This guide will be updated each major patch. It is intended for Dragoons that are maintaining a low Skill Speed to maximize the amount of Critical Hit Rate and Determination they can achieve. My rotation has been optimized for Skill Speed of 420-450.This guide is currently broken up into three sections:1. The Basic Rotation and Opener2. Gear Progression3. The Theory Behind the Madness~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Basic Rotation and OpenerHeavy Thrust -> Impulse Drive -> Disembowel -> Chaos Thrust -> Fang and Claw/Wheeling ThrustPhlebotomize -> True Thrust -> Vorpal Thrust -> Full Thrust -> Fang and Claw/Wheeling ThrustBattle Litany immediately before the pull.Use Internal Release and Leg Sweep after Heavy Thrust.Blood for Blood and Blood of the Dragon after Impulse DriveStrength Potion after DisembowelPower Surge after Chaos ThrustJump after Fang and Claw/Wheeling ThrustDragonfire Dive after Phlebotemize (unless saved for AoE damage)Spineshatter Dive after True Thrust (unless saved for movement)Life Surge and Geirskogul after Vorpal ThrustAfter the opener, only use Blood for Blood after Disembowel or Vorpal Thrust.Also, only use Blood of the Dragon as the second cooldown after Impulse Drive, after Disembowel, or after Vorpal Thrust.Only use Geirskogul if you have at least 23 seconds left on your Blood of the Dragon timer. There are 2 exceptions to this rule, however.1. You get a free Geirskogul if your Blood of the Dragon has less than 8 seconds left on its cooldown after Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust.2. Hold onto your Geirskogul if you have less than 15 seconds left on your Blood for Blood cooldown. You will be able to fit two Geirskoguls into a single Blood for Blood this way.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dragoon Gear Progression (BiS Pre-Stormblood)This guide is going to assume you have access to all i270 gear as well as the i275 Relic Weapon. Accuracy will be removed in Stormblood and replaced by Direct Hit. This means gear progression is simplified as we will not need to meet any requirements besides the Skill Speed soft cap.Areadhbar Lux (142 Crit, 136 Det, 5 Accuracy)Alexandrian Visor of Maiming (DET)(DET)Augmented Shire Pathfinder's Armor (CRIT)(CRIT)Alexandrian Gauntlets of Maiming (CRIT)(CRIT)Alexandrian Belt of Maiming (CRIT)Augmented Shire Pathfinder's Hose (CRIT)(CRIT)Alexandrian Sollerets of Maiming (CRIT)(CRIT)Augmented Shire Pankratiast's Earring (CRIT)*Alexandrian Neckband of Slaying (CRIT)*Alexandrian Bracelet of Slaying (DET)Alexandrian Ring of Slaying (DET)Augmented Shire Pankratiast's Ring (CRIT)**These two pieces are interchangeable with Proto Ultima Necklace of Slaying (DET) and Augmented Shire Pankratiast's Bracelets (CRIT).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Theory Behind the MadnessAuto attacks are not affected by skill speed. They account for approximately 20% of a Dragoon's damage. Off global cooldowns account for another 15-20% of a Dragoon's damage which, if you are able to use them as they come off cooldown, are not affected by skill speed.Therefor, approximately 35% - 40% of your damage is unaffected by skill speed. The difference in skill speeds of 600 (2.4 GCD) and 440 (2.47 GCD) is roughly 2.8% rounded up. With 600 skill speed, you would do 2.8% more damage of 65% of your total outgoing damage, or 1.82% more damage overall if it is two Dragoons with the exact same stats otherwise.If the Dragoon with less skill speed has 100 less critical hit rate, but 250 more determination (you'll learn the significance of these values shortly), that is equivalent to 22 more Strength with current stat weights (3.55b), or 1.5 weapon damage. This 2.4% increase in damage outweighs the 1.82% increase in overall damage gained from skill speed.The argument that people make is Blood for Blood buffs an additional cooldown at 600 skill speed, but it is only buffing one additional ability with 150-170 potency once every 80 seconds. The other arguments are you can't fit 3 Geirskoguls in the rotation, and Heavy Thrust is not being buffed at the beginning of each rotation, both of which are simply untrue.There is no denying the stat weights for a build with 600 skill speed are higher than a build with 440 skill speed according to Ariyala. However, I do not value skill speed the same amount as the current stat weights. Dragoon rotations rely on breakpoints for buffs to effect an additional global cooldown. With some fancy cooldown usage, like what I described above in my rotation guide, the low skill speed Dragoon is still able to achieve equivalent DPS to the traditional 600 skill speed Dragoon. http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/10IFV : BiS for 600 Skill Speed http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/10K0Z : BiS for 440 Skill SpeedThe difference in these two builds is -104 critical hit rate, +254 determination, and -162 skill speed.Life Surge TimingAt 440 skill speed, the second Life Surge used is able to buff a Full Thrust. At 600 skill speed, the second Life Surge buffs Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust, a 70 potency loss on a guaranteed critical hit (105 potency) 90s into the encounter. The third Life Surge is able to buff the next immediate Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust, while in the 600 skill speed rotation, you have to hold that Life Surge for the following Fang and Claw/Wheeling Thrust; a significant loss in potency.Jump TimingIn the 440 skill speed opener, jump is used at the same time as in the 600 skill speed opener. As Jump comes off cooldown, you are able to use it immediately. At 600 skill speed, there is a slight delay before you can use it as you have to wait to finish a GCD. At 440 skill speed, the third Jump is then used immediately on cooldown once again. The important thing to note is on the fourth use of Jump, both Dragonfire Dive and Spineshatter Dive will become immediately available, allowing you to use all three jumps in succession just like in the opener. At 600 skill speed, this is not possible and the timing for your jumps continues to change.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Good luck!T.T.