Hoping for Heavensward style Dark Arts to return in 8.0

[Blazeblast4]

Currently, Dark Knight struggles with having a mechanical identity. As a tank, it’s main defensive selling points are that it has a low cooldown anti-magic defensive and TBN can save low HP allies from damage more easily than other options, with the trade offs being that it has less tools for physical tank busters, has the weakest cooldown short cooldown for multi-hit tank busters, and its short cooldown defensive is a DPS loss if needed multiple times in a short window. Meanwhile, in terms of DPS, the job basically throws everything in the two minute window, then does little else but it’s basic combo and Bloodspiller in between bursts. And since Gunbreaker released, Dark Knight was rarely the highest DPS option, so it doesn’t even have that niche anymore.

On the gameplay feel end, to me at least, it feels like it became a Warrior with more burst phase oGCDs and worse defensives. There isn’t really any interactions between the abilities outside of TBN giving a pseudo-refund through a free Edge/Flood, which does at least have a neat optimization where you can squeeze in an extra Edge during burst phases. And while technically Dark Knight has two gauges to manage (Blood and MP), only MP has decision making tied to it.

So what I would like to see is the return of Heavensward Dark Arts. The Heavensward version had different effects based on what ability it enhanced, usually more damage but often also had a bonus effect. This style of Dark Arts would do a few key things for Dark Knight. First, it would allow Dark Knight to have an avenue for better defensives without needing more buttons. Dark Arts plus Dark Mind could say give blanket mitigation, Dark Arts plus Quietus could be a heal per target hit, Dark Arts plus TBN could give a heal/second shield, and so on. Second, it would allow its rotation to feel a bit more unique to other tanks, as you would be using an oGCD to empower another ability, tweaking the flow. Third, it would allow more flexibility in offensive and defensive cooldowns based around triggering Dark Arts effects.

And for me, the biggest thing it would do is give Dark Knight a very interesting mechanical identity, where they can trade damage for protection and vice versa. Currently, of the tanks, onlt Paladin really has big trade off abilities in the form of Clemency and Passage of Arms, one which trades offensive MP use for healing and the other which is a channel that doesn’t do damage. A Heavensward style Dark Arts would allow Dark Knight to have a more extreme version of that, which would fix a lot of pain points in certain content like dungeons and physical tank buster raids while not making them more powerful in Savage, as the extra tools come at a DPS cost.

Of note, I don’t necessarily want it identical to Heavensward’s version. It could be an oGCD or something like Eukrasia or a new kind of button. To me at least, this feels thematically fitting for the job.

[Teno]

I'd love to see Dark Arts back. Spammy but looked cool and felt satisfying, and transformative skills are fun. They did something similar with eukrasia for sage but have barely built on it in a full xpac's time. I doubt they'd bring it back given their current lack of direction but who knows.

[Shurrikhan]

I wouldn't want to see it with the animation or functionality it had before. I'd rather see it almost like a MP-consuming Continuation analog, but always providing differing utility in addition to a consistent amount of basic damage.

Possible exceptions: Offensive CDs like CnS or ShB could sacrifice the utility for a greater damage, encouraging margining MP for those upcoming CDs.

[Kalaam]

I'd rather it not be another copy/analog of another tank's mechanic like we have for the blood gauge and scarlet delirium essentially being beast gauge and confiteor combo.

I think its spammability should be balanced, and maybe have it work more toward ressource management and defensive utility rather than a mandatory damage boost you have to apply before every other attack.
Maybe using it allows the use of some abilities even while on CD (like using Abyssal Drain for example), I dunno. But as much as I like continuation, i'd like Dark Knight to have his own stuff

[Ramiee]

Considering Eukrasia is basically Dark Arts, it can come back since people have been using it for the last 2 years with relatively no complaints. I just really want scour and power slash back so having those appear under dark arts somewhere would be awesome.

[Blazeblast4]

Considering Eukrasia is basically Dark Arts, it can come back since people have been using it for the last 2 years with relatively no complaints. I just really want scour and power slash back so having those appear under dark arts somewhere would be awesome.

Eukrasia is an interesting comparison point since it’s a GCD modifier and does a great job of lowering button bloat (condensing now 10 buttons into 6). It’s not a strict enhancement like Dark Arts and doesn’t cost resources, with its overall presses going down as the group improves. The half GCD design would be an interesting approach, especially if Dark Arts would still modify oGCDs. Give it an animation tweak to be more subdued like Eukrasia (no going super sayian 5 times a minute) and you’d have a very unique flow for a tank. Heck, thinking of Sage, a Pneuma-esque GCD that’s both damage and a tank CD could also be an interesting direction. Maybe an alternate Blood Gauge or MP spender, could be a long cooldown damage neutral one like Pneuma or a short cooldown potential/guaranteed damage loss like old Lilies or Clemency. And yeah, Power Slash had such a great animation, would love to see it back.

[Mapleine]

I'd imagine a modern Dark Arts would be akin to Eukrasia. My only apprehension to HW specific Dark Arts are my memories of just how clunky and slow it was.

Edit: Aw, I missed a post and it contained my desired conversation point

[Blazeblast4]

I'd imagine a modern Dark Arts would be akin to Eukrasia. My only apprehension to HW specific Dark Arts are my memories of just how clunky and slow it was.

I don’t think that’ll be as much of a problem anymore as netcode has improved a ton, Blood Weapon doesn’t lower GCDs anymore, and there’s no more Arrow card. While there’s definitely some weaving issues from time to time (the DT dash replacements in particular sucked pre-patc) and certain things are way too slow to change/be tested with ping, I think Dark Arts could fit in fine as an oGCD now without the clunkiness. Plus, it’s not like Dark Knight doesn’t currently double weave a ton.

[Zairava]

I would happily take Dark Arts back whether it was an oGCD or a quick GCD like Eukrasia

[Ramiee]

Well if dark arts comes along with the removal of the slash/flood attacks double weaving wouldn't be that much of an issue, you could adjust Shadowbringer and CaS to happen slightly more often but have us use Dark Arts as a weave if it's possible to do a Eukrasia oGCD. I'm fine with it being a short GCD too if they think it's too spammy but I still wouldn't want slash/flood in the game costing MP and would prefer if Shadowbringer got a 30 second cd and CaS got an aoe drop off and stayed at 60 seconds. Considering plunge isn't a thing anymore we don't have as much APM.