Dark Knight Megathread

[OdinelStarrei]

I'm not wasting my time this go around, not making the same mistake I made the last two media tours.

The fact that Dark Knight has experienced no meaningful progression in it's job gameplay since the rework in Shadowbringers is disappointing. I am literally playing the same, dumbed down job for longer than actual good versions of DRK have existed. It'll be...probably late 2027 in 8.0 to get another chance for the job to mature. 7.0 isn't even out and I'm already writing off the entire expansion in terms of job engagement.

Everyone who was telling me that reworking DRK was a good idea so they had a foundation to build on in future expansions, I was right to doubt you, and the development team back then.

It's incredible to me that I can expect nothing from this developer team in job design, and still walk away shaking my head.

I will play launch, because my friends are, provide feedback once I have my hands on it, and then I'm probably done.

And don't tell me, it's just the media tour build, things will change at launch. It won't, I'm not stupid.

[Agner]

Everyone who was telling me that reworking DRK was a good idea so they had a foundation to build on in future expansions

There are certainly changes to DRK being made for DT that I like, but yeah. I surely do not see more joy to be found in regards to our MP or Gauge being interesting this expansion, let alone kit interplay—unless you count Disesteem, which is like a... step up the very, very long staircase for kit interplay, I guess?

Zero complaints about new Delirium animations, I can say that much. Looks great, sounds chunky. Though in the same vein we are still stuck with the visually monotonous and perpetual usage of Souleater.

At the end of the day, it's just crazy how we were told about good foundation and still all we have at level 100 is seemingly more foundation to construct to create a more enjoyable experience. Maybe I'll actually be surprised by 8.0, but I'm a bit out of faith. It feels like there's a full experience to be found somewhere, it's just being delivered in the slowest way possible. It's like every step forward with this job gives the design team leg cramps which leads to a water break and then... wait, what were we working on again?

Obvious caveat about needing to play it to really feel it, but based on my before and after experiences with ShB and then EW, yeahhh. Might be another case of level and forget or going back out of pure laziness/it's just the tank I end up feeling most comfortable playing. I dearly miss finding a job's design fun in spite of or in conjunction with whatever fight or instance I'm doing, and I think it's a shame it'll probably continue being that way given this particular "foundation" was given to us 5 years ago.

[Rithy255]

Why are they so adamant on linking Dark Knight's identity to that crappy shadow clone??

No clue, Reaper got the way better deal here, I kind of wish it was DRK instead that got a "dark transformation" then again looking at scholars new skill its likely for the best... I can imagine it would be like some spooky pirate costume with how far scholars transformation missed it's identity

I don't get who actually likes the "shadow clone" It's just a annoying visual DOT, You already have one of those in salted earth.

[SeriousPan]

No clue, Reaper got the way better deal here, I kind of wish it was DRK instead that got a "dark transformation" then again looking at scholars new skill its likely for the best...

Nothing would make me more sad than to see DRK's identity get fumbled as badly as SCH's but it's clearly on the way there.

[OdinelStarrei]

One of the biggest complaints I have about Dark Knight is the fact that the Darkside gauge, and by extension, the Living Shadow timer are essentially non-factors. This did not change in DT, which is a shame.

The thing is, I think there was an opportunity that was missed with Disesteem. Yes, I know that "2 min followup" skills in DT are...not the most liked thing. However, the way I've always seen SE promote Living Shadow is synced attacks with Esteem. You see it in the Shadowbringers and Endwalker job action trailers, because it's cool. I agree with this, there are times where if the Blood gauge syncs up just right, I'll do a double Bloodspiller with Esteem and that does proc some kind of positive feeling inside my dead heart.

What I was thinking, why not lean into that with Disesteem? Give us the Scorn buff when summoning, fine fine, but match the buff duration (20 secs) with Living Shadow's timer. Why not have the potency of the skill scale inversely with the amount of time left on the Living Shadow timer? Disesteem is the last skill that it uses, and with the ease of pre-summoning and no blood gauge cost, it can act as an effective "end point" or "cap" to the burst phase by sending off a combined attack. Like, the two of you are doing different things, you'd be doing the Scarlet Delirium combo with EoS weaved in, Esteem would be using an actual useful Abyssal Drain, and no cost gauge spenders, until you sync at the end, together as one, blah blah blah.

I'm not even saying make it a major difference. Either make it a linear scale with the buff itself, kinda like how Eventide's damage scales inversely with HP in PVP, or have Esteem give you stacks of Scorn overtime that cap out at 4 (it's Bloodspiller being the final stack) to prep your Disesteem to do the highest amount of damage. Maybe a small gain in 50 potency per attack that Esteem does before Disesteem. Therefore, it would be optimal to use Disesteem when Living Shadow is at 5 seconds or less of it's timer. With many buffs now being 15-20 seconds anyway, and pots still staying at 30 seconds, it still conforms to the current design while adding a bit of flavor.

Of course, this would be optional. You could use it anytime in Living Shadow as long as there's a target. But I would actually might look at my Living Shadow gauge if something like this was implemented.

[Kazamaiya]

Not really shocked, not really surprised, just about what i expected. Nothing substantial and just annoyed disappointment....

This doesn't really fix any of the problems people have with Dark Knight, well, maybe a little bit regarding sustain. But aside from that, these changes don't really fix or provide meaningful change to the job's lack of identity and lack of meaningful resource management.

At least if nothing else there's not another 'Enhanced Unmend'-worthy change of so dull it comes across as a joke or insult.

[Kaixern]

At least if nothing else there's not another 'Enhanced Unmend'-worthy change of so dull it comes across as a joke or insult.

Remember, this is only the media tour, there can still be changes.
For better, and (most of the time) for the worse....

(i repeat myself i know, but please devs prove me wrong)

[Kazamaiya]

Remember, this is only the media tour, there can still be changes.

True enough, I guess i still got some hope that it won't get any worse from Media Tour to Release.

[Oizen]

Well if you want to be technical enhanced unmend did get strictly worse by the change to plunge.

In what world are we using gap closers so frequently for the purpose of gap closing where a trait like this needs to exist at all now

[GoatOfWar]

Dark knight somehow manages to be even more braindead in DT than Warrior.