Thread: EW 6.08 Dark Knight: Simple improvements that do not require a major design overhaul

Just got some quick comments to shoot at a few points

Originally Posted by Eorzean_username

111 — Increase the number of stacks that "Dark Arts" can accumulate.

Only issue I see with this is, especially if you don't have a NIN in your party, you still have to do upkeep with Darkside and can't really hold DA stacks for 2-minutes since you're forced to use those first. One solution could be letting the player choose when to use DA stacks vs spending 3000 MP as normal, but the only way I can imagine that working would be an oGCD which is the last thing our bursts need. Other than that I wouldn't mind being able to bank more DA stacks.

Originally Posted by Eorzean_username

222 — Remove the Blood Gauge cost of Living Shadow.

Yeah since it's already got a long CD the Blood Gauge cost is pretty superfluous. If they remove it it'd be pretty easy to switch Living Shadow and Delirium in the current opener.

Originally Posted by Eorzean_username

444 — Adjust the current AOE target-threshold disjunction

• A third possibility (mentioned in other posts, as well) is to take the much-abused "Abyssal Drain" and work it into the AOE combo, extending it to a 3-GCD combo like the ST combo.

For example, something like "Unleash" → "Stalwart Soul" (+600 MP) → "Abyssal Drain" (restore HP, +20 Blood).

This would give the ST combo a clean mirror-image in AOE, and would reign-in the resource-rate advantage that the AOE combo currently holds.

And the potencies could be set at something like 100 → 120 → 140, for an average PPGCD of 120, causing the combo to fall just shy of outcompeting the ST combo at 2 targets.

Don't have much to say about this one overall since it hasn't been an issue for me. This part specifically reminds me of an idea I had though where AD could combo directly off Unleash as an alternate to Stalwart Soul. That'd require a nerf to AD's damage and also brings up the immediate topic of whether players would willingly sacrifice damage for a heal, so maybe there'd just be less friction to make it the third step of the AOE combo. Although at that point it'd be a pretty passive heal and would feel underwhelming to use compared to other tanks but if it's functional sure.

Originally Posted by Eorzean_username

666 — Reduce Dark Knight's OGCD ("Ability") over-load

Agree on the issue, probably a thousand different ways to tackle it though.

Originally Posted by Eorzean_username

888 — Dark Knight defensive design concerns

Honestly I don't know what to do with Oblation, fold it into TBN (would miss the animation though), buff it, give it a heal. Ton of options but underwhelming as is.