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I will submit this proposal to Square Enix through their suggestion system. During the NY event they mentioned it several times, and if they take it as seriously as they claim maybe we'll see some progress. I would like to know what you guys think before I send it in. Please feel free to offer your own suggestions, which I'll take into consideration before adding them in. I'll post a final copy for others to read and send in as well if they so choose. Couldn't hurt >_>
While it's true that the Dragoons' reputation seems to have been etched in stone, recently this etching has started to wash away like paint. Ever since the Rangers were brought down a peg there have been severel new Dragoons popping up all over the place. In reality the Dragoon is far from broken, which players will notice as they level, but it does struggle from severe neglect at certain key points. One of my main issues with the Dragoon is their lack of available equipment which only becomes more evident as I progress, shadowed by our functionality in a party.
From what I understand Dragoons are restricted to lighter equipment so that they can Jump during battle. What I don't understand is that a Warrior wearing the full Iron Musketeers set that subs Dragoon CAN Jump, even with heavy armor weighing him down. I might be missing something such as a penalty to Jump damage while subbing Dragoon, but it doesn't seem like they should have the ability to jump at all.
Equipment is pretty by the books as you start leveling. Brass, to leather, to scale, to bone, to lizard, to beetle, and then it begins to become hazy. At level twenty-one our next armor set is at level twenty-seven, then thirty, then our sets are spaced across level thirty to fifty. I'm mostly concerned with level thirty and up because that's when the sets start to become diverse. Dragoons are offered second-rate equipment, often with nothing but Defense. The level thirty-four sets can be considered an exception, but they're subject to conquest which is never reliable. Volans Greaves were recently added, which Dragoons feel is a step in the right direction, but most of our problems lie at level fifty-nine.
I hate to compare Dragoons to other jobs, but that's basically what happens when a party forms. When you take equipment into consideration there's really no reason to choose Dragoons. Dark Knights are offered chainmail at level twnety-four, which offers more defense in case of emergencies. At twenty-nine Warriors are offered the Eisen sets that greatly increases their ability to tank, and overall ability to deal damage. Skip to level forty where Warriors, Dark Knights, and Paladins have access to certain pieces of iron Musketeer's set and Royal Squire's set. All of these pieces contribute valuable stats that few jobs can take advantage of. Monks, Samurais, and Ninjas have already had access to Ochiudo's Kote, Fuma Kyahn, and a Gi that offers four accuracy. Dragoons are stuck with an iron set, or the level thirty-four sets if Conquest permits.
Through level forty to fifty there isn't much to choose from, but towards level fifty several pieces of JSE appear for jobs including Thief, Ninja, and one or two others. By level fifty Dragoons are wearing Battle Gloves(Lv13), Brigindine(Lv45), Walkure(Lv43), Jaeger Mantle(Lv47), Volans Greave(Lv36), Sniper Rings(Lv40), and a Spike Necklace(Lv21). That's all subject to the availability of funds of course. Now that may seem fine, which it is for the most part, but it doesn't offer the defense we need when we happen to pull hate. Other jobs recieve great bonuses to stats while not having to sacrifice defense. From level fifty up we're generally better off wearing our full AF, while switching the Walkure Mask in and out with the Drachen Armet for weapon skills. Unfortunately what I find shocking is how useless the AF is compared to other armor, as well as other jobs' AF. Compared to our most notable competition, the Dark Knight, our AF offers bonuses that I would see as equal, but our armor offers far less defense. The Drachen Mail's regenerative effect is slightly useful, and the Drachen Brais's HP+10% often results in me having to wait for Call Wyvern to cooldown when something goes wrong directly after I summon it.
My biggest problem with equipment is the Haubergeon. Obviously this was not meant to be obtainable by every single person and their mother, but due to the RMT it's a dream we all can afford to live job permitting. We have to face the fact that every player that can use this armor will obtain it, so the jobs that can't use it (Thief and Dragoon) are at a serious disadvantage here. Thieves are at less of a disadvantage due to their uses in a party which I will outline later, but an equivilant piece of armor just as "hard" to obtain would do Dragoons a wonder. The only time a Dragoon can compete with somebody wearing a Haubergeon is in Bibiki Bay fighting birds for the 25% damage bonus, which isn't exactly a player friendly camp and wouldn't support more than two parties.
At level sixty-seven most of our problems are solved if we can obtain an Assault Jerkin, but if you ask me it's pretty ugly. It's functionality is outstanding, and at level seventy we have access to the Barone set. Beyond that we can equip pieces of Relic Armor, Hecatomb, and various other sets. No problem there. The problem is actually getting there. Why invite a Dragoon when there's another job out there seeking that has a Haubergeon? We offer nothing but damage over time, along with a moderately strong weapon skill. Our wyvern enhances both but only slightly, and is constantly threatened by area effecting attacks. If we had a piece of equipment that could help us compete with other damage dealing jobs beyond level fifty we'd have almost no gripes left to gripe about!
My next issue, which is a little less important than equipment, is our functionality in a party. Our innate job traits enhance our overall damage over time performance, but that's something any other job can compete with once they've obtained a Haubergeon. Our abilities include various jumps, one that deals damage, one that deals less damage but clears a bit of hate, and one that deals no damage and clears all of our hate. The abilities that deal damage are subject to accuracy, but they're all fairly useful. Let's compare that to Dark Knights. Dark Knights can deal just as much damage as us with a Haubergeon/Hauberk, as well as Stun, and Abosrb stats making it easier on the party overall. The most I can do when a goblin uses Bomb Toss is Super Jump to avoid damage, but a Dark Knight can stun the toss and save the whole party the damage. This applies to anything that casts an area effecting attack. Thieves are used to center hate on the tank, and when used in conjunction with Dragoons can be a pretty awesome team, but that's if the Dragoon is invited. Monks can gain TP fairly quickly and have hard hitting, multi-hit weapon skills, which are enhanced by their Focus ability. Monks can't use Haubergeon, but by level fifty-nine will have Ochiudo's Kote as well as a lot of haste bonus from equipment and job traits. Samurai can throw out a weapon skill every few minutes along with healthy damage over time.
These are basically all my gripes concerning Dragoon, and the way I see it our only problems. A few minor problems, such as Wyvern survivability, and our ability to fight HNMs will be suggested upon as well as my earlier points. I understand the developers are trying to create a sense of companionship and reliability between the Dragoon and his Wyvern, and I think my suggestions preserve that. Thank you for taking the time to read over and consider my suggestions.
Suggestions:
1) Level forty-five hand equipement that enhances our weapon skill accuracy. This will do wonders for Penta Thrust's potential without overpowering it.
2) A chest piece for level fifty-five to sixty that offers something equal to what Haubergeon offers while being just as costly to obtain.
3) A set of passive abilities that enchance Jump abilities by increments of 5%, and a total of three traits at level fifteen, forty-five, and sixty-five.
4) A pet ability High Climb for the wyverns on a seperate timer than High Jump, with a cooldown similar to Jump. High Climb would allow the Wyvern to avoid damage while Dragoon would still recieve it. This would open up a few more oppotunities during the end of the game where hunting HNMs and completing Dynamis become usual pass times.
5) A passive trait that enhances our Dragon Killer and Ancient Circle effects by 50% at level sixty or seventy to help us become more useful in slaying certain HNMs.
6) A pet ability Fast Dive that does possible damage +10% which would allow us to pull using our Wyverns. Pulling using pebbles is pathetic, and other throwing items are rarely stocked and cost outrageous prices. Essentially the Wyvern would quickly attack the target once then return to the Dragoon so that they can return to the party with the monster. This could be used in conjuction with High Climb and give Dragoons a whole new use in a party.
7) Possible ranged ammunition claws for the Wyvern's Fast Dive.
While it's true that the Dragoons' reputation seems to have been etched in stone, recently this etching has started to wash away like paint. Ever since the Rangers were brought down a peg there have been severel new Dragoons popping up all over the place. In reality the Dragoon is far from broken, which players will notice as they level, but it does struggle from severe neglect at certain key points. One of my main issues with the Dragoon is their lack of available equipment which only becomes more evident as I progress, shadowed by our functionality in a party.
From what I understand Dragoons are restricted to lighter equipment so that they can Jump during battle. What I don't understand is that a Warrior wearing the full Iron Musketeers set that subs Dragoon CAN Jump, even with heavy armor weighing him down. I might be missing something such as a penalty to Jump damage while subbing Dragoon, but it doesn't seem like they should have the ability to jump at all.
Equipment is pretty by the books as you start leveling. Brass, to leather, to scale, to bone, to lizard, to beetle, and then it begins to become hazy. At level twenty-one our next armor set is at level twenty-seven, then thirty, then our sets are spaced across level thirty to fifty. I'm mostly concerned with level thirty and up because that's when the sets start to become diverse. Dragoons are offered second-rate equipment, often with nothing but Defense. The level thirty-four sets can be considered an exception, but they're subject to conquest which is never reliable. Volans Greaves were recently added, which Dragoons feel is a step in the right direction, but most of our problems lie at level fifty-nine.
I hate to compare Dragoons to other jobs, but that's basically what happens when a party forms. When you take equipment into consideration there's really no reason to choose Dragoons. Dark Knights are offered chainmail at level twnety-four, which offers more defense in case of emergencies. At twenty-nine Warriors are offered the Eisen sets that greatly increases their ability to tank, and overall ability to deal damage. Skip to level forty where Warriors, Dark Knights, and Paladins have access to certain pieces of iron Musketeer's set and Royal Squire's set. All of these pieces contribute valuable stats that few jobs can take advantage of. Monks, Samurais, and Ninjas have already had access to Ochiudo's Kote, Fuma Kyahn, and a Gi that offers four accuracy. Dragoons are stuck with an iron set, or the level thirty-four sets if Conquest permits.
Through level forty to fifty there isn't much to choose from, but towards level fifty several pieces of JSE appear for jobs including Thief, Ninja, and one or two others. By level fifty Dragoons are wearing Battle Gloves(Lv13), Brigindine(Lv45), Walkure(Lv43), Jaeger Mantle(Lv47), Volans Greave(Lv36), Sniper Rings(Lv40), and a Spike Necklace(Lv21). That's all subject to the availability of funds of course. Now that may seem fine, which it is for the most part, but it doesn't offer the defense we need when we happen to pull hate. Other jobs recieve great bonuses to stats while not having to sacrifice defense. From level fifty up we're generally better off wearing our full AF, while switching the Walkure Mask in and out with the Drachen Armet for weapon skills. Unfortunately what I find shocking is how useless the AF is compared to other armor, as well as other jobs' AF. Compared to our most notable competition, the Dark Knight, our AF offers bonuses that I would see as equal, but our armor offers far less defense. The Drachen Mail's regenerative effect is slightly useful, and the Drachen Brais's HP+10% often results in me having to wait for Call Wyvern to cooldown when something goes wrong directly after I summon it.
My biggest problem with equipment is the Haubergeon. Obviously this was not meant to be obtainable by every single person and their mother, but due to the RMT it's a dream we all can afford to live job permitting. We have to face the fact that every player that can use this armor will obtain it, so the jobs that can't use it (Thief and Dragoon) are at a serious disadvantage here. Thieves are at less of a disadvantage due to their uses in a party which I will outline later, but an equivilant piece of armor just as "hard" to obtain would do Dragoons a wonder. The only time a Dragoon can compete with somebody wearing a Haubergeon is in Bibiki Bay fighting birds for the 25% damage bonus, which isn't exactly a player friendly camp and wouldn't support more than two parties.
At level sixty-seven most of our problems are solved if we can obtain an Assault Jerkin, but if you ask me it's pretty ugly. It's functionality is outstanding, and at level seventy we have access to the Barone set. Beyond that we can equip pieces of Relic Armor, Hecatomb, and various other sets. No problem there. The problem is actually getting there. Why invite a Dragoon when there's another job out there seeking that has a Haubergeon? We offer nothing but damage over time, along with a moderately strong weapon skill. Our wyvern enhances both but only slightly, and is constantly threatened by area effecting attacks. If we had a piece of equipment that could help us compete with other damage dealing jobs beyond level fifty we'd have almost no gripes left to gripe about!
My next issue, which is a little less important than equipment, is our functionality in a party. Our innate job traits enhance our overall damage over time performance, but that's something any other job can compete with once they've obtained a Haubergeon. Our abilities include various jumps, one that deals damage, one that deals less damage but clears a bit of hate, and one that deals no damage and clears all of our hate. The abilities that deal damage are subject to accuracy, but they're all fairly useful. Let's compare that to Dark Knights. Dark Knights can deal just as much damage as us with a Haubergeon/Hauberk, as well as Stun, and Abosrb stats making it easier on the party overall. The most I can do when a goblin uses Bomb Toss is Super Jump to avoid damage, but a Dark Knight can stun the toss and save the whole party the damage. This applies to anything that casts an area effecting attack. Thieves are used to center hate on the tank, and when used in conjunction with Dragoons can be a pretty awesome team, but that's if the Dragoon is invited. Monks can gain TP fairly quickly and have hard hitting, multi-hit weapon skills, which are enhanced by their Focus ability. Monks can't use Haubergeon, but by level fifty-nine will have Ochiudo's Kote as well as a lot of haste bonus from equipment and job traits. Samurai can throw out a weapon skill every few minutes along with healthy damage over time.
These are basically all my gripes concerning Dragoon, and the way I see it our only problems. A few minor problems, such as Wyvern survivability, and our ability to fight HNMs will be suggested upon as well as my earlier points. I understand the developers are trying to create a sense of companionship and reliability between the Dragoon and his Wyvern, and I think my suggestions preserve that. Thank you for taking the time to read over and consider my suggestions.
Suggestions:
1) Level forty-five hand equipement that enhances our weapon skill accuracy. This will do wonders for Penta Thrust's potential without overpowering it.
2) A chest piece for level fifty-five to sixty that offers something equal to what Haubergeon offers while being just as costly to obtain.
3) A set of passive abilities that enchance Jump abilities by increments of 5%, and a total of three traits at level fifteen, forty-five, and sixty-five.
4) A pet ability High Climb for the wyverns on a seperate timer than High Jump, with a cooldown similar to Jump. High Climb would allow the Wyvern to avoid damage while Dragoon would still recieve it. This would open up a few more oppotunities during the end of the game where hunting HNMs and completing Dynamis become usual pass times.
5) A passive trait that enhances our Dragon Killer and Ancient Circle effects by 50% at level sixty or seventy to help us become more useful in slaying certain HNMs.
6) A pet ability Fast Dive that does possible damage +10% which would allow us to pull using our Wyverns. Pulling using pebbles is pathetic, and other throwing items are rarely stocked and cost outrageous prices. Essentially the Wyvern would quickly attack the target once then return to the Dragoon so that they can return to the party with the monster. This could be used in conjuction with High Climb and give Dragoons a whole new use in a party.
7) Possible ranged ammunition claws for the Wyvern's Fast Dive.
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