This is all DRKs get?

[Delily]

As a FF fan from the FF1 days where DRK had high defense and bitching damage in the standard games it was present in I am in conflict against their design philosophy for DRK in XIV. For a game that metes out physical damage, magic damage, and a darkness damage type that ignores defense values and the DRK not being able to inflict Darkness damage at all is baffling to me.

Right now you use DRK for either dungeon runs(which right now it's more fun to go WAR) or use DRK for progression. All while being clunky and overwhelming with some skills not even being used at all or using skills requires a lot of work just to barely break even.

And most of DRK is really centered around TBN. And wants you to MT.

DRK was not present in FF1, it first appeared as a non playable job in 2, and then in 3, there was the Demon Swordsman who was turned into the Dark Knight. However, the DRK's basic design has pretty much been one of sacrificing health in order to do high damage. In theory, DRK should be the highest damage tank with poor survivability that's offset with heath leech abilities. Right now, it's centered around both TBN and DA, but it's not consistent. DP is worthless, and in some cases, you can have a full bar of blood with nothing to use it on.

[MagiusNecros]

DRK was not present in FF1, it first appeared as a non playable job in 2, and then in 3, there was the Demon Swordsman who was turned into the Dark Knight. However, the DRK's basic design has pretty much been one of sacrificing health in order to do high damage. In theory, DRK should be the highest damage tank with poor survivability that's offset with heath leech abilities. Right now, it's centered around both TBN and DA, but it's not consistent. DP is worthless, and in some cases, you can have a full bar of blood with nothing to use it on.

Let me bold the important part.

As a FF fan from the FF1 days where DRK had high defense and bitching damage in the standard games it was present in I am in conflict against their design philosophy for DRK in XIV. For a game that metes out physical damage, magic damage, and a darkness damage type that ignores defense values and the DRK not being able to inflict Darkness damage at all is baffling to me.

Right now you use DRK for either dungeon runs(which right now it's more fun to go WAR) or use DRK for progression. All while being clunky and overwhelming with some skills not even being used at all or using skills requires a lot of work just to barely break even.

And most of DRK is really centered around TBN. And wants you to MT.

Ergo games like 3, X-2, XI, Bravely Default, etc. I would have thought that was obvious. Instead you opt to go for cherrypicking.

Until DRK is actively sacrificing HP for damage it isn't a DRK in any sense. Right now DRK has no real identity and just has an aesthetic thing going for it. It's selling on name alone and right now the only thing people want to talk about that makes it viable is TBN.

[Delily]

Let me bold the important part.



Ergo games like 3, X-2, XI, Bravely Default, etc. I would have thought that was obvious. Instead you opt to go for cherrypicking.

Until DRK is actively sacrificing HP for damage it isn't a DRK in any sense. Right now DRK has no real identity and just has an aesthetic thing going for it. It's selling on name alone and right now the only thing people want to talk about that makes it viable is TBN.

High defense has never been a part of the dark knight's concept. As the series's role have solidified over the years, the dark knight's signature ability is sacrificing health for more damage.

However, that doesn't translate well into a tank role in an MMO for a myriad of reasons. Our identity is about spending our MP on Dark Arts to empower various abilities, which is why Darkside kills our refresh. The problems are that there's very little reason to not use Dark Arts on things like Quietus, Bloodspiller, Carve & Spit, and Dark Passenger. Using it on Abyssal Drain was great, but it was over tuned, which is why they killed Blood Price and upped the cost on AD. Finally, there's also little reason to use it on Siphon Strike or Souleater.

SE needs to give me a reason to think about not using DA on those abilities, and a reason to think about using Dark Arts on Souleater (I'm sure some high end raiders do weave it occasionally). That would be a start. SE also needs to do something about Blood, because right now, it's top heavy. In a Susano normal fight, which I do becaue of the trial roulette, I'm sitting at full Blood because Bloodspiller is locked and Delirium is on Cooldown. It's not a problem at 70, persay. They don't need to go crazy here redesigning the class, they just need to make it worth using a DA-empowered Siphon Strike, and not using DA always on Bloodspiller. Maybe even make TBN raid wide if Dark Arts is used. Right, also do something with Sole Survior and Dark Passenger. It's ridiculous that 2 abilities aren't even on my action bar.

[RLofOBFL]

DRK is definitely behind PLD and WAR on paper but it's really not even close to as bad as everyone is making it out to be. Like literally Aoe TBN that gives 100 blood if 2+ shields pop, maybe a 20 potency Souleater and BS buff, and boom balanced. Dark Passenger and Sole Survivor are niche skills, they aren't really in a great spot since both of them are fight specific, but in the fights they can be used in, they're useful.

[Xenosan]

Sole Survivor 20% MP restore is less than a Grit Siphon Strike. 20% HP not really competing with Equil/ToB/Clem. only every couple minutes on top of circumstance of mob dying.

I am happy with Sole being a niche skill (corpse-feed), just not such a lousy one.

I'd like to see it's recast cut in half when enemy is KO'd, the debuff spread to mobs near that KO'd mob as well. Still incredibly niche, but has a rolling snowball scaling output to it when more and more adds/trash are encountered.

[Ekimmak]

The only way we can get away with a health sacrifice mechanic is if it returns a shield equivalent to the lost HP

[MagiusNecros]

I don't see the issue with sacrificing HP if healer gonna top your ass off anyway but whatevs.

[Mycow8me]

I think it could have worked easily. Really would have loved to see an HP transfering Dark knight. There's so many ways they could have done it. Have no doubt they could have made the sacrifical HP a reality even as tank, literally all they had to do was find a way to make HP returns using souleater/MP spells or transfers similar to how TBN functions to give DRK control over its HP, MP, and blood. There are other issues though, Drain is being used as a garbage cross roll skill when its more befitting of a DRK spell, it could have been a spell that does like 20% of your HP worth of damage and gives you 20% HP. Simple things like that. Turn blood weapon into a skill that drains a little HP and MP, turn darkside into a 1-2% HP sacrifice on Weaponskill attacks and abilities that do damage. Aqua Vitae instant for small HP gains every 30 seconds or so of like 10%. Now I'm just rambling about a DRK I'll never get... bleh

[InfiniDragon]

I would never, ever, EVER want HP sacrifice on a tank, I just don't think it works for a tab-target game. A game like Tera where you can dodge every attack launched at you with pure skill? Sure. A game like this where you eff up and drain just enough HP for an AA after a tankbuster to kill you because it's part of your rotation and you literally can't do anything about being hit by it? Nah.

I think the MP drain was a much more elegant solution to the DRK way of doing things in the context of this game. Sure it'd be nice if they made those MP costs more impactful but I'm glad it's not health. Now HP leeching as a mitigation method on top of their CDs for tankbusters, that I'm all for. Let us self-heal with damn near every weaponskill and then we don't need fluff cooldowns.

[MagiusNecros]

I would never, ever, EVER want HP sacrifice on a tank, I just don't think it works for a tab-target game. A game like Tera where you can dodge every attack launched at you with pure skill? Sure. A game like this where you eff up and drain just enough HP for an AA after a tankbuster to kill you because it's part of your rotation and you literally can't do anything about being hit by it? Nah.

But if you know the fight and when a Tankbuster and AA comes out you should be ready for it right?