Living dead must change

[DaulBan]

Or, you said one thing, meant another, and aren't admitting fault when called out for it?

If you find me at fault for writing something inconsequential on the internet I guess it physically hurt you in some way and I hope you close your eyes before you read 'I hope in Endwalker GNB sounds like you're swinging a whiffle-ball bat whenever you take an action'.

[WhyAmIHere]

If you find me at fault for writing something inconsequential on the internet I guess it physically hurt you in some way and I hope you close your eyes before you read 'I hope in Endwalker GNB sounds like you're swinging a whiffle-ball bat whenever you take an action'.

"When out of reasonable arguments to make, the waffler will resort to personal attacks as their tactic of defense."

My guy, I couldn't care less about you or your argument. You were inaccurate, and I and others pointed that out. Get over yourself.

[Lyth]

You could have seen this one coming a malm away. Any time someone hits the key, they backpedal right off the edge of the thread. It's always embarrassing when it happens, but it's tradition which dates back to ARR.

Speaking of traditions, AngryDaul's rotation could use a bit of an update. The optimal HQ rotation should be:

,But I'd say that their latest post relies too much on low quality . Don't let yourself become Gulleye-ble. (I mean, come on, referencing the GNB sounds fiasco? Everyone knows that RPR is getting the old GNB sounds.)

And with that, this thread has come full circle. Beautiful.

If we were to take an invuln/immunity from even one tank, then we'd need to take them from everything.

I think this really gets to the heart of the matter. Either invulns are universally something accessible on every tank and are buttons that you want to press, or they should have drawbacks and restrictions placed on every tank.

The problem with Living Dead is that, while it's there, nobody really wants to you to press it. It's a feels bad button.

[WhyAmIHere]

Methinks the larger issue's just simply the difference in player attitudes to them in NA(/EU?) and JP.

Until this is overcome, or even addressed, LD won't e touched. As is tradition until JP makes a stink about it if it's not literally game breaking, nothing will happen.

[AC9Breaker]

You could have seen this one coming a malm away. Any time someone hits the key, they backpedal right off the edge of the thread. It's always embarrassing when it happens, but it's tradition which dates back to ARR.

Speaking of traditions, AngryDaul's rotation could use a bit of an update. The optimal HQ rotation should be:

,But I'd say that their latest post relies too much on low quality . Don't let yourself become Gulleye-ble. (I mean, come on, referencing the GNB sounds fiasco? Everyone knows that RPR is getting the old GNB sounds.)

And with that, this thread has come full circle. Beautiful.

I think this really gets to the heart of the matter. Either invulns are universally something accessible on every tank and are buttons that you want to press, or they should have drawbacks and restrictions placed on every tank.

The problem with Living Dead is that, while it's there, nobody really wants to you to press it. It's a feels bad button.

lmao I wish I could like this post more then once.

[Anahlise_Auhn_Giinslai]

as I did post else-where, my personal idea for Living Dead is to trash its current design, just burn it to ashes and give up on it, and re-birth Living Dead into its function being different.

first, a question. invulnerability aside, what is the actual purpose of these skills? immune to all damage?
no.. the point is to "avoid KO", and "survive what would KO you".

as for the actual idea, my first thought is to re-name Living Dead, because my intent is for Living Dead to function in a very different way, while my actual thoughts are that Living Dead could be a ability that activates a permanent passive self-buff that just sits on the Dark Knight like a Tank Stance and "does naught with itself". its special effect will come into play when the Dark Knight is about to be KOed, as its passive effect would be:
"on receiving damage that would reduce your HP to under 1, the damage is negated and (new name of the ability or name of its passive effect) is removed, while your HP is immediately recovered to 50% of maximum HP, and (new name of the ability or name of its passive buff) is then replaced with (name of a different passive effect, like how Living Dead becomes Walking dead), which reduces all damage taken by 50%, for (??)seconds."

other than, obviously, having a big CD that starts when the permanent passive self-buff is turned on, the ability would also have a large initial MP cost(5000?), as this is a "investment" to the skill paying the Dark Knight back later, when the Dark Knight would have been KOed, but instead was able to stay on their feet; and "cost" 100 MP per 5 seconds, as the permanent passive self-buff would be slightly eating away at your MP a bit, as the "price" for/of its "permanence".

what do my fellow current Dark Knight hater - old Dark Knight lover Dark Knights think of this?
would this be a good KO-avoid skill and also "fit with" Dark Knight?

in the case that any person may be wondering, the inspiration of this idea is that Dark Knight uses "Blood magic", along with their Dark magic,
and this KO-avoid ability is a "Blood magic" spell.

[WhyAmIHere]

-cut-

Invuln with a cost...
big no. I cannot paint a bigger 'x' with my arms.
The "turn it into a passive trait akin to Anivia's passive?" That I could get behind, save for the fact that it's kinda how it functions now? Just less passive, more "in these 10s while living dead's active, pray you take lethal." I think turning it into a passive skill wouldn't be bad, if only to take away yet more buttons to press. Unlike the other tanks, LD is the only one I see this treatment even being feasible for.

Not too sure about turning it into a 50% damage resistance however. Just... give Walking Dead 2.0 baked-in Convalescence, affecting both healing spells and abilities. The inherent benefit of the invulns is to not need to use those mitigations for that incoming damage to begin with, and more often than not in situations where an invuln is used, a tank swap near-immediately afterwards follows, so the bonus mitigation is entirely moot.

Idea seems fine enough, but seems a bit like fitting the rectangle peg into the square hole, but long-ways. It can work, just need to tweak how you handle it.

[Anahlise_Auhn_Giinslai]

Invuln with a cost...
big no. I cannot paint a bigger 'x' with my arms.
The "turn it into a passive trait akin to Anivia's passive?" That I could get behind, save for the fact that it's kinda how it functions now? Just less passive, more "in these 10s while living dead's active, pray you take lethal." I think turning it into a passive skill wouldn't be bad, if only to take away yet more buttons to press. Unlike the other tanks, LD is the only one I see this treatment even being feasible for.

Not too sure about turning it into a 50% damage resistance however. Just... give Walking Dead 2.0 baked-in Convalescence, affecting both healing spells and abilities. The inherent benefit of the invulns is to not need to use those mitigations for that incoming damage to begin with, and more often than not in situations where an invuln is used, a tank swap near-immediately afterwards follows, so the bonus mitigation is entirely moot.

Idea seems fine enough, but seems a bit like fitting the rectangle peg into the square hole, but long-ways. It can work, just need to tweak how you handle it.

hey, I finally got a response... >(=w=)>
to be honest, this was a lazy idea that I came up with on the spot, after I read through every other comment and then thought about a way to make Living Dead complete different from the others at a fundamental level, while still keep to the point of "avoid being KOed".

the reason that I thought to go with damage reduction is simple. the others are "immune to damage" for how-ever many seconds, this Living Dead is not. its invulnerability would block only a single hit, the single hit that would KO you. the reason behind to combine HP restore with Damage reduction is under the assumption of a attempt to survive a Multi-hit attack, rather than a single heavy attack that would break the Dark Knight.

any whom could also argue that homogenization is best and just make it block the would-KO hit before it activates a "immune to all damage" duration, or could decide to take a Dark Magic approach to it, and go with the effect generates a barrier that will absorb a huge amount of damage. I was being lazy and just threw out HP restore with damage reduction, but the concept can be fairly easily altered, as my only real point was in the concept of to turn Living Dead into a permanent passive that waits for its moment to block the Dark Knight being KOed.

(first edit, shortly after post-time)
on a side note, in pages 6-7, and a bit on page 8, there was a lore debate that could actually lead to a fairly good re-made Living Dead that actually fits Dark Knight... i may think about those lore bits for a while and attempt to come up with a good idea based off of them...

(second edit, a few hours after original post-time)
alright, I copy and pasted several use-full parts of previous conversations, the lore references, and a few good ideas. I am going to attempt to combine all of it into a heavily lore-based remaster of Living Dead, combined with my own Dark Knight head-canon, and I hope to make a fairly good concept that the rest of you may or may not end up liking how it comes out.

(third edit, a few hours after second edit, edited in at the current last-edited time.)
another update. I have a little more than half of my new Living Dead remastered concept ironed out... I just need to think through and note down all of the details and exacts now, before I am done and can post the new concept.

[Anahlise_Auhn_Giinslai]

alright, alright, alright! finally done... >(=w=)> here, you can all feast your eyes on this fresh baked out of my head, several-hours actual effort put in, best version yet.. of my thoughts on a remaster of Living Dead. >3>

Re-invented Living Dead, second (better?) concept.

First, and before all else, I must give a fair amount of credit to Lyth, as what she posted and her ideas are what gave me the inspiration for this concept. You have my gratitude, BlindFold-wearing bunny. =w=

Also, I still want to re-name Living Dead, but I am not certain yet... Perhaps Abyssal Aura?
That aside, my remastered “Living Dead”, (Abyssal Aura?), would be a ability that activates a permanent passive self-buff that just sits on the Dark Knight like a Tank Stance, and “does naught with itself”.
The passive self-buff will change its “form”(the effect and name of the passive buff.) based on current HP % compared to maximum HP.
as the Dark Knight’s HP lowers, the passive buff will update itself at certain HP %s, in preparation for the Dark Knight’s HP to drop down to critical condition, and to block being KOed after that; while as the Dark Knight’s is recovered, the passive buff will revert back to previous “forms”.

This new “Living Dead”, (Abyssal Aura?), has 7 of these “forms”. One at above 75%(Abyssal Aura?), 75% and lower(Deep Wounds?), 50% and lower(Grievous Wounds?), 30% and lower(Living Dead), 15% and lower(Walking Dead), the KO-block(ShadowForm), and a last form(Last Resort),
that activates at the last second before the KO-block’s damage-immune duration expires.

Here is a legitimate lore piece, which I will use as a example to show how the “forms” idea of this concept translates into a lore/story perspective,
in a way that I think makes sense.
So as I was saying, that heretic(Fray) was fighting like a man possessed(Abyssal Aura). Even after he took several wounds(Deep Wounds), he showed no sign of pain─though there was no mistaking the blood(grievous wounds). As the fight wore on, it began to soak through his armor(Living Dead), spreading to every ilm of his body(Walking Dead). But when it began to rise and envelop him as a mist, I realized it wasn't blood, but something dark and twisted…(ShadowForm)

Now, you may be thinking.. but, what is ShadowForm and why does it replace Walking Dead?

First.. Allow me to quote Lyth.
“It also sounds like the wounds that Frey took while on trial were being turned into some kind of dark and twisted aura that let them fight for even longer before falling.” - Lyth

And here is a lore piece about Living Dead itself.
on living Dead - "This dark art allows the practitioner to continue fighting through the most heinous of injuries, and exhibit an immunity to pain usually attributed to the shambling undead. Though undeniably effective, abandoning one’s corporeal form to negative energy in this manner, however briefly, is an act fraught with mortal peril."
Now, to answer the question... “Continue fighting through the most heinous of injuries, and exhibit an immunity to pain usually attributed to the shambling undead.” this implies “like” the undead, not literally undead, so Walking Dead has become the “critical condition”, while on the other scale.. “abandoning one’s corporeal form to negative energy in this manner, however briefly”; this part is the “ShadowForm”, the temporary invulnerability.

Additionally, another quote from Lyth, referring to the current Living Dead.
“Where's the dark twisted aura? I'm pretty sure that players have been asking for a proper darkness aura on DRK since its release, like what we get in the cutscenes. And where's the blood armor? Does the damage received get turned into some kind of defensive tool? I mean, the lore description actually sounds like something interesting.” - Lyth

Alright.. with the bones of this concept introduced, next.. with all of that in mind, let us get into the muscles and tendons of the concept, all of the more exact definitions of what does what.

Abyssal Aura?, initial cast / 480 second CD(not final, may or may not change), grants the Dark Knight the permanent passive self-buff “Abyssal Aura”.

Abyssal aura?, passive buff / self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions are buffed.

Deep Wounds?, passive buff / HP restored from Healing spells and Healing actions is increased by 10%, and the buff to self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions increases.

Grievous Wounds?, passive buff / HP restored from Healing spells and Healing actions is increased by 15%, and the buff to self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions increases.

Living Dead, passive buff / HP restored from Healing spells and Healing actions is increased by 20%, the buff to self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions increases, and the additional effect “Blood Armour” activates.

Walking Dead, passive buff / HP restored from Healing spells and Healing actions is increased by 25%, the buff to self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions increases, and the additional effect “Blood Armour” activates.

ShadowForm, passive buff / For the next 10 seconds, the Dark Knight is immune to most damage and most attacks, but also immune to healing, as the HP recovery of both healing spells and healing actions is ignored/negated, and while ShadowForm is active, self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions can not be used.

Last Resort / activates at the last second before ShadowForm wears off, before the permanent passive buff changes into a passive buff that lasts for one minute, Creates a barrier around self that absorbs damage equal to 100% of the Dark Knight’s maximum HP, and Last Resort also increases the HP restored by healing spells and healing actions by 10%, as well as restoring the duration of “Blood Armour” to full, or grants “Blood Armour” if the effect had expired.

Last Resort’s barrier, the “Blood Aura” / a separate passive buff from Last Resort, Blood Aura also lasts for a minute, buffs self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions, and when ever a self-sacrifice Blood Magic action is used while Blood Aura is active, the Blood Aura barrier is partially fixed, if damaged.

Blood Armour / a passive self-buff with a one-minute duration, Blood Armour reduces damage taken by 20%, the HP restored by the self-healing actions of the Dark Knight is increased by 10%, and grants a bonus to self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions, that reduces how much those actions harm the Dark Knight.

Additionally, if Blood Armour is already active, Blood Armour’s duration is increased by 15 seconds, back up to its maximum of one minute, every time the Dark Knight’s HP is recovered and then falls back down far enough to trigger Living Dead or Walking Dead again; as well as increase the duration by, or up to, 30 seconds, if Living Dead and Walking Dead re-trigger in quick succession.
but, if the Dark Knight takes enough damage from a single attack, to skip Living Dead straight into Walking Dead, duration is increased by only 15 seconds, and if the Dark Knight takes enough damage from a single attack, to skip both Living Dead and Walking Dead, straight into ShadowForm, Duration is not increased.

Last, but aught except the least.. A side-note: the self-sacrifice Blood Magic actions buff from Abyssal Aura and Blood Aura, Blood Armour and maintaining its duration without activating ShadowForm, as well as the ShadowForm’s healing negation and the Last Resort effect itself, represent the Dark Knight’s “Risk for Reward” attitude.
Also, obviously.. the devs will never allow the Dark Knight to spend HP as a resource, so as far as this concept being applied in actual in-game FFXIV goes, remove every part about self-sacrifice Blood Magic from the concept, as that only applies to my personal pet project and my own head-canon.

Additionally, for those whom insist that Dark Knight’s KO-block ability has to punish the Dark Knight for using it(i disagree, but what ever.), if the huge CD is not bad enough already, I am also.. to be honest, tempted to make using this action cost resource... MP bar, BlackBlood gauge, both? hmn...

[AC9Breaker]

Living dead is fine. Its got the best flavor.