We really need to talk about Living Dead

[Rilifane]

Yes, you're right. If the tankbuster would deal lethal damage and basically any other option besides Living Dead is available, Living Dead is the wrong button to press as part of a prophylactic strategy. But that's a problem with tanks choosing to use it at the wrong time; not necessarily a fault of the ability's design.

In the event that there were no other buttons available, Living Dead successfully stops them from dying at least long enough for the healers to handle it, disgruntled though they be from having to make up for the premature expenditure of abilities or resources.



This is the part I don't understand:

Assume Living Dead is the only option available. If the DRK activates Living Dead and still dies, then the healer was doing enough not-healing that the DRK would have died 10s earlier without it...so how is activating it to delay death for 10s somehow griefing the healer? And, still assuming Living Dead is the only option available, how is activating it to delay death for 10s somehow worse than dying 10s ago?

When it's the only button left, Living Dead still puts the DRK and the healer in a strictly better position than they would have been in without it.

As I stated above multiple times: it has it's use when you would have definitely died otherwise as it serves to grant you a and the healer a second chance to get things back under control.
If it's the only option available you use it because it's the only option available. Not because it's good. It's your last resort.

I get what you mean "If it doesn't get triggered, no harm done. If it does, the tank would have died anyway". Which is true but that makes it essentially useless it because you use it in hopes of it not getting triggered.
And if you're counting on a skill not having any effect and actively try to prevent it, that's saying something, isn't it?
It has no beneficial effect and in case it does get triggered, the healer is now forced to work very inefficiently. And lack of healing isn't the only reason it may trigger. Eating a pull raw because "invul is up" is the most common reason I've seen for it to trigger.

All other tank invuls can be used without any downside whatsoever and are always a gain. DRK has the only invul that has no inherent gain and makes situations worse if used poorly. It's really only a gain if the party is well-coordinated and everyone knows what they're doing and even then, dungeons are the least likely place for it to be useful.