Dark Knight is one of the tanks of all time in FFXIV’s newest expansion, Dawntrail. Even at Level 100, does the edgiest tank leave some good impressions, or a sour taste?
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I saw firsthand how squishy DRK can be: In the L97 dungeon after the first boss there’s this pull of five birds that do an absurd amount of damage. In one run on that dungeon a DRK forgot to press LD when we got to that pack and the poor tank melted in like seconds.
I have that moment clipped if you want to see it.
Job identity be damned. All 4 of the tanks should just have identical "Oh Shit" buttons. At this point, its stupid that they are different.
I don't care if they keep their name and animation or get changed to a tank role action, but they should just all have Hallowed Ground's effect. Push button. Be invincible. Profit.
TBN should also have no more connection with your dps. MP, no matter how we look at it in FF14, just isn't a finite depleting resource for everything magic. In a game where a healer is especially present at all times and dps checks in the hardest content can be tight, sacrificing dps for survivability does not feel good as any non-healer. Even for SGE, their reward for a broken shield (which lasts 30s) is a dps neutral movement tool. It's probably just a better idea to remove MP cost from TBN. Additionally, it is weaker than the other tank cooldowns by a significant margin. At full hp with no other defensives, its 25% shield is functionally a 20% mitigation with its effect duration ending when it breaks. On the other hand, Holy Sheltron and HoC both have a whopping 38% mitigation for 4s and another 15% mitigation for 4s after, and they will always have full duration, meaning they have good synergy with healing because the mitigation applies to restored hp. They'll also apply to any shields. And of course, they have healing that will be triggered no matter what and any wasteful usage will not punish you with lost dps.
I vote we give Dark Knight's that umbrella you were sporting in the video. Even an edgy boi needs some brightness and happiness from time to time. . .
Your idea of salted earth was close to mine. I suggested giving Salted Earth a regen in the puddle and when you activated Salt and Darkness, the pulsating damage from it would act like Abyssal Drain siphoning life force from all enemies in it.
The clone should be permanent and tbn should not require mp but recover mp if it breaks.
The guauge should fill faster Idk why they cut blood weapon
I would also suggest upgrading Carve and Split into a new aoe skill since Abyssal Drain would no longer share its cooldown. Give it two charges and reduce its cooldown to forty seconds.
Personally I would also love to see Blood Price make a return in some form. My thought would be to have it as an added effect to Oblation. If the target of Oblation takes damage the Dark Knight would gain the effect Payment in Blood, increasing natural MP regeneration for a few seconds. (Stacking in duration.)
Okay fine. I'll be that guy. Drk is fine the way it is. I can wall to wall pull. Early dungeons pre TBN is rough. Apart from that, if the healer does their job, I have had no issues. Plus I love the challenge. Sometimes I go into soul eater combo to have some sustain. Only time I have issues with drk, is solo content. Where other tanks have no issues getting through, drk falls behind. But it's rare that I do those. I mean I would even love the HW. I don't care. I mained the Drk stove it's release, and I'll main it still regardless where it stands.
A a dark knight main who is playing paladin this expansion here is my take.
1. A second combo that adds a larger regen on souleater is awesome but it should also boost the mana regen for the syphon strike or restore mana itself (paladin does this and uses WAY less mana)
2. Dark mind should just be flat reduction though a 20/10 split isn't bad
3. TBN, should lean into the dmg imo. The mana cost should be the same, but the shield duration should be 15 seconds and be 30% of your hp. If it disappers get an excogitation for 25% and a use of darkside with a potency buff. If it BREAKS, all of the save effects but instead of darkside use it's Shadowbringer.
4. Dark missionary should be a raidwide TBN except no damage buff except when your shield breaks.
5. Mana cost for all abilities should be 2000 not 3000 (save for tbn). Mana regen for all abilities should be 600-1000 (if you reduce cost of abilities then regen should stay the same.)
6. Give drk a transformation that increases his hp through basic combo abilities, gives him damage reduction and no cost to darkside abilities. Call it Dark Arts.
7. Separate c&s from abyssal drain and give life gain upon use of each and reduce to 30 seconds with 1000 mana regen.
8. Finally, Abyssal Drain should heal more. Like you said and be more spamable
9. Salted Earth should give regen and mitigation and move with you.
current DRK literally has nothing going for it. You have to try even harder than other tanks to stay alive at the mercy of dogshit healers. If other tanks have a bad healer, they use their OP self heal on short CD. DRK's version doesn't heal, just a paper thin shield for dungeon mobs that cost dmg resource of their MP for no reason. TBN contradicts itself, refund free dark dmg ability if shield breaks but use too strong of mitigation ability and it doesn't so, then its a dmg lose.
I actually like Dark Mind, it makes you remember which enemy mob or tankbusters actually deal magic dmg, i just want the duration to be 15s instead of 10, thats all. It feels like a 2nd Rampart in a way. Obligation tho, make 15% dmg reduction, gives a regen after duration ends, and applied after TBN breaks no matter what as a later level trait.
Another contraction, Living Dead, dont heal them before auto-rezzing smh. But yes stopping outsourced heals prior yess ive wanted that for a while, im about to have it trigger and get healed literally last second wasting it ugh.
4.x DRK was peak to me. Salted Earth use to give Blood Gauge per tick, Abyssal Drain was a GCD with dark Arts would heal more then current warrior, Sole Survivor on a killed enemy would heal your HP/MP, Delirium was a GCD of 3rd hit combo applying INT debuff on enemies, being hit with Blood Price would restore MP, you actually had to manage your MP as darkside dps stance always drained it in combat. Unlike now, just save 3k MP for TBN, burn the rest.
I miss other combo to use under the arm Power Slash attack yes. 5.x onward ruined DRK removing all those unique skills and mechanics it had. Since 2019, its been basic glass cannon brain dead beatstick lesser version of warrior offense wise.