Need dk 5v5 tips

[Eastwall]

I decided to try something new. (l play a lot of paladin, But It is really depressing when my Half hp no mp teammate ran out of my cover and dies...)
So, am l only supposed to use shadowbringer when l have dark arts? Are There situations Where drain my own life is worth the risk? When l do get blood spiller, should l find a way to let enemy attack me first, so l can hit harder with it then recup?
Am l supposed to use salted earth to suck people off point? Or It should be primary used defensively to Soak damage on point?
Qeuitus, should this always be combined with salted earth for maximum gain?
Who do l plunge? On guarded target so their recup is less effective out of guard?
How do l initiate the fight at the beginning of the match? I see a lot of dk just plunges in, suck people in, then guard right away. Is that generally the way to do it? But salt earth would not be on point, isn't that a waste of defensive cd?
Lastly, the lb. I have seem some dk That would suck people in, lb right away then immediately qeutus to get the health Back right away, But isn't that a waste of the "unkillable" status you have for the next 10 seconds? I do find that waiting until Last second to try to suck people in and qeutis might not work because l forget There is a whm on the enemy team from time to time..

[headbangeeeeerrrrr]

So, am l only supposed to use shadowbringer when l have dark arts?

You should be using shadowbringer more frequently, while keeping track of your health. Always try to line up your SB against multiple targets in a line for the most effectiveness. Just make sure to keep track of your health. Dark Arts is there to reward you for proper TBN usage.

Are There situations Where drain my own life is worth the risk? When l do get blood spiller, should l find a way to let enemy attack me first, so l can hit harder with it then recup?

The main goal of using consistent shadowbringer + bloodspiller combos is to be at low hp for the high risk = high damage playstyle. Proper use of such does involves a decent amount of macro.
Are you in a risk to get stunned/cc'd (whm, war)?
Are you in a risk to get focused + bursted (smn, sam)?
Do you have any of your defensives on standby (TBN, SE, guard/recoup)?

For any of these situations above, you should hold off from spamming shadowbringer and instead continue to 1-2-3 until there is a window for your burst.

Am l supposed to use salted earth to suck people off point? Or It should be primary used defensively to Soak damage on point?Qeuitus, should this always be combined with salted earth for maximum gain?

Salted Earth CAN be used to disposition enemies off the point yes, but also keep note of its defensive capabilities. Standing in that pool gives you 20% mit and 2k HoT. If you do not have SE available, consider playing safe unless you have guard/tbn up, before you engage another time. One example of a good SE usage is applying it to corner spots such as those in Volcanic and Clockwork. Essentially you're playing as a defender when a crystal sits at that particular spot.

[headbangeeeeerrrrr]

Who do l plunge? On guarded target so their recup is less effective out of guard?

First we should understand the main uses for plunge. Plunge applies Sole Survivor onto the target, effectively REDUCING their healing gained by 20%. Sole Survivor also RESTORES your HP and MP by 20% IF the target dies. It will also refresh your Plunge CD.

Plunge can be used against an initiating enemy such as a warrior, dragoon, or even another dark knight. It makes it harder for them to recover and retreat, while your team focuses onto them. Plunge is also good against a Healer to reduce their healing actions for themselves (and against their allies i believe? Please correct me if its wrong.)
Another good usage for Plunge is applying it onto a target that is GUARANTEED to get focused and eliminated. So if you notice your Monk and White Mage hard-focusing an enemy Machinist, considering Plunging onto that machinist to help secure that kill. You'll heal yourself while refreshing plunge to use for a later opportunity.

How do l initiate the fight at the beginning of the match? I see a lot of dk just plunges in, suck people in, then guard right away. Is that generally the way to do it? But salt earth would not be on point, isn't that a waste of defensive cd?

Typically yes, you can engage a fight with plunge against a main-threat enemy by pre-pulling with TBN and using SE once you hit land. I do suggest holding onto your guard instead, rather than immediately guarded after sucking everyone in. However, you need to be wary of the enemy comp you're facing before making the engage. Are you facing against a comp that can easily burst you away after plunging? Are you facing against a comp that can negate your engage by methods of CC? Is your team available to follow up your engage, or are they busy with other skirmishes?

Lastly, the lb. I have seem some dk That would suck people in, lb right away then immediately qeutus to get the health Back right away, But isn't that a waste of the "unkillable" status you have for the next 10 seconds? I do find that waiting until Last second to try to suck people in and qeutis might not work because l forget There is a whm on the enemy team from time to time..

ALWAYS hold onto your Quietus when using your LB. You're aiming to use up the ENTIRE 10 seconds of invuln. Never use LB immediately if you don't have Quietus up. Aim to use Quietus at the last few seconds and against multiple enemies for the most effective heal.

An important thing to know is the enemies CAN be waiting for your invuln to finish. They could have CC/Burst abilities available to use. It is perfectly ok to retreat if you KNOW that they're able to focus you with their resources, and especially if you don;t have any resources to recover afterwards (mp loss, guard/tbn not up, etcetc.)

[Eastwall]

First we should understand the main uses for plunge. Plunge applies Sole Survivor onto the target, effectively REDUCING their healing gained by 20%. Sole Survivor also RESTORES your HP and MP by 20% IF the target dies. It will also refresh your Plunge CD.

Plunge can be used against an initiating enemy such as a warrior, dragoon, or even another dark knight. It makes it harder for them to recover and retreat, while your team focuses onto them. Plunge is also good against a Healer to reduce their healing actions for themselves (and against their allies i believe? Please correct me if its wrong.)
Another good usage for Plunge is applying it onto a target that is GUARANTEED to get focused and eliminated. So if you notice your Monk and White Mage hard-focusing an enemy Machinist, considering Plunging onto that machinist to help secure that kill. You'll heal yourself while refreshing plunge to use for a later opportunity.



Typically yes, you can engage a fight with plunge against a main-threat enemy by pre-pulling with TBN and using SE once you hit land. I do suggest holding onto your guard instead, rather than immediately guarded after sucking everyone in. However, you need to be wary of the enemy comp you're facing before making the engage. Are you facing against a comp that can easily burst you away after plunging? Are you facing against a comp that can negate your engage by methods of CC? Is your team available to follow up your engage, or are they busy with other skirmishes?



ALWAYS hold onto your Quietus when using your LB. You're aiming to use up the ENTIRE 10 seconds of invuln. Never use LB immediately if you don't have Quietus up. Aim to use Quietus at the last few seconds and against multiple enemies for the most effective heal.

An important thing to know is the enemies CAN be waiting for your invuln to finish. They could have CC/Burst abilities available to use. It is perfectly ok to retreat if you KNOW that they're able to focus you with their resources, and especially if you don;t have any resources to recover afterwards (mp loss, guard/tbn not up, etcetc.)

Thank you. Finally something that's actually useful from this forum for once.