How to Dragoon per Second: A DPS Paradigm

[JackFross]

Nah. You can still blow x2 SSDs on Brawler and be fine. Just use Elusive Jump for the first Rocket instead. As for Swindler, don't like SSD on that part, as if I manage to somehow kill the add before Height is triggered, the SSD might plop me into the wrong high/low, around Swindler.

In that case, I run back toward Swindler, dodging in a weave to maintain my height so I don't blow it and then SSD when it completes. You actually have a solid few seconds to move if you kill it fast enough (even at the start of the Height cast) so you can theoretically make it safely, due to SSD's short animation lock.

That depends on DPS really. I only get 1 DFD during vortexer.

Ah, fair enough.

This also depends on DPS.

Yeah, my group is currently "slow" (on track to kill, but Blaster dies at or just after the third dash drop and first push is 2-3s before it forces the push) so I don't run into TOO many issues. But we're in an awkward spot where Swindler dies at a really shitty time, so I almost need to not re-up Blood, which means I'll more than likely end up skipping my adds gsk to save it for the sniper or something.

[RachaelMarie22]

so I'm really hoping they're not throwing me into jails. The DPS differential between the two of us is rather wide.

You may have to do a couple, drg is better imo cause burst. If the melee jail is the second set in p1 though our warrior takes it. Prefer not to have monk do it cause stacks and relying on crits to burst.. Our mch is able to if he saves ogcds.

Not come across a nin doing it yet though..anyone else?

[DarkerOrange]

Can confirm that. I'm the NIN for my group and I am priority 1 for purple. It honestly isn't a tough check. I don't even need to save CDs. IR is up at that point, so I use that, and a normal rotation + raiton and assassinate is more than enough.

If you were getting through most of A6S pre-nerf, then A7S will not give you any serious problems.

[SunnyHirose]

Yeah, NIN is just better in the purple cage if something can be done about it. It's the quicker ramp-up factor that does it. Once this week I didn't make the check at i230.

> tfw no crits

[MiniTyra]

Yup, it's happened to me quite a few times as well. I have to hold every oCD, except for BFB, ensure I have BOTD already up and pre-use HT on the spawned Doll to guaranteeits death 100% of the time, even if I get very bad crt rng or just simply, bad rolls.

Only other way is to use a pointless BFB there, which could've been used on the boss instead

[JackFross]

Huh. I have yet to have an issue killing my Alarum when I have to go in. We haven't gotten to second Jail set cleanly yet, and the one time we did I screwed up and didn't get in.

But like - there's ~1m before the first Jail and then another ~1m stretch on the boss before the next Jail. I just use BotD on the boss to start and then either re-cast for the Alarum or when the boss comes back down. Depending how the add phases go, you could miss loads of positionals, and the ARR rotation is better than the HW one if you miss every positional. Little dude dies too fast anyway. I'll usually re-up BotD for the Padlock if I'm out of the cage and then just won't re-cast it again before Zoomdoom, because I much prefer getting a fresh one when the boss comes back, rather than finagling with the adds.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, though?

[SunnyHirose]

Being stuck on the fight for several weeks (staffing issues!) will give you some quality time with those guys in potentially a variety of cooldown situations. I don't see it being much of an issue if I had, say, the i240 weapon.

[AlereRaeder]

You may have to do a couple, drg is better imo cause burst. If the melee jail is the second set in p1 though our warrior takes it.

I mean sure if you hold onto your cooldowns, but that's no fun.

Oh god and poor BoTD stack timings getting shredded getting carried around into that cage f that!

[MiniTyra]

If you're getting sent into the Alarum Towers, as long as your GCDs are consistent, you should always be able to finish off your CT/FT combos and land your 4th on either Quickthinx or one of the Dolls. You don't have the bomb, so you can consistently keep attacking.

Also, as long as you're using your BOTD on CD, it should always be up for the Alarum Cages, regardless if it's on the first or second set.

[JackFross]

If you're getting sent into the Alarum Towers, as long as your GCDs are consistent, you should always be able to finish off your CT/FT combos and land your 4th on either Quickthinx or one of the Dolls. You don't have the bomb, so you can consistently keep attacking.

Also, as long as you're using your BOTD on CD, it should always be up for the Alarum Cages, regardless if it's on the first or second set.

^ This is what I was saying, more or less. I also always have SSD to use after (during if I'm outside) Jails, and DFD is up for the second Jail in the first set. I usually burn it on my Alarum if I'm in the jail, since I won't need it elsewhere. I also have B4B back there and tend to use it so the Alarum dies in one combo and finish it with ID > SSD > Dis>CT>4th on Quickthinx. If the Alarum spawns anywhere other than the far-facing corner, I can do that with 0 dropped GCD time.

My group progressed to 48% tonight, and I learned that the second cage set is the NIN's job unless the NIN gets that bomb (I haven't seen it drop on a melee yet. Can it even do so?) so I'm in the clear. Things go well when I remember to pull off to drop my bombs. I have both timings down pretty well - first at the end of the spark cast bar (right after CT) and the second right after the beam bar (haven't seen it enough to have a static rotation there yet).

A7 doesn't seem too hard to optimize on DRG, really. The hardest part is heart phase, definitely. Jails aren't an issue.