Returning player trying to pick a tank

Hello all,

I am returning from a long hiatus and I really wanted to focus on tanking this expansion. I have leveled DRK to 70 and I am just starting the Shadowbringers campaign. I find myself really liking the fantasy of the class but not really enjoying the playstyle. I was looking at Gunbreaker and I was wondering if that would be a good choice for fun playstyle. I have been looking at some videos online and it looks like they have a fairly consistent rotation (one 30 sec burst and a 60 second burst) is that correct? DRK rotation seem a little confusing to me so something more consistent may be better for me personally.

All I can say is to try them all out and make your own decision. I can't tell you how you would like a certain class.

If you want a more straight-forward rotation, Gunbreaker or Paladin are the way to go. They both have an easy to grasp pattern for their rotations that logically just flows together with PLD following a physical damage phase under Fight or Flight into a shorter magical phase under Requiescat, while GNB has regular 30s mini burst windows with their Gnashing Fang + Continuation combo, their full burst phase every 60s with the No Mercy buff plus Bow Shock and Sonic Break, and of course a little extra oomph every 90s due to Bloodfest.

Of the two, I'd say that PLD is probably the most straight-forward while GNB feels a little more "actiony" with a lot of fast button presses during their burst periods.

Also, if you have taken DRK to lvl.70, not a whole lot changes with how it plays, at least not in single-target/boss scenarios. You basically just get the second part of your AoE combo, stronger versions of your Edge/Flood abilities and Living Shadow which is on a 120s recast, so not something you will be using constantly.

DRK's aesthetics are definitely cool, my personal favorite of the tanks, but their game-play style is definitely not going to be for everyone.
Some people are turned off by the more resource and priority focused game-play of jobs like DRK and WAR, feeling that it just doesn't feel consistently busy enough or is too "fractured", while other may dislike the more rigid structure of the rotations for PLD and GNB.
It's all about trying things out and seeing what feels good to you.

However, I will say that if you really like the aesthetics for DRK compared to the other tanks, it may be worth sticking with it. It may not be clicking just yet, but putting in a bit of time with it at higher levels could bring it all together for you and you could end up liking it, you just needed some "breaking in" time. Also never discount how much an aesthetic that really speaks to you can elevate a character and just make everything seem or feel cooler.

If you are not overly attached to the aesthetic and you could roll with whatever style, then it's definitely worth checking out the other tanks too. Who knows, maybe you'll end up liking more than one of the tanks and end up leveling and playing two or more of them or go full omni-tank and level and play all of them.

Paladin probably has the simplest and most static rotation. You have a melee phase and a magic phase and alternate between the two.

Drk is actually simpler than you might think. It's basically just constantly cycle your 123 combo, use edge of darkness to keep your buff up (and be sure not to cap on mp), use bloodspiller whenever you are gonna cap on blood, use delirium on cooldown, and use living shadow on cooldown (so make sure you got blood available for it)

PLD most likely though in my opinion, don't play tank this expansion. I regret swapping to tank with all the changes they made (and lack of changes) to tanks in general this expansion.

if you mained DRK in past expansion i tell you DRK have been reworked to be a WAR clone with some MP oGCD, it have nothing to do with the past versions of the job anymore for a disgrace of all of us, at level 70 DRK have his complete single target gameplay kit and only recives potency upgrades to certain skills and the shadow but the shadow just sustitute a bloodspiller every 2 min wich doesn't add anything gameplay wise so you can judge the gameplay with what you have right now.

current DRK is a oGCD spam fest every 60s only for 10s, you use the 123 combo under bloodweapon and trow all the edge of shadow you can (leaving enough MP for TBN as usual), carve and spit and abyssal drain, and then outside of that use delirium and spam bloodspiller x5 like WAR, then you spend over 40s doing nothing but you lonely combo and a ocasional bloodspiller/delirium spam, congratulations you mastered the job.

now options, if you liked DRK in the past GNB is the most similar job since you are constantly doing stuff and is the job with the less amount of downtime compared to WAR/DRK the ones that have the most, PLD get more complexity this expansion (nothing escesive but nice aditions) and it's fun to try if you don't mind the holy spirit spam + confiteor finisher.

as a old DRK main and defender of a rework of the current (with respect to all) trash gameplay i recomend you GNB so feel free to try it if you want (feels way better when you have it at lvl 70 and get continuation), have fun with the expansion.

Warrior is the correct answer.

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Originally Posted by HibachiBob

Hello all,

I am returning from a long hiatus and I really wanted to focus on tanking this expansion. I have leveled DRK to 70 and I am just starting the Shadowbringers campaign. I find myself really liking the fantasy of the class but not really enjoying the playstyle. I was looking at Gunbreaker and I was wondering if that would be a good choice for fun playstyle. I have been looking at some videos online and it looks like they have a fairly consistent rotation (one 30 sec burst and a 60 second burst) is that correct? DRK rotation seem a little confusing to me so something more consistent may be better for me personally.

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So first off if you plan on doing older content as any of the tanks, don't do it, and the only old content you should even do as a tank is lvl 70 dungeons as a GNB and Shadowbringers leveling as either PLD or GNB.


Second, GNB is fairly consistent just like PLD.


Third, DRK only has lore and aesthetics going for it this expansion, and it's Rotation so simple that even the mainstream simpletons should figure it out theoretically which is the following; Spam Flood of Darkness/Shadow until you have no MP press it again when you have 3k MP, pop Delirium when you get it at lvl 68 or whatever lvl you get it and spam Quietus, spam Unleash until you get Saltwart Soul and spam your new AoE combo until Flood of Darkness/Shadow and/or Quietus light up for AoE, single target rotation is Edge of Darkness/Shadow until you have no MP, spam 1-2-3 until Edge of Darkness/Shadow and/or Bloodspiller light up, press Delirium to spam Bloodspiller, only use The Blackest Night if you know for sure the shield will break otherwise just use the MP for more DPS, always use Blood Weapon on cooldown and pop Living Shadow when it lights up and watch it do it's own thing for 24 seconds.


If you were expecting even more stuff to use Dark Arts on or even a really good DRK rework this expansion, you are sadly mistaken and disappointed and probably VERY pissed off(pardon my foul english language but it's not my fault if anyone gets offended)...

If you're going with DRK, I'd say have at it. It's a very simple tank. Too simple, but that's a good thing for most so I won't rag on it. The class has definitely seen better expansions, hell I'd even take the 4.x iteration. However, that's not to say it's a bad class. It's good, honestly. It has all the tools every tank needs: some reliable defenses, and a decent damage output, but it's become so brain-dead to play. Press 123, and cycle some oGCDs in between whenever the need arises. I guess Squeenix has been pushing too hard to appease casual players? Probably. Or the department in charge of class design has no idea how to make a DRK not... well, whatever it's become these days.

I play it because it I like to play sword-wielding classes in MMOs. I adore my DRK and don't regret playing it. I have a WAR, but I just cannot be bothered to play it right now. Never tried GNB, and I never got PLD past it's youthful self (GLD). I suppose the best advice is to play them all in order to get a better feel for them. But if you're pressed for time, go with the one you think looks cooler. In the end, the true endgame is vanity. It's not having the best gear in terms of function, it's having the best gear in terms of fashion.