my first impressions of new DRK

[Suratan]

Well... I don't know, if it's just me but my first impression of the new DRK is ... really not that bad. I am saying that as someone, who came to FFXIV at the time of 4.3 and mains the DRK since the very first moment I set foot in Ishgard. In some raids in SB, someone told me that I have been a good DRK, so I guess, that I have been doing the SB rotation quite fine. I know, I was not in the pleasure of enjoying HW-DRK, but I guess to judge the ShB-DRK it is not that much needed.
I also need to say, that you guys have worried me prelaunch about the DRK.
Let's see...
My take on the MP-management is "Do I need to be ready for TBN in the next seconds or can I burn MP for my pretty offensive Floods/Edges?" I really don't care so much about keeping Dark Side up because it IS up all the time. MP regen is slower than SB-Bloodweapon or as SB-Grit-Syphon but it is not THAT slow to be ready for 1 flood/edge in 1 minute if you burned down your MP. I guess, the decision-making here is whether you need TBN in the next few seconds or not.
As for Abyssal Drain: I was worried, too, because it really was the sustain-aoe in SB. But my experience with ShB-AD is not that bad. I have been told, ShB-AD is doing 200 potency HP recovery only once per use. My experience is ShB-AD is doing 200 potency HP recovery for every mob hit by it. As I was leveling with FATEs, a big pile of trash mobs was charging at me. Because there was no healer with me, I just could watch my HP bar watch burning down. Then I used AD and BOOM -- my HP went back up significantly. From that experience alone, I am sure, ShB-AD still really is a thing. At least in aoe-situations. If THAT AD is a GCD, you will not need a healer anymore on trash mobs. You want some Clemency or Equilibrium for DRK? Pile a bunch of mobs on you and drain it out of them -- if you can tank them all that is.
And TBN itself is strong itself. 1/4 of your/your target's health as a shield. Everyone said, SCH -- the shield healer -- was the best healer in SB. DRK has his own shield. Use it to prevent damage instead of looking for something to heal you after you got hurt.

[gumas]

i like it so far, it flow better now, the only thing i remmber from old DRK is darkarts spam, now i actually feel like iam doing something.

i do agree though about the similar feeling with WAR. cant say much about GNB, as for PLD also love it but the class still buttons bloat even after rework lol

[Greyhawk]

I am up to 78.5 now on DRK. I posted that I liked it when I hit 71 (Page 3). I still like it. Do I love it? The answer is still out there on that one, and I am waiting for level 80 to make my final assessment. I will level PLD next as the second tank.

Honestly, yes there are some MP issues with the class - if you are putting yourself in that situation. Sure, I run low. I don't spam abilities though like a tool wearing wheel chair gloves trying to play an online game. Manage your class, stop playing DA+Drain game with the new abilities, and you will find yourself in not such a bad spot with this class with MP issues. Just as I run low, I know how to manage what I'm doing to get it back. Someone said they were more dependent on blackest night? Really? Did you just find that ability and just now start using it? Save your healers from healing un-necessary damage for a change.

Those of you having an issue with not enough buttons to push? Really? You want MORE buttons? Why make that horrible mess? Do you feel that you have to push a button every time you just let up on the last one to feel that you are doing the job of a tank? If you want more buttons to push, make a macro meme and push that every time you get the urge. Have it tell you to stop being so picky about button-pushing, asking for more jobs with a UI is absurd.

Really, play smarter, not harder.

[Arkenne]

I played it for the grand total of 10 minutes on a dummy at my home.
Plenty of time to set up the hotbars that I planed on ahead of time and test out this or that skill and have a first impression.

Well, my 1st impression is that this is another playstyle, totally different from what I was used to on SB. Is it fair to compare it to SB? Nah, not really. Its a completely different approach to the MP usage, if anything I will find myself running out of MP like I did back in HW for lack of attention (while I relearn how to MP).

While one iteration was an MP spammer, this one favors more a smart play. When it comes to MP at least. True, Darkside will not really require me to even pay attention to the bar, I may even toss it somewhere I can't see it for I like a clean screen.

I will miss a bit the Dark Arts spam but oh well, different times. DA is now a counter, and I like counters.
What I WILL miss however will be the speed from Blood Weapon, I don't think I'll never live that off... can't be helped anymore I guess...

Abyssal Drain having become what it has become is just... not worth mentioning.
Salted Earth will be deleted next expansion, see what happened to Blood Price v:?


Then I tried DelIRium and so I haven't played DRK again. (Yet).

[T-Owl]

I am up to 78.5 now on DRK. I posted that I liked it when I hit 71 (Page 3). I still like it. Do I love it? The answer is still out there on that one, and I am waiting for level 80 to make my final assessment. I will level PLD next as the second tank.

Honestly, yes there are some MP issues with the class - if you are putting yourself in that situation. Sure, I run low. I don't spam abilities though like a tool wearing wheel chair gloves trying to play an online game. Manage your class, stop playing DA+Drain game with the new abilities, and you will find yourself in not such a bad spot with this class with MP issues. Just as I run low, I know how to manage what I'm doing to get it back. Someone said they were more dependent on blackest night? Really? Did you just find that ability and just now start using it? Save your healers from healing un-necessary damage for a change.

Those of you having an issue with not enough buttons to push? Really? You want MORE buttons? Why make that horrible mess? Do you feel that you have to push a button every time you just let up on the last one to feel that you are doing the job of a tank? If you want more buttons to push, make a macro meme and push that every time you get the urge. Have it tell you to stop being so picky about button-pushing, asking for more jobs with a UI is absurd.

Really, play smarter, not harder.

So...I bet you are also one of those healers who rather afk than do damage because it is too much buttons to press?

[shao32]

Abyssal Drain having become what it has become is just... not worth mentioning.
Salted Earth will be deleted next expansion, see what happened to Blood Price v:?

This is the best part, since when "it's going to be deleted next expansion" it's a excuse to nerf and keep a pair of skills in such sad state 2 whole years at the very beginning of a expansion? This is just pure bad design.

[Arkenne]

since when it's a excuse to nerf and keep a pair of skills in such sad state 2 whole years at the very beginning of a expansion? This is just pure bad design.

That was half meant to be a joke, but its a trend I've noticed in a few skills now from HW to ShB. Some skill gets nerfed to the ground and next expansion are deleted altogether =-=a

Happened to Blood Price, happened to Dark Passager, Bane, Miasma, Tank stances, Sneak Attack, Shadow Flare, and some others I can no longer remember. You could say they ran out of ideas for them to the point that was better to completely scratch them away.

They getting nerfed now like this only means they just felt they deserved to be kept... for now. But I am pretty sure this skill will not survive to 6.0, I mean, Sole Survivor didn't, and it was in the name...

Edit: to be honest, I hope this happens to Delirium, let it die already =-=

Also, I meant it for Salted Earth only, not for Abyssal Drain... I really liked AD on AoE situations :/

[Greyhawk]

So...I bet you are also one of those healers who rather afk than do damage because it is too much buttons to press?

How you came up with this apples to oranges comparison is beyond me, but I'll pick your fight - no, I'm not at all.

[Greyhawk]

That was half meant to be a joke, but its a trend I've noticed in a few skills now from HW to ShB. Some skill gets nerfed to the ground and next expansion are deleted altogether =-=a

Happened to Blood Price, happened to Dark Passager, Bane, Miasma, Tank stances, Sneak Attack, Shadow Flare, and some others I can no longer remember. You could say they ran out of ideas for them to the point that was better to completely scratch them away.

They getting nerfed now like this only means they just felt they deserved to be kept... for now. But I am pretty sure this skill will not survive to 6.0, I mean, Sole Survivor didn't, and it was in the name...

Edit: to be honest, I hope this happens to Delirium, let it die already =-=

Also, I meant it for Salted Earth only, not for Abyssal Drain... I really liked AD on AoE situations :/

I'm personally glad to see Blood Price gone. A holy spamming WHM can completely negate that on a pull and if you can't/won't/don't manage your MP, you are screwed as the tank; it's so much better now.

The tank stance thing I am not sorry to see go - I just wish they would now keep the damn 'buff' on my character no matter what level of dungeon I enter. It served its purpose to remove it, but not any longer. Let me take it off, but leave it on if I have it on.

I do miss Dark Passenger, but the Flow abilities we now have really have made up for it (somewhat) - but at an MP cost (unless Blackest Night procs the free use). Unleash is now more than worth using, as the potency level finally came up significantly to be useful.

Sole Survivor and Living Dead were just a prolonged after effect of what was inevitable - death in a wipe. I have rarely, if ever, used those abilities and eventually they were forgotten about for me. I think I used them each one time?

My dilemma at the moment is Blackest Night acting like Hallowed Ground (has been in the past and still does) - and bug when you apply it. It's not absorbing over half the abilities out there that it should be, being completely ignored by mechanics, and you getting hit like it was never applied. I use BN on the tank busters to mitigate the damage - it is ignored by half of them, and not 'recognized' as something applied to me a lot.