The Definitive Dark Knight Guide

[Meythia]

Unleash's use is being slightly cheaper MP-wise.
Abyssal Drain costs about 100 more MP at level 60 in exchange for being usable at range and dealing slightly more damage (120 potency versus Unleash's 100), and giving an HP drain effect when used with Dark Arts.
If you're not going to use Dark Arts on Abyssal Drain, it comes down to a matter of taste.

Also I personally just don't like the animation for Abyssal Drain.

Unleash also does not break current weaponskill combos like Abyssal does. Besides, having the radius AOE around yourself can be quite more comfortable than around a target hitboxwise. (big enemies tend to eat the whole radius up even when small ones are directly next to them, See A2(S))

[Drtoxicmedica]

How do you play very aggressive in terms of your HP while being in Grit (where the heal makes a difference)? just stand in AoE?

50 potency is looking at it wrong. DA adds 120 potency to SE (over delirium), DA adds 350 potency to C&S. The difference is 230 potency.

Right. But between the 2 it's a difference of 50 potency. And it's simply to add to overall hp recovery as apposed to pure dps. not save my ass levels of healing but to help ease healing needed. Regardless of how you look at it there have been no difference in my dps numbers using C&S for mp while in tank stance. So that's how I use it. Unless I need to do delirium I just double up on buffed souleaters. Mind you I only use it for mp while in tank stance thats it. rarely am I in tank stance the whole fight and if I am in grit it's because mitigation is helpfull. But i mean heaven forbid I don't buff C&S spit everytime sorry.

[Emitans]

I'm only 55 but I find that my MP is usually at around 85%+. Should I be using it more for damage? Not having many aggro problems.

[Misha_Tameshigiri]

You should be using Power Slash as little as possible.
It's your lowest potency combo, and with Darkside on it is a net MP loss.
In trash pulls you might not want to burn your MP too much (you need it for the next trash pull) but versus bosses you should be using Dark Arts Souleater as much as your MP will allow.

[Sleigh]

Not sure if it's been discussed but, where does Pot fit in to an optimal in-raid opener? The lack of ramp-up and large amount of oGCD usage leads me to suspect it'd be extremely early on, if not pre-pull or immediately after Unmend.

[Lawson_Grey]

I use pot right after Unmend for the reasons you stated. Since I use Dark Arts prepull > Unmend > Scourge + Carve and Spit > etc, I'd like to have that Pot going ASAP to affect Scourge and Carve and Spit, and then the rest of the opening rotation along with all the off global cooldowns.

Take care if you're not MTing as this usually rips aggro for a second even without grit.

[AIex]

I use pot right after Unmend for the reasons you stated. Since I use Dark Arts prepull > Unmend > Scourge + Carve and Spit > etc, I'd like to have that Pot going ASAP to affect Scourge and Carve and Spit, and then the rest of the opening rotation along with all the off global cooldowns.

Take care if you're not MTing as this usually rips aggro for a second even without grit.

Just out of curiosity, why would you unmend if you're not the MT? I think if you omit that, you'd be fine on aggro.

[stoxastic]

In every savage fight outside A2S, our group has the WAR pull in defiance as opening out of grit and with blood weapon and ootnis really strong.

Because of all the oGCDs, potting prepull is optimal IMO because it won't delay your other moves and you get a potted scourge.


3s prepull: Dark arts
1s prepull: pot
Pull: plunge > scourge > BW + C&S > hard slash > salted earth > siphon strike > DA > Soul eater > dark passenger > repeat DA SE combo...

As MT I would still prepull DA, pull with unmend > pot > scourge > CS > power slash combo with oGCDs.

If you want max damage as MT and don't need grit mitigation you can do unmend > power slash combo > pot + drop grit > scourge > DA Soul eater combos with oGCDs.

[Aiurily]

if you pot>plunge you're gonna miss a GCD for your pot because of plunge animation delay

if your MT is pulling with tank stance/shadewalker then might as well do something like this

da>unmend right after your MT tomahawks>str pot>scourge>salt+bw>1>c&s+da>2>plunge>3>dp>1>low>2>da>3>pot off>1>bw off

[Aiurily]

if you pot>plunge you're gonna miss a GCD for your pot because of plunge animation delay

if your MT is pulling with tank stance/shadewalker then might as well do something like this

da>unmend right after your MT tomahawks>str pot>scourge>salt+bw>1>c&s+da>2>plunge>3>dp>1>low>2>da>3>pot off>1>bw off

vid on opener

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sRjzaEX4tM

pros
2 dark arts souleaters buffed by str pot
everything in your kit is buffed by str pot. scourge, salted earth, c&s, plunge, low blows, dark passenger, all the good stuff, buffed by +10%~ more damage.
plunge, because its after the 4th gcd, is buffed by slash debuff

cons
you don't do unmend>plunge to the target; but not really a big deal; go compare how long it takes for you to walk to the boss from unmend range, compared to how fast plunge takes you there (after its long animation delay for startup) both ways, you ride your GCD anyway
using salted earth with another oGCD in the same GCD can be awkward