DRK and MP and Damage Dealing.

[Theytak]

sorry, i was simply being lazy about the statement, so instead of damage rating i said damage. But I was still implying about the weapon's damage rating in my post. Otherwise I would have said, "Do/deal the greatest damage".

But back on topic, I still feel that DRK needs revamping in the WS dept. Flash damage is much more highly valued in EG areas, and even in casual scenes. I do realize that DRK has probably the best per swing damage, and swings the fastest of all the heavy DD, but in many cases we can't utilize this; especially in VW or waiting for certain conditions to happen and can't do as much damage as other DDs can in an instant. Something that helps DRK do more flash damage is needed.

And by flash, think of what a SAM or WAR or DRG can do in 10~15sec.

The word you're looking for is "spike"; ie: "Sam and Drk have always specialized in Spike Damage while Mnk and Nin specialize in Damage over Time."

Shamelessly quoting myself for another page and adding an idea I had for that unique enfeebling necessity that I feel is the most important thing for DRK right now:

A new line of debilitating spells to define the job's enfeebling role~

Dark Magic:
DRK 91) Rupture- Lowers enemy's resistance to blunt weapons.
DRK 96) Disclosure- Lowers enemy's resistance to piercing weapons.
DRK 99) Exposure- Lowers enemy's resistance to slashing weapons.


*These spells overwrite eachother.

Make these meritable to improve the effect. For tougher enemies, allow the spell to land regularly (with sufficient dark magic skill) and balance it by making them wear off within a shorter amount of time depending on how tough the monster is. In content like VW, balance the spell by letting it last just long enough for us to quickly set up a volley of SAM WS or something like that before it wears off.


There's you some spells to cast. There's you a reason to invite a DRK to your PT. There's your unique, perfectly martial/magical identifying line of spells to define the job. If the future identity for WAR is the ability to change its weapon type, what more perfect way to define DRK (WAR/BLM) than with this dark arts twist on that concept. This is exactly the kind of thing the job needs to make its MP bar feel like part of the job again.

This idea is absolutely delicious and as a non-drk, I emphatically support it.

[Saiken253]

Well, spike damage is the single hit big Numbers(like what I can do with /thf on drk with torcleaver). Flash is being able to do a lot of damage with multiple abilities/spells within a very short timeframe. they're similar, but not the same. I also forgot to include BLU.

However, I do enjoy the lowering the resistances of certain damage types that mobs typically have. Especially with only 2 monster families being subject to slashing damage... and both are undead x.x

this and dark nukes that are no longer than 1sec plz if they don't fix the new WSs(in a positive way for DPS~!)

[Theytak]

Well, spike damage is the single hit big Numbers(like what I can do with /thf on drk with torcleaver). Flash is being able to do a lot of damage with multiple abilities/spells within a very short timeframe. they're similar, but not the same. I also forgot to include BLU.

However, I do enjoy the lowering the resistances of certain damage types that mobs typically have. Especially with only 2 monster families being subject to slashing damage... and both are undead x.x

this and dark nukes that are no longer than 1sec plz if they don't fix the new WSs(in a positive way for DPS~!)

that's a bit of a misconception. Spike damage is any form of sudden increase in damage for a short burst. The nomenclature isn't 100% accurate these days, but it was a lot more relevant when it came into common use back in the day. Compare (75 cap, pre abyssea):

Mnk: deals a steady, consistent, predictable amount of damage over long periods of time, even during WS (Asuran fists back then was basically just 4 attack rounds condensed into a single ws). This type of damage was preferable for exp, and events like dynamis and einherjar, where you have a lot of enemies and (less so with einherjar) a good amount of time with which you need to continuously deal with them.

Drk: deals moderate damage over time if allowed, but specializes in dealing large bursts of damage, or "spikes". This type of damage was preferable for shorter fights, or tougher monsters, examples include Sky gods (baring kirin before zergs) and HNMs, where keeping the monster alive longer was a bad idea.

it's basically something like this:

DoT:
||-------------------------------------------------------
Spike:
||___/\___/\___/\___/\___/\___/\___/\___/\___/\___/\___

Spike could be either a single SAWS or more like SELRBWKclub zerg, either way it's a large amount of damage output that cannot be maintained over a long period of time. You're confusing "spike damage" with a typical side effect of "Big Number Syndrome"; thinking damage in a single hit is what's important. Pretty much every DD 2hour allows for a significant output of Spike Damage relative to their job, except manafont, since that doesn't increase damage output, just allows damage w/o mp cost, and EES, because it's EES. And Overdrive but that's a different issue.

[Saiken253]

Well I suppose it's just mine and my LSs categorization of all the playstyles of DDing heh. regardless, DRK has no longer become a Spike damage DD(in your terms) and has become more of a DOT DD. DRKs realy can't do a lot of damage in a short timeframe, not like they used to in comparison to other jobs. Simply because if we want to do a big number we need to /thf(which is still good in it's own right) where as a war can still /sam and get meditate as well as sekkanoki; not to mention it's own damage boosting abilities.

Instead, for a DRK to to respectable damage, it has to rely on it's TP swings for it's damage(similar to a mnk) because our WSs have become more and more outclassed by the other 2handed DD that it's pitiful at this point.

Yes I have Caladbolg and yes I can do nice numbers with that weapon, but WAR SAM DRG and such do it much better than DRK. I just want this gap to be closed.

And many of the DDs 2hours need revising/overhaul(like what drg got). Because only WAR SAM MNK DRG(though it's 2hr is becoming less and less significant) BLU and maybe SCH get significant boosts with their 2hours. DRK's Bloodweapon has become a novelty these days with the laughable 30seconds of use and the Souleater resistance that anything worth Kclub zerging(or anything similar to Kclub zerging) unusable; except for bahamut, but who kills him anymore? Additively, don't get me started on Astral Flow haha...

So in short, DRK needs quite a bit of "face-lifting" haha.

[saevel]

Really need to lower the casting time of all dark's spells to 0.5s like stun. Also please look into extending the duration of the +status to 3min like other buffs. This would have DRK's use their dark magic to buff themselves by draining their enemy, which is kinda DRK's thing.

I always thought the long a$$ casting time on dark spells was stupid.

[Saiken253]

Going back to the Darkness nukes(which er might be getting, but not holding my breath) I think they should also be able to stun. Not as reliable as the real Stun, except with maybe capped dark magic and good macc. Or they could have interesting debuffs like inhibit TP; a dark DoT after effect that stacks with all other forms of DoTs(more potent than Bio III); Plague, potency determined by Dark Magic Skill; Slow, again potency with dark magic. There's just so much they can do with it. However, they still need to be .5sec cast, deal a heavy amount of damage(no less than 500 outside abyssea), and have no longer than a 1min recast even with Hasso. Their "drawback"? they require a lot of MP, which might give us a reason to have at least 1 merit into Entropy haha.

[Akutenshi]

I really think what would separate DRK's from all other two handers would be give them the option to cast quick, damaging spells that take up a decent amount of MP. Let a class actually be up close to the mob that can do damage close up and cast as well, with doing comparable damage to other two handers. I think this could definitely change the play style of DRK in a good way. More casting orientated DRKs can use a scythe and entropy and could possibly open up viable casting subs, but if that's not your thing you could stick with /sam, /war, or /thf and cast less of the possible new spells but be more melee orientated like it is now. Granted, have the option to still be melee orientated with a scythe, but maybe buff quietus some if that's the case.

If SE can add fancy new graphics for the new weaponskills, I don't see how they can't add new graphics for dark basses spells like the opposite of holy or banish. I mean they could do a spell that's the opposite of banish and could give it an effect like the merited version the whm has. Don't make it merited, but make it so that the spell could have say a unique effect to mobs that it's casted on. Instead of say defense down on undead mobs it could be defense down on all things but undead etc. Kind of how drain works. They system is already there, they just need to utilize it. I know people can say that may not be fair to whm's, but whm's are there to mostly heal. They could have the option to do damage to undead all the time and they sacrifice other merits and healing abilities to do it while drk's main focus is only damage.

I think of drk as the opposite of pld. Pld's need to make use of their MP bar to be more effective and efficient, while drk's are not so reliant on it. It's just there for them to use if needed. I see that as a bad design flaw in class mechanics. Why have a class with MP if they are not going through it consistently? Entropy would fill that gap IF we had what so many other suggestions players have been saying previously that were awesome ideas. I know many people may not cater to casting as drk, but honestly, there are three other two hander classes that can do what drk can do, but do it so much more better with subbing the main two hander subs.

Sekkanoki and Hasso streamlined all the two hander jobs to be very similar in play style. I think the other jobs have enough niches to be different. War has massive damage. Drg has wyvern, breaths, jumps, and solo ability. Sam is just a skill chaining machine. Drk can stun and cast some situational drk magic that is either resisted a good majority of the time, or just doesn't have much reason to cast. Then they could do self skill chain with Sekkanoki that, every other two hander can do so what makes them different? I wish SE would give me a reason to actually be enticed and motivated to play drk besides being a stun machine or soloing in campaign with say subbing /sch to actually make it fun with all the tools you have at your disposal. Other than that I don't see much reason to play drk these days.