When do you use Dark Passenger?

[Bigcat9715]

I can understand using it in an AoE situation, but during say a boss fight it seems like a waste of MP. In an AoE situation Blood price would compensate you for the loss of mp, so is it only worth using in a AoE situation only?

[Launched]

You always use it. At 60 it's 884MP for 150 potency. DA+Souleater is 1768MP for +140 potency.

[SpookyGhost]

Worth it as long as you have the MP and don't need said MP for DACS, it's +150 potency off GCD. For comparison, using that MP for DA Soul Eater is +140 potency.

[Jim_Berry]

I use it often, especially whenI got a bunch of mobs. I TRY to smack it early with Dark Arts since I'd have a lot of MP, but I use it even if I don't have the Dark Arts MP for it. It upsets the mobs, too lol...

[rjspencer4]

whenever I can

[LordLucavi]

I use it whenever there is more than one critter and I have enough of an MP cushion to use it with Dark Arts. I don't use it on single targets, it's just a waste of MP at that point since I can Dark Arts/Carve and Spit. With 4 or more targets, I usually use Dark Arts/Abyssal Drain, followed by Dark Arts/Dark Passenger, since with Blood Price up, I'll get that MP back super fast.

[FallenWings]

I use it whenever there is more than one critter and I have enough of an MP cushion to use it with Dark Arts. I don't use it on single targets, it's just a waste of MP at that point since I can Dark Arts/Carve and Spit. With 4 or more targets, I usually use Dark Arts/Abyssal Drain, followed by Dark Arts/Dark Passenger, since with Blood Price up, I'll get that MP back super fast.

Being essentially the second best use of your mana against 1-3 Targets makes it anything BUT a waste of MP. Mana priority for single target offense is always DACS(+350) > DP(+150 for 1/2 DA cost.) > DASE(+140 +120).

It's arguable that in a large AoE pack the Blind + 100 Potency * x mobs will out do the healing from DAAD.

[Yuni_Queen]

As guys said already,

You should use it each time possible, until you need mana for dark mind or CaS.
Since this is oGCD, when i have choice to use DASE or DP, i use DP and in next sequence DASE.

[JackFross]

Mana priority in single target is:

Dark Passenger - 884 mana for 150 potency ~0.17 pot/mp
DA+Carve and Spit - 2652 mana for +350 potency ~0.13 pot/mp*
DA+Souleater - 1768 mana for +120 potency ~0.07 pot/mp*

DA+CaS -
If you DON'T Dark Arts it, it's 100 Potency while restoring 884 Mana.
If you DO, it's 450 Potency with cost of 1768 Mana.
Difference is +350 Potency at a cost of 1768+884 = 2652 Mana, since you spend DA and no longer get the Mana regen.
Some people might argue I'm calculating this wrong, but I would disagree. The additional Mana healed from non-DA CaS is necessary when looking at the gains from pressing DA, because it's one charge - 50% of a DA elsewhere or an additional free shot of DP.
Saying the Mana isn't important to consider is saying "I would either DA+CaS or just never press CaS ever."

DA+Souleater -
If you aren't using DA+SE, you're using Delirium - 280 potency - NOT Souleater (260).
If you do DA+SE, it's 400 potency.
So you only gain +120, not +140 as several people have said here.


Fun fact:
On two targets, DA+DP is the single most efficient use of Mana you have for offensive power. You should shift a DA+SE into a DA+DP every time. Don't take a DA away from your CaS unless you have three or more enemies. At 3, the efficiency of DA+CaS equals DA+DP, but using regular CaS allows more shots of Unleash or Abyssal Drain, which are both net gains over base combos at that many mobs.


tl;dr: Dark Passenger should always be on cooldown. If it's not, you're leaving damage on the table.
And, talking strictly DPS: You should never be using DA+SE if your Mana will NOT be high enough before your DP or CaS comes off cooldown. You always want Mana to cast DP and to DA every CaS. DASE is significantly less efficient than either other mana option.

[Jim_Berry]

DA+Souleater -
If you aren't using DA+SE, you're using Delirium - 280 potency - NOT Souleater (260).
If you do DA+SE, it's 400 potency.
So you only gain +120, not +140 as several people have said here.

Yes! As I recently started using DRK more, it's the first job since 2013 that I actually try to learn via text and videos; I learned my other jobs off trial and error but are still lacking on them in some way. I used to think Delirium was ONLY for mobs that used magic-based attacks, such as Oppressor and Sephirot. After taking some time to read up on DRK, I'm happy with my progression. Only thing really left for me to do now is to get out of that 500 dps zone then I'm golden.