Yet another ShB DRK Feedback

Hello everybody.

Here is (yet) another Dark Knight feedback thread. In this post, I will try to explain what are my thoughts about this new version of the job, what I like, what I would like to see improve, and finally what could be done realistically to its kit. I’m not a native English speaker, so bear with me for the eventual mistakes.

I’m a DRK main since mid-HW, and I’ve mained it all throughout the end of HW and all of SB. I have a preference for the HW version of DRK but was fine with how SB DRK was at the end of the extension, after its buffs and changes. Here for some context to help seeing my PoV.

Okay, let’s go.

General Thoughts on ShB DRK:

I was a bit skeptical about some changes before launch, but also curious and open to try the job because of some ideas that were interesting. After leveling it up to 80 and messing with it a bit, I must say I’m overall relatively satistified with the job, more than I thought I would be. It’s not perfect by any mean, but it feels different enough to WAR (my biggest fear post launch) IMO.

What sell this version to me was its flow. The DRK now flow very swiftly, more so than in SB, getting closer in this aspect to its old HW version. There is only one animation lock in Plunge and everything feels snappy. Edge/Flood feels good and TBN is crazy strong (perhaps too strong for its duration). Defensive wise, the DRK still feels as solid as it was at the end of SB.

I’m fine with Delirium which is a surprise. The explanation is that it’s not the focus of our rotation so it don’t feel that impactful. I would still love for it to be more unique to DRK and not yet another “spam your biggest hitting skill 5 time”.

You have to be careful with your MP because of how little you have, too little in my taste. I understand wanting to avoid the spammy syndrome that old Dark Arts had, but I still think ShB DRK needs more MP. I finally don’t really like the new blood weapon. I loved the speed buff aspect of its old version, and I hate that you can’t have your 5 GCDs in AOE situation because of Unleash and Stalwart Soul being tied to spell speed.

Overall, the job feels slower but is still quite busy. There is some downtimes, when you gather resource for burst windows, where you only use your 123 combo with the eventual 4 in Bloodspiller. It’s here we can feel the lack of another combo/mechanic/ability which is the biggest downside of this iteration of DRK. You still has to build your burst and there is still a form of free-flow, but it feels a bit more stiff than before. Living Shadow is fine, a bit boring mechanically but thematically and visually awesome.

So yeah. I like this new DRK in its own way, but I’m afraid it can become a bit boring after a while because of the downtimes and the relatively easy nature of its mechanics – Darkside is a step up in the right direction management wise but is really easy to maintain . The job is very coherent with itself which is what matters. It feels like a streamlined and simplified version of HW DRK opposed to SB one, which is a good surprise to me.

If I had to resume it, it’s a good base to build upon.

TLDR:
What I like:
-The flow of the job
-Edge/Flood feels good and snappy
-Still a busy job
-The concept of Darkside
-TBN is really strong, a bit too strong of its duration
-The resources management is good

What I would like to see improve:
-The MP gain is a bit too low to my taste
-The downtimes where you spam 123 and sometimes 4 without any oGCD
-Living Dead being the same as usual
-Blood Weapon in AOE situation feels bad and where is the speed buff?
-Delirium is functional but boring
-Mechanically a bit too simple

Proposed improvements:

Criticizing is good, but proposing solutions is better. For this section, I want to focus on short-term changes, so no crazy idea or total skill rework or even adding new abilities. I will not speak about potencies, the closer to actual damage changes I will got is MP changes. I think you can really improve on ShB version with just a few tweaks, so here are what I would propose.

MP gain solutions:
-Syphon Strike: Improving the MP gain of Syphon Strike to 900 or 1200, depending on other changes.
-Delirium: changing its MP gain in accord to Syphon Strike change (300 or 400 respectively).

Simple changes here but with a big impact. You go from three Syphon Strikes to generate enough MP for Edge/Flood TBN to only two, encompassing the passive mana regen. This would help a bit with the dowtimes too offering more Flood/Edge/TBN. The 1200 version is in case of the next change is coming too.

Making Darkside a bit more engaging:
-Edge of Darkness/Shadow: Removing its Darkside effect.

This change would make that only Flood of Shadow would have the ability to start and refresh the Darkside timer. It’s a simple change again but it would make you pay attention to your Darkside timer in order to optimize your damage. Darkside would still be a non-problem in AOE situation, but it doesn’t really matter in my opinion. That’s also why you would need more MP to work with, this change without enough MP would lower DRK damage by quite a bit.

TBN being a bit too strong for its duration:
-The Blackest Night: Increasing its duration to 9s.

I don’t think I have to explain this.

Not enough to do in rotation downtimes:
-Salted Earth: Revert its cooldown to 45s.
-Abyssal Drain: Put it on a 30s cooldown.

Just to have some more button to press more often. Potencies and such can be changed accordingly of course.

Blood Weapon can only apply to 4 GCDs in AOE situation:
2 propositions:
-Blood Weapon: Increase its duration to 11s.
OR
-Unleash: Make it scale from skill speed.
-Stalwart Soul: Make it scale from skill speed.

With the first proposed change, without any speed buff, increasing blood weapon to 11s duration would make it easier to catch the 5 GCDs in single-target situation and make multi-target situation being finally able to catch the 5 GCDs outside of Delirium time.
The other proposed change would simply make AOE situation the same than single-target situation.

Living Dead, the usual suspect:
-Living Dead: Replace “all of you HP” to “half of you HP” needed to be heal.

It’s been 4 YEARS Square, please! You want Invuln to be thematically sound and not overpowered, fine, but alleviate our healers job ffs.


So here we go.
As you see, no complete ability change. I didn’t touch Delirium because I focus on short term changes, but I would love to see it change. I like what they did with MCH Hypercharge, it makes it goes really quick, why not an ability that would lower our GCD by 0,5s for 15 sec? Just an idea, I think there is enough people proposing changes to it to not add another one. ^^
I also didn’t add any speed buff despite wanting one so bad, because I can’t see it coming back without changing DRK kit more because either you make it insignificant, or you make it having too much of an impact on things like Delirium/Blood Weapon/resource generation.

It seems as of now DRK is the lowest Tank DPS wise, but the margin is so small I don’t really care. It still means Square can add more MP gain without fearing making the job too powerful, and MP gain is my biggest want.

Feel free to add things and/or discuss. o/

I consider DRK burst need to be reworked and adjusted to first don't be a bland copy of inner release and second don't leave the job with such huge downtime watching Netflix.