Why is my PLD stronger than my DRK?

[Demus]

You picked up a job recently and you're somehow less effective with it than a job you've had for a long time and you can't figure out why?

Really?

[ValentineSnow]

You picked up a job recently and you're somehow less effective with it than a job you've had for a long time and you can't figure out why?

Really?

You know what they say about people who assume? You make an ass out of u and me. I haven't played PLD for a long time, I rarely tank at all outside of occasionally doing dungeons, I just recently picked up tanking in general and decided to test them out before I played them seriously.

Were you using enough Dark Arts? Pop Blood Weapon, Salted Earth, Plunge, DA Carve and Split, and Dark Passenger whenever it came off cd? Reapply Scourge when they were about to drop off?

By comparison DRK needs to press more buttons to be as, or more effective than PLD. Also seeing as your PLD has relic weapon, which mean better substats, might play parts in it too.

Fairly sure I'm playing the DRK decently. The shire DRK weapon is crit/det so it's not too much worse than the PLD if at all.

PLD: fast blade > spirits within > riot blade > fight or flight > goring blade > circle of scorn > RA combo x2 > goring combo. And then just repeats from there.

DRK: dark arts > hard slash > plunge > syphon strike > carve and spit > dark arts > souleater > blood weapon + low blow > scourge > dark passenger > hard slash > dark arts > syphon strike > salted earth > souleater > dark arts Souleater til low on mp > then swap to delerium. Then more or less repeat with tweaks.

[Amagiri]

DRK: dark arts > hard slash > plunge > syphon strike > carve and spit > dark arts > souleater > blood weapon + low blow > scourge > dark passenger > hard slash > dark arts > syphon strike > salted earth > souleater > dark arts Souleater til low on mp > then swap to delerium. Then more or less repeat with tweaks.

Your dark knight rotation here isn't that great. You need to have better prioritization with your damage dealing abilities. For one, Scourge is of the highest priority. It flat up does the most damage in your entire kit. It should be the first ability you use. Your next highest damage dealing ability is Carve and Spit. You want to get out a DACnS ASAP, so you want to start with a DA -> Scourge -> CnS -> Dark Passenger, and then go into your DA Souleater rotation with blood weapon following right after hard slash.

EDIT: You should also keep in mind that, like other posts have mentioned before me, that you also lose out on DPS because you get no Reprisal or Low Blow procs. Additionally, you should be able to double weave oGCDs if you have them outside of Blood Weapon.