg sweep, Jump (surged if possible), Dragonfire dive, Mercy stroke and Spineshatter dive between skills.

My buffs (Blood for blood and Internal release) at the beginning of the fight, then I tend to avoid using them unless those are paired (so I wait for BfB before activating IR again), and sometimes I do not use them if I know there is going to be either an "invulnerable time" (ultimate attack, jump in the air before another phase or I just need to stay away like during some bomb patterns in Titan) or there is going to be a DPS burst phase (Titan heart). Same thing applies to PS, SSD and DFD - Mercy stroke and Leg sweep should just be used whenever they are available, I think.

Should I just use them whenever they are off cooldown (unless it's invulnerability is coming) or stick to what I'm doing?

[whiskeybravo]

SNIP

You might try to moving to a somewhat set rotation. Mechanics vary from fight to fight of course but the only CD in my mind that warrants caution is B4B, you don't want to miss uptime due to invulnerability mechanics or stuff like Titan's stomps where the extra damage can easily kill you. (anyone else know about for T2, T4 enrage damage? I've only tanked/healed those).

When you say that you use buffs at the beginning of the fight, are you sitting there waiting for them before you start attacking? I tend to use them in between the GCD (HT>ID>B4B>DE>IR>CT>SSD, etc). I also tend to wait for power surge before using Jump again, as they are on pretty close CDs. Also, are you making sure not to clip DoTs, as in, making sure they run the full 30sec/15sec before reapplying? Following the recommended pattern on here is great for making sure you don't clip (or have minimal clipping at least).

My typical opening rotation:

HT - ID - B4B - DE - IR - CT - SSD - Ph - PS - TT - Jump - VT - Life Surge - FT

Sometimes there is enough HT left for a DFD, if not I just reapply Heavy Thrust and Phlebotomize then DFD another TTT. If I know there are adds I'll save DFD, otherwise I just burn it with the combo trying to make sure to get it in before B4B drops off.

[PArcher]

I do not use a set rotation, maybe this is the problem? I have always thought of this class as one of the most dynamic regarding combos, so I never really tried to follow strict patterns except for trying to maintain Heavy Thrust/Disembowel/Chaos Thrust/Phlebotomize (albeit a little less this last one) as long as possible before going Full thrust and so on till refresh.

Personally (correct me if I'm wrong guys) I'd say this is your biggest issue. DRG DO have a set rotation for maximum damage; I'd say you're thinking of MNK or BRD for a more "free-flowing" class (however, I don't know how to MNK at all, so don't take that as law).

Basic rotation is H - IDC - P - TTT - H - TTT - P - IDC - H - TTT - P - TTT (repeat). Use oGDCs as they come up, unless there is a fight mechanic coming up where you'd be wasting it (don't BFB before Ifrit's charges, for example)

[EasymodeX]

What does WD stand for? Weaponskills in general or a specific skill?

Weapon Damage. R+1 and EX weapons have 46 WD, for example.

I do not use a set rotation, maybe this is the problem? I have always thought of this class as one of the most dynamic regarding combos,

Your general priorities are accurate. However, if you are maximizing your priorities, then you will generally result in the current rotation. The rotation is built on the same priorities that you use; it just refines the timing a bit to increase uptime and resulting DPS slightly.

In Real Fights with Real Mechanics™ you will use both the rotation and priority for decision-making to maximize DPS. E.g. you will use the rotation in general for stable segments, then apply your priorities to specific targets or multiple targets.

My buffs (Blood for blood and Internal release) at the beginning of the fight, then I tend to avoid using them unless those are paired (so I wait for BfB before activating IR again),

Never wait on your buffs to synchronize. The bonus damage from the sync is minor compared to the % of buff time you lose by waiting.

[snowybell]

Maybe i'm not understanding the charts right, for example if it states

"Determination: 135"

what does it infer?

[whiskeybravo]

Maybe i'm not understanding the charts right, for example if it states

"Determination: 135"

what does it infer?

That's the increase to your natural stats. I believe the base determination is 202, so that's 135 + 202 for 337 Determination total.

[snowybell]

I see. Thanks for that.

Does DET really outweight CRIT by that much?
I was playing around with my sets, i liked seeing big numbers with 510 crit (constant hard hitting FTs), but i guess the way to go for the long run is determination?

Since i read that determination is .323 and crit is 0.184, i guess big numbers don't make up for the loss in DPS.

[VaShawn]

Hey ayvar, which is most up to date and more damaging. The YouTube video showing rotations or your initial post here? I wanna use that "second" rotation you displayed in YouTube using BFB right after HT. Or can I stick with the final form you have in the forum which has IR after HT instead.