Question for fellow DRK's who have played its new Shb iteration.

[Osteichthyes]

This is my perspective as someone who picked up DRK at the end of SB and is going through the MSQ as DRK. The job definitely feels different. I like it, but a couple of things just don't make that much sense to me.
Mostly, Dark Missionary. A 10% magic reduction for the party seems nice, but then you start looking at the numbers. It's only 10% (basically another Reprisal), so it's very unlikely to mitigate a meaningful amount, which is basically a few auto-regen ticks. It's kinda just there and doesn't affect the greatest issue that DRK has, the very high MP cost compared to how hard it is to generate MP outside of the burst window.

In my time in SB you could regain almost all MP in a few rotations and abilities, but not here. Flood and Edge are clearly meant to weave in between the rotation to break it up, but with their high cost it can only be done a few times before needing to have several 1-2-3 rotations to do another. TBN is also an issue as it also uses a ton of MP and does...not that much really. It's a strong shield like it was before, but it doesn't give the player the defensive options that SB had because it is more difficult to generate MP, so ultimately if you want to spam it, you need to forgo edge/flood, thus making the rotation more monotonous.

AoE rotation is much the same, it's two buttons over and over with the occasional Quietus to break it up. Quietus is now just damage, nothing else. I would like to see Quietus put into the combo, have it generate something and have Abyssal Drain cost a resource (probably blood). This would give the player a better defensive kit while still incorporating the SB AD play.

So yeah, my greatest complaint is that MP costs are too high compared how much abilities cost, and how little the abilities affect each other for their purpose.

That being said, I am still having fun, so it's a solid B from me. It's not outstanding, but it's not unplayable.

[Ultimatecalibur]

This is my perspective as someone who picked up DRK at the end of SB and is going through the MSQ as DRK. The job definitely feels different. I like it, but a couple of things just don't make that much sense to me.
Mostly, Dark Missionary. A 10% magic reduction for the party seems nice, but then you start looking at the numbers. It's only 10% (basically another Reprisal), so it's very unlikely to mitigate a meaningful amount, which is basically a few auto-regen ticks.

Dark Missionary is an anti-"raid buster" intended for as yet unreleased content. Like Divine Veil, Passage of Arms, Shake It Off and Heart of Light it is intended to keep DpS and Healers alive through attacks that deal nearly 100% their hp.

[Marxam]

Sounds like the expansion poster boy job launch curse has struck again. 2.0 WAR was crap but fixed in 2.1 and has been great ever since. 3.0 DRG rotation very punishing for not hitting positional and generally difficult to play but quickly received potency adjustments. 4.0 MNK was shafted for not having enough raid synergy and has been buffed throughout the expansion but the damage was done. 5.0 DRK is a poor-mans WAR.

Honestly when the news popped out before EA from the media tour I was worried for DRK because it just felt like it was lagging in every aspect both defensively and game play wise. I mean only one combo rotation really? I never found anything wrong with DA, outside of having to spam it for everything but conceptually it was very distinct from the other tanks and that was great. The ability to augment a weapon skill was very unique and interesting and now that's gone.

The one thing that still irks me about this job is that it still doesn't have it's "identity". PLD is a holy knight that uses healing and shields the party while attacking with holy magics. WAR is a berserk tank that rushes in like a raging bull with reckless abandon unable to stop or be stopped. GNB is a fast articulate tank that uses quick fluid movements and combines attacks with cartridge shells for that "trigger" feel from FFVIII. DRK... well I'd like to say that it embodies the classic DRK of other FF games but the WAR has more life steal and its more frequent. All I can say about DRK atm is that it has the least amount of cds, being heavily reliant on TBN, has only one combo rotation and still focuses on magic defensive cds which could bite it in the rear if there is a fight that deals mostly physical. DRK atm is just a dark magic tank.

I know they won't bring back DA but I hope they bring back that concept of being able to augment your weaponskills in the future.

[Reynhart]

DRK... well I'd like to say that it embodies the classic DRK of other FF games but the WAR has more life steal and its more frequent.

The problem is that the core concept of classic DRK is to burn its HP to enhance its damage, so the complete opposite of what you want for a tank. Maybe that's the reason it has a hard time cementing its identity.

[MerlinCross]

The problem is that the core concept of classic DRK is to burn its HP to enhance its damage, so the complete opposite of what you want for a tank. Maybe that's the reason it has a hard time cementing its identity.

Problem is you really don't want something like that as ANY class in an MMO really. The healers would have issues not only having to heal everything as normal but then Dark Knight comes in and the healer things "Great I need to spare resources on this guy or he'll die just by doing his mechanics"

Of course this could be balanced(Ha) if the life steal is enough to offset the drain but if you do that there's kinda no challenge or threat anyway right? Just remove the HP burn.

[Reynhart]

Of course this could be balanced(Ha) if the life steal is enough to offset the drain but if you do that there's kinda no challenge or threat anyway right? Just remove the HP burn.

You'd also have skills that would be more powerful the less HP you have, like Minus Strike, so you'd want to burn your HP, do your big hit, then drain back to not die at the first unavoidable AoE. If would definitely be a very risky job, but if the reward is worth it, it could be interesting. In the end, it was one of DRK's mechanic in FFXI.

[Barachim]

You'd also have skills that would be more powerful the less HP you have, like Minus Strike, so you'd want to burn your HP, do your big hit, then drain back to not die at the first unavoidable AoE. If would definitely be a very risky job, but if the reward is worth it, it could be interesting. In the end, it was one of DRK's mechanic in FFXI.

Now imagine combining that with living Dead. For several seconds, as you are down at 1 HP, you'd be at your most devastating.

[currentlemon]

I'm leveling up DRK right now (currently at lvl. 54). I wish we had more skills available at lvl. 50 rather than a simple three button combo. Maybe add a skill back or move one of the post level 50 skills down. I'm not sure. The job is okay at best at level 50, but I feel like more could be added.

[Reynhart]

Now imagine combining that with living Dead. For several seconds, as you are down at 1 HP, you'd be at your most devastating.

Frankly, DRK having Minus Strike would be so satisfying

[MerlinCross]

You know theory crafting that wouldn't be too bad.

Swap Living Dead with Superbolide, and give us abilities like Paladin's Spirit Within.