Dark Knight: From the Desk of a Taru

Opening Thoughts

 * Welcome~Welcome! I am Jolatola from the Fairy server, and I've decided to make some contributions to ffxiclopedia, rather than just bask in the knowledge!
 * In this guide I hopetaru give you the low down on the Job Dark Knight I'll be writing this over the course of a few days/weeks, so don't be surprised if it's incomplete for awhile~ Any spelling mistakes, please let me know, grammatical errors, and whataru else there might be.

Dark Knight Overview

 * Dark Knight is predominantly a DD job, with a heavy focus on Two-handed melee weapons such as Scythe and Great Sword.

Weapons

 * There are 2 main weapons dark knight is known for, Scythe, and Great Sword. While you will probably be using one or the other 99% of the time, it's not a bad idea to keep your other skills capped, or atleast high enough, that if you should need to, you can use another weapon.

Scythe

 * Although you start out with a Great Sword class weapon, scythe will more than likely be your main weapon until 75.
 * There are two classes of Scythe, First, being Scythe weapons (Exm:Orichalcum Scythe) And Zaghnal (Exm:Suzaku's Scythe)
 * Scythe class stand worlds ahead of Zaghnal weapons, in damage, but tend to be slightly slower.


 * Pros
 * Their high damage stats mean you hit harder swing for swing.
 * Guillotine is an incredible weapon skill from 60 on.
 * High damage output on weapon skills at all levels.


 * Cons
 * Scythes are the second slowest class of Melee weapon(Second to Great Axe).
 * Limited choices when it comes to Scythes.

Great Sword

 * Great Sword has a decent variety of weapons, and weapon skills, which make this a top notch weapon of choice.
 * With consistent damage, and hard hitting weapon skills, many Dark Knights choose Great Sword as their main weapon, as opposed to scythe.


 * Pros
 * Slightly quicker than scythe.
 * Weapon Skills Spinning Slash and Ground Strike Can do incredible damage.


 * Cons
 * At Low level, Great Sword is somewhat limited in damage.
 * Lacks the hitting power of scythe to a degree.

Great Axe

 * Great Axe is a wonderful weapons at lower levels, but quickly begins to lag behind in damage 50+


 * Pros
 * At Lower levels Great Axe tends to have better damage than Scythe.
 * Sturmwind Is an extremely powerful weaponskill at lower to mid levels.
 * Dark Knight can use Steel Cyclone


 * Cons
 * Slowest Melee weapon Class
 * Lower Great Axe skill means as you rise in level, the damage will quickly fall off.
 * No Access to the Raging Rush Weaponskill.

Axe



 * Pros
 * Access to Rampage at 57.
 * Able to offhand a second weapon, or shield.


 * Cons
 * Low over all damage.
 * Lower Axe skill makes landing full Rampage hits troublesome.

Other

 * Club
 * Dark Knight has several choices of clubs, non of which are particularly useful.
 * There is -one- exception however, the Kraken Club is amazing for doing a huge amount of damage in a short period of time. Pared with Blood Weapon, Souleater, Desperate Blows, and Last Resort, it's possible to put out literally thousands of damage in a few short seconds.


 * Sword
 * Nothing really to mention here, DRK can use Ridill, which is a nice sword, but other than that, I can't really see any use for the weapon.


 * Marksmanship
 * With Bloody bolts, this can be a useful soloing skill, but other than that, there's not much point to having it capped.

Attack Bonus

 * "Improves the power of physical attacks"
 * Dark Knight gets 4 Attack Bonus traits over all, 1 every twenty levels, totally a +48 attack bonus at level 70.
 * Attack Bonus I - Level 10
 * Attack Bonus II - Level 30
 * Attack Bonus III - Level 50
 * Attack Bonus IV - Level 70
 * Having a Subjob such as Warrior That has attack Bonuses, will no further enhance your attack.

Resist Paralyze

 * "Increases resistance against Paralyze"
 * Shortens the length of Paralysis.
 * Junk trait, barely noticeable.

Arcana Killer

 * "Gives an edge again arcana enemies"
 * Increases the chance to intimidate Arcana enemies.
 * Arcana includes a wide variety of monsters, such as Bombs, Dolls, Magic Pots, Evil Weapons, and Golems.
 * Definitely a better job trait than most people give credit for, though the effect is weak, even 1 intimidation can save your life in the right circumstances.

Muted Soul

 * Although I don't have this ability, it looks like a wonderful addition to have if you like Souleater
 * "Reduces Enmity white using souleater by 10 per merit"

Desperate Blows

 * "Reduces delay for two-handed weapons when using Last Resort by 5% per merit."
 * This effect is applied as Haste, rather than shortened delay, meaning you don't sacrifice TP per hit.
 * This Haste bonus can break the 70% Haste Cap.
 * An Amazing ability when paired with the Group 1 merit "Reduced Last Resort Recast"

Arcane Circle

 * "Increases party members' resistance against Arcana."
 * Meh.
 * Well actually it's pretty good, if you put on your Chaos Sollerets, it'll last 1:30, but a really good use for this ability is with Chaotic Earring Equipped, gives +7 attack while Arcane Circle is on you :3

Last Resort

 * "Increases user's attack, but lowers defense."
 * I both love and hate this ability, it gives you alot of hate, but a nice attack bonus.
 * Attack bonus is around 15%, and Def. Penalty is the same.
 * Each Merit into Last Resort Effect will raise the attack bonus by about 2%.
 * Along with Desperate Blows, this can be a great ability to both pump up your melee attacks, as well as attack speed.
 * Doesn't last too long.. ; ; 30seconds.

Weapon Bash

 * "Delivers an attack that can stun the target."
 * This can be a useful ability for stunning if you stun spell is down, but I wouldn't rely too heavily on it.

Souleater

 * "Consumes your own HP to enhance attacks"
 * Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Souleater, I find it ends up getting me killed too often.. ~cough~
 * Each attack will drain 10% of your current HP, and add it to the damage of your melee attacks, this is proportional, as each attack, you will have less HP, and the effect will get weaker.
 * A nice feature about Souleater is it adds a noticeable amount of accuracy to your attacks (About 25)
 * When Souleater and Blood Weapon are used together, you will drain the same amount of damage back, as you took, and then some, making it a very useful, but short lived combo.
 * Stacks with Weaponskills, but Be careful with Multi-hit weaponskills, as you will do a huge amount of damage, gain a large amount of hate, and your HP will Plummet very quickly.

Dark Magic

 * Dark Magic is a great way to keep yourself alive. :3 I've partied with way too many Dark Knights that don't cast, and it always annoys me.
 * Absorb-TP Will probably be your most used spell. As the name suggests, it steals TP from the monster and gives it to you.
 * Dark Magic skill gear will help from getting resists.
 * Magic Attack Bonus seems to have no effect on this spell.
 * You can only absorb TP that the monster has to give. If you finish casting right after the monster uses a TP move, chances are you will get 0~15TP, so timing is key.
 * Drain/DrainII are great spells for those times you get hit, I especially love them as a Taru.
 * Dark Magic skill+ Gear, as well as Magic attack bonus do have a noticeable effect on these spells.
 * Drain II Can give you more HP back than your max HP, and will give you a "Max HP UP" status effect, usually lasts about 1~2 minutes.
 * Aspir is another useful spell, It will only work on monsters that have MP though.
 * Again, Dark Magic skill+ and Magic Attack bonus help~
 * Absorb-Stat spells can be useful, but in an EXP/Merit party I never really see the point, usually the monster dies so fast, you'll only get a couple hits off after casting.
 * They can be used to pump up you Overall WS Damage on larger monsters, but usually at the cost of 2-3 Melee hits, and on larger God/HNM monsters, you may get resists.
 * Dread Spikes, is a spell I personally love. It's saved my Taru butt so many times.
 * Dread Spikes does take a good chunk of MP to cast, even as a Taru it's noticable.
 * Effect lasts about 1 minute, or until it has absorbed 50% of your total health as damage.
 * I usually use it when I know I'm about to get hate, such as after a large WS, or pulling.

Elemental Magic

 * Lol.
 * The only real time a Dark Knight would use elemental magic is if they are needed to burst over a skill-chain however, most dark knights really don't try to do this. Also, elemental magic is used in end game mobs depending on how you want to handle them. For instance; Faust has a dangerous AoE attack, so you want to reduce the amount of damage that you put on it. This is where one of the few instances you would actually use elemental magic.
 * Other then that elemental magic used for pure damage isn't useful, even if you are able to hit a triple digit damage on a mob with a elemental spell because you usually are able to do that with just your Scythe or Great Sword.

Enfeebling Magic

 * Dark Knight gets Sleep&Sleep II, which can both be really useful... Unfortunately, if you're like me and have nothing but melee jobs leveled, you Enfeebling magic skill is probably so low, you have no chance in hell of sleeping anything.. T.T

Warrior

 * Berserk and Warcry are Damage Dealers (DD) best friends. In terms of raw damage output, these abilities make every blow that lands hit for impressive numbers.
 * Watch your enmity, a few double attacks in a row, can really get the monster's attention.
 * Double Attack, another fan favorite of the DD. With Two-Handed weapons, this Trait will increase Damage over Time (DoT). Double Crit hits with the 2-Handed weapons also impress. This trait STACKS with mulit-Hit Weapon Skills such as Guillotine potentially increasing a 5 hit WS to a 10 hit for some insane damage.
 * Provoke has its uses as well when partying with a THF at lower lvls to set up SATA. Or someone else using /THF post 60, though this gets alittle pointless 70+.
 * It should be noted as well that this sub offers absolutely NOTHING in terms of Accuracy. Accuracy is huge concern for all 2 handed weapons.

Samurai

 * My personal Favorite sub ♥
 * Samurai offers alot as far as sub jobs go, in comparison to the other choices.
 * Hasso : Hasso offers a large Haste, Accuracy, Attack, and Strength boots while wielding two-handed weapons.
 * Meditate Is another Great Ability, while subbed you will get 60 TP for just hitting the button, Along with Absorb TP, you can Weaponskill constantly..
 * Which brings me to Seigan and Third Eye, These two abilities will be your best friend. Even though it's a slight gamble.
 * Third Eye with Seigan up seems to have a 50~% chance of Letting Third Eye stay active after anticipating an attack.
 * There is also a chance, that instead of simply anticipating, you will Counterattack. (Seems to be 10~15%)
 * Two Store TP Traits will be active by the time you hit 60 on Dark Knight, and they are actually noticeable, giving more TP per hit, especially with the slower weapons.
 * Zanshin Is also another neat little trait. While you should probably try not to miss the mob, if you do, Zanshin gives a 30% chance of granting a second attack.

Thief

 * I'd like to add, I hate this sub, I -never- use it for anything, this is more of a personal thing though, so my opinion isn't 100% here.
 * This is the End-game job of choice for most DRKs in HNM/Sky Gods/Sea Gods scenario's where Hate control of the Target is vital to success.
 * Sneak Attack will spike your damage to some very impressive numbers, while Trick Attack will "Plant" the hate on the designated tanks as well as insure your survival.
 * Some DRKs have leveled with this sub pre-Dread Spikes/Seigan for the impressive numbers of there ws' combinations with Sneak Attack, and survivability with Trick Attack.
 * This sub provides a much slower TP build then say SAM,RNG, or WAR. Leading to slower chains and exp when leveling this job. There is also no benefit to accuracy unless using SATA which has a 1 minute recast time on both abilities.
 * End Game HNMLs will REQUIRE you have this sub for the added hate control. Take some time to level this sub. It has it's uses. <=={ Not my opinion! Neener neener neeener! }
 * Did I mention I hate this sub?

Dragoon

 * Accuracy Bonus1. Increases your accuracy. A big, huge, major concern for any 2 handed weapon user.
 * This Sub can be on par for TP build with SAM sub, if both of your jump abilities are up.

Ninja

 * Utsusemi: Ichi and Utsusemi: Ni are the primary purpose of this sub job. Another end game preference when Area of Effect (AoE) WS' are a big concern in zones such as many of the Dynamis areas. Utsusemi shadows absorb the damage from these WS', increasing your survivability, and allowing your healers to Conserve MP more efficiently.
 * Dual Wield, Lol. With a pair of axes it's not that bad, but I'd recommend sticking to two handed weapons. I know someone will come along "But..but..Ridill! or Kraken!" No, no, no, NO. You should be shot right now. I swear to GOD If I ever see a DRK{or any job for that matter} in an EXP party with kraken, I will bite their knees off.

Dancer

 * A fairly useful sub, though it has been somewhat nerfed, Healing Waltz II now does about 165ish per cast at the cost of 35tp, not terribly great.
 * Curing Waltz, an erase ability is very nice to have, if you don't have White Mage sub leveled, like me.
 * Spectral Jig is a free, short lasting Sneak/Invisible.
 * I've only recently gotten this leveled, so I'll have more on it later.

Scholar

 * I personally haven't tested any of this, since I have no intention of leveling scholar.
 * Dark Arts can apparently have a nice effect on Drain/Aspir spells.

Ranger

 * A completely useless sub for Dark Knight in my opinion.
 * In party situations, this subjob offers nothing useful, aside from a small accuracy bonus.
 * In solo situations, the major draw to this sub might be Wide Scan, if you're hunting an NM with a large spawn radius.
 * Another benefit would be sharpshot, if you plan on soloing using Bloody Bolts for healing.

White Mage

 * Solo class sub-job.
 * Primarily for the Cure's, and buffs such as Stoneskin and Blink. The WHM class of Bar spells, and Reraise, Sneak, and Invisible.
 * Enfeebling Magic skill of drk is C. With this sub it opens up options such as Paralyze, Slow, and Silence. All helpfull when soloing. With capped Enfeebling Magic skill, this line of spells is very helpfull.
 * Subbing RDM or BLM will do the same thing for you in terms of opening up different spell options for Enfeebs.

Beastmaster

 * Solo class sub-job.
 * This is the ideal sub-job for skilling up all of your neglected skills over the past 75 levels of exp parties. The pet does the fighting while you sit back and nuke/enfeeb, use Marksmanship or skill up weaker weapons like Great Axe, Axe, Sword, and Club.
 * Quite possibly the only real use for the spell Absorb-CHR you will find in the game.

Tarutaru

 * The best race, hands down. (My personal opinion, which means more than yours >3)
 * Lower overall HP will make you more prone to getting one-shotted.
 * Low HP also means that your Souleater damage will be lowered, and without the right gear/merits, it will be a significant difference.
 * High MP pool letting you rely on spells more, Drain II, Dread Spikes, and Aspir, as well as Absorb spells to offset the racial difference.
 * Tarutaru RSE offers great stats for Dark Knight, lots of +str and +vit
 * RSE2 is even Better, Creek Boots, and Creek Mitts are amazing armor pieces, easily usable until endgame.
 * Tarutaru have two RSE earrings, one offering +35HP, the other +2STR +1 VIT, a great addition to any Dark Knight.

Special Mentions

 * I'd like to thank Guwhenivar for his help with the Subjob section, some useful stuff there I might have forgotten!