Issue with TBN

[Shurrikhan]

TBN's break mechanic is what tries to hold you to the timing of HoS, Shelltron, and Raw Intuition. Being able to occasionally have double the regular frequency, slipping it into (mini)-busters between those mitigated by the other on-demand miti skills, is plenty worth that risk for now. You have that added flexibility, but only at risk.

My real concern is what HP scaling will eventually do to it in overgeared content... I'd almost rather it be reduced to 20% HP so that it can more reliably be free in dungeons, because already at no-CD, no slows, and no Holy in mass-pulls I'm sometimes getting too many lucky dodges to break the damn thing. That and at 25% HP flat absorption (whereas others would need to take more than what would have been their full HP to get that absorption under their equivalent skills), it'd still be overtuned in most contexts even if it were a 25-second CD.

[Kabooa]

My real concern is what HP scaling will eventually do to it in overgeared content... .

If you severely overgear content you don't need the shield and can just use the MP on flood.

[Shurrikhan]

If you severely overgear content you don't need the shield and can just use the MP on flood.

So what? Every other tank at that point IS getting free mitigation from their equivalents where you'd then have... nothing. Having TBN isn't balanced as a trade-off with damage; it's balanced such that TBN has limited use events, limiting it towards HoS/RI/ShT. But, by fundamental design that limiting mechanism can make it utterly unusable without tankbusters without losing damage, which creates a far larger blow than DRK is balanced around.

[Suratan]

So what? Every other tank at that point IS getting free mitigation from their equivalents where you'd then have... nothing. Having TBN isn't balanced as a trade-off with damage; it's balanced such that TBN has limited use events, limiting it towards HoS/RI/ShT. But, by fundamental design that limiting mechanism can make it utterly unusable without tankbusters without losing damage, which creates a far larger blow than DRK is balanced around.

Did you pull wall to wall when TBN did not break? If not, you need to make a reason for using TBN.

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I think, TBN is absolutely fine and resembles very good the lore of the DRK. It is all about decision-making with your resource. "Is this worthy enough for making me use this skill?" Or if you want it in the more poetic and edgy way: "Is this threat at hand worthy enough that I need to sacrifice my precious resource and throw myself into DARKNESS?" And if not, just use Shadow Wall or Rampart.

[Shurrikhan]

Did you pull wall to wall when TBN did not break? If not, you need to make a reason for using TBN.

Yes. It has failed to break even in wall-to-wall pulls without CDs or Holy, as I mentioned in my prior post. Most recently, when getting 400 of my tomes in the last day before reset (busy work-week prior), I twice each had it fail to pop as such even in the large pull of miniature plantkin in Akadaemia Anyder and the pull with the Pegasus, Wraith, and Evil Armor.

There are also a few dungeons that have no second area of mobs before their gate -- the Twinning comes most readily to mind, but there are a few other dungeons from prior expansions, too, that do this on occasion.