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Oh boy, it’s finally here. Almost one year in, I was constantly scooping the database for the Dragoon Guide to type away all my passion and enthusiasm into the most fantastic Job the gaming world has ever known.
You can call me the resident Dragoon fanatic. Not expert, professional, or best in class. Better to put my cards on the table before you go on creating insane expectations. But fanatic, yeah. Due to my love for the Job, I promise the most informative, trustworthy, and bootlicker Final Fantasy Dragoon Guide you’ve ever read.
So let’s jump in and meet every character that has ever employed a lance and fancied hopping around above enemies’ heads with a brooding attitude, anti-hero traits, and an incredibly stylish and timeless armor design.
Traits of a Dragoon
One spectacular thing about the Final Fantasy franchise is its consistency with elements that govern its world, regardless of whether its settings are medieval, contemporary, steampunk, or an in-between.
So whether a character wears or not spiky armor with a Draconic design isn’t enough to define their occupation. Suppose they wield a spear and have any ability that makes them jump and thrust their weapon into their opponent’s skulls in a meteoric descent.
In that case, you know that the character is either a Dragoon or has the Job’s characteristics.
You must be wondering what defines those characteristics. Well, there you go:
- Japanese Name: 竜騎士, Ryūkishi, which means Dragon Knight.
- Main Weapon: Lance or Spear.
- Armor: Mail, Heavy Armor, and Dragoon-specific armor.
- Common Abilities: Jump, Lancet, Dragonheart.
- Role: Melee DPS.
- Notable Dragoons: Ricard Highwind, Kain Highwind, Estinien Wyrmblood, Freya Crescent, Dion Lesage, and Barbara.
- Dragoon-like Characters: Cid Highwind, Ward, Kimahri Ronso, Fang, Aranea Highwind, Nine, and Llyud.
Dragoon in Each Final Fantasy Game
The first appearance of a Dragoon was in Final Fantasy II with Ricard Highwind. In many titles, Dragoons are knights fighting beside dragons with a knack for falling from the sky with their spears, impaling enemies. Moreover, they can learn some skills with the help of their faithful winged companions.
It’s one of the most recognizable and beloved jobs in the franchise, but there aren’t as many characters dedicated to it. Many spear-wielding characters use Dragoon’s iconic skills, such as Jump. However, this is more of a callback to Job than precisely their craft.
Final Fantasy II
There was an army of dragon riders in Final Fantasy II, but Emperor Matthew wiped out almost all of them. The only survivor is Ricard Highwind, a guest of our party and resident of the city of Deist.
Ricard is a Dragoon benchmark with his iconic armor, spear, and jumping abilities. His last name, Highwind, has become a staple for other characters with a similar combat style.
Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy V, Tactics, and Stranger of Paradise
The Dragoon is one of the Jobs available to our freelancer heroes. Although they can equip other weapons, their true potential is unleashed by wielding a spear.
They have distinct abilities like Jump, which makes the user untargeatable before dealing severe damage to the enemy, and Lancet, which steals HP and MP from the opponent.
In Stranger of Paradise, if you have the Trials of the Dragon King DLC, you can access Jobs’ classes (confusing, I know) and a new skill tree.
Dragoon got two new classes; one is called Holy Dragoon, a homage to Kain and his role in FFIV: After Years, and the other is dubbed Deist Dragoon, a tribute to Ricard’s hometown in Final Fantasy II.
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV portrays arguably the most famous Dragoon in the franchise, although players of Final Fantasy XIV may disagree. Kain Highwind is the most renowned reference and image of a Dragoon you will encounter.
In addition to stamping the cover of Final Fantasy IV, his name is mentioned in several other installments in the form of Kain’s Lance weapon, usually one of the Dragoons’ strongest.
Final Fantasy VII
Cid has three similarities to Dragoons: his last name, Highwind, his weapon of choice, and the limit break Jump. Other than that, it is embarrassing to call this drunk and rude uncle an honest, dignified and stoic Dragoon. However, the inspiration used to create Cid’s combat style based on the dragon knight is undeniable.
Final Fantasy VIII
In this entry, we have Ward. A bit of a stretch, but a Dragoon-like character nonetheless. The big man wields a Harpoon, and his Limit Break is Jump. What else do we need to classify a Dragoon? Yes, he does look like a retired sailor who can only jump from bar to bar, but he deserves mention.
Final Fantasy IX
Sakaguchi said he wanted FFIX to be a callback to the series. He achieved it. Even with Freya, since her occupation is Dragon Knight. This Burmecian lady has mastery of spears and can Jump as often as possible.
Her skill set is dubbed Dragon, and she possesses some party support abilities and offensive skills, like Lancer, which is basically Lancet.
Her clothing looks more like that of a Red Mage than a Dragoon. However, when using Trance, Freya’s appearance changes to a full plate mail. Her face is enclosed in a helmet with wings, similar to our beloved draconic design.
Final Fantasy X
Another stretch, but bear with me. Our baby lion Kimahri is a mix of Dragoon and Blue Mage. He uses a spear, can Jump and utilizes Lancet to steal enemie’s skill. Unfortunately, early on, he’s one of the weakest characters in Final Fantasy X. But it is what it is.
Final Fantasy XI
In Final Fantasy XI, the Dragoon is one of the Jobs that our main character can transform into. His abilities are based on his spear proficiency and Weaponskill.
However, the most interesting thing about the Job is that it has a wyvern pet that allows the Dragoon to use synergistic abilities with it. There was nothing more fun than venturing around Vana’diel with my trusty young wyvern.
Curiously, one of the selectable names for the pet Wyvern is Azure, which becomes a prominent title in Final Fantasy XIV in the form of Azure Dragoon, intended only for the best among them.
Final Fantasy XII
In the Zodiac Age version of Final Fantasy XII, a kind of Job board based on the Zodiac is introduced. The Taurus Job is called Uhlan, a spear-wielder that emphasizes heavy armor. It was supposed to be called Dragoon, but since the Job can’t jump, it was changed to Uhlan, another soldier who wields spears.
Final Fantasy XIII
Fang is the second dragoon-like female character in the franchise after Freya. Most of her skill set and equipment are reminiscent of the Dragoons of the franchise. Her Jump ability is called Highwind, her best weapon is called Kain’s Lance, and she has the eidolon Bahamut, the formidable dragon king.
In Final Fantasy XIII’s third game, Lightning Returns, Dragoon is a garb for Lightning. She can’t Jump, but she can use Lancet to steal enemies’ HP. Yeah, it’s quite a bummer.
Final Fantasy XIV
In the MMORPG, Dragoons are many. Both because any player can become one after level 30 and because they are part of the Ishgard army to face the dragon threat.
Of all the dragon knights, the most prominent is Estinien Wyrmblood, the Azure Dragoon of the time – if your character is also a Dragoon and has completed all the Job quests, this causes a minor loophole in the narrative.
Unlike in the older Final Fantasy games, where dragoons were usually the dragon’s companions, in XIV, they are the dragon’s archenemy. Their Job was devised primarily to assassinate the winged creatures, which initially made me slightly upset. However, as the plot progresses, this changes.
Final Fantasy XV
Aranea Highwind, oh, what a woman. My favorite spear-wielding female character. A mercenary in the service of the empire, Aranea is considered a contemporary Dragoon, given the settings of Final Fantasy XV.
She possesses the trademark abilities of a Dragoon, including a lot of jumping and honoring her Highwind surname. Noctis and Ignis also have similar capabilities when wielding spears. By now, you must’ve realized that the Spear + Jump combo has become a staple in the franchise like Chocobos and Moogles.
Final Fantasy XVI
The newest Dragoon in the franchise is Dion Lesage, crown prince, and leader of the dragoons of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. Moreover, he is the dominant of the eikon Bahamut, meaning the man can transform himself into a dragon.
These characteristics put Dion in the spotlight with the potential to become not only my Dragoon but my favorite character in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. I hope he is not a spoiled or self-centered prince as imperial royalty usually is in most JRPGs.
Final Fantasy Type-0
Within Class Zero, each student has their own specialty. Student Nine wields a spear, and guess what? Yes, he has jumping abilities. It’s a far cry from a Dragoon. Still, the characteristics are there, at least making their presence felt and utilizing the same gameplay iconic elements from others spear-wielders.
Dragoon in Final Fantasy XIV
The Job in the highly-acclaimed MMORPG deserves a category of its own because it’s where it was developed the most, has a totally unique backstory, and also has the most extensive abilities of all the games portrayed. It’s where I carved in stone my passion for the Job and the reason I choose spear as my primary weapon in any other game.
I confess that I did not start my journey in Final Fantasy XIV as a Dragoon because, in the lore, their role was to kill dragons. I like dragons, so I didn’t want to kill them! But as the narrative develops, this changes and the Dragoons acquire synergistic abilities from their former opponents.
How to Become a Dragoon in Final Fantasy XIV
You cannot start out as a Dragoon in the game. The most practical way is to create a character as a Lancer. This way, you will start your adventure in Gridania. Once you reach level 30 with the Lancer, you can do the “Eye of the Dragon” quest by talking to Ywain in Old Gridania (X: 14.3 Y: 5.8).
You will acquire Dragoon’s Soul Crystal by completing the quest and becoming this majestic sky dweller warrior. However, to unlock Jobs, you must finish the Main Scenario Quest “Sylph-management.” Dragoon is configured as a Melee DPS, wielding lances and usually equipping armor with the Maiming suffix.
Dragoon shares actions with Lancer until level 50. After that, it is necessary to do a few Job Quests to unlock more unique abilities. In later expansions, this was gradually removed, making any Job learn their new actions by leveling up.
Dragoon Actions Level 1-30
|
Name |
Level |
Cooldown (seconds) |
Effect |
|
True Thrust |
1 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 230. * Action changes to Raiden Thrust while under the effect of Draconian Fire. |
|
Vorpal Thrust |
3 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 130. Combo Action: True Thrust Combo Potency: 280 |
|
Life Surge |
6 |
45 |
Ensures critical damage for first weaponskill used while Life Surge is active. Duration: 5s Increases damage dealt when under an effect that raises critical hit rate. Effect cannot be applied to damage over time. Additional Effect: Absorbs a portion of damage dealt as HP Maximum Charges: 2 |
|
Piercing Talon |
15 (Class Quest) |
2.5 |
Delivers a ranged attack with a potency of 150. |
|
Disembowel |
18 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 140. Combo Action: True Thrust Combo Potency: 250 Combo Bonus: Grants Power Surge Power Surge Effect: Increases damage dealt by 10% Duration: 30s |
|
Full Thrust |
26 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100. Combo Action: Vorpal Thrust Combo Potency: 400 Combo Bonus: Grants Fang and Claw Bared Duration: 30s Effect of Fang and Claw Bared ends upon execution of any melee weaponskill. |
|
Lance Charge |
30 (Class Quest) |
60 |
Increases damage dealt by 10%. Duration: 20s |
|
Jump |
30 (Job Quest) |
30 |
Delivers a jumping attack with a potency of 320. Returns you to your original position after the attack is made. Additional Effect: Grants Dive Ready Duration: 15s Cannot be executed while bound. |
Dragoon Actions Level 31-60
|
Name |
Level |
Cooldown (seconds) |
Effect |
|
Elusive Jump |
35 (Job Quest) |
30 |
Executes a jump to a location 15 yalms behind you. Cannot be executed while bound. |
|
Doom Spike |
40 (Job Quest) |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 110 to all enemies in a straight line before you. * Action changes to Draconian Fury when under the effect of Draconian Fire. |
|
Spineshatter Dive |
45 (Job Quest) |
60 |
Delivers a jumping attack with a potency of 250. Maximum Charges: 2 Cannot be executed while bound. |
|
Chaos Thrust |
50 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100. 140 when executed from a target’s rear. Combo Action: Disembowel Combo Potency: 220 Rear Combo Potency: 260 Combo Bonus: Damage over time Potency: 40 Duration: 24s Combo Bonus: Grants Wheel in Motion Duration: 30s Effect of Wheel in Motion ends upon execution of any melee weaponskill. |
|
Dragonfire Dive |
50 (Job Quest) |
120 |
Delivers a jumping fire-based attack with a potency of 300 to target and all enemies nearby it. Cannot be executed while bound. |
|
Battle Litany |
52 |
120 |
Increases critical hit rate of self and nearby party members by 10%. Duration: 15s |
|
Fang and Claw |
56 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 260. 300 when executed from a target’s flank. Can only be executed while under the effect of Fang and Claw Bared, granted by Heavens’ Thrust |
|
Wheeling Thrust |
58 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 260. 300 when executed from a target’s rear. Can only be executed while under the effect of Wheel in Motion, granted by Chaotic Spring. |
|
Geirskogul |
60 |
30 |
Delivers an attack to all enemies in a straight line before you with a potency of 260 for the first enemy, and 30% less for all remaining enemies. Additional Effect: Grants Life of the Dragon while under the full gaze of the first brood * Action changes to Nastrond while under the effect of Life of the Dragon. |
Dragoon Actions Level 61-90
|
Name |
Level |
Cooldown (seconds) |
Effect |
|
Sonic Thrust |
62 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100 to all enemies in a straight line before you. Combo Action: Doom Spike Combo Potency: 120 Combo Bonus: Grants Power Surge Power Surge Effect: Increases damage dealt by 10% Duration: 30s |
|
Dragon Sight |
66 |
120 |
Grants Right Eye to self, increasing damage dealt by 10%. Also grants target party member Left Eye, increasing damage dealt by 5%. Duration: 20s |
|
Mirage Dive |
68 |
1 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 200. Additional Effect: Strengthens the gaze of your Dragon Gauge by 1 Can only be executed when Dive Ready. |
|
Nastrond |
70 (Job Quest) |
10 |
Delivers an attack to all enemies in a straight line before you with a potency of 360 for the first enemy, and 30% less for all remaining enemies. Can only be executed while under the effect of Life of the Dragon. |
|
Coerthan Torment |
72 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100 to all enemies in a straight line before you. Combo Action: Sonic Thrust Combo Potency: 150 Combo Bonus: Grants Draconian Fire Duration: 30s |
|
High Jump |
74 |
30 |
Delivers a jumping attack with a potency of 400. Returns you to your original position after the attack is made. Additional Effect: Grants Dive Ready Duration: 15s Cannot be executed while bound. |
|
Raiden Thrust |
76 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 280. Additional Effect: Sharpens the Firstminds’ Focus by 1 Can only be executed while under the effect of Draconian Fire. |
|
Stardiver |
80 |
30 |
Delivers a jumping fire-based attack to target and all enemies nearby it with a potency of 620 for the first enemy, and 30% less for all remaining enemies. Can only be executed while under the effect of Life of the Dragon. Cannot be executed while bound. |
|
Draconian Fury |
82 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 130 to all enemies in a straight line before you. Additional Effect: Sharpens the Firstminds’ Focus by 1 Can only be executed while under the effect of Draconian Fire. |
|
Heavens’ Thrust |
86 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100. Combo Action: Vorpal Thrust Combo Potency: 480 Combo Bonus: Grants Fang and Claw Bared Duration: 30s Effect of Fang and Claw Bared ends upon execution of any melee weaponskill. |
|
Chaotic Spring |
86 |
2.5 |
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100. 140 when executed from a target’s rear. Combo Action: Disembowel Combo Potency: 260 Rear Combo Potency: 300 Combo Bonus: Damage over time Potency: 45 Duration: 24s Combo Bonus: Grants Wheel in Motion Duration: 30s Effect of Wheel in Motion ends upon execution of any melee weaponskill. |
|
Wyrmwind Thrust |
90 |
10 |
Delivers an attack to all enemies in a straight line before you with a potency of 420 for the first enemy, and 50% less for all remaining enemies. Firstminds’ Focus Cost: 2 |
Dragoon Traits
|
Name |
Level |
Effect |
|
Blood of the Dragon |
54 (Job Quest) |
Increases the potency of Jump to 320 and Spineshatter Dive to 250. |
|
Lance Mastery |
64 |
Allows for immediate execution of Wheeling Thrust after landing Fang and Claw, or Fang and Claw after landing Wheeling Thrust, increasing potency by 100. |
|
Life of the Dragon |
70 (Job Quest) |
Allows for the strengthening of the gaze of the first brood upon successfully landing Mirage Dive. When the gaze is its strongest (2 units), Geirskogul will grant you the Life of the Dragon status. While under the effect of Life of the Dragon, Geirskogul will change to Nastrond. Duration: 20s |
|
Jump Mastery |
74 |
Upgrades Jump to High Jump. |
|
Lance Mastery II |
76 |
Increases the potency of True Thrust to 230, Vorpal Thrust to 130, and Disembowel to 140. Grants Draconian Fire if Fang and Claw is executed following Wheeling Thrust, or vice versa. Duration: 30s Effect of Draconian Fire ends upon execution of any melee weaponskill. Upgrades True Thrust to Raiden Thrust while under the effect of Draconian Fire. |
|
Life of the Dragon Mastery |
78 |
Extends the duration of Life of the Dragon to 30 seconds. |
|
Enhanced Coerthan Torment |
82 |
Grants the effect of Draconian Fire after successfully completing a combo with Coerthan Torment. Duration: 30s Effect of Draconian Fire ends upon execution of any melee weaponskill. Upgrades Doom Spike to Draconian Fury while under the effect of Draconian Fire. |
|
Enhanced Spineshatter Dive |
84 |
Allows the accumulation of charges for consecutive uses of Spineshatter Dive. Maximum Charges: 2 |
|
Lance Mastery III |
86 |
Upgrades Full Thrust to Heavens’ Thrust and Chaos Thrust to Chaotic Spring. |
|
Enhanced Life Surge |
88 |
Allows the accumulation of charges for consecutive uses of Life Surge. Maximum Charges: 2 |
|
Lance Mastery IV |
90 |
Increases the potency of Geirskogul to 260 and Nastrond to 360. Allows for the sharpening of the Firstminds’ Focus upon successfully landing Raiden Thrust or Draconian Fury, up to a maximum of 2 units. |
FAQs
Question: Do Dragoons Get Dragons in FFXIV?
Answer: Unfortunately not. I know FFXI players loved to have a dragon companion alongside their journey, but they removed it from FFXIV. Possibly due to the narrative plot of Heavensward, since Dragoons and dragons were anything but friends.
Question: Does Lancer Turn into Dragoon?
Answer: Indeed, they do. In Final Fantasy XIV, you need to level a Lancer up to 30 before taking on the Job Quest “Eye of the Dragon” and becoming a Dragoon.
Question: Is Dragoon Good for Beginners?
Answer: Each Melee DPS has offensive actions that form a combo with each other. However, the other melee Jobs are punished more for getting the rotation wrong, while the Dragoon is not so much.
Every minute or two, all their cooldowns buffs reset, which adds a few more buttons to the rotation. But still, Dragoon, next to Reaper, is the most recommended Melee Job for beginners.
The Dragoon in Our Heart
In the old days, I always played with classes that carried massive broadswords, Berserker style. But after I met Dragoon and his draconic features, my playstyle totally changed.
Even in other games with nothing to do with Dragoon, I now choose the spear as a primary weapon. Even if it is bad. Don’t try to play Bloodborne with a spear, I beg you.
The important thing is that Final Fantasy seems to be always doubling down on the representation of Dragoons, making them more and more imposing, more skilled with their spears and jumping skills, and better related to dragons, as we saw in Dion Lesage from Final Fantasy XVI, who will be able to transform into none other than Bahamut, the King of Dragons.
In other words, Final Fantasy has created a vacuum that I can’t escape, and my only choice is to keep cherishing Dragoons till death do us part.