Dark Knight Megathread

[Reinhardt_Azureheim]

It's not hypocrisy in that case. It's giving even tools.
TBN could be upgraded a number of ways and still be unique, juste like others short mitigations are unique in their own way. Fight balances are based on tanks having short, flexible mitigation tools to use. If one tank doesn't have one, or a stricly inferior one, it won't be able to perform as well. It'll make it "difficult" but not in a good way. It's difficult because your job is weaker, not because it is more complex and lead to more satisfying payoff.

I can see your point and maybe I'm initially harsh, but that is mainly because I cannot in good faith advocate for changing the basic concept of TBN in favour of becoming "even" to equivalents.

I can see appeal to have partial refunding upon break failure, but at its' core TBN should stay what it is. An upgrade akin to Holy Sheltron, Bloodwhetting, etc. could happen, however I'd suggest adjusting Oblation instead to have more impact or maybe rerelease a physical Dark Mind on a shared CD (Dark Dance), both to have additional decisionmaking and to not sit like a duck in fights with basically no magic damage.

The latter requires them to actually display damage types in damagetext, which has already been done by third-party plugin writers using the game's output to define the damagetype and thus the float text color with 99.9% accuracy. Leaving 0.1% for the case where damage becomes zero.

[Rosenstrauch]

Every time I see someone complaining about the idea of TBN losing the Dark Arts proc, I can't help but be reminded that Paladin used to have Shield Swipe. Y'know, that one ability that could only be used after blocking an attack. Oh, and Sheltron being added in Heavensward. It only blocked a single attack back then, same as in Stormblood. You were expected to block one single big attack with it, and your reward for doing so was a free oGCD.

But anyways, how about that Oblation? 10% damage reduction, on any party member you choose! That's such an amazing skill, it... is literally just Intervention, but without the additional damage reduction from Rampart/Sentinel. On a 60 second cooldown. Oh, but you get two charges! Oh, and DRK already had Intervention. It's called "the Blackest Night". I wonder why a redundant ability like Oblation even exists, then.

[Kalaam]

Oblation's looks cool though, I wish it replaced TBN's animation.

[Shin96]

1000 posts already. Good job guys, keep the discussions relevant.

[shao32]

Oblation should have been a Dark mind upgrade, change my mind.

[Reinhardt_Azureheim]

Oblation should have been a Dark mind upgrade, change my mind.

Here is your 30% magic resist Dark Mind sir.

[Absurdity]

Here is your 30% magic resist Dark Mind sir.

I could see that happening. Take it away in 5.0 just to give it back in 6.0 and call it innovation.

[ArthurATDayne]

At least from the JP forums DRK is the only job that haven't been fitted on the reward using your mitigation tools on a precise moment for maximum benefic doctrine Wich is true, all tanks now get really big benefics on the first seconds of Shelltron, Heart of comondrum, ECT except DRK who just sit there with TBN being TBN punishing you for using it bad and being like it should when you do it right at contrary to the other tanks.
On the other hand homogenization on the mitigations kits it's absurd and that's true, apart that TBN is the only trick that DRK have and the job basically sustain his broken identity on that shield, making TBN being like the other 3 is just literally the final nail on the coffing considering it have half of that final nail already on the coffing with the inmense buffs on the other tanks short CDs.

TBN doesn't need his MP cost removed the job is already so braindead at it is but I won't deny TBN it's a poor excuse of complexity.

My guess is somebody higher up on the DRK Team thinks that The Blackest Night is already a Done Deal because it rewards players for good timing via the Dark Arts Proc=> Free Edge/Flood use and that's good enough to them.

And the 3000 Mana cost that seems wasted if it the HP Bubble doesn't pop is balanced enough against the other pros of TBN.

The 3000 Mana cost feels more painful to DRK Players because our Mana Regen Sustain feels pitiful, small chump change like we never have enough to use Edge/Flood often alongside TBN, it's always one or the other and relying on that bubble to hopefully pop to keep up the offensive sustain.

I really think Mana/Blood Regen should be increased across the DRK Kit at least And/Or have TBN bubble duration last longer than 7s, bumped up to 8-10s to give more opportunities and certainty that it will pop.

[Derio]

If TBN breaking gave you two stacks of Dark arts then it would be a dps gain and only a dps loss if it doesnt break.

The other problem is magic damage vs physical damage. If they are not going to provide a way in game to see which attack is magical and which attack is physical then they need to change dark mind to be more user friendly.

The problem with DRK is its kit is still gutted from 3.0 ( Scourage, blood price, blood weapon giving the haste buff so you could fit all GCDs in the window, Dark Dance) Shadowbringers is just Dark Passenger but reworked.

They say the media tour build has received alot of changes since then so there is still hope for blood weapon and dark mind. I gave up on LD and TBN changes.

[ArthurATDayne]

The whole magic damage vs physical damage distinction feels like extra fluff work that the players shouldn't have to worry about, especially right now when there's no user friendly in-game way to really distinguish between the two. Maybe that AOE is magic? Did that mob just cast a spell or did a weapon skill attack? Google Search, FFXIV Wiki time... Hell, even if there was an easier way to distinguish between the two: What's the point? That doesn't sound fun at all.

In FFXIV, Damage is damage, it's an abstraction, comprehensive summary of all the things monsters & other enemies do to hurt your character and others in FFXIV game world, there doesn't seem to be good gameplay mechanical reasons to overcomplicate the damage types.

For narrative reasons we can all still pretend that damage was "magical" by giving it a magical cast and effects. And giving the attack "magical descriptions" whatever.

Now we don't have to worry about Dark Mind, Dark Missionary, GNB's Heart of Light having the stupid magic damage vs physical damage, it just reduces damage and Devs can balance around that instead of upsetting the artificial extra busy work balance that magic damage vs physical damage causes. This would also make Dark Mind be relevant Personal Mitigation skill for all of 1-69 content.

Maybe Oblation can just be an extra HP Bubble shield too if Dark Mind just "reduces damage taken".

Magic damage vs physical damage is really unnecessary complication, why not just ditch it entirely from the gameplay mechanics and let it live on in the narrative parts i.e. our WOL and other characters are capable enough to distinguish between the two themselves and do the necessary work to deal with it so it translates into skills like "Rampart" or Shield Bubbles reducing and negating just "damage".