Bravely Default 2: Dragoon Guide

Dragoons in Square Enixs’s games are as old as the company itself and Bravely Default 2 wouldn’t miss the chance to include them in the already big roster. Always accompanied by their fascinating spears, they are both regal and fierce, complementing perfectly the role of dragon guardians in this entry. Let us waste no more time, and jump right into this Dragoon guide.

Dragoon guide and overview

While Dragoons are a little odd in Bravely Default 2, they remain extremely balanced with high power and equal speed. A physical-damage type Job of course, able to utilize their trademark Jump skill, in order to avoid damage and dish it out tenfold in the following turns.

Dragoon Abilities

1. Jump: Jump up and out of the field of battle, then come crashing down next turn, performing a powerful physical attack on a target – 1 BP cost
2. Sonic Thrust: Perform a physical attack on all targets – 27 MP cost
3. Thunder Thrust: Perform a powerful lightning-imbued physical attack on a target – 40 MP cost
4. Spirit Surge: Perform a powerful physical attack on an enemy that will heal an amount of the user’s HP and MP based on the damage inflicted – 44 MP cost
5. Comeback Kid: All status ailments will be automatically removed two turns after being inflicted, at which point HP and MP will be fully restored, and BP will be reduced by one – Passive/ 1 Slot
6. Angon: Perform a powerful physical attack that can penetrate a target’s physical Default defence – 52 MP cost
7. Sky High: Performs Jump on a random enemy at zero cost as soon as battle begins – Passive/ 1 Slot
8. Suffer in Silence: Perform a physical attack that’s extremely effective on silenced targets – 30 MP cost
9. Soul Jump: All allies jump up and out of the field of battle, then come crashing down on their next turn, performing powerful physical attacks on random targets – 3 BP cost
10. Full Force: Applying spells or other abilities to multiple targets will increase their effect, including the amount of damage inflicted – Passive/ 1 Slot
11. Spirit-Crusher: Perform a quick physical attack on a single target that has a good chance of removing one of their BP. The target can be taken down to -2 BP and more, only with a critical hit – 2 BP cost
12. Brave Front: Spells or attacks affecting all enemies will inflict more damage the more BP the user has – Passive/ 1 Slot
13. Spear Lore: Spear aptitude is increased to S – Passive/ 1 Slot
14. Bolt Blast: Perform an extremely powerful lightning-imbued physical attack on a target – 90 MP cost
15. Super Jump: Jump up and out of the field of battle, then come crashing down next turn, performing a powerful physical attack on all targets – 3 BP cost

Dragoon Specialities

• Speciality I: Momentum – Jump abilities will be performed more quickly, and will be more powerful the more weight the user is carrying.
• Speciality II: Highwind – Any additional effects applied to regular attacks also apply to Jump. Also, there will be no stat reduction for wielding two weapons as long as a sword or spear is equipped in the left hand.

Dragoon Weapon Affinity

• Swords: A
• Daggers: D
• Axes: C
• Spears: S
• Bows: C
• Staffs: E
• Shields: C

Dragoon Overview

Based on what you see through their kit, Dragoons are powerful physical attackers that also provide some utility in the party. That said, they are an quite ‘expensive’ Job. What I mean by that is that their abilities require a lot of resources to be used, mostly in the form of BP. If you manage out their high costs though, you are going to have a great advantage over any battle, as their moveset is rather strong.

Of course, we have the Jump skill and all of its variations. Essentially what it does, is that you literally jump out of combat, crashing down a few turns later inflicting a lot of damage. Based on the passive abilities you have equipped and the weight of your character, that damage is increased. It is highly advised to also equip Hellblade’s Surpassing Power skill, as your Dragoon will cause cap damage with ease. Letting them bypass that limit, is pretty much mandatory at any stage of the game.

Dragoons become extremely valuable when you reach level 12. They get their Speciality II, which lets them dual wield early in the game, without the second weapon losing any efficiency at all. That is only if you have a spear or sword equipped in the left hand, but since their affinity with such weapons is the highest, I don’t see any reason why you’d want something else. Maybe in the post game, but until then, spears and swords are the go-to for this Job.

Another trait Dragoons have, is their big amount of passives they unlock through their kit. Your AOE damage is heavily affected if you equip some of them, making those abilities a must for farming or in general taking out groups of enemies faster. This alone makes Berserkers a great fit as a sub-job for a Dragoon, as their kit also revolves around AOE damage. Since Dragoons benefit this much from their Specialities, keeping them as a main job is way more beneficial than a sub-job, hence why Berserkers should fill that role.

Also, another great fit for Dragoons, is the last Job you unlock in the game, the Bravebearer. Through their kit, it won’t matter if it’s a sub or main job (since they can enable both Jobs’ Specialities), in conjunction with the Dragoon, so feel free to experiment and see what fits best your playstyle. The reason why they are such a good combo, is due to Bravebearer’s passive income of BP at each turn. Since Dragoons rely heavily on BP, it’s only natural for a Job that refills them quickly to make the most out of them. Even if you do unlock them quite late into the game, it’s more than worth it.

Dragoon are always an awesome Job to look at, and in Bravely Default 2 they are no exception. They do require some investment to become literal physical juggernauts, but you will receive back the benefits of such effort very fast, making it time well spent. There are other ways of taking advantage of the Dragoon Job, like equipping the Salve-Maker’s Thrust and Parry ability, essentially reducing incoming damage by 50%, and many, MANY more combinations with other Jobs. This guide however has come to an end, so make sure to give them a try and as always, don’t be afraid to experiment. The holy Spiritmasters are coming up next, as we will be checking them in detail.

Bravely default 2 is exclusively available on the Nintendo Switch.