Thread: 7.1 Dragoon Changes Complaints

I've been a DRG main since I started playing in Shadowbringer, and absolutely hate losing my Nastrond charges. Yes the burst window was busy, that's one of the things I LIKED about DRG. The potency buff doesn't make up for making the job less engaging, especially when outside of burst it's already so simple and straightforward.

Originally Posted by Carighan

I mean, if we're trying to be specific, yes? In a certain way? Like, that main can't tell people good information about why someone wouldn't want to play Black Mage, which you can do. Vice versa, you can't tell people about how Black Mage plays in M4S, which the other person can do. Both are, in their own ways, important data points for a developer.

But that's also super not the point and we're going more and more offtopic. I don't know why they did this either, I would assume because they see some stats they have access to that tell them either or both of:

* Too many people try dragoon since Dawntrail that didn't play it before, and drop it again shortly.
* Too many Nastronds are not used and "missed", or too many triple-weaves happen.

That's about the only explanation I could come up with, because it feels random otherwise. However, importantly, there will be a reason. Devs got more than enough ways to appear busy if they want to, they wouldn't start making job changes just for the lulz. I just have no clue what the reason would be unless it's what I wrote above.

Not going to say where I got this data but iykyk, DRG was the third most played melee in Savage and solidly middle of the pack in overall dps. There is no lack of people playing the job, though with these changes I expect there will be. Removing two buttons in burst won't make the people who don't like the heavy weaving all that much happier, while people who enjoy the heavy weaving will now find the job less fun. And all of this is to say nothing of how dull the job is going to feel at any level before 100. Burst in UCoB being a single Nastrond and that's it is the most depressing thing.

Originally Posted by Balance adjustments - Job Guide

To reduce the number of actions executed during damage burst phases, players will no longer gain multiple stacks of Nastrond Ready.

Was it that high?

Originally Posted by Valence

Was it that high?

No it was 3 stacks.

Originally Posted by ForteNightshade

I wanted to actually try DRG before commenting but I knew I'd despise these changes and oh hell do I ever. The job feels so damn bland now. Yes, it's only two extra oGCD presses but they already gutted Geirskogul as a 30 oGCD. Now you're basically doing nothing after your burst but spam 123. They've reduced what used to be a fun, busy job in a boring and bland husk. Heck, tanks (mostly GNB) have a more interesting DPS suite than DRG now and that's so incredibly sad.

Dragoon was my baby even though I mostly play tank these days but I just don't even want to look at it now.

Yep. I gave it a quick try through a Normal Raid Roulette earlier, landed myself in P10N, so level 90 content. I was done my burst halfway through my buff timer. Let me repeat that. I ran out of buttons to press for a burst window halfway through the burst window, on the job where its core identity is having a busy burst window. I dread what it's going to feel like in level 70 and 80 content, particularly as someone who loves to go back into old Ultimates on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by Carighan

No it was 3 stacks.

They mean the amount of actions during burst.


It's approximately 8 GCDs with double weaves in all of them except for the one in which Stardiver is used.

As an aside, after playing a bit with the changes, the bursts feel awful, especially the 1-minute ones.

It's going to be even worse at levels 70, 80 and 90.

Originally Posted by Carighan

No it was 3 stacks.

No, the amount of actions executed during damage burst phases, as they explained on the job guide.

these changes are so discouraging.. Genuinely feels like they don't make these changes for the target audience of the job. These changes cannot have been made with the dragoon playerbase in mind, there's just no way. I get removing a few oGCDs to allow for Feint, True North, etc., but taking away 2 stacks of nastrond is just too much. Either take Life Surge away to give us 2 extra weave slots, or at the very least give us 2 stacks of nastrond instead of only 1. Weave heavy burst windows is the core of dragoons identity, there's no reason to make it less busy purely for the sake of making it less busy. They've told us 8.0 we'll get more job identity things but then in 7.1 they make changes like this.

This is the kind of stuff I was dreading from the supposed Dragoon rework going from Endwalker into Dawntrail. Please do not just remove the amount of weaves from the job, that is what makes it fun to begin with. These new changes will feel awful to play. I was already annoyed at the lower amount of jumps with the removal of Spineshatter Dive, but the amount of weaves was the same as before so I didn't really mind that much.

I am starting to wonder if the job design team even plays the game anymore after what they did to Black Mage and Monk going into Dawntrail, and changes like the ones they just made to Dragoon are just making my suspicion grow. I don't think they actually know what makes playing these jobs fun. So many things recently just feel like they are out of touch.