TACTICS of a DRG/RDM

[tazirai]

HEy guys
I wanna post this not as a comparison , but for those who may or will play this class, heres some tips and tricks ive learned.
Use them as you see fit and comment as neccessary btu keep it informative and no flaming , this thread is information , not to be used to blast a job or combo .


thank you very much fellow travelers.



Also please wait till im finished posting before making suggestions and comments, thank youvery much youwillknwo when i am done , Ill say so ^^

[tazirai]

Most of you know me
I play primarily a rdm , but drg is the other class I am leveling, so I want to share someof my experince as a drg/rdm.
I am also leveling war to try to see which combofits my play style and personality better.

so please enjoy this info and use it if you play this combo.


First things First

1) When I play as RDM I can usually get a PT within 10-15 minutes even if not in jueno at the time.

2)As DRG or any type of war (I have two characters) It can take considerably longer , Even with war as sub. Since this is the case and my japanese is good I usually make the PT myself, since I hate waiting .

3)With DRG we are usually the leaders in renkei , so its wise to pick your team based on your skill, and the type of monster you will fight.

4) IF you are NOT the leader of the PT make sure to work out all possible renkei combos.

[tazirai]

FACTs:

1)At level 30 the drg/rdm has the following unbuffed stats in comparison to a drg/war same level

DRG/RDM
lvl hp mp str dex vit agi int mnd chr
30 498 52 33 29 31 29 26 28 31

DRG/WAR
lvl hp mp str dex vit agi int mnd chr
30 514 0 36 30 31 30 24 26 31

2) Both a rdm and drg are both have avg and above avg evasion and parry.

3)You will need items to enhance your weak points wether yuo chose war or rdm for the sub.

4) the modest mp gain is enough tto be an effective shock trooper.

5)str gain items are a must and so are dex items even though you have 1 point less dex .



ITEMS to take along as a DRG/RDM

Mithra kabobs.
STR+5 DEX+2 VIT-1 INT-1 Attck+22% Dur30min

Juice

Orange juice
MP refreshment /3 second MP+1/ effective time: Approximately 1 minute / total 20 recovery

Apple juice
MP refreshment /3 second MP+1/ effective time: Approximately 2 minute 15 seconds / total 45 recovery

For the DRG/RDM
these two above items are needed for the drg/rdm

also make sure that about level 14 you start getting those +2 str and dex items to increase your damage and hitting, also look for attack up items .


@@NOTE@@@
keep your gear ,unless you are just dead broke, DRG can use the same things that a rdm can so hold onto them.

[tazirai]

The DRG/RDM falls into two man roles in a PT

As an advanced job the dragoon is essentially not very good to be subbed.
However it is designed to be a very good shock trooper.
the guide that rent a hamster posted is very good in establing this fact.
SOme jobs are very much designed to for certain things.

Also the way square designed the drg it very much liek the rdm of ffxi when it was first released. Many didnt know how to playthem to utmost effectiveness. and needed some help for certain roles.
The drg with any sub is a shock and awe trooper using its incredible jumping skills and companion wyvern to dizzy the enemy , with a flurry of thrusting and peircing attacks.

Also the job was designed to solo and PT effectively with a variety of combos.
YES the war is good to sub with at lower levels to take aggro off the pt and even good at higher levels, but realise this the dragoon is in the same defense class as the rdm, its hardest armor is its AF,

So eventually the subs go from sam to thf to war to rdm , based on the situation you are in atthe time.

WE ARE NOT TANKS!!
we cant take hits very well,. BUT dam we dish it out.

NOW when I play drg/rdm Im two primary roles in the PT and ill explain it below along some strategies for using them effectively.

[tazirai]

The shock trooper drg/rdm has two roles in the .
1)role one is that of backup and link taker for the puller.
2)The second is to weaken and hurt the enemy before it gets back to the PT anc does damage.

@@@NOTE@@@
I highly reccomend macros for this role Ill show an example atthe end .
The basic setup is forming of 3 battle lines for the PT to be effective in this role.
It requires two taunters to be 100% effective.

SETup phase
1) The "grunt" puller/taunter goes into the feild to get the foe , hes line 1
2)The DRG/RDM follows and secures line of retreat , keeps eye on adds and is second line of defense.
3)The remaining 3rd line defender/taunter stays near PT and is emergency aide to second line defender. hes there to pull aggro off first and second liner.

Notice these guys are there to watch each others back and secure a line to the PT.
where the supporters are.
check out the graphic below

[tazirai]

ENgage phase
1) the puller grabs a foe using taunt, then beelines back to the PT past the second liner, his job is get home not look for adds as much , its the second liners job. Druing this time taunt is refeshing on the puller , So the potential for the foes to drop aggro is high if it takes to long to return to the PT .

2) Since taunt is a non damaging attack the monster may just give up and go about its business. This is where the second line comes in at , The drg/rdm is now the taunter and needs to get moving.
cast dia as the monster closes in on you , then jump to piss it off royally. as the 3rd liner taunts then you cast bio to weaken it further, then wade into combat phase.

3) After seeign you do your thing the 3rd liner taunts it off you and the first liner has engaged it already .
use this tiem to replenish your mp for the next monster by using juice .
after you jump attacked it and engage it your dragon is now still attackign if no matter where you are, so dont think you are stopping to use juice , when you should be fighting.

[tazirai]

Combat phase

1) once battle is engaged you can fight as normal then you can rinse wash and repeat.

2) Only drink juice when you engage a tote tote(incredibly tough) this way you wont go thru so many in a battle. That way you ont go thru many during your time in the field. I usually take abotu 5 in the field and a stack of oranges and water crystals to make as needed.

3) juice willhelp you save on TP and als if needed use rent a hamsters rest trick to heal your dragon

4) most people seem to forget that no matter your sub job if your dragon is hurt, you willneed to keneel to heal it, so arguments that using mp on a fighter is invalid , in anyway.

5) that heal trick takes practice ^^


@@@NOTE@@ shock trooper is the role i normally play as with rdm/drg

Pros:
1)RDM weakenings tend to stick even if rdmis the sub,
2) you will make an effective buffer for your PT.

cons
1)I ve noticed as you get hogher inlevles and using this tactic it gets harder to get taunt off you when using this tactic.
2)Takes experience and practice to use this effectively.

[tazirai]

heres the shock trooper macro

SHKAWE
/p Myturn <t>, Shock and awe time yosh....
/ma dia
/wait 5(6)
/ja jump
/wait 5(6)
/ma bio

Once the drg/rdm = level 30 youll need to twink this macro as casting time is lowered.

THE puller

The puller like the shock trooper has two roles.
Its job is to fish out the monster
the second is to weaken and hurt it.
I reccomend you use the shock awe macro but remove the bio at the end or give it a longer wait time.
if you are runing while it is casting itll fail.
The reason whyyou remove is thatyou dont wanna engage the foe until you get past line one. You mayalso needed healing. and running while locked on a monster sucks.

So your goal is to cast dia>jump>run.
the difference between this and shock trooper is that you are now line one and line two needs to have a good taunter.
also sicne you havent engaged it you are not damaging it atall until you lock combat.

combat viability
1) less aggro on you
2) less damage to you
3)less consumption of juice
4)less healing to you from mages
5)less all around damage from you

I hate being a puller, not enough damage from me in that role.

Pros
1)early refresh of jump so on a tote2 you may be able to use it more than once
2)effective and lasting pre combat taunting.
3)early weakening that will be reinforced by a full rdm.

cons
1)not enough damage and all the things listed under combat viability.

[tazirai]

TAUNTING AS A DRG/RDM

Contrary to popular belief a drg/rdm makes an effective taunter ,at 30 plus this becomes a lot more evident.

two things about monsters.

they hate magic and hate seeign it cast or feeling it affect them.
Monster hate when we are being heeled.
see a trend...?
whats a drg/rdm? drg with rdm sub , rdm does what ?
exactly...
when a drg/rdm casts multiple spells ,ESPECIALLY cures the monsters will switch focus to you.
the great thing is if you out heal the damage being done to it.

heres how to pull it off

Feelgd
/p Oh mr monster I feel great.. hehe
/ma cure <me>
/wait 6
/ma cure <me>

and sometimes in between cures you will also hit the monster causing more hate towards you.
now admittidely this is not as fast as taunt but still helps.

another great taunt

by casting spells of the damaging type in succession you can piss it off also.
/ma water
/wait 6
/ma dia
/wait 6
/ma stone

basically what that translates to is too much magic at none time.
also you will hit the monster druing those waits increasing the hate on you.


well if i learn or figure out anything else Ill tell you .
useing rent ahamsters guides and cibbis suggestions can make you a great drg/whatever.

thanks guys see ya.

[Rent-A-Hamster]

Wow, you really put a lot of thought into this. Very impressive ^^
Can you really afford all that food? I hear my wallet crying even after I buy a few stacks of Mithra kabobs, heh heh heh.

[tazirai]

Well im a cook and have a dedicated juice maker , thanks taco ^^as far as mithra kabobs, vanpysann sells them for 150-198 gil injueno.
also I took some IMT and final alliance members on powerlevel trip and showed them how skilled I was playing as this combo , My wa ras of now is level 9 ,I showed reihn how to taunt as drg/rdm and he was impressed, that it work , and the fact that I spent little down time also impresed them and our healer.
kelenae was doing the heals and I had to stop and wait a few times foe her mp to come back. it was so cool.
The thing about our mp and tp when you rest to regain mp you only lose about 30% tp, which during the first jump and swing you ve gotten most of that back.
I was able to WS at least twice per tote2, and jump twice.

[Garrath]

Great posts tazirai! Thanks for all the info!

[Shuketsu]

Hm.. I still can't say I agree with the drg/rdm combo :sweat: It just doesn't fit my playing style. But it's amazing to see how well you've got it worked out... great job, hope you keep leveling Dragoon.

[repori88]

You make the tactics of it great! I think I might do that when I get FFXI (I've already decided to waste tons of my gil on guilds. Especially Culinatians)

[tazirai]

thanks for the input so far ,
I know mage jobs asas subs arent looked on favorably but once you get in game try it out and see for your self .