Dark Knight Megathread

[Archwizard]

Just copying something I said in another DRK thread, after a long absence:
The use of HP as a ressource is a great callback in PVP, and while for obvious reasons it would be absolute chaos to implement in PVE I think some ideas could be taken from it.
Either use MP instead, straightforward enough, or make Darkside a ressource you refill by spending MP (the same way you'll refill your HP with the generic healing skill in PvP). Some abilities will consume it, others will either refill it or give you MP back to refill it with other skills.
But having to actually manage a ressource feels good and I hope it comes back to PVE DRK.

There is also a third option.
HP becomes a resource for an attack on charges, but MP skills replenish your HP. Essentially the same A to C path, but routed through B -- the extra step giving you some flexibility in your tanking style.

It creates a possibility for self-sustain through MP-based skills which DRK badly needs, offers options for risk-reward by gambling an amount of HP you think is worthwhile, and gives you a loop so you aren't just overhealing with Souleater when you're offtanking, pooling your MP to heal right after a big spender or during bursts.
And, crucially, isn't something any other tank can do or justify, given Dark Knight's extensive history.

And then when you are main-tanking, they can go a step further with the PVP callback and have Dark Arts make your next cast of the HP spender free. If the attack's on a fixed number of charges and gaining/spending Dark Arts isn't a resource shared with any other type of ability, you're not wasting any resources if the boss doesn't break your bubble, just more efficiently staying alive.

Plus, it means that we can bring in classic Darkness skills and take AD back off CD for an MP cost.

Then we just have to figure out what to do with the Blood Gauge.