Before enetering DRK should I...

[Queen Uma]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

A skilled dark knight should be able to always use a great axe. As Raydeus the skill difference between GS (A-) and GA (B+) is barely noticable.

At Lv.40 both Scythe and Great Sword will be a better option for DRK than Great Axe. Better DPS, higher damage, and increased Accuracy. Great Sword will be low damager, but much lower delay, so you should be able to keep up with DoT.

I'm sorry tdh but I disagree. Great Axe can be a drk's most damaging weapon until at least level 50. Horror Voulge, Eisentaenzer and Gigant Axe* being 3 fantastic GAs that can be used from 40-50. Compare to that an Ice Brand, Royal Swordsman's Blade and Faussar in the same level range and GA outclasses GS easily. Mutilator, Raven Scythe and Falcastra are all great scythes in the level range but are let down by the crappy ws scythe have at those levels (49 til we get Vorpal).

Sturmwind is a ridiciously powerful ws and the GA break ws can make a huge difference to party performance, although generally unappreciated.

I recommend keeping all three capped and taking one of each to xp parties therefore keeping your options open.

*If you are using Gigant then you will need to macro in int+ gear to compensate during your spell casts.

[tdh]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

I'm sorry tdh but I disagree. Great Axe can be a drk's most damaging weapon until at least level 50. Horror Voulge, Eisentaenzer and Gigant Axe* being 3 fantastic GAs that can be used from 40-50. Compare to that an Ice Brand, Royal Swordsman's Blade and Faussar in the same level range and GA outclasses GS easily. Mutilator, Raven Scythe and Falcastra are all great scythes in the level range but are let down by the crappy ws scythe have at those levels (49 til we get Vorpal).

Sturmwind is a ridiciously powerful ws and the GA break ws can make a huge difference to party performance, although generally unappreciated.

I recommend keeping all three capped and taking one of each to xp parties therefore keeping your options open.

*If you are using Gigant then you will need to macro in int+ gear to compensate during your spell casts.

Now I won't deny that Sturmwind is MUCH better than any Scythe or Great Sword WS with WAR sub. Hell, I'd go as so far as to say that Sturmwind is better than Vorpal Scythe, just horrible skillchain options. But at Lv.40 the gap between skills increases, and it's a 6 point spread. Elvaan DRKs already have a hard enough time with accuracy, and that spread will show. (I've noticed this with skill ups, and meanwhile the Great Axe Skill + belt is nice, Life Belt would better serve you with a Scythe or Great Sword.)

Personally, from a party stand point, I would much rather have DRK using a Great Sword to open/close Distortion for various jobs than a DRK doing more damage with Sturmwind. I do love the Break WS's, the only problem is they don't do much damage themselves, and don't offer many options in a Skillchain either.

When I build a party, I build it around a Skillchain. I try to find the proper melees to do the best Skillchain I can put together so the mages can MB away. Past Lv.35 really, you're not going to be a situation where you're not Skillchaining, so that's why I said up to Lv.37, Lv.40 at the latest.

Great Sword Vs. Great Axe is no real comparison, but Scythe is another issue. Lv.49 Gigant Axe Vs. Barb. Scythe I'm going to go with that Barb. Scythe every time, skillchain or not.

[Mhurron]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

Other then drain most of your Drk spells are usless.

Ignoring the G.Axe vs G.Sword vs Scythe, I just want to say DRK's should use their absorb spells more often. People spend millions of gil to raise a stat by one or two points, DRK's can lower the mobs for free yet almost never do.

[Queen Uma]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

Great Sword Vs. Great Axe is no real comparison, but Scythe is another issue. Lv.49 Gigant Axe Vs. Barb. Scythe I'm going to go with that Barb. Scythe every time, skillchain or not.

Generally there is a huge misconception with the amount of damage the Barb Scythe puts out. Loosing 5 acc basically negates a Woodsman/Sniper's ring. Most players simply look at the attack +25 stat. A Falcastra has a much lower delay, reasonable damage and the added benefits of dex+4. The dps between these two weapons is extremely close 8.64 and 8.5 respectivly. The Falcastra can easily last until 53 when you get the much more powerful Bone Scythe.

If you are going to use a Barb Scythe at least wait until level 50 when you have Royal Knight's Mufflers and make sure you're using a Life Belt with a good pair of acc rings.

[spiffaliffa]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

What is all this about great axe ....... i doint think that great axe would be the ultimate best thing to use it dosent probbably do ass much as sythe and GS and plus on the fact that Sythe is the DRKs greatest wepon they hit more and are a bit cheaper and if u so happen to have lvl GS and sytrhe as warrior good for u ( i did dident know what wepons to use at the time ) To the further point Great axe ..... Pointless

[Ellipses]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

What is all this about great axe ....... i doint think that great axe would be the ultimate best thing to use it dosent probbably do ass much as sythe and GS and plus on the fact that Sythe is the DRKs greatest wepon they hit more and are a bit cheaper and if u so happen to have lvl GS and sytrhe as warrior good for u ( i did dident know what wepons to use at the time ) To the further point Great axe ..... Pointless

Um... If the "ultimate best thing to use" is the only acceptable weapon, why are both Greatsword and Scythe options? Because in some situations and level ranges, one is better than the other. In some situations and level ranges, Greataxe is better for DRK than either Greatsword or Scythe, just like H2H or sword is better for THF before Viper Bite.

Will not having Greataxe leveled get a DRK kicked from a party? Not very likely. Will having Greataxe leveled and available at the stages where it's better than Greatsword or Scythe make that DRK more memorable (in a good way)? Hell yes. But hey, DRKs get swamped with invites already, right?

[Aeni]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

I'll just repost what I posted before...

If you can, keep all options available.

[10-29]

DRK/WAR
Scythe - Does not have any good WS, but the dps cannot be beat.
GAxe - Sturmwind is destructive even without Sneak Attack.
GSword - Powerslash on last resort is simply awesome. Stay away from Hard Slash tho.

DRK/NIN
Axe - Raging Axe ftw. Quite destructive with Last Resort
Sword - Not a good dps solution, even when dual wielded, but Fast Blade & Burning Blade is nice.

DRK/THF - No thanks.

DRK/??? - Consult your party members first.

[30-49]

DRK/WAR
You're wanted to be a SATA partner for the THF in the party. Don't whine. Do it. Scythe is still your top dps weapon, but look to Gsword for Freeze Bite and Power Slash for distortion possibilities. Until then, you're going to cry either way. Sturmwind doesn't do shit at these levels anymore and leave the breaking to a true main WAR with Gaxe.

DRK/THF
GSword - SA Hardslash owns.
GAxe - SA Sturmwind owns harder.

DRK/NIN
Honestly, don't. You just will suck harder than Ms. Felicity's first BJ of the day.

DRK/??? - More than likely you won't be ask to sub anything ... weird.

[49-59]

DRK/WAR
You're now a real dps monster with a scythe. Not quite like a main WAR, but you're now able to proc double attacks in your fighting. This helps with TP gain, but not really nice when you get too much hate. Best to have a main THF in party.

DRK/THF
GAxe - Honestly, Sturmwind is getting old and so is your dps. Other than keeping skill capped, there's no real good reason to keep this.
GSword - Crescent Moon rocks for Distortion, but without TA until 60, you're not going to be appreciated ripping hate off of the tank like this. You need to end Crescent Moon on a SC, cause the damage actually sucks if opening.
Scythe - Vorpal Scythe to open things up. Try to keep SA on it, because it tends to miss a lot.

DRK/??? - Novelty only and with understanding players. Usually casual drug users.

[60-64]

DRK/WAR - You get Guillotine. Guillotine gets you. Literally. Expect to die 1~5 times an exp outing if you're not careful and don't manage hate properly. Guaranteed way of dying: stacking all JAs with this crazy ws.

DRK/THF - Sickle Moon on SATA is a godsend. You're starting to get a taste of end game. Keep scythe capped though, because it comes in handy in a few levels. However, don't expect to keep up with burst and dps of a DRK/WAR. It's not going to happen here.

DRK/??? - See above.

[65]

DRK/WAR - Cross Reaper blows donkey chunks unless you're the best equipped DRK on your server. Keep to Guillotine if possible and don't be afraid of suggesting Fragmentation to the party, an oft overlooked level 2 sc.

DRK/THF - Cross Reaper is really nice, especially on SATA. You might even get lucky and get a taste of true level 3 sc'ing. BLMs will love you for this.

DRK/??? - See above.

[66-70/75]

Depending on your end game priorities, most players tend to just drop off leveling once they hit 70. There's many factors, including Genkai 5, Optical Hat (desire for one) and even ZMs (Sky Access), Promies (Tavnazian Access) and rank missions.

DRK/WAR - At this point, this is considered about as suicidal as pouring hemlock into your morning Ovaltine. If you can grin and bear the deaths and don't mind the heckling of your party compadres, go for it. Guillotine will still be your best dps, provided you have enough acc to back that shit up. Don't got acc? You're not going to like anything else ... Spinning Slash has horrible accuracy, so... DON'T. EVEN. THINK. ABOUT. IT.

DRK/THF - Spinning Slash whore. 'nuff said. Occassionally you'd want Cross Reaper, so keep both weapons capped if at all possible.

Double Post Edited:
I should expand that last entry.

DRK/??? - After level 74, many DRKs have a surprising level of freedom with subjobs and not just for endgame. Popular "other" subjobs:

NIN - Abusage of utsusemi. Mostly for TP burns and in some cases, end game events. Dual Wield is decent, but you're going to need a few pieces of accessories to help you out with this. Having a capped 1hander is very nice, but not necessary, as many DRKs still use their 2handers with this subjob.

SAM - Some areas just don't have TP mobs around. With Abs-TP, this subjob is totally not as useful anymore, but you will see this mostly in Ballista.

DRG - If you have patience, time and a lot of money and like to do damage in an alternative manner (comparing to subbing WAR) then you might have some fun with this. Exp party and some end game events. For end game matters, make sure you consult with your LS first, because there's nothing more frustrating than a leader who's expecting SATA and all you've got are jumps.

BLM/WHM/RDM - Situational. Very rarely, but there might be instances. Don't be surprised if you're ever asked if you have these jobs available. It happens.

SMN/MNK/RNG/BLU/COR/PUP/BST/BRD - Umm ... honestly, I won't recommend this and you're on your own to figure out when - if at all - there's some event that calls for this.

[kingceltic]

Re: Before enetering DRK should I...

Appreciate the help. Going to keep all this in mind, hmmm i could still lvl up Gaxe...maybe alternatively with my Scythe when i get my DRK. As for now, Gaxe will stay lvl skill 0. Ill focus on Gsword, Sword, and Axe for now.

EDIT: I must admit, ever since i started playing this game..i have taken the time into reading everything i need to know about the DRK job, just reading every topic, people's thoughts, opinions, etc etc. 1st hand experience, or even succesful high lvl DRK on this forum who have spoken. After reading all of your comments, i realized in order to be successful, you cant be lazy in games like FFXI. In all MMORPGs im sorta of a perfectionist, i think i going to take my sword, and axe skill to lvl 40 for a good base, capp my Gsword at my current lvl and start lvling up my Gaxe from scracth and get it to par with my Gsword. I want to be the best DRK i can be, one without any flaws no matter the cost, or how many hours i need to put in to be successful. I learned greatness takes time, and players such as yourselves realize that when you know if that player really took time to be what he is now, or he is rushing into his job, therefore making him "gimpy".

Appreciate all the help, im sure the best way of learning things is through experience, but a little knowledge wont hurt.