Core Issues With 4.x Dark Knight

[Chrono_Rising]

In the spirit of being clear, I would like to outline the core issues of what I feel is wrong with Dark Knight currently in 4.0 and beyond, time of writing is 4.1. I encourage others to leave their comments, feelings and interpretations. However, in the spirit of not trying to "suggest fixes" I hope others will follow in not posting how to fix the issues, only post what the issues are in their view.

Core Design Issue 1: Risk Reward
Dark Knight is an active and resource intensive tank, which necessarily incorporates risk/reward into its design. We turn resources into potency and mitigation, and in general we attempt to move towards mitigating what is necessary, pushing potency as we become more comfortable over time. This is engaging and I personally enjoy such min maxing and risk taking.

However, the reward for our risk taking is often too low, after optimizing we come up shorter than both Paladin and Warrior in both damage and mitigation. The risk reward ratio is out of balance with too much risk with little to no reward leading to less enjoyment of the class overall. I feel, fundamentally, that I am a detriment to my party because I am on the class I enjoy. Paladin and warrior can do my job, and they can do it better.


Core Design Issue 2: Lore driven tools
In the past, dark knights use dark magics to debilitate, weaken, and damage enemies. The system has been to enfeeble, absorb, and damage (usually through self-sacrificing ways). This does not come through as much with Dark Knight in ffxiv. We certainly have ways of siphoning off resources from enemies, something I would even like to see more of, and we certainly sacrifice our mana to damage our foes. But with the removal of reprisal as a unique aspect of our kit, as well as the complete loss of 3.x delirium, we have lost the enfeeblement feel of dark knight.

Overall, for a tank whose reputation is for stealing resources and debuffing foes with dark magic, I am not seeing it. I feel we play second fiddle to warrior in trying to regenerate resources, in particular when it comes to HP as they are not stance locked for generating HP through their own rotation as well as build their gauge at a rapid rate, our mana absorb is also not unique as paladin has many of the same tools, dps rotation building mana and mana restore by being hit with sheltron. At a time when we have 5 buttons with no use against single targets I cannot help but feel some of those buttons could be put to better use in increasing our lore based fighting.

Core Issue 3: Self-Sustain
A Dark Knight takes action because of their personal and individual view of justice, as such we find ourselves walking a lonely path. Overall, I feel dark knights would be the most self-sufficient of tanking classes. Instead we have the least ability to keep ourselves alive outside and inside a party. Even our ultimate ability requires us to be in a party to be useful. This does not mesh in my mind with what I am suppose to be.

Core Issue 4: Our Kit Offers Mostly Punishing Versions of Warrior and Paladin Abilities
This is partially tied to our risk reward management. Since we need to expend a dps resource to protect allies, other classes which can do the same thing without a damage resource are preferred, unless the reward is high enough.

Shadow Wall: objectively a bad sentinel and vengeance

Dark Mind: Must be paired with other mitigation or enhanced to 30%, costing a dark arts, to be on par with equivalents. Short cooldown but lower uptime than raw intuition. Guaranteed damage compared to bulwark but mitigates only half the damage.

The Blackest Night: Objectively powerful in grit, situational use out of grit

Grit: Leaving your tank stance on paladin and warrior are straight gains except in terms of mitigation and selfsustain. Dark knight loses these things as well, but also resource generation, slowing down its mana accumulation by punishing siphon strike and locking blood price which leads to a lower expected dps gain when dropping grit, and loses potency on our hardest hitting move. This doesn't happen to any other tank when leaving tank stance.

The existence of tanks who can do functionally similar things to dark knight but for 0 cost significantly lowers the benefits offered by dark knights. Furthermore, both Paladin and Warrior bring an actual full party utility beyond reprisal, leaving a hole in dark knights kit.


Core Issue 5: Unrewarding Conditionals Credit to SyzzleSpark

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...tional-Effects

The community believes there is an issue with dark knight, the front page of the tanking forum is littered with posts about these issues. Dark Knight as a class needs something to make it desirable to statics and parties.