How to Dragoon per Second: A DPS Paradigm

[Bourne_Endeavor]

For who have experimented, is it worth going into extreme SkS territory? With specific gear upgrades, I could push 761 without food. Just curious if that crosses past the "dead zone" on DRG. Drawing examples from here.

[Estelle9lives]

I’m currently working on A12S and was wondering if you guys have some optimization tips.

As of now, this is what I’m doing:
- Default rotation until Alexander vanishes (skip DFD)
- Heavy Thrust into RoT to clip 4 adds, while tank positions all adds together
- Doom Spike + IR into Geirskogul on all 8 adds. Here I wait until I have my 2nd B4B up before I use the DFD I saved earlier for max padding inbetween Doom Spikes, while also using BOTD with the sole purpose of firing another Geirskogul
- For the 4 cardinal adds, I just do TTT combo with OGCDs inbetween. They seem to die so fast that CT combo doesn’t seem to be worth it.
- Regular rotation on the two big adds.

Then it gets tricky. I hate Stasis with the passion of a thousand suns. The only way I found to be able to keep BOTD is by skipping Phleb during the opener I do when Alexander respawns. Between moving to Stasis and having to dodge a sacrament (specially regular sacrament), there’s just no time to keep BOTD without playing EXTREMELY risky and risking dying or skipping the Phleb. What do you guys do during that? I’m wondering if I should stick with regular rotation and just blow BOTD on a Geirskogul, or skip the Phleb to keep BOTD.

[mosaicex]

I’m currently working on A12S and was wondering if you guys have some optimization tips.

As of now, this is what I’m doing:
- Default rotation until Alexander vanishes (skip DFD)
- Heavy Thrust into RoT to clip 4 adds, while tank positions all adds together
- Doom Spike + IR into Geirskogul on all 8 adds. Here I wait until I have my 2nd B4B up before I use the DFD I saved earlier for max padding inbetween Doom Spikes, while also using BOTD with the sole purpose of firing another Geirskogul
- For the 4 cardinal adds, I just do TTT combo with OGCDs inbetween. They seem to die so fast that CT combo doesn’t seem to be worth it.
- Regular rotation on the two big adds.

Then it gets tricky. I hate Stasis with the passion of a thousand suns. The only way I found to be able to keep BOTD is by skipping Phleb during the opener I do when Alexander respawns. Between moving to Stasis and having to dodge a sacrament (specially regular sacrament), there’s just no time to keep BOTD without playing EXTREMELY risky and risking dying or skipping the Phleb. What do you guys do during that? I’m wondering if I should stick with regular rotation and just blow BOTD on a Geirskogul, or skip the Phleb to keep BOTD.

For adds, I skipped Phlebotomize so I can go straight with TT > VT (Alex usually disappear here), then use FT on one of the adds, continue with 4th on another. Now I have around 24 sec on BotD so I go HT > Geir on all adds > RoT > DS until Geir come off cooldown the use it.

I don't have problem with Stasis. When Stasis happened I'm ALWAYS on the 4th combo proc with normal opening rotation (save Spineshatter for gap closer), what's your GCD? This does not disappear since it's a buff. Then I just jump back to Alex to continue DPSing.

[Wegente]

What do you guys do during that? I’m wondering if I should stick with regular rotation and just blow BOTD on a Geirskogul, or skip the Phleb to keep BOTD.

What I do is use Spineshatter Dive as part of the opener and skip the Phlebotomize. Then while I'm running to my position I do a single Piercing Talon trying to make up for the dps loss. But skipping the Spineshatter Dive and using Phlebotomize is probably the most optimal way of doing it between the two.

A third way would be to do the complete opener with Spineshatter Dive AND Phlebotomize, and then using Elusive Jump to go back to the boss quickly after the Time Stasis ends. But I generally use it in the add phase, so it's not up at that moment.

[TheKingSlayer]

Then it gets tricky. I hate Stasis.... BOTD is by skipping Phleb during the opener .... dodge a sacrament (specially regular sacrament), there’s just no time to keep BOTD without playing EXTREMELY risky and risking dying or skipping the Phleb. What do you guys do during that?

For the stasis part, I've found you can do the full rotation with phleb, Full thrust, popping a Geirk, and keeping your BotD buff, but you need to save a DFD or SSD. The key is to move when the cast bar hits the "St" of "Temporal Stasis." I have just enough time to make it to my cardinal direction before I freeze. I am now frozen with 3-5 secs left on BoTD and my 4th combo prepped. I SSD or DFD back to Alex, hit the 4th combo while dodging gravitational, and prepping for sacrament.

Second Stasis same thing, but I use Back flip instead of a jump... its a little more tricky to aim so be careful on this one.

[Spayd]

Then it gets tricky. I hate Stasis with the passion of a thousand suns. The only way I found to be able to keep BOTD is by skipping Phleb during the opener I do when Alexander respawns. Between moving to Stasis and having to dodge a sacrament (specially regular sacrament), there’s just no time to keep BOTD without playing EXTREMELY risky and risking dying or skipping the Phleb. What do you guys do during that? I’m wondering if I should stick with regular rotation and just blow BOTD on a Geirskogul, or skip the Phleb to keep BOTD.

I do usual opener for first stasis, but i dont use Geirskogul and spineshatter dive. Right after full thrust, i elusive jump to my position, have the stasis happen, watch where the gravitational pops as I SpineShatter dive back right on boss. Allows you to maintain everything. Havent tried too much with Geirskoguling during the opener tho, maybe I could pop it and still be fine, ill try it out tonight.

[Sentinillia]

I do usual opener for first stasis, but i dont use Geirskogul and spineshatter dive. Right after full thrust, i elusive jump to my position, have the stasis happen, watch where the gravitational pops as I SpineShatter dive back right on boss. Allows you to maintain everything. Havent tried too much with Geirskoguling during the opener tho, maybe I could pop it and still be fine, ill try it out tonight.

With the first Stasis, you should ideally be doing 3rd hit while you're running out, and use a gap-closer in for 4th afterwards (I think I have Fey Wind there? Getting to max melee range during that combo also helps). This may be difficult to do consistently, but I can't find a better way to keep BotD up; if I leave any sooner, my combo times out during Stasis. After that, I haven't found a consistent timing (maybe it's just my group situation or all my usual dirty tricks failing me or something). The fight is a bit of a bummer for DRG all around, methinks.

The way I have been doing things, Elusive comes off CD before the second stasis, and I use that one to come in since that's safer than going out at the last second with no chance to adjust.

Delay your BotD by 1 GCD (before Dis -> before CT), it buys you extra 2.whatever seconds to refresh your BotD and to hit that GK in the opener, it's ample time to hit your 4th when re-engaging Alexander.
If you're lucky enough to have an Arrow there you can even hit your 4th and still make it to your position with Elusive. You kind of want to save your DFD for the second stasis if you backflip the first one however.

[Spayd]

Delay your BotD by 1 GCD (before Dis -> before CT), it buys you extra 2.whatever seconds to refresh your BotD and to hit that GK in the opener, it's ample time to hit your 4th when re-engaging Alexander.
If you're lucky enough to have an Arrow there you can even hit your 4th and still make it to your position with Elusive. You kind of want to save your DFD for the second stasis if you backflip the first one however.

Yeah I've watched some replay of the top drg on the fight, and I saw them delay BotD one gcd, so ive been doing that, thats better indeed. Thanks for the tip :>

[SunnyHirose]

Delay your BotD by 1 GCD (before Dis -> before CT), it buys you extra 2.whatever seconds to refresh your BotD and to hit that GK in the opener, it's ample time to hit your 4th when re-engaging Alexander.
If you're lucky enough to have an Arrow there you can even hit your 4th and still make it to your position with Elusive. You kind of want to save your DFD for the second stasis if you backflip the first one however.

It's not so much the BotD timer that I'm talking about here; it's that if you don't get your 3rd in before stasis, you don't get a 3rd!

(Apparently I don't get Fey Wind there, turns out SCH prefers to roflstomp the constant raid busters after the 2hr)