Quick Links
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrailhas added new trials and raids to the fan-favorite MMO. As players rush to challenge themselves in this new content, many ask what gear they should be wearing. The answer to this question can be tricky to work out alone, especially for Melee DPS players whose job is to deliver the lion’s share of the group damage.
Luckily, the Best in Slot for each job stays relatively stable through different Pings and playstyles - meaning that players can use the Gearsets created by those in the community with an eye for numbers. Keep reading to see the current Best in Slot for each Melee Job in Dawntrail, including the new Viper.
Best In Slot Gear For Monk
Monks want to have more Skill Speed than most otherMelee DPSclasses, but will still value Strength and Critical Hit Rate very highly. As a result, they take a lot of Light-heavy gear as their current BiS.
Mesquite Soup
N/a
The buy order for the Light-heavy gear is Gloves → Head → Chest Piece → Accessories.
Pre-Raid BiS Gear
Monks in theDawntrail Expansionseem to buy the largest number of gear pieces from the new Light-Heavy set, meaning that it could take a couple of weeks for players to obtain their BiS. While gearing for endgame content, keep in mind that the Monk wants to focus on the following stats:
The Artifact Gearavailable inTuliyollalshould be able to fill the gaps until players can purchase the relevant Light-heavy gear.
Best In Slot Gear For Dragoon
The Dragoon specializes in slow rotations and high damage. As a result, you’ll notice that the BiS gear avoids skill speed like the plague, favoring Critical Hit Chance and Determination instead. It is a mix of both Tomestone gear and pieces ofthe Arcadia Raidset, although the pants remain the Heavensbound Breeches due to being the only high level gear with Crit instead of Skill Speed available.
Pre-Raid BiS
If players haven’t yet bought the Light-heavy gear listed in the table above, the Heavensbound gear should generally be the substitution of choice.
The buy order for the Light-heavy gear should go as follows for optimal stat progression: Head → Feet → Rings & Bracelet
Best In Slot Gear For Ninja
Ninjas will want to prioritize their Critical Hit Rate, Weapon Damage, and Dexterity above all else. As a result, higher Item Level Items are usually better due to higher max numbers of these stats. The exception to this is when the item has Skill Speed on it, which is a dead stat for Ninjas. Unfortunately, the Light-heavy gear set contains a significant number of pieces with this stat, so Ninja players will have tobuy Tomestone Gearfor the bulk of their BiS.
Vegetable Soup
When buying the Ninja’s raid gear pieces, optimal stat progression dictates that the Chest and Gloves go first before the Ring. However, if competition is too stiff for the main body relics, starting with the Gloves and Ring is also okay.
Best In Slot Gear For Viper
Viper shares gear with the Ninja, but has slightly different stat preferences. This means that the Viper’s BiS gear will have different Materia melded on a number of the items. If players wish to have their gear compatible with both Ninja and Viper, necessary Materia substitutions will be in parentheses.
The difference between purchasing the Light-heavy Coat, Gloves, or Ring first is very small. Buying order is not important for the Viper.
Best In Slot Gear For Samurai
Samurais will be looking for Critical Hit and Determination as their main stats of choice, along with the Strength and Weapon Damage native to their gear. While some Skill Speed is good on the Samurai, the Global Skill Cooldown most builds go for is quite low. Their current Best in Slot utilizes the Skill Speed on the Neo Kingdom Hood to reach their Global Cooldown break point, and then otherwise avoids it by alternating between the Light-heavy and Tomestone gear.
Fruit and Aloe Jelly
Vegetable Soup is also a decent choice of meal, with the main difference being that the player’s Critical Hit Rate will drop one Tier while the Direct Hit Rate goes up. This works out to a negligible difference in damage, with Fruit and Aloe Jelly being slightly more efficient.
Best In Slot Gear For Reaper
Reaper has perhaps the strangest Best in Slot for the Normal Raid tier, as they currently don’t have access to their preferred stat of Critical Hit on most high level gear pieces. To reach a high damage output despite this, there is a heavy focus on Determination and Direct Hit - especially inMateria Melding.
The buying order for the Raid Gear is Head → Hands → Feet → Ring.
