State of Dragoon?

[Grafeit]

Where is the DRG right now in terms of viability, popularity, meta/end game?

I used to love playing DRG but haven’t even equipped a lance since probably 3.1, when I threw one on last night I realized that soo many of my abilities are gone or change and my hotbars are a hot mess!

I know, I know..all classes are viable, play what you enjoy, don’t listen to what everyone else says, blah blah! Lol

But I want to hear what everyone says, I want to know pros and cons, the good the bad AND the ugly.

[Hierro]

It's part of the meta, what more do you need than that?

[Grafeit]

Well...so is SAM but there’s a lot of SAM hate..DRK can be part of the meta, but gets little to no credit. The general consensus of DRG is that they’re the first to fly and first to die. Where do they shine, what’s different now, what’re the cons to DRG? Are they in a great spot at the moment, basically average, or less than average?

[Darkpaw]

the LulDRG thing hasn't really been a thing at all this expansion. Yea if you do a derp moment you might hear in duty finder groups or pug groups. LulDRG or LULgoon. But no one is going to give you crap for playing a DRG. Balance wise it's from what I know in a pretty good spot. Definitely better than most. I haven't seen a lot of complaints about it. It does decent damage brings decent raid utility. It's fairly straightforward in it's rotation but optimizing can still be a bit tricky at times if you theorycraft yourself. There are plenty of guides to help. There's really not many cons to playing a dragoon. Still be weary of animation lock on jump it's better but not completely fixed. Be aware of your surroundings, don't stand in AoE's. You'll always find spots in groups. It's a little lacking in the AoE department with no real AoE rotation but it can still aoe, and that's just my opinion.

[Grimoire-M]

Dragoon is fine. Bard is fine. However, their interactions together are not. Dragoon does need a bit of a personal DPS boost to make up for any piercing changes that come next expansion, assuming we get them. And Bard needs changes to its procs. If not, DRG will remain where it is. It's probably the easiest melee job to get a handle on compared to the rest, and in a comfortable spot thanks to Bard alone.

[Frizze]

You have piercing down(desired by every group with a bard machinist or both... so almost every group), litany(who doesnt like more crit?), and you can use your eye buff on anyone willing to stand close enough... and youre worried about viability and popularity?

[Hierro]

Well...so is SAM but there’s a lot of SAM hate..DRK can be part of the meta, but gets little to no credit. The general consensus of DRG is that they’re the first to fly and first to die. Where do they shine, what’s different now, what’re the cons to DRG? Are they in a great spot at the moment, basically average, or less than average?

The term "meta" means the optimal combination. Neither SAM nor DRK are part of the meta, sad to say. DRG is, and that's a big deal. Let me spell it out for you, if you're in the meta, you're more than fine, you're GREAT! There isn't any stigma surrounding DRG.

[Grafeit]

The term "meta" means the optimal combination. Neither SAM nor DRK are part of the meta, sad to say. DRG is, and that's a big deal. Let me spell it out for you, if you're in the meta, you're more than fine, you're GREAT! There isn't any stigma surrounding DRG.

So DRK isn’t meta because it has a steep learning curve? I don’t understand, anyone I’ve talked to says that DRK is just as good as the other tanks, except that it requires more effort..As far as SAM, what makes SAM non-meta? Lack of raid buffs/utility?

[Hierro]

So DRK isn’t meta because it has a steep learning curve? I don’t understand, anyone I’ve talked to says that DRK is just as good as the other tanks, except that it requires more effort..As far as SAM, what makes SAM non-meta? Lack of raid buffs/utility?

DRK as a tank is fine. It has damage on par with everyone else and mitigation on par with everyone else, but the reason it's not part of the meta is because of how LB is gained. PLD's utility allows parties to abuse LB, and DRK can't do that. If the way LB gauge was gained got fixed, then DRK could be a viable candidate for meta. It has nothing to do with their learning curve.

SAM isn't part of the meta, because if you assume you're playing with the best players, you get more rDPS by giving them buffs and utility whereas SAM has none. That's not to say SAM doesn't have merits, such as in parties where players aren't so great. rDPS will likely be higher with a good SAM in "your average pf pug" party, than a good NIN.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

DRG is arguably the best melee in the game at the moment due to how hilariously powerful piercing is for range DPS. And you will find very few BRDs or MCHs willing to run Savage without a DRG. In fact, it's currently the second most popular job if FFlog uploads are anything to go by. Put simply, it's very comfy in its meta spot.

As for SAM. While it's in a much better spot nowadays, it still doesn't quite match the utility NIN offers. That being said, it's a viable option—more so in Alphascape than in any previous tier. DRK is in an odd position. It actually boasts the strongest overall damage but simply lacks the tools to take advantage of it. Furthermore, with no party support abilities, easily the most cumbersome immunity and a spam-happy playstyle, it simply isn't popular nor does it do anything Paladin and Warrior don't do better. The sole exception is direct mitigation tools. DRK does excel here, especially in a magic heavy fight. Dark Mind is borderline broken in certain fights and TBN gives it a near on-demand Rampart. Unfortunately, they just aren't enough to offset how Cover, Shake it Off, Passage, Divine Veil and Holmgang are.