Endwalker Melee DPS changes: new info from the Media Tour

Last Updated on: 23rd October 2021, 10:17 pm

With the end of the Media Tour news embargo, numerous FFXIV content creators from around the world have been flooding their subscriptions’ feeds with tons of info about all the class changes, job feel, and general Endwalker news which was guarded until now. While I did write a preliminary article about each class’s changes in the Job Actions trailer, some info is either out of date or speculation that was off the mark. I plan to remedy that now, so here are the Endwalker Melee DPS changes!

Do note that the information is subject to change between now and the release of Endwalker. This applies especially to potency numbers, but we can still glean some ideas as to how the team wishes to balance the jobs based on general potency numbers.

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Dragoon

Dragoon’s Endwalker iteration is one that brings a number of small changes that should keep the job fun for longtime fans. In the attacking department, Chaos Thrust and Full Thrust are receiving slightly stronger iterations with new animations. Raiden Thrust no longer requires the positional effects of Wheeling Thrust and Fang and Claw. Doom Spike is now replaced by Draconian Fury after a full AoE combo is performed. Most of these are small potency buffs but the animations more than make up for it.

On the cooldown side of things, a number of minor changes have been made. Both Lance Charge and Battle Litany have had their cooldowns reduced overall to 60 and 120 seconds respectively, with Lance Charge being more active but less potent overall and Battle Litany losing 5 seconds to its buff duration. Spineshatter Dive and Life Surge received second stacks as well. Blood of the Dragon is also no longer an action but a trait permanently active after a certain level.

The main new action is Wyrmwind Thrust, usable after every other Raiden Thrust. Each Raiden gives one charge, and upon accumulation of two charges, Wyrmwind Thrust can be executed. While not the highest potency move in Dragoon’s kit, the move will be used about every 25 seconds or so and gives players another action to weave.

Monk

I will preface this by saying I am nowhere near a master of Monk, but I do have a general idea as to how things changed for the job going into Endwalker. The main change is one with regards to Perfect Balance, now on a 40-second cooldown. Monk now acquires Solar and Lunar Nadis through the execution of Masterful Blitz with a number of beast tokens. During Perfect Balance, the three weapon skills used will acquire tokens based on the Opo Opo, Raptor, and Coeurl forms. Ideally, one wants to use Masterful Blitz with one total beast token and three total beast tokens to get both Nadis efficiently. The action used with two beast tokens is weaker but gives the Monk the Nadi which is currently missing. If all beast tokens and both Nadis are present when using Masterful Blitz, Phantom Rush will be used, a 950 potency AoE attack.

Basically, the goal is to keep up your rotation while getting both Nadis as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Greased Lightning is now a trait as well, a huge quality of life change for Monk players who just had to suffer during downtime. Shoulder Tackle has been removed and replaced with Thunder Clap. Think En Avant but a target is needed, as there is no potency on this move and it has three stacks. Brotherhood now ensures the accumulation of Chakra from other party members’ weapon skills, possibly to the point of being too quick to even use… The last major change to Monk’s cooldown kit is the removal of fist stances, though Riddle of Fire, Earth, and now Wind (reduces auto-attack delay), are still present.

Ninja

Ninja’s main change comes with its Level 90 skills, Forked Raiju and Fleeting Raiju. These are high potency combo extensions to Raiton which both act as gap closers. They’re the cool electric moves shown in the Job Actions trailer. Under Bunshin, a new ranged wind based off global cooldown has been added with a reasonably high potency as well. Other notable changes are the removal of Shadow Fang and the addition of Huraijin. The former is the loss of a DoT while the latter is a low potency move to reapply Huton. For AoE, a new trait has been added where, if the main two part AoE combo is completed while Doton is placed down, it will pulse and do more AoE damage.

Aoelean Edge and Armor Crush now give 15 Ninki Guage upon successful usage at the end of a combo, and more bar is always useful. Bhavacakra also gains additional potency while under Meisui at Level 80. All in all, not too much changed, but it has new high potency additions and some enhancements to quality of life and AoE.

Samurai

Samurai had its kit restructured slightly yet again to be even more Midare Setsugekka focused, alongside other nukes. Ikishoten has been brought up to a two minute cooldown with the addition of Ogi Namikiri Ready as a buff lasting 30 seconds. This allows for an 800 potency cone AoE, giving a meditation stack and followed up by Namikiri, a 1200 AoE, directly afterwards. Meikyo Shisui and Tsubame-Gaeshi recieved a second stack each, allowing for even more Midare and combo ender filled burst phases! However, Tsubame no longer offers a meditation stack. Ultimately, this results in less Shoha usages, though its potency has been accordingly buffed.

Samurai also recieved a third AoE combo finisher to keep in line with its third sen. Nice little change to help with AoE pulls at least. Merciful Eyes and Seigan have both been removed as Third Eye now gives 10 Kenki per successful damage mitigated. This… seems worse than allowing usage of Seigan, but I’m not good enough to say that with certainty.

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Ultimately, the Endwalker Melee DPS changes varied from class to class, but mostly focused on adding cool new high potency actions to further the job’s identity. The biggest change was obviously Monk, though fans seem to love the new changes. Regardless of these Endwalker Melee DPS changes, the expansion is only a month away and these jobs all look amazing!