Drk: worst designed class

[Exiled_Tonberry]

I'd argue that WHM is the worst designed job. At least you can still be competitive in a sense. WHM is just bad in every way you look at it. Worse way of healing, not strongest at healing, not strongest at DPS, entire job mechanic is useless, no utility or raid synergy.

It's crazy.

[Lyth]

PLD/WAR and WHM/SCH were designed in ARR around these being the only tanks and only healers. They worked because there wasn't really any significant overlap.

When the devs introduced a third tank and a third healer, they should have narrowed the existing jobs so that they didn't cover as broad an area. They didn't. DRK was introduced as something in-between PLD and WAR. AST was introduced as something in-between WHM and SCH.

The end result over the past two expansions is that we've seen PLD and DRK trade-off with each other based on who is the better PLD, and WHM and AST trade-off with each other based on who is the better WHM. WAR and SCH dabble in a lot of different areas, such that their guaranteed spots have been relatively well insulated. They're also the reason why there wasn't really room for a third tank and healer.

Healers have another layer of problems with raid buffs (Balance, Strategem). I'm glad that tanks haven't really run into this issue yet, outside of the Slashing issue. Because stacking raid buffs don't have diminishing returns, it's pretty much mandatory for your job to bring one in order to stay competitive.

I'm hoping that the addition of a fourth tank and healer will force the devs to re-evaluate tanks and healers from the ground up. There isn't room for a fourth. You have to make room. The starting point for that is to look at how broad WAR and SCH's kits have become, and give them a more narrow focus, in keeping with everyone else.

[Shurrikhan]

PLD/WAR and WHM/SCH were designed in ARR around these being the only tanks and only healers. They worked because there wasn't really any significant overlap.

When the devs introduced a third tank and a third healer, they should have narrowed the existing jobs so that they didn't cover as broad an area. They didn't. DRK was introduced as something in-between PLD and WAR. AST was introduced as something in-between WHM and SCH.

The end result over the past two expansions is that we've seen PLD and DRK trade-off with each other based on who is the better PLD, and WHM and AST trade-off with each other based on who is the better WHM. WAR and SCH dabble in a lot of different areas, such that their guaranteed spots have been relatively well insulated. They're also the reason why there wasn't really room for a third tank and healer.

Healers have another layer of problems with raid buffs (Balance, Strategem). I'm glad that tanks haven't really run into this issue yet, outside of the Slashing issue. Because stacking raid buffs don't have diminishing returns, it's pretty much mandatory for your job to bring one in order to stay competitive.

I'm hoping that the addition of a fourth tank and healer will force the devs to re-evaluate tanks and healers from the ground up. There isn't room for a fourth. You have to make room. The starting point for that is to look at how broad WAR and SCH's kits have become, and give them a more narrow focus, in keeping with everyone else.

100% agree here. I just don't think Lifesteal is remotely thematically sufficient nor Anti-magic remotely balanced enough to center DRK's rehaul from. To me, Dark Knight should be the subverting tank -- the "bastard tank" -- that despite technically being somewhere between the tactics-decisive aesthetic that Paladin and the brawling Warrior, finds a way to be "down and dirty" that is entirely its own. If there were a player type for a Dark Knight, or best suited to play a Dark Knight, to my mind that should be someone deservedly a bit smug, ready to decimate an enemy over their slip up--as a matter of course, but never devoid of pleasure--always planing ahead, always building up their underlying damage potential or capitalizing upon it, with never actually a stale moment. But, that's probably just me -- what I want most from jobs is to be immersed in or drawn into a conducive mentality. Its why I love speedMonk, speedSAM, and NIN so much; it's why I already love the hell out of a Deliriumed Blood Weapon-DA-Quietus/DA-AD spam, even if it's still painfully inferior to IR-Deci spam. They introduce you to a new way of thinking about things, and tweak your perceptions and habits at least a bit. I want DRK to have a disproportionately large amount of the little things that feel huge. And that might not come with a simplifying central element tag to paste on DRK's forehead, but that's okay.

[Lyth]

The reason why AoE on DRK is enjoyable is because it fully commits itself to the theme of resource stealing, and your actions all have some degree of synergy in order to achieve this.

TBN shields you, and converts MP into blood. The blood from TBN then goes into Quietus and Delirium. Quietus, in turn steals MP, and under the influence of Blood Weapon, also generates blood. The MP that you drained can be used to generate more TBN, or can be used on AD to steal HP, or can be used to make Quietus hit harder. You steal HP, MP, and generate blood, exchanging one resource for another in an alchemical fashion as you drain your enemies dry.

Now why can't we do something like this in single target? And better yet, why did they copy over Abyssal Drain's AoE lifesteal effect on to Steel Cyclone just so that WAR has a means to outdo us here too? That's our gameplay style. Shoo.

Bloodspiller is the closest single target equivalent of Quietus. But it doesn't really have a soul of its own. It's a cheap Fell Cleave knockoff. Holy Spirit is at least partially unique in that it gets used at range. What does Bloodspiller offer? It's the Shadow Wall problem all over again. We already know that Bloodspiller isn't allowed to outdamage Fell Cleave. So why doesn't it live up to its name and steal resources? Steal HP. Steal MP. Anything will do. Just give it some personality.

The framework is already there. It just needs to be expanded on. And it needs to be a DRK exclusive.