The Definitive Dark Knight Guide

[Docfiord_Fowling]

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Assuming Rav Weap + fully upgraded tome gear (All VIT acc, 1 STR ring)

Natural MP depletion in Darkside is 265 MP per tick, natural regen is 138 MP, subtract the difference, you tick at a 127 MP loss (1.83%)
Dark Arts (1768) - Syphon Strike Recovery (884 : 12.76%) : 1768 - 884 = 884 MP spent DA + SE Combo (-12.76%)
3 GCDs @ 2.42 SS = 7.26s (2 Ticks) (2 * 127 MP loss = 254 MP : -3.66%)

1138 MP for a DA + SE Combo (-16.43%)
Syphon +884 MP - Darkside ticks (-254) = 630 MP (+9.09%)
Power Slash combo = -254 MP = (-3.66%)

Increasing skillspeed does not increase the potencies of your moves. Your're trying to outrace the depletion ticks to fit moves in before a tick. If we had a cap to meet like Berserk, it would be viable, but we have ways to replenish, so the cost becomes minor. And since DRK has no TP replenishment options, SS at the moment is the devil.

[Daerthalus]

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Thank you for the correction. I forgot about the natural MP regen that we still recieve.

As for Skill Speed I was not suggesting it was a useful stat. I was simply saying that every tick you are losing MP, so the slower you swing the worse the overall MP drain is. Obviously if you optimize MP regen via Skill Speed you run into worse TP drain issues.

**3 GCDs @ 2.42 SS = 7.26s (2 Ticks) (2 * 127 MP loss = 254 MP : -3.66%)**

I disagree with your math here.

I believe 1 TICK is 3s, so 6s would be 2 ticks. At 7.26s per 3 Hit Combo, the 1.26s adds up to more MP loss than you state.

@2.42s GCD, cost is 1.4762% MP per GCD.
3 GCDs @ 2.42s = 4.4286%

Dark Arts (1768) - Syphon Strike Recovery (884 : 12.76%) : 1768 - 884 = 884 MP spent DA + SE Combo (-12.76%)
3 GCDs @ 2.42 SS = -4.43%
DA + SE Combo = 17.19% MP

3 Hit Syphon Strike (w/ Delirium or SE) = +8.33% MP
2 Hit Syphone Strike = +9,81%
Power Slash Combo = -4.43%

[Docfiord_Fowling]

@2.42s GCD, cost is 1.4762% MP per GCD.
3 GCDs @ 2.42s = 4.4286%

Yeah, I should have divided it down to a per-second unit.

1 Tick (3sec) = 127 MP
(127/3) x 7.26 = 307.34 MP per 3 GCDs (-4.4375%)

Dark Arts Souleater : (-1768 + 884) - 307.34 = -1191.34 MP (-17.201%)
3 Hit Syphon Combo : 884 - 307.34 = +576.66 MP (+8.32%)
2 Hit Syphon Combo : 884 - 84.66 = +799.34 MP (+11.541%)
Power Slash Combo = -307.34 MP (-4.4375%)

[Docfiord_Fowling]

As for Skill Speed I was not suggesting it was a useful stat. I was simply saying that every tick you are losing MP, so the slower you swing the worse the overall MP drain is. Obviously if you optimize MP regen via Skill Speed you run into worse TP drain issues.

I see what you are saying. Your argument for Skill Speed is to increase the ratio of GCDs to ticks so that it appears your time is used fitting in as many GCDs in as few MP ticks as possible. It is still a placebo effect. Until we know more about the DPS increase from the changes made to Skills Speed, it should only be used in two scenarios.

1. If you have a hard cap to meet to fit in an extra GCD (Berserk, Blood for Blood, Trick Attack).
2. If TP is not a concern.

SS results in a direct DPS increase; more moves, more damage. By my calculations, DRK is the worst job for TP management at the moment.