ErikHighwind wrote:
I am also pursuing LNC/DRG, and as such the only cross skills I got around to were for PGL so I was using Featherfoot to combine with Keen Fury for the 35% evasion (also stacked Keen Fury on when playing as PGL), Second Wind so I could heal easier since I haven't done CNJ yet plus I prefer to save my Life Surge for when I really need it or else a boss due to slow recovery time, and lastly Internal Release to boost my crit.
I will probably get around to Archer as there are some other cross-class skills that will be useful for LNC, notably Quelling Strike. I think this is also DRG compatible but some sources are conflicting about that.
For ability rotations I also do like you by tagging a mob with slows before assisting the tank with going after the weaker foes first to reduce total attacks, while keeping an eye on the healer in case they get aggro'd. For bosses I will reapply the slow as needed, but otherwise only when the target is full health. I will forego using slow if the enemy has low life since the attack is a bit weaker and the benefit of slow isn't really there if the target doesn't last very long, or if it doesn't last at least 10 seconds it's not worth it to me to give up the DPS.
After that I focus on doing Heavy Thrust from the flank (side) of the target since it does 170 initially with a 10% damage bonus for 10 seconds on subsequent attacks. If that bonus is in effect then I'll use Impulse Drive (180) instead of Heavy Thrust unless I want to rekindle the 10 second timer.
I try to save my Leg Sweeps for when the target is about to do an area attack since it stuns them and nullifies the attack. That way the tank doesn't have to move away, and of course I use every stun as an opportunity to flank or back attack.
For combo's your ideal order is True Thrust > Vorpal Thrust > Full Thrust (when you get it), and I will use those when the target is attacking me. For dungeons I don't bother as much with True Thrust (150) > Vorpal Thrust (200 combo) without the Full Thrust (300 combo) since the first two only add up to 350 total where as you can spam Impulse Drive to get 360 out of those same 2 moves. Either way, it's negligible but once you get Full Thrust the combos will be far superior.
So for a boss I do something like:
Feint > run to side > Heavy Thrust > run to back > Impulse Drive spam until one of the timers runs out then reapply as needed, returning to Impulse Drive otherwise.
More info here:
http://www.ffxivinfo.com/class/lancer.php
http://www.ffxivinfo.com/class/pugilist.php
http://www.ffxivinfo.com/class/archer.php
As for bonus stats I am probably going to save them until the end of the game after I've done all my materia melding, but in Beta Phase 3 I focused on STR first, DEX second, and VIT third. As Ywain said, a Lancer's goal is to pierce and destroy the enemy as quickly as possible. DEX is better for solo'ing but I like STR for dungeons since the enemies rarely move off the tank.
Edited, Aug 20th 2013 2:09am by ErikHighwind
Can only comment from 18, but I'm not dissimilar to erik here. FYI, I've taken ACH to 6 for Straight Shot, Raging Strikes & Venomous Bite. Also, DRG has PGL & MRD as subclasses, so I'm not bothering chasing ACH higher for now - Quelling Strikes would be awesome during CD stacking, but pointless for DRG now (still great for LNC tho!).
My usual move is to assist tank's shield lob/tomahawk target, run in, then:
- Heavy Thrust (from flank), move to rear of mob
- Feint -> Straight Shot
- Venomous Bite -> Impulse Drive
- True Thrust - Vorpal Thrust (less potency than ID -> ID, but also less TP cost. Not really relevant at these levels, but good practice is good practice. Plus, adding Full Thrust in will be easy). By now, HT has worn off.
- Flank HT -> VB, move to rear
- ID -> TT -> VT
- return to top
Basically, HT & SS should be near 100% uptime if possible, I keep VB up as much as I can (effective 205 potency attack), same with Feint. Leg Sweep should be used for any TP charged move when it's off CD (yours is off the GCD, GLD is not, and MRD has a large TP cost for theirs).
I'm stacking full STR for bonus points - key DPS stat for us. If DEX is needed, it will be smaller amounts, and they'll be easier to meld later (plus 2 jobs need STR, 1 needs DEX = cheaper!). Also, Internal Release & Second Wind (PGL), Fracture & Bloodbath (MRD) should be top priority for any aspiring DRG. Foresight, Mercy Stroke & Featherfoot also highly recommended.
Edited, Aug 20th 2013 9:28pm by carmelita Edited, Aug 20th 2013 9:33pm by carmelita