So I see you are a glutton for punishment and want to play the melee Job with the slowest GCD and no real way to get into battle without using a damage ability that fits snugly into your rotation.
While I’m someone who struggles to enjoy playing the Dragoon simply because of the very slow, meticulous rotation and I ultimately hate not being able to be able to swiftly get back into back after avoiding an AoE, it’s undeniable that the Dragoon is one of the more sought after Jobs when it comes to forming a Static for Ultimate or Savage content.
The Dragoon, while not the strongest or top-tier Job when it comes to personal DPS, makes up for it with buffing teammates, being the source of some of the highest damage in the game when teamwork is tight. Unlike the other support Jobs, the Dragoon doesn’t lack as much personal DPS simply because of the fact that it is a Melee DPS, ultimately being the main reason groups like having one on their team.
Though I’m an individual who rags on the Dragoon, simply because I don’t enjoy playing it as much as other Jobs, it does tend to be one of the more difficult Jobs to get used to because of its rigidity and animation locks. You may or may not have heard of the meme that “Dragoons are just floor Tanks” and while this meme is somewhat outdated as Square Enix has attempted to fix the issues with the long animation locks that prevent Dragoons from being able to avoid AoEs when greeding, it is unfortunately still somewhat common to watch a Dragoon get smacked around because they are still quite a bit longer than most other Jobs.
Now, this isn’t a problem that is unique only to the Dragoon as I have found myself in some situations where I am playing Jobs like the Red Mage and get stuck in an animation lock because I was focussing on optimizing my rotation rather than thinking about what the mechanic is. Unlike Jobs like the Red Mage though, who only has a few abilities that have animation locks, this is more common on the Dragoon, thus is why it requires a bit more practice to get used to.
While there are some Jobs I strongly recommend players have in their back pocket due to their utility and ease of picking back up, the Dragoon is not one of them in my opinion. Realistically the rotation is way too regimented and it requires a player to be skilled in order for them to actually help their team, making this one of the Jobs I would recommend you pick up if you think you’re going to enjoy it rather than as a just-in-case Job.
So, let’s get started with how it is you can begin playing the Dragoon!
Note: If you have any questions about FFXIV that you want me to cover feel free to leave them in a comment below, you can also ask me while I am streaming on Twitch, YouTube or in our community discord.
HOW TO BECOME A LANCER IN FFXIV
As the Dragoon is one of the first Jobs to be released in FFXIV, players must begin as its base class the Lancer.
Though players are able to unlock the Lancer upon starting the game if players have not chosen the Lancer they can unlock it once they have unlocked Old Gridania, which requires players to either start in Old Gridania or make it to at least level 15 in the MSQ when the remaining starter cities begin unlocking.
Players will start their adventure with Jillian who is found at Old Gridania X:14.1, Y:5.8 in the Lancer’s Guild. Jillian will have the quest “Way of the Lancer”, however, going forward players will begin speaking to Ywain for the remaining Lancer Quests.
Completing the Lancer quests is not essential at first, as many of the quests will provide subpar loot that is both purchasable from Vendors and is significantly out scaled by Gear from Dungeons. There is one Weaponskill a player may want to complete the quest for as it will provide players with a ranged attack, though this is mostly useful for the overworld and is typically not required in the early Dungeons.
The following are the Class quests you will be required to complete before you can ultimately complete the quests to become a Dragoon.
As mentioned, all Lancer Class Quests can be obtained from Ywain in Old Gridania at X14.3, Y:5.8 in the following order:
At Level 1 players must complete My First Spear.
At Level 5 players must complete Spear of the Fearless.
At Level 10 players must complete Courage of Stone.
At Level 15 players must complete A Dangerous Proposition. This quest is going to be an optional one to complete immediately for players and may help you out, especially if you are doing solo content. Piercing Talon, the Weapon Skill, is part of your regular GCD and will allow you to chuck your spear from a decent distance to deal damage if you are running about and trying to avoid taking AoE Damage. The main reason I wouldn’t rush players to get it is because there aren’t many occurrences where it is necessary in the lowest-level Dungeons, however, you will absolutely need and want it around level 30. If you have the time, grab it immediately, if you don’t you don’t need to sweat it too hard.
At Level 20 players must complete Lance of Destiny.
At Level 25 players must complete Questions and Lancers.
At Level 30 players must complete Proof of Might. Proof of Might is going to provide you with a great Ability for the Lancer, being Lance Charge. This ability provides you with 10% more damage for 20 seconds and only has a 60-second cooldown. Though this initially might not seem like much, it tends to be quite game-changing in solo content, being able to nuke down mobs quickly especially when you have access to the other buffs you can stack.
If ever you are uncertain whether or not you have completed one of the Class Quests, all you have to do is switch onto the Lancer and the current available Class Quest should appear under your Main Scenario Quest banner if you have not changed your layout from the default.
Players can also search their Journal with “J” to see what their last completed Class Quest was and essentially work backwards.
HOW TO BECOME A DRAGOON IN FFXIV
Players need two main tasks completed before they are able to become the Dragoon in FFXIV. The first is to hit Level 30, which is tremendously easy with these steps, and the second is to complete the Lancer Quests and MSQ until “Sylph-management” which is a level 20 quest.
After these steps are completed, players can complete the “Eye of the Dragon” quest which is also provided by Ywain in Old Gridania at X:14.3, Y:5.8.
Players must complete the following steps:
- Speak with Ser Alberic at the Observatorium.
- Speak with Logedanrel.
- Speak with Idristan at Florentel’s Spire.
- Speak with Logedanrel at the Observatorium.
- Examine the campfire.
- Report to Alberic.
Upon completion, players will get their Dragoon Soulstone, the Soul of the Dragoon as well as a new Ability called Jump which allows players to attack from a distance, though this will place the player back where they had initiated the attack.
Once players receive the Soul of the Dragoon, they must make sure that they equip it and Update their Gearset. If players do not update their Gearset, any time they go back onto the “Dragoon” they will actually be a Lancer.
It is tremendously important that a player does not remain on the Lancer as this will lock the player out of many Abilities and Weapons Skills and will also lock them out of using certain Gear and Equipment.
The “dead Hotbar” for the Lancer can now be used as a shell for any Macros you want to create for custom menus.
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