Dark Knight and stance dancing

[Blizzeta]

In my opinion, as it is now, DRK has an unfair disadvantage compared to PLD and WAR when it comes to stance dancing.

WAR gets a free stance change, with a 10 second cooldown, whereas PLD has to sacrifice a global cooldown to swap along with a small mp cost, which is okay because MP is not as important for a PLD as it is for DRK.

Grit seems to cost about 20% of a DRK's mp pool, which is pretty huge considering the cost of Dark Arts and various other DRK moves.
But, beyond that, I just don't understand why Grit has to cost MP at all, and the same applies to Shield and Sword Oath, though PLD isn't as punished for using it frequently.
The fact that it costs a global cooldown is, in my opinion, enough of a cost, and in fair balance with Warrior. PLD and DRK get a more frequent swap opportunity, whereas Warrior doesn't have to give up a gcd but is locked in a certain stance for 10 seconds.

So, I'm wondering, why exactly do PLD and DRK have these mp costs to their stances?

[ADVSS]

I'm not entirely sure if stance dancing is really whats intended for pld, drk has that wonky bloodweapon thing to sort of force it to, which makes no sense. Obviously dancing was intended for warrior, where its not as penalized minus losing some good cooldowns via wrath, but yeah the mp restriction is weird, i mean its obvious the mp cost is to restrict continuous changing of stances in a short period of time?

[SuperUguu]

the simple answer, both shield oath and grit serve as permanent ramparts/shadowskins while defiance simply gives you a bonus to hp received from heals and total health pool.

[ADVSS]

so you mean like a permanent convalesence buff and hp increase?

[shao32]

because compared to WAR defiance, grit and shield oath give a 20% damage reduction vs a stance how only give you extra hp and extra hp recovering via healing magic, WAR recive the same amount of damage no mater what stance is, thats wy the have more easy to stance dance in compensation, grit and shield oath in other hand are more powerful in that sense, no matter the defiance bonus, war need more actives heals to recover.

for the cost, yeah DRK have a huge cost, same 20% reduction and have more damage penalty compared with shield oath, is not the first time, is the same with shadow wall vs sentinel and vengeance, shadow wall have 30% like vengeance but they dont have the riposte effect and have the same recast with sentinel, unfair huh? but in other hand DRK have dark mind, is a magical sentinel-vengeance every 60 seconds to compensate that.

PLD and DRK are not designe to stance dancing like WAR, they dont need to stay in dps mode to unlock they skills, except blood weapon, but is nothing compared to all WAR arsenal are behind deliverance, so DRK and PLD can stance dance but they need to think when and where.

PLD and DRK are more pure tanks with all those mitigation skills and stance, vs WAR is more a survival tank, all 3 can survive every boss, but WAR take more damage no matter where you are, meaby DRK stance is a little expensive but is core gamplay is mp managment so i think thats the funny part of the class and i love it.

[MagiusNecros]

the simple answer, both shield oath and grit serve as permanent ramparts/shadowskins while defiance simply gives you a bonus to hp received from heals and total health pool.

Pretty much equates to the same thing though in the long run. And at times with IB you can have 20% more HP, 20% more mitigation and 20% more healing.

[SuperUguu]

Pretty much equates to the same thing though in the long run. And at times with IB you can have 20% more HP, 20% more mitigation and 20% more healing.

until you realize you can use shield or grit for a tankbuster for a instant boost in defense, and where you as a warrior would just leave the healers with an easier way to clean up the aftermath, the point is, pld and drk stances are frontloaded, where as the war stance doesn't come into play until they healers do their thang

[MagiusNecros]

until you realize you can use shield or grit for a tankbuster for a instant boost in defense, and where you as a warrior would just leave the healers with an easier way to clean up the aftermath, the point is, pld and drk stances are frontloaded, where as the war stance doesn't come into play until they healers do their thang

You can also inner beast before a big hit if you choose to do so. PLD/DRK have immediate defenses this is true.

[SuperUguu]

You can also inner beast before a big hit if you choose to do so. PLD/DRK have immediate defenses this is true.

inner beast is much like a conditional rampart/shadowskin, and not really much similar to the stances by themselves. and just as a war can do deliverance -> inner beast both drk and pld can do grit/shieldoath -> shadowskin/rampart. only difference being one needs stacks and the other two needs time

[Yuni_Queen]

DRK is not a stance dancing class.
You can do it mostly for dropping grit for additional dps, but not in a means like WAR is doing it.

3 switches costs too much mana, to call it profitable, so ideally, you do it only once.