Rate that Class! Week 9

[Assailant]

It occurred to me that I should at least finish this. So, week 9 shall be...the Dragoon!

Black Mage: 8.67
Ranger: 7.8
White Mage: 7.71
Knight: 7.25
Blackbelt: 6.81
Fighter: 6.61
Red Mage: 5.58
Thief: 3.86

Rate (out of 10) in:

Solo Ability
Partying
Fun Factor

Solo Ability: Dragoons are superb soloers. They have ability to avoid damage with Jump. Dragoons also have great strength. There's two things an ideal melee soloer needs, and the Dragoon's got 'em both. Honestly, after they get Free Flying, I view them as the best soloers in the game behind the Bluemage. I mean, they can solo to the Monastery at level 27. They can solo to TotE around level 40. That's great soloing ability. 10/10

Partying: Is there a reason to not have a Dragoon in the party? By the end of the game, all Dragoons will have learned that they are best jumping on things. The only time they should stay grounded is to receive a boost. This only maximizes the power of this class. Dragoons should really be welcome to any party after they get Lure. Though, I do see conflicts with a Dragoon in the party before the Death Mountain portion of the game. Because of this, I can't give them a perfect score. 9/10

Fun Factor: While this class is part of my main duo (Blackmage/Dragoon), it is not one of my favorites. I don't get that much fun out of rest (for boost) and then jumping 15 times. The Dragoon works well in my party because it can clean up after the Quartering Blackmage very nicely and it can kill Golden Strikers with ease. Still, there isn't much to look forward to with a Dragoon other than damage and repetitive commands. 6/10

Overall: 8.33

[Sur Realis]

Jan 26, 2010 20:33:18 GMT -6 Assailant said:

Is there a reason to not have a Dragoon in the party?

Geyzer.

[Assailant]

Just do that ratings damn it...

[Takahashi]

- Solo ability: As of now, due to how Free Flying and Jump work together makes it such that Dragoons are nearly invincible, or at least nearly invincible for a long enough period of time to where they can wipe out most of the opposition before they run out of MP and are only ~50% invincible.

After v8 when it's no longer possible to avoid almost all retaliation for as many rounds as you have MP post-Grygasz? At that point Dragoons will be a class with below average defense, fairly high HP and so-so power (for all that Jump does, +75% damage with at best +4 strength per level really only shines above classes like Knights, Black Mages, Blue Mages and certain Fighter/Ranger/Black Belt builds if you get constant crits and MWs and/or Dragoon Furies). More to the point, being grounded more often means monsters will get to hit a Dragoon more often with melee and magic. Since Dragoons can only heal HP via Defend/Rest that can and will quickly become a concern.

In short, currently Dragoons get a 10/10. Based on what changes v8 holds in store for them though, that may drop anywhere from a little to a lot.

Partying: For all that their borderline invincibility provides, it's actually not required to have a Dragoon in the party. A Fighter can absorb physical attacks via Block, whereas Lure only negates an attack if the monster actually tries to target the Dragoon. Granted, Lure can cancel out an incoming magic attack whereas Block does nothing. Black and Blue Mages, and to a lesser degree Red Mages and Rangers can reduce all forms of damage via Barrier; a 15-60% reduction in damage trumps the 12.5-50% reduction Lure provides on average.

Damage-wise, Dragoons can dish out a fair amount, especially over a long span due to an ambush with multiple partymembers. In terms of burst damage though, a Dragoon's best option burns about as much MP as the best options for classes like Black Mage, Blue Mage, Knight and Fighter. If you want a steady and relatively consistent output of damage, Dragoons are one of the best classes you can ask for. If you want burst damage though, there are other classes you can go with and fare just as well as you would with a Dragoon.

So, due to having solid offensive and underwhelming defensive options, I'd give Dragoons a 7/10.

Fun Factor: ...yeah. Hmm. Well, Dragoons essentially are in a situation where they only have one effective style of play. Fortunately, that one style is VERY powerful and Dragoons reach that point of high power by the mid-early part of the game. That said, it is boring as fuck-all since it literally boils down to 'Do I still have at least one point of MP? If so, Jump and avoid any retaliation except when fighting against Geyzer. If not, Defend/Rest for one round and hope that few if any spells are sent my way.'

I enjoyed having my wisdom teeth pulled more than I've ever truly enjoyed playing as a Dragoon in and of itself. To be precise, any fun I've had while playing as a Dragoon had almost everything to do with who I was teamed with and next to nothing to do with the actual act of choosing Jump until my MP was at zero.

Worst of all, you're practically encouraged to pogostick your way to fame and fortune since none of the ground-only skills a Dragoon has are anywhere near as good as Jump on its own, never mind if you use Dive and/or Crush. Quicksilver is debatable early on when you don't have a lot of MP and Jump still costs 2 MP, but Jump is still 0% damage taken which is of greater value in the long run than 'makes your ground hits more likely to hit and gives you bonus evasion but does squat when it comes to avoiding magic'.

2.5/10 and I'll leave it at that.