Valkerie's Complete Guide To Dragoon

Category:Guides
CAUTION!	CAUTION!	CAUTION!
 	This article is a personal guide. Information expressed in this guide is one player's opinion and may be more opinion than fact. Strategies and information contained herein may not work for everyone.
No minor & non-minor changes should be made without consulting the author. Changes or questions should be discussed on the talk page.	
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Just a word of warning and to state the obvious, This is a work in progress. Lots of information may be missing and other information may not be correct. Bear this in mind until this warning has been removed from the page.
Editors willing to participate in this please lay everything down on the talk page. Also try to be objective and neutral when pitching ideas, I wrote this for the common player, not for elitists.
== Foreword ==
To all ye receiving these gifts I bid you welcome. Greeting and salutations fellow player of Final Fantasy XI, greeting adventurers of all levels. I welcome you to the most in-depth guide guide to Dragoon you'll find anywhere. Everything you'll need and want to know you can find here, everything. This is the definitive guide to Dragoon.
This is the kind of guide you should read for an in-depth look into Dragoon as it contains enough information to allow you to go from a snot-nosed green rookie into a battle hardened veteran, well not at first, being awesome takes work.
You may be asking how this guide book can be so important. Simple, the writer has tons of experience on the job. The writer has been playing Final Fantasy XI for almost 4 years and has spent almost the entire time as Paladin and Dragoon. The writer has learned from players that have been playing the game since the beginning. As a result of all the learning and on the job experience the writer has learned to read the tide of battle in most any situation. For those of you who are experienced you know what I speak of, but for the rest of you I've written this guide book for you.
This guide book is written in a manner that anyone should be able to understand. If for any reason you don't understand something I encourage you to seek me out and ask.
== Introductions To Dragoon ==
I know, I know you want to know if Dragoon is right for you. We'll get to that. Before you can make any commitment to a job you first need to learn a little history about the job. Let's get started on this guide by giving you the proper introductions to the job. Read Further.
=== What Is A Dragoon? ===
=== The History Of Dragoon In Final Fantasy ===
==== Final Fantasy II ====
In their first appearance, Dragoons are not a Job but a group of spear-wielding dragon riders who fought alongside wyverns. The Emperor killed off most of the group out of fear, leaving only Ricard Highwind and his adopted son, Kain.
==== Final Fantasy III ====
In their first appearance as a Job class, the Dragoon class has Jump as its special ability. The class is gained from the Water Crystal.
Kain Highwind is a Dragoon and the leader of a company of Dragoons in the service of Baron. His father, years ago, also commanded the Dragoons as one himself.
In the DS version of the game, two dragoon NPCs can be seen and talked to in Baron Castle. Their 3D model is similar to Kain's, only less detailed.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Kain's dark side has the Dragoon Job in this game and is temporarily playable during some sequences. Kain, having taken the alias of the "Hooded Man" while he seeks his dark side, is not specified as having a job. After Kain defeats his dark side he is transformed into a Holy Dragoon, a Paladin-like enhancement of the normal Dragoon class with improved stats and the ability to cast White Magic.
Due to the class being exclusive to Dark Kain it also features the ability to equip many dark related weapons and armor used by Cecil's Dark Knight job in the previous game. However most of these items cannot be obtained in the final game without the use of hacking.
==== Final Fantasy V ====
Dragoons are a Job obtained from shards of the Earth Crystal. They use the Jump attack, and in its first appearance in the series can use the Lancet ability, though it is called "Lance" or "DragonSword".
==== Final Fantasy VII ====
Though the game does not have a Job system, Cid Highwind bears many traits of a Dragoon. He equips spears and lances and can use Jump attacks as his Limit Breaks, including the "Dragon" attack that drains HP and MP from enemies. In earlier development stages, his Job was listed as "Pilot (Dragoon)".
==== Final Fantasy VIII ====
Ward Zabac uses a Harpoon as a weapon and is able to use a Jump attack as his Limit Break, both signature skills of Dragoons.
==== Final Fantasy IX ====
Freya Crescent is identified as a Dragon Knight and wields spears. Her lost lover, Sir Fratley, is a legendary Burmecian Dragon Knight. Freya is able to use the Jump ability and has the Dragon skillset, which enables her to use magical attacks including Lancet, which is called "Lancer" in this game.
Early concept artworks for Final Fantasy IX reveal that Dragoons were perhaps planned to have a bigger role in the game, with humans in dragoon roles as well.
==== Final Fantasy X ====
The game does not use an official Job system, but Kimahri acts as a combination of a Dragoon and a Blue Mage. He equips spears, and his special ability is Lancet, which drains HP and MP from enemies and allows Kimahri to learn new Ronso Rages, his Overdrive. His initial Overdrive is Jump.
==== Final Fantasy XI ====
Dragoons are an advanced Job class that can summon pet wyverns to aid them in battle. They mainly equip heavy armor and spears, and have abilities such as Jump and Super Jump to aid them in defeating their enemies. Also, the Absolute Virtue is a dragoon from this game.
==== Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings ====
Some enemy aegyl are Dragon Knights, who can Jump and use several ranged Breath attacks; or Dragoons, who can Jump attack constantly and only appear in Midlight's Deep.
Llyud can also use the Jump and Lancet abilities among numerous others.
==== Final Fantasy XIII ====
Final Fantasy XIII does not have a Job system; however, Oerba Yun Fang uses several trademark Dragoon spears, can summon Bahamut as her Eidolon, and her Full ATB Skill "Highwind" allows her to perform a powerful Jump attack. An enemy named PSICOM Dragoon appears, but is more based on the historical infantry unit the Job Class is named for rather than the Job itself.
==== Final Fantasy XIV ====
Dragoons are a specialization within the Lancer class, focusing in increasing it's proficiency with critical hits and AoE damage, as well as adding the iconic jump ability.
Characters who have reached Level 30 as Lancer and Level 15 in Pugilist may obtain the Soul of the Dragoon soul crystal by completing the "Eye of The Dragon" quest, and learn additional job abilities by finishing new quests that become available every five levels.
==== Final Fantasy Versus XIII ====
A female dragoon has been seen in trailers, acting as an antagonist with the Niflheim invasion forces. She has been seen diving from a military airship and attacking Noctis with a massive, mechanized lance. In interviews in Dengeki PS and Famitsu, Tetsuya Nomura indicated that she was a contemporary interpretation of a Dragoon, and a member of a special forces unit within the invading army that uses unique equipment and abilities based on the various Final Fantasy jobs.
Final Fantasy Type-0Edit
Final Fantasy Type-0 does not have a job system, but a member of Class Zero, Nine, makes use of spears, and can perform the job's iconic Jump ability. Class Two is a class specific to studying dragoon abilities. Carla Ayatsugi is a student of Class Two and Machina Kunagiri is a former student of Class Two.
==== Final Fantasy Tactics ====
Dragoons are physical Job that are unlocked by obtaining Level 3 or 4 in the Thief Job, depending on the version of the game. They have a high Jump stat boosted by the Ignore Elevation ability, and can use the Jump skill to strike distant foes.
==== Final Fantasy Tactics Advance ====
This Job is available to Bangaa after mastering two Warrior skills. Along with Jump and Lancet, they also have Breath attacks.
==== Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift ====
Once again a Bangaa exclusive Job, Dragoons are unlocked by completing Kyrra, Dragoon and can only be used after mastering two Warrior A-Abilities. They are especially effective against Dragonkind.
==== Crystal Defenders ====
Dragoons are job classes available for hire in the W2 and W3 stages, costing 50 Gil. Though relatively slow compared to other units, they deal massive amounts of damage and can target both ground and aerial enemies.
==== Final Fantasy Dimensions ====
Barbara appears as a Dragoon in Final Fantasy Dimensions, in a tale which grants the Dragoon job to the Light Warriors.
==== Dissidia Final Fantasy ====
The Dragoon job card discards all cards from the selection area for a new set. The first card drawn in the new hand is also a Dragoon, allowing the player to freely cycle their hand as long as they wish. However, boss and Chaos cards cannot be discarded as usual, and the Red Mage card does not allow discarding either.
==== Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ====
Kain Highwind represents the Dragoon job in Dissidia 012. The Dragoon job card reappears in the new Labyrinth mode, and discards all cards except doors and goals. The first card drawn in the new hand is also a Dragoon, allowing the player to freely cycle their hand as long as they wish.
The Dragoon is a job that can be selected for a character in a party in Quick Battle or wireless matches, boosting the effectiveness of jumping and granting a minor Lancet effect (10% HP drain).
== Combat ==
=== Modes ===
==== Defensive ====
==== Multipurpose ====
==== Offensive ====