A DRG feedback post and thread for Endwalker

[Aco505]

The purpose of this post is to provide feedback on the current state of DRG in Endwalker and to open the way for a thread of discussion on the matter. This'll be a bit long and will take several posts so thank you for your patience in advance!

1. Busy burst windows

DRG’s burst windows are no doubt busier now than they ever were in Shadowbringers thanks to the addition of three extra oGCDs in the rotation in the form of Wyrmwind Thrust (WWT) and the charges of Spineshatter Dive (SPD) and Life Surge (LS).

Despite being busy during burst windows, the job does not feel boring between them due to the way DRG positionals work, WWT usage, as well as the need to use Geirskogul (GSK) and High Jump (HJ) on hard cooldown.

2-min burst windows are especially filled with many oGCDs to fit. However, the issue does not lie in the number per se, but the fact that jumps cannot be double weaved in most cases without clipping the GCD. And when we say most cases, we mean that the vast majority of people are unable to do it, but it is possible if you live close to the servers and have very low ping (10 ms or so). Normal oGCDs have an animation lock of around 0.6-0.7s, whereas jumps (and tinctures) have an animation lock of 1.1s, with Stardiver (STD) having a lengthy 1.5s one.

In a full-uptime fight (e.g., P1S), the 2-min windows don’t pose much of a problem despite this caveat because only one charge of SPD and LS will be available due to the fact that the 2nd one is used in the previous 1-min Lance Charge (LC) window, and that WWT can be double-weaved normally.

However, a problem arises in fights with any kind of downtime (e.g., P2S, P3S reopener after adds) or when needing to fit role actions such as Feint and True North (TN), because there’s simply no room to fit these oGCDs unless they are used exactly before the burst window starts. This is not always optimal or even possible for the case of TN, since mechanics or positioning may force it to be used later. And this is exacerbated by the fact that the downtime may cause alignment issues due to the need of using GSK and HJ on hard cooldown. An example would be the stun caused by the first arrows in P2S, which can cause both HJ and LS to be available right before a Heavens’ Thrust (HT).

In addition, having so many oGCD windows in which double-weaving is not possible for most people makes it very hard to fit all the oGCDs of the burst window —excluding the 3rd Nastrond (NAS)— into 15s buffs, which is weird if we consider the fact that DRG actually provides one of these.

Therefore, the solution would not be pruning oGCDs or buttons from the rotation, but to reduce the animation lock of jumps (except STD) so that they can be double-weaved with any non-jump oGCD. Their animation lock can still be a tiny bit longer than normal oGCDs if so desired to maintain that “feel”. This would make (2-min) burst windows more comfortable and flexible while allowing DRGs to fit their burst inside their own Battle Litany (BL) and any other 15s buffs.