Salted Earth and other questionable changes.

[Valic]

Honestly, half the skill changes look like they're being primed to be deleted. DRK needs an overhaul to be unique and make sense to play because as it stands now... It doesn't. Also I'm pretty sure Stalwart soul just increases your base MP by a fixed amount, not per target. A lot of skills have changed so much that DRK is no longer unique. You used to buff soul eater so you could do more damage and thus get more HP returned... but it's now a flat HP increase. Abyssal drain used to be a good HP regen for pulls per enemy hit increasing your HP..... now it's just a flat cure potency. Quietus was good as a means to deal high aoe damage and recover your MP to continue your aoe string.... yoru aoe's don't cost mana now and they clearly don't want you to enjoy the job by being able to Flood of Darkness and quietus back the MP... Blood Sword and Syphon Strike are you only means of regenerating MP prior to level 60, making it odd for aoeing and keeping your darkside buff up with how little of returns they grant in MP.

Our clone has no control or means to exist other than OMG FRAYGASM, Delerium is WAR's Inner Chaos + MP generation plopped onto it per hit. TBN is no longer associated to anything using black blood as a means to make DRK a "counter tank. Dark Missionary is garbage at a remarkably low 10% magic damage mitigation when half the time we don't know what's going to be dealt as magic damage anyways.... which Dark Mind was already known for being such an odd skill and is now also reduced from 30% to 20%. Salted earth no longer generates blackblood and is now the equivalent of BRD's old burning arrow area of effect where you just pop it and let it sit.

Overall, 80% of this jobs skills now are just "pop it because dmg" rather than any form of control or reasoning to deciding how to manage your MP. We have 5 GCD's, 2 of which are dependent on black blood and offer nothing more than minor potency nuke for lack of better creativity. Everything else is an ability you pop "because you can" instead of "because it may be handy for this moment coming up". DRK may be good by standards of being a suitable tank for parties in terms of mechanics and being an effective tank... but as far as joy goes, it's all been reduced to discount WAR status.

[Inuk9]

Overall, 80% of this jobs skills now are just "pop it because dmg" rather than any form of control or reasoning to deciding how to manage your MP. We have 5 GCD's, 2 of which are dependent on black blood and offer nothing more than minor potency nuke for lack of better creativity. Everything else is an ability you pop "because you can" instead of "because it may be handy for this moment coming up". DRK may be good by standards of being a suitable tank for parties in terms of mechanics and being an effective tank... but as far as joy goes, it's all been reduced to discount WAR status.

That is just your opinion, I'll keep playing DRK and I'm pretty sure I will enjoy it. But you are free to play with another tank, no problem. See you in ShB

[Valic]

That is just your opinion, I'll keep playing DRK and I'm pretty sure I will enjoy it. But you are free to play with another tank, no problem. See you in ShB

It's not just my opinion, check the other thread here that mentions how badly DRK has lost it's identity. It's many people's opinions.

[TouchandFeel]

I feel that the situation is a combination of the opinions presented so far.
Salted Earth was diminished greatly because what it provided in regards to resources and damage was allocated to other parts of the kit, but for some reason the developers were hesitant to outright remove it.
However the greatly diminished state of Salted Earth leaves a problem of optics for the ability as it now seems so relatively weak that it comes across being fairly pointless to have it even exist.

Personally, at this point I would actually like them to remove Salted Earth and use that freed up ability/trait slot to add a trait to Abyssal Drain that rolls in the DoT aspect from Salted Earth while applying a HoT to the DRK to really emphasize the "drain" aspect of the ability.

Basically ...
- Salted Earth removed.
- Abyssal Drain moved to lvl.52
- Lvl. 56 gives the Enhanced Abyssal Drain trait.

Enhanced Abyssal Drain
Abyssal Drain now also applies a damage over time effect with a potency of 80 for 15s to enemies and applies a heal over time effect to the Dark Knight with a cure potency of 80 for 15s.

Doing this would remove the problem of the seemingly pointless new Salted Earth while still keeping the DoT aspect, provides improved self-healing to the DRK which was a concern that has been brought up and provides more identity and flavour to the Abyssal Drain ability.

EDIT:
P.S. How about we keep this thread focused on the specifics of abilities like Salted Earth and not just have it turn into another "omgeeeeeeerd, derk iz der weeeeerst neeew!!!!" thread, there are plenty of those already.

[WhyAmIHere]

Also you guys commplain a lot and nobody is talking about the big buff in the cave and split.

that wasn't a buff. Media tour numbers were a nerf, now it's back to where it was and should have been.

[Alexow]

I kinda like the idea of making the AoE combo reduce the cooldown of Abyssal Drain

[Inuk9]

It's not just my opinion, check the other thread here that mentions how badly DRK has lost it's identity. It's many people's opinions.

Yeah, but people from this forum is way too "bubbled" in opinions. Every expansion is the same talk and they play happily anywayz after all.

that wasn't a buff. Media tour numbers were a nerf, now it's back to where it was and should have been.

It is definitely a big buff. First you dont need to spend 1/3ish MP to get the 450 potency anymore and second you get the replenish MP effect plus the old dark arts potency. Ofc it is not a Blasting zone (800 potency 30 sec cooldown) but it is way better than the current C&S.

[shao32]

Yeah, but people from this forum is way too "bubbled" in opinions. Every expansion is the same talk and they play happily anywayz after all.

it's not the same at all, there wasn't a job that his original gameplay has being heavely nerfed/removed before, the closer case was cast bars on BRD and you can see how that end. besaid what is this DRK can't complaing anymore and we should accept this? we can't have a opinion now or what?

[Inuk9]

it's not the same at all, there wasn't a job that his original gameplay has being heavely nerfed/removed before, the closer case was cast bars on BRD and you can see how that end. besaid what is this DRK can't complaing anymore and we should accept this? we can't have a opinion now or what?

Who said you can't have an opinion. Im just giving you mine.

[Reynhart]

Every expansion is the same talk and they play happily anywayz after all.

Personal experience here, but if DRK is still my main at heart, I've mostly ditched tanking and focused on my Red Mage because it was much less fun to play than in HW.