Afraid for a friend...

[KuriLing]

-Level 42 main scenario, he's level 44
-Doesn't have the situational awareness
-He can't take the hits
-He's got mobility issues in his hands

This explains everything, sadly to say your friend needs to switch to another class if he's having all of this issues, you need mobility and situational awareness if you're using a DRG, or any melee. Having issues with your hands while playing as a melee...it's 100% a no go, he needs to change.

-basement for the MSQ in Ishgard
-5 mobs.
-Caster, healer, three melee

And this is another reason why you need situational awareness and the easy steps to kill for any class:
Healer > Range > Melee > Tank
And you're basically done, simple. Healers are the number 1 go to kill-off list, any range should also be killed because they are squishy, melees even though they hit hard, still need to move in order to hit, and tanks for obvious reasons because they don't hit hard.

[fm_fenrir]

And this is another reason why you need situational awareness and the easy steps to kill for any class:
Healer > Range > Melee > Tank

They even give you a couple guildhests to ram this point home, because ignoring the healers in, say, Stinging Back means you're in for a long fight (if not a wipe). Also, a DRG that can't take hits? Up until level 47 you have access to the same defense gear a tank class does, so you are literally just as equipped to take a beating as a WAR or PLD would be.

Past that point, you're still the most durable DPS class by a mile, with bloodbath, life surge, second wind all a fingertip away and access to the best defensive (keen flurry) with defense boosting backup from foresight. DRG does not die unless the player absolutely wants to.

edit: Also, I think echo bonuses only trigger if you've run the solo instance for a certain period of time before failing, like it is with any other trial/raid that has echo bonus. If you wipe on the first Titan landslide, you don't get an echo, but if you fail after heart, you get echo...

[Neophyte]

As someone mentioned: If it's too hard, your buddy should play to 45 and do the classquest first. Then he'll get gear, which is waaaaay better than his actual one (around 44 i think).