The Dark Knight Job has seen some interesting changes since the release of Shadowbringers for Final Fantasy XIV. As a result, players are finding that the Dark Knight makes a fun, although still somewhat complicated, tank to play as.
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For players looking to dive into this interesting Job and learn the ins and outs of the Dark Knight there are some essential tips to keep in mind. Mastery of this Job will require experimentation and experience, some of which may eventually conflict with some of these points, but the following advice will certainly put players on the right path.
10 Quietus And Bloodspiller Are Bread And Butter Attacks
The Dark Knight’s two main attacking abilities are Quietus and Bloodspiller. Quietus is an AOE attack with a reach of five yards that deals 210 base damage to nearby enemies at the cost of 50 Blood. Bloodspiller is a single target attack that deals 600 at the cost of 50 Blood as well.
These two attacks are considered by fans to be the most cost effective and efficient at dealings with single targets or groups. As players will see later, using them is dependent on how full the blood gauge is, but if the player is saturated with blood they can feel free to go crazy attacking.
9 Blackest Night Is For Allies
The main focus of the Dark Knight is properly using the Blackest Night action. It’s obtained via a Job Quest at level 70 and is considered one of the Dark Knight’s most powerful tools. When used on a target it creates a barrier around them that can absorb 25% of the target’s total HP. Meaning the more HP the target has the stronger the barrier will be.
The benefit of this is that it has a decent coverage that can shield others that happen to be close to the target. Skilled Dark Knights can throw a barrier over a fellow tank protecting another player and both will be benefited.
8 You Want The Blackest Night Barrier To Break
A key aspect of the Blackest Night barrier is to make sure that it breaks rather than fades away. The reason for this is that if the barrier is shattered it will trigger the option for the player to use Edge of Shadow or Flood of Shadow using Dark Arts instead of MP.
Because of this it’s important to correctly time the barrier’s deployment to coincide with a massive bombardment from enemies. It’s tricky because the barrier only lasts seven seconds but getting this timing down can dramatically increase the Dark Knight’s potency.
7 Dark Missionary For Boss Ultimates
While Blackest Night is used for general attacks Dark Missionary is used almost exclusively to counter a Boss enemy that uses their Ultimate. When triggered, Dark Missionary will reduce incoming magic damage for both the player and nearby teammates by 10%.
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This may not sound like much but considering that many bosses can one hit kill weaker players, that 10% is enough to keep them on their feet and allow the Healer to do their Job. The radius extends up to 15 yards so its important to be close to others when triggering this action.
6 Dark Mind For Solo Magic Damage
While Dark Knights are concerned with keeping teammates alive, it’s important to keep themselves alive to continue fulfilling that role long term. If the player finds themselves the sole target of a Boss’s wrath or a strong magic-based enemy, this is the action they want.
When triggered, Dark Mind will reduce incoming magic damage by 20% solely for the Dark Knight for ten seconds. Considering the Dark Knight will be drawing quite a bit of aggro this action will be used a fair amount of times and will offer better protection than Dark Missionary, though it should only be used if the Dark Knight is alone when the attack occurs.
5 Spam Blood Weapon
Resource management is important for the Dark Knight, and Blood is the primary fuel they run on. Blood Weapon is a useful attack because it deals a decent amount of damage, fills the Blood Gauge by 10, and regenerates a bit of MP with each hit.
It doesn’t stack if the attack hits more than one opponent, but Dark Knight users can spam this ability to rebuild their Blood and MP during lulls in the fighting.
4 Keep MP Above 50%
As mentioned earlier resource management is important and a general rule of thumb Dark Knight’s should follow is to never let their MP get below 50%. Obviously this is important to keep a bank of MP for emergencies, but it’s more important for Dark Arts.
Dark Arts is a more precious resource for the Dark Knight and can only be fully utilized if the player has enough MP. Because of this, it’s important to keep MP at 50% at all times to ensure Dark Arts isn’t hindered in any way.
3 If Blood Is 50 Use It
The other main resource to manage is Blood. Blood is used for many powerful actions and abilities that let the Dark Knight do damage or keep themselves and others alive. But it’s important not to let it go to waste which is why fans recommend using it once the player has 50 in their Blood Gauge.
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If Blood Weapon is active then player should use Delirium which lets them spam Quietus and Bloodspiller without cost and refills MP with each hit. If Blood Weapon isn’t active than using Bloodspiller or Quietus directly is a solid, though less effective alternative.
2 Dark Arts With Souleater/Abyssal Drain
The key with Dark Arts is to pair it with another ability to prevent that ability from draining MP needlessly. For many players combining it with either Souleater or Abyssal Drain is best.
Souleater is a single target attack that when combed will deal decent damage, refill the Blood Gauge by 20, and regenerate HP. Abyssal Drain is an AOE attack that regenerates a bit of HP. Ideally Souleater should be prioritized due to the Blood Gauge refill, but either action will serve the player.
1 It’s Complicated
The main thing to remember with the Dark Knight is that they’re a complicated Job to play as. Many new players who want to fill a tank role are caught off guard by all the things to keep track of with Dark Knight and get frustrated.
But if the player can learn to properly manage resources, time the Blackest Night barrier properly, and use Dark Arts fueled attacks correctly, they’ll be a major force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Not to mention tank-based players are almost always in demand with this game.
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