Dark Knight feels pretty overwhelming.

[Phoenicia]

DRK was the first thing I picked up in Heavensward. The class is basically a reskinned PLD (look cooldown structure) with added flavor of WAR (look combo rotation usage). The class isn't as complex or overwhelming as people make it. It is also nicely paced for people to pick up the mechanics as they go learning the class.

At 30, you get Grit and Darkside giving you your actual tank stance and the damage buff for the MP drain vs upkeep niche.

Until 45, you basically are a PLD with a damaging flash and a semi-life-stealing Soul Eater.

After 45, you get Dark Arts and you can finally spend your MP for something useful, this is when your options start to branch, but you will mostly spend Dark Arts on either Dark Passenger in AoE or Soul Eater on single target. Dark Mind and Dark Dance are of no noticeable value yet. Blood Price becomes really valuable but all you have to do is pop it off cooldown.

At 50 you gain living dead and Delirium and your basic rotation is completed by having all 3 basic combos.

At 54 you get Plunge, making you the only tank with a charge attack and, if timed well, the most frequently used anti-knock-back tool.

At 56 you get Abyssal Drain, the better AoE version of Unleash and can be couple with Dark Arts for self-healing.

At 60 you get another Dark Arts spender, Carve and Spit. Your decisions change slightly by dropping DA from 1 Soul Eater in favor of pumping up C&S and you use Delirium instead. I personally like to use C&S for MP in AOE pulls because it literally gives me an additional Abyssal Drain. Your decision making hasn't changed much except should I pump 350 more potency of get MP back.

At 60, Dark Mind becomes relevant since magic damage tank busters are heavy one you start doing Bismark Ex and Alexander. But if by this point you have trouble doing anything outside of Siphon Strike combos then you have bigger problems.

Dark Dance also becomes relevant since it helps with speed running. DA DP + DA DD and you have a massive dodge chance in an AoE pull. Dark Dance sucks for mitigating physical tank busters and should not be counted on for such cases. Popping it to force a parry for reprisal and the chance of parrying the physical buster is a smart idea, nonetheless.
EDIT: For all that's holy, do NOT Dark Arts Dark Dance on bosses, you cannot dodge boss attacks.

Your basic CD rotation is the same as PLD but instead of completely relying on the big CDs you couple in small ones (Dark Dance or Dark Mind) to enhance the effect.

EDIT: If you look at the class at its basic level, it is simple. The class is as simple as PLD if you just want to function at the basic level (hold aggro and pop CD to mitigate damage). The class's "complexity" becomes apparent if you start trying to maximize the damage you deal while performing the basic function of holding aggro and reducing incoming damage.

You forgot about Salted Earth at 52. Also, I don't find Blood Price to be useful for single targets, but I could be wrong.

I did not add skills that do not change the mechanical core play or the decision making. Salted Earth should be used off CD for added damage. I also skipped 58 Soul Survivor for the same reason.

Blood Price is useful in every situation you're taking damage. You do not use as much MP on single target as you do in AoE so the MP you get in ST, while far less than in big pulls, is still relevant to the MP you spend.

[Delily]

You forgot about Salted Earth at 52. Also, I don't find Blood Price to be useful for single targets, but I could be wrong.

Also, Dark Arts with Dark Dance isn't too bad against physical bosses, since it helps to increase the chance of Reprisal.

[Dererk]

That's one of the problems with abyssal drain you use over 2k to get use out of it id rather the hp drain be the main effect and the hate gain be the Darkarts boost.

And sole survivor is great to use in pack mobs and adds during bosses you use that when your in quarantine in A4 you help save the healer some healing.

[Xenosan]

Or for the HP drain to come with Grit - like Souleater. I think some consistency between those 2 abilities' self-healing would be nice.

[Phoenicia]

Also, Dark Arts with Dark Dance isn't too bad against physical bosses, since it helps to increase the chance of Reprisal.

No, do NOT Dark Arts Dark Dance on a physical boss, EVER! Dark Arts adds dodge chance to DD, not additional parry. But I also said in my post that popping DD before physical busters to force a reprisal and increased chance of parry on the buster is a smart idea.

Or for the HP drain to come with Grit - like Souleater. I think some consistency between those 2 abilities' self-healing would be nice.

I'm all for 50% or 25% drain rate moved to the base of the skill without dark arts.

[Delily]

Blood Price is useful in every situation you're taking damage. You do not use as much MP on single target as you do in AoE so the MP you get in ST, while far less than in big pulls, is still relevant to the MP you spend.

It only lasts 15 seconds though. Against a single slow target, I doubt the mp gain will keep up with DA + DP usage.

[Delily]

No, do NOT Dark Arts Dark Dance on a physical boss, EVER! Dark Arts adds dodge chance to DD, not additional parry. But I also said in my post that popping DD before physical busters to force a reprisal and increased chance of parry on the buster is a smart idea.



I'm all for 50% or 25% drain rate moved to the base of the skill without dark arts.

Thanks for the correction, for some reason, I thought DA boosted the chance to parry.

[Dererk]

Or for the HP drain to come with Grit - like Souleater. I think some consistency between those 2 abilities' self-healing would be nice.

I made post suggesting a adjustment to Blood weapon but got a whiney PLD in first post bashing it. so I wana hear DRK mains input on it.

My suggestion is since Blood weapon can't be used in grit since it gives back mp from damage dealt.

So rework it so it still dose give mp while not in grit.

But while in grit have it give back hp instead.

They can nerf the cd time on it by increasing it since it would be op yes but also make Dark Arts a requirement to use it in grit.

[Nico_Of_Awesome]

I love how much there is to pay attention to. It's why I love the class so much!

[Delily]

I made post suggesting a adjustment to Blood weapon but got a whiney PLD in first post bashing it. so I wana hear DRK mains input on it.

My suggestion is since Blood weapon can't be used in grit since it gives back mp from damage dealt.

So rework it so it still dose give mp while not in grit.

But while in grit have it give back hp instead.

They can nerf the cd time on it by increasing it since it would be op yes but also make Dark Arts a requirement to use it in grit.

I think my first response is why you want Blood Price while in Grit in the first place. You can drop Grit, activate some CDs, use Blood Price, then put Grit back up. Do you want the additional damage from BP?