Dragoon lore help!!??

[Aerazen]

I got few questions.
1 Dragoon are they only from ishgard?
2 What power are they using? (like aether, darkness, light, dragonic energy?)
3 What can they do that a normal lancer can't?
4 Whats their origin?

Thx

[Enkidoh]

I'll help with what I can, but I'm sure someone else would be able to add or correct any mistakes I make.

1: As far as known, yes, Dragoons are only found in Ishgard.
2. There are actually two different kinds of DRG, just like there are two different kinds of BRD (the song-singing entertainer kind and the ARC-based bowmen and women who sing to buff their compatriots in battle). The first kind of DRG are basically Ishgard's version of LNCs, who are specially trained to fight dragons and so adopt various techniques for dealing with their often aerial Nemesis. Accordingly Ishgard has an actual military order of knights consisting soley of DRGs - fittingly called the 'Order of the Knights Dragoon'. The second type of DRG is what the player actually is, the so-called 'Azure Dragoon'. Using the Eye of Nidhogg to grant them extraordinary stamina, strength and jumping potency even over their lesser kin (see next question), the Azure DRG served as pretty much Isghard's 'hero'. Usually there is only one Azure DRG at a time... that is until the player came along and the Eye anointed them as a second Azure DRG concurrent with the serving one (Estinien).
3. A 'normal' DRG and an Azure DRG seem to posses the same sort of abilities, in that they use regular lance skills and specialised Jumping attacks (that allow them to scale great heights and leap onto their flying adversaries). The Azure DRG however, also makes use of the immense wellspring of aether that is the Eye of Nidhogg (which is the source of the player's DRG Soul Crystal), actually drawing on the draconic power that flows through the Eye to enhance their power imensely. Additionally, the DRG Artifact Armour was said to have been specially forged in dragon blood, further enhancing the draconic power they use. Unfortunately, this naturally swings both ways, in that it also allows the dragons to negatively influence the Azure DRG in turn if their mental state is not strong enough, especially Nidhogg. Estinien struggles to resist Nidhogg's influence throughout the level 30-50 DRG Job quests and Heavensward's storyline,

culminating with the 3.0 story's ending scene where, jubilant in Thordan's defeat and possessing both Eyes of Nidhogg (and thus doubling Nidhogg's influence), he lets his mental guard down momentarily allowing Nidhogg to seize control of him and use him as a host.

4. The DRG Job seems to have it's origins in the very founding of Ishgard, when

Thordan the 1st and the Knights Twelve betrayed the dragons, his son and legal heir to the throne Prince Haldrath, who seemed to already be a DRG, however refused to ascend the throne and instead "bear penance" for his part in Rattatoskr's murder as "a hellsbound hunter of dragons" - in the Echo scene the player sees when meeting Hraesvelgar for the second time Haldrath is clearly seen wearing DRG AF and bearing Gae Bolg, the DRG relic weapon, perhaps suggesting that the Job actually predated Ishgard.

But one of the Loremasters would be able to clarify this further.

Hopefully this has helped.

[Dualblade]

Dragoons are, for the most part, only from Ishgard.

Most Dragoons are just using their own skills, the really fancy stuff is only usable by the Azure Dragoon, who gain power from Nidhogg himself via his Eye. I believe there is some implications that Midgarsomr helps power the WoL Azure Dragoon though?

All the skills you learn from the Job Quests are ones a normal Lancer can't learn. Some of them only an Azure Dragoon can use on top of that.

Dragoons as we know them first came about when King Thordan the First and his men fought Nidhogg. His son Haldrath would take one of Nidhogg's Eyes and became the first Azure Dragoon (the other going to Ishgard) which he would keep even in death until recent events. All Dragoons, both Azure and not would come from this moment.

[Cilia]

I got few questions.
1 Dragoon are they only from ishgard?
2 What power are they using? (like aether, darkness, light, dragonic energy?)
3 What can they do that a normal lancer can't?
4 Whats their origin?

Thx

It's been a while, so my DRG lore is a bit rusty.

1. Dragoons are specialized infantry of Ishgardian origin.
2. In general, it's implied that Dragoons are simply highly trained specialized infantry. The Azure Dragoon and some outliers (i.e. Heustinne) have draconic powers, but nothing concrete is given to explain Dragoons' abilities except "harnessing their inner dragon," or something like that.
3. Jump moves. That's about it. Player DRG abilities are derived from being an Azure Dragoon; what normal Dragoons can't do that the Azure can is unexplained, though it's fairly certain they couldn't use a move like Blood of the Dragon.
4. Like most everything else, an exact origin is not given. Haldrath is known to be the first of what would become known as Azure Dragoons, but beyond that no information is available.

... unless the Lore Book says more. Which it probably does. And my memory's not too foggy; I don't play DRG often.

[Aquaslash]

The lore book actually does discuss the DRG job in detail, and covers the specifics on how each and every move is used. Iirc, all of the HW skills are done with the Eye's power and special attention is given to Blood of the Dragon, Geirskogul, and Dragonsong Dive.

The WoL in particular, is noted to be exemplary even among Dragoons. They were able to combine other techniques with the Dragoon skill set (by cross classing basically) to enhance the art to previously unseen levels

[Sounsyy]

Everyone pretty much covered your questions, but if you're looking for more lore on dragoons I've got a couple links that should help!

-Dragon, Azure and Knights Dragoon Lore Compilation
-Inner Dragon Lore Discussion

[Jonnycbad]

There are a number of Leves in Ishgard that contain juicy lore. Here are a few pertaining to Dragoons that I was able to find:

A dragon's natural armor may seem impenetrable to an untrained eye, but a true dragoon knows well whence the vulnerabilities lie—a darkened spot, a bent plate, or if one is lucky, a barren patch. These days, too many young bloods sign up for the training to join our noble ranks without showing a shred of decent talent, hence I have decided to thin out the crop through a trial. If the men can identify and destroy the spots on targets wrapped in scaleskin, they may continue their training. If they fail, they are to relinquish their weapon and accept pursuit of a less virtuous craft. To fashion proper targets, I ask you to fetch me dragon scales of decent quality, and lest you have an army at your disposal, it might be quicker to obtain them by slaying the enemy's biast cousins in the Churning Mists.

Among the aspiring Knights Dragoon are a talented few who practice jumping attacks in equipment crafted from adamantite, the weight of which will help them to crush a dragon's skull as an eggshell. Alas, one such youth misstepped during his training and landed among the crags, breaking both his legs and armor in the impact. Though his injuries will heal, he requires a new pair of leg guards, and I would entrust none other but a skilled craftsman with the task.

We dragoons are a proud sort who often charge into the heat of battle, but that is not to say deception is without merit. When shadows abound, we sometimes make use of wooden decoy dummies with arms and wings manipulated by gears which resemble dragons from afar, to create an illusion of comrades in the vicinity. However, we lack the materials to replicate dragon scales. We seek an experienced adventurer willing to journey to the Churning Mists and skin Dravanians for this purpos

Elder members of the Knights Dragoon are known to prefer lances smithed from pommel ore - a hard substance that, while difficult to weild, is believed to make the finest, sharpest heads. Unfortunately, the locations of the few remaining veins in Dravania were known only to the Sharlayans who took the information back with them to the Old World fifteen summers ago. If you were to find a vein of decent quality, I would pay much for the material.

[B]The candidates for the Knights Dragoon are always under intense pressure that leaves both their heads and faith pounding by the end of a training session, to which some forget even the most common of sense. One of the youngbloods was daft enough to place his sallet next to a roped and very well-fed chocobo during his training respite. Needless to say, no amount of water or prayer is going to get the unholy smell of droppings and shame scraped out of the metal. He will need a replacement helmet posthaste.

As their training forces the Knights Dragoon to respond violently to the screams of dragons, the candidates to join the ranks prefer to use sallets of titanium. Rumor has it that not only is the headpiece as light as a feather, but as the wind blows through the crevices, it mimics such a wail and allows the wearer's hatred to course through their veins tenfold at the mere sound.

The hopefuls of the Knights Dragoon are near the end of their training drills and have grown overconfident with their newfound power in the dragoon jump. A handful boast themselves invincible, and that they are more than ready to practice the jump in heavy adamantite armor, just as those veterans among the ranks. I have warned them that none but a true master of the art would be able to perform the jump with precision in such heavy armor, yet they heed me not. Very well then, the fools will know their folly once removed from the lists due to shattered ankles.

The dragoons tasked with aiding House Durendaire in retaking the Stone Vigil have proposed the usage of the formation known as the Barbed Adamantoise, in which men join shields and march in unison with protruding spears to deter attack. Adamantite spears are one of the few weapons strong enough to shatter Dravanian skulls and will prove worth a trial run.

At last, the final trials for the knights dragoon are upon us, and this year's candidates have proven to be the most propitious in quite a long time—all from fine bloodlines, all burning with acrimony towards their scaly adversaries. They call the trial a "mock battle," yet the only thing mocking about it is that their adversary is not a full-grown wyrm. They will have full reign to demonstrate their skills, thus the birth of a dragoon merits celebratory armor for use in the test.

When we make our rounds to the Congregation's training facilities to choose hopefuls for the Knights Dragoon, I have noticed the uptick in lowborn numbers among the new recruits. While it is good to give them the benefit of the doubt as their desperate situation allows them to take more risks than their highborn counterparts, sense it does not make to give candidates quality armor from the start—they have a nasty habit of dropping.

Children who lose their fathers to the jagged maws of Dravanians make fine candidates for the ranks of the dragoons, for theirs is a special contempt which cannot be found in the hearts of ordinary men. The commanders can oft tell who they are, and thus seek to nurture that hatred through painful sessions which force them to relive their nightmares. The ranks will be thinned out sure enough, hence we must make use of breeches tough enough to withstand the grazing of sharp teeth, but expendable enough for those who crack from the pressure.

[ObsidianFire]

Vedrfolnir (one of Hrasvelger's children) reveals that knights flying on dragons were a thing before the Ishgardians and the Dragons had their falling out. This begs the question of what they were fighting at the time that required Men and Dragon to work together. It's highly likely that dragoons pre-dated the Dragonsong war and the Ishgardians just kept doing it given how effective they were.

Also, if you go far enough in the Churning Mists sidquest, you eventually get a series of quests that involve the other dragoons. They have the same armor/weapons that you do so presumably, they are all using/wearing arms and armor made out of dragon bones and blood. I don't see anything that would indicate that's special to just the Azure Dragoon except that they "earn" it through combat.