I don't think DRKs are helping their cause when they start saying stupid things like a dagger swing does more damage than a T3 nuke. Lies and gross exaggerations like that pretty much make the rest sound like whining.

Martially, I'll just reiterate that Insurgency should be a crit WS. During the TP phase, at best I'd offer DRK a trait that grants a high chance of attacking again after landing a critical hit. If we're gonna dabble into the whole Combat Casting idea, that's something RDM and PLD should be getting their hands on, too, with RDM being the best at it if it winds up being tiered.

Magically, I could maybe see up to the MAB2 trait. DRK should have Auto Refresh just like PLD, as Aspir isn't always an option. A trait to greatly enhance nukes on MBs has also been considered in the past, as well as a JA that could make a T3 function like a T4 with the T3's MP cost and (re)cast time. I'd also be okay with simply getting a DRK-specific nuke that does similar, maybe a bit better on MP costs and cast time. The decay rate on Absorbs should be abolished and their overall potency needs to scale better. Absorb-TP should be more like 3/4 the mob's TP unresisted instead of 1/2. I'd be okay with Dread Spikes absorbing maybe 1/2 to 3/4 a blow if it lasted for 5 minutes. And this is just me babbling off the top of my head.

Overall, we all know Abyssea's skewed job perception. I don't forget DRK being the go-to zerg job for damn near everything pre-Einherjar (and even then it was moderately useful at times). I saw DRK tanks on HNMs, tanked some low-man activities myself, and was rarely excluded from the pink pecker phase of birds EXP. DRK isn't a bad job. It's just not popular for Abyssea due to the lack of crit WS on their main weapon(s) and limited proc selection. Meanwhile, for those itching for more and more and more melee prowess, all I can suggest is a job change. Like it or not, the magic is not going away, as that is part of what makes DRK a DRK and it SHOULD be used more often.