Suggestions change DRK a bit

[Cabalabob]

I agree DRK (and PLD) need changes, but the OP suggestions would suck all the fun out of DRK.

I'd prefer changes that make it easier for DRK to be more independent from the healer (looking at you living dead) and make it easier to spend more time out of grit.

Blood weapon: changed to a stance that cannot be active at the same time as grit. But half the effect (reduced MP return, 5% haste, 10% tp cost reduction). Because this would stop all the "let us use it in grit" whining as people would get that it's a dps stance not a cooldown.

Shadowskin: add dark arts effect to increase enmity while active (turning it into a short time grit). Because DRK and PLD need more enmity, WAR just trounces both of them in and out of tank stance on this front.

Shadow wall: add dark arts effect to add a 50 potency counterattack. Because as it is right now it's just a gimped sentinel. Vengeance has a counterattack and shorter cooldown, sentinel reduces 10% more damage.

Souleater and abyssal drain: drain 50% of damage dealt as hp (without grit/dark arts). Soul devourer trait changed to increases absorb to 100% while in grit. Abyssal drain dark arts effect changed to absorb 100%. Because it drives me nuts that these clearly drain based skills don't drain without special circumstances!! And DRK has a lack of self healing compared to the other tanks out of tank stance.

Plunge: add a small knockback, just enough to interrupt an enemy cast (similar to holmgang). Because DRK lacks interrupt capabilities compared to the other tanks having only 1 stun and nothing else.

Walking dead: adds 100% absorb hp to all attacks, stacks with bloodbath and souleater/abyssal drain. Because living dead sucks when you have to rely on your healer and can't use it for its anti-death purpose without one.

[ADVSS]

i can get on board with these suggestions, i really wish drk had more lifetap/self sustainability than they currently do

[shao32]

in my opinion the other 2 tanks need to depend more for from healers, if all jobs become more self efficient then why we have a trinity, DRK is fine in most axpects except OT, i hope the next expansion they make me go more tanking and more mechanics around tanking and trade off, make me run out off cds SE.

[ADVSS]

in my opinion the other 2 tanks need to depend more for from healers, if all jobs become more self efficient then why we have a trinity, DRK is fine in most axpects except OT, i hope the next expansion they make me go more tanking and more mechanics around tanking and trade off, make me run out off cds SE.

You can really see a difference when you duel the other 2 tanks(similar ilvl), i dont find any problems with tanks having a small level of self sustain, in case healers go down, I really dont But I do feel like they should have a similar amount of bursr self healing which they currently dont

[Xenosan]

in my opinion the other 2 tanks need to depend more for from healers

DRK just needs their equivalent of Clemency/Equilibrium in 4.0, I wouldn't want it to go the opposite direction, and I hope it has its own Pros/Cons befitting the DRK theme (Guillotine <3 /pray)

solo would appreciate it. DRK is the last tank job I'd bring to solo hunts for example. Though if someone has solo'd stolas or other HW hunts soloDRK let me know (but there is no counter to Nightmare for DRK I assume), I could give it another go, but I failed to Unkheti back @ like 210ilvl once and the shame ugh (SHAME!), never again ...

[SyzzleSpark]

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With the exception of the DA effects to Shadowskin and Shadow Wall (if those abilities get any changes I feel they should be independent of DA, as we already DA things constantly and it'd be more abilities to potentially pull Mana, which could upset the balance of building/maintaining/spending it) and the Plunge effect which is kinda iffy IMO (giving a tank a knockback seems really counterproductive) I actually think these are decent ideas. Just throwing it out there as I almost never see DRK suggestions that aren't incredibly poorly thought out.

[Cabalabob]

With the exception of the DA effects to Shadowskin and Shadow Wall (if those abilities get any changes I feel they should be independent of DA, as we already DA things constantly and it'd be more abilities to potentially pull Mana, which could upset the balance of building/maintaining/spending it) and the Plunge effect which is kinda iffy IMO (giving a tank a knockback seems really counterproductive) I actually think these are decent ideas. Just throwing it out there as I almost never see DRK suggestions that aren't incredibly poorly thought out.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on dark arts. I love the dark arts mechanic and want to see it do something to more things in DRKs arsenal to add more versatility and variety to its use.

As for plunge. I'm not talking huge blank/fluid aura knockback, literally just a tiny shove so it barely moves. My general thought was Levi ex. If DRK existed when that was relevant content it would be the only tank that wouldn't be able to deal with that AoE hysteria add. Where PLD could stun lock and WAR could stun the first and holmgang to drag it to stop the cast on the second, a DRK would only have low blow and then nothing to follow up. + if you leap across a room and slam a great sword into someone you'd expect them to stagger a bit.

[shao32]

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i alwais belive clemency and equilibrium was "hum why you add this to a tank?" whe have chocobos for this type of conten to support our role flaws, i think they need to improve more the companions intead to make every job self sufficient.

[MoarLegion]

I wouldn't mind seeing Blood Weapon gain an alternative function while using Grit. I don't like the idea of having dead skills on my bar (it works for WAR since its stances both come with analogous skills that can be easily macro'd to switch, but DRK just ends up with dead space), and I've no doubt that there's room to do something with it.

I think Blood Weapon should be our Bloodbath while in Grit. DRK could use a steroid buff in Tank Stance and I think Blood weapon having the haste and HP drain would fill that role, and make DRK more interesting to play in general.

[Awful]

Walking dead: adds 100% absorb hp to all attacks, stacks with bloodbath and souleater/abyssal drain. Because living dead sucks when you have to rely on your healer and can't use it for its anti-death purpose without one.

I really like this idea you have no idea how frustrating it can be when you pop LD and you have to rely on a slow/bad healer that can't top you off and you die. +1 for this

in my opinion the other 2 tanks need to depend more for from healers, if all jobs become more self efficient then why we have a trinity, DRK is fine in most axpects except OT, i hope the next expansion they make me go more tanking and more mechanics around tanking and trade off, make me run out off cds SE.

Drk really doesn't have a self heal variant to Equilibrium or Clemency which is why for solo play/ PvP or even in clutch situations where a self heal could make a difference between a wipe in a dungeon or relieve stress from the healers, DA+ Soul Eater is 1/4 of any of the other tank heals. It'd be nice if DA + Soul Eater was better but not too strong and I don't know how they'd balance that the only option I can see is put a debuff on DA + SE but make it give you a debuff where you can't benefit from DA + SE for 45-1 minute bringing it in line with other tanks self heals and making the old DA + SE what it regularly heals for.

As a Drk main I feel our self heals are just lacking compared to War and Pld.