The Definitive Dark Knight Guide

[SpookyGhost]

The openers in this guide are god-awful, and it's really sad that an image macro with a lalafell and curse words gets that much publicity.

Usually helps to point out why openers are god-awful rather than just saying they are.

[Eej]

How often do you guys find yourself using the Power Slash combo? I feel like it's way easier to move Soul Eater to 1-2-3 since I use it way more often than Power Slash.

[Docfiord_Fowling]

How often do you guys find yourself using the Power Slash combo? I feel like it's way easier to move Soul Eater to 1-2-3 since I use it way more often than Power Slash.

Rarely. I use a Dark Arts Power Slice opener and, for some fights, I never have to use it again. Otherwise, only do it as necessary. I'm running with 2/5 STR accessories

[Xenosan]

"Never use C&S without Dark Arts" is a poor way to put it. It suggest sitting on the CD if MP isn't available for DA.

Sitting on a large recast oGCD WS for more than a few GCDs is not optimal. The longer the fight, the worse it gets.

IMO better way to think of it is to just stay aware: every 60 seconds, "I better have enough MP for a Dark Arts." It is indeed forward thinking.

[HidingYoshis]

"Never use C&S without Dark Arts" is a poor way to put it. It suggest sitting on the CD if MP isn't available for DA.

Sitting on a large recast oGCD WS for more than a few GCDs is not optimal. The longer the fight, the worse it gets.

IMO better way to think of it is to just stay aware: every 60 seconds, "I better have enough MP for a Dark Arts." It is indeed forward thinking.

Delaying a 100 potency off GCD for two GCDs in order to more than quadruple the damage of it is worth it. Forward thinking it is -- Thus, never use it without Dark Arts. If you don't have the mana for it because you're over investing and not managing well enough, then fix it for the future because you're not doing it properly.

If we didn't strive toward optimal play "because no one plays perfectly", then we would never get anywhere.

[Miyuyu]

Yeah. That's basically what I'm getting at. I see a lot of people trying to optimize DPS without considering the tank stance as a whole. It's not generally as simple as "do all the dps all the time."

In a perfect world scenario, sure. Not in actual play tho.

[Xenosan]

If we didn't strive toward optimal play "because no one plays perfectly", then we would never get anywhere.

You are making an argument where there isn't one.

No Dark Arts for C&S is a DPS loss.

Sitting on an available C&S until you have enough MP to afford DA is also a DPS loss.

Neither choice is good. You screwed up either way. Is sitting on the CD the better of the two mistakes? That depends on the length of the fight and the number of occurrences the player holds back on it.

[Eej]

You are making an argument where there isn't one.

No Dark Arts for C&S is a DPS loss.

Sitting on an available C&S until you have enough MP to afford DA is also a DPS loss.

Neither choice is good. You screwed up either way. Is sitting on the CD the better of the two mistakes? That depends on the length of the fight and the number of occurrences the player holds back on it.

On PLD, sitting on Circle of Scorn CD for ~8 seconds so that it matches up with Fight or Flight cooldown so you can get two of them within the duration of F&F is a DPS increase. I don't see how this is any different.

[Faytte]

It has no cost but off gcd is misleading. You have to press the button and then click where it will be casted. It isnt worth a full gcd but its is treated as two keyboard inputs in the game which requires a delay between 1 and 2.

Its still a dps gain and should be used whenever possible.

[Rhaja]

The only up front use I could see for Abyssal Drain is if you pulled a ton of mobs and want to make sure you don't die. I plan to keep this ability in more click range, the possible free Unleashed, and that it's ultimately less MP, just feels like he better option for most pulls.

Edit:

I'm thinking about tanking for the first time with this class. Do you think it will be too much starting at 30 and not having the early levels to get the mechanics down?

Just do the lower dungeons until your more comfortable. I didn't touch Fates until I got a couple runs in Brayflox because I wanted to play with the class in a more real setting, and the exp was a bit better imo.