Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

[Maeru]

Hey there!

I'm finishing up NIN as my 3rd 75, and with BRD WHM NIN leveled, I've decided It might be in my best interest to level a DD. After some comparison of the playstyles of different classes, I think I'd like to choose drk to level to 75/99

First off, is this a bad choice? I know their invites in exp parties aren't through the roof like it is with Polearm SAM / Warrior, but I honestly don't care about ease of leveling. What I'm looking for is viability in events. (Let's disregard KC zergs, because although I have a merc kris I don't want to level DRK just for that reason XD) I'm talking about Missions, Dynamis, Limbus...endgame in general. Would DRK be my best choice if I want a DD at 75?

My second question is what I should be doing for weapons while leveling up. Assuming I don't mind skilling up for ages and want to produce maximum damage at any given level, what path should I take concerning weapon type.

1-24 I'm not sure yet, 24-48 I was thinking Great Axe while wearing an axe belt, 48-60 I would either keep going with my Great Axe or use a scythe with /thf for Sneak Attack > Vorpal Scythe. I figured since it's a one hit weapon skill sneak attack could do wonders for it. 60 plus would be either Scythe or Great Sword...not sure which yet Probably both.

I was also thinking of doing DRK/NIN from 57-60something with an Axe main hand and merc kris offhand and trying to spam rampage.

As far as other equipment goes, what should I be prioritizing as a DRK? (taru, if that matters at all). What sets should I be looking to build while leveling and at 75?

I'd also like your guys opinion on one thing~ this is my first time leveling a real DD class and I was wondering what you thought about putting together a cheap ranged accuracy set and firing a few acid bolts at the mob during the beginning of the fight. That massive defense down might help my damage a good deal. Thoughts?

Sorry for wall of text lots of love!

Maeru

[Tipsy]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

You're also right when you think /THF Sneak Attack will do wonders for Vorpal, it does. And as I might recommend, 60-65 to sub WAR, Souleater+Guillotine=sex. 65+ /THF with G. Sword, Spinning Slash is amazing. In meripo, /THF w/ G. Sword and Martial Sword, I can do around 1.8k per weaponskill, which comes easy now with Absorb-TP.

*I would stay away from /nin, it's up to you though, I never had a Merc. kris, you might whiff most hits though. Seems like it might be a tad bit of fun with Souleater/BW though.

Most importantly, gear setups for end-game are straight forward.

Load up on as much STR gear you can for /THF weaponskills, try to save for a Martial sword for meripo. DRK has comparable to end-game gear available at the AH, the Black set is amazing, might want to check that out. Obviously try to balance Attack/Acc/Haste when needed for TPing , it all depends what you fight. I don't know your standing in-game, but if you can get your hands on Ares, that is extremely nice (looking, as well as playing) for DRK.

Hecatomb gear is also gear I'd recommend for weaponskills, STR makes a significant difference. You can TP in as much Haste+ gear you can fit into, or ACC, it's all really debatable. Personally, I don't use Haste% gear; my base Attack on my DRK (with no buffs) is 503 (could be higher if I can get my hands on a Perdu Sickle, but Death Scythe+1 suffices for now).

In the end, it's a video game, you play it for fun. And in my honest opinion, Dark Knight is the coolest looking class in the game, there's nothing like swinging a over-sized Scythe at your opponents.

I meet your wall of text with a wall of text:

"Is this a bad choice?" It's really up to you to decide. Invites are fine, I leveled 1-75 before level sync and it didn't take me very long, at all. Some ignorant people might have the subconscious thought patterns of, "Oh, a DRK? No thanks," when building a party, but that's just the way it is, DRK is an MP drain. We're also not exactly the center of attention when it comes to viability at events. We have Stun, and that's a definite plus, for obvious reasons. During sky/HNM events, we are likely part of the opening skillchain, either Spiral Hell, or Ground Strike. Think of DRK as a glass cannon (SE does), we can spike out tremendous damage in a weaponskill, meh damage over time (equipped with enough attack+), we hit the hardest per swing (from my experiences). Though we can't take a hit, at all. As a masochist, you have to be okay with taking a few hits, expect your HP to be damn low all the time.

*If your party can handle it, meleeing with Berserk, Souleater, L/R, attack food, Minuetx2, each swing will land upwards of 500 dmg~ in most meripo. Obviously there's debate with Haste vs Attack setups, and crap like that so it's all situational.

You have it down pat, Great Axe, Scythe, & Great Sword are our weapons. Though, I've never once had to use Great Axe, Spiral Hell and Ground Strike serve me well. Just concentrate more on Scythe/G. Sword.

EDIT: Also, in my sig is damage from a Martial scythe with 200TP and around +90 STR (BRD +Sinewy etude, Bison steak, ABS-STR) on an IT I believe, just to show you the damage we can do.

[Maeru]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

Thanks so much Tipsy!

I won't have a huge issue getting hecatomb, Ares' might be slightly out of my reach. I could get it, but DRK will not be my main by any means. Although, I may put more effort into gearing it and NIN than I will with BRD and WHM. Honestly, gear is not a huge issue for those two jobs XD I'm working on Marduk's and stuff for both but meh...I do fine with Relic and AH gear at the moment.

From levels 10-24, which weapon will give me the most bang for my buck? I was thinking maybe starting straight away with Great Axe. Shield Break doesn't do a huge amount of damage but the defense- would help the rest of the party.

Maeru

[Tipsy]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

10-24 it doesn't make a big difference, if you decide to go with G. Axe it's perfectly fine, those levels are meant to experiment with, and no one will hold it against you since skill levels aren't really that far off between A and B skills. If not G. Axe, I would stick with Scythe (that's always been my favorite), the damage is just far superior. There's a nice scythe called "Serpette" with more damage than any weapon that level, Cruel Scythe at level 20, Scythes aren't very expensive at all, 4-10k at most.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

I'd also like your guys opinion on one thing~ this is my first time leveling a real DD class and I was wondering what you thought about putting together a cheap ranged accuracy set and firing a few acid bolts at the mob during the beginning of the fight. That massive defense down might help my damage a good deal. Thoughts?

Good for lower levels, but probably a waste of time and inventory space above Lv.40. Do keep a crossbow and some Acid Bolts for pulling, but leave the serious R.Acc gear on mules once you find that you're not even hitting one out of three at melee range.

[Maeru]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

I don't think this quite a necro post, hopefully not.

My linkshell leader recently acquired a kraken club. Wondering if this is any use before 75, or should I just stick to regular weapons.

[Takelli]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

I don't think this quite a necro post, hopefully not.

My linkshell leader recently acquired a kraken club. Wondering if this is any use before 75, or should I just stick to regular weapons.

K-Clubs are useful for zerging. Other than that, not much. If you soul eater with one in a party, you will get eaten alive. I wouldn't recommend it.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

Outside of exp parties, Kraken Club is quite useful for skilling up club and getting WS points for one-handed weapons when /NIN.

In other words, nice to have, but not really important.

[Malacite]

Re: Ideal gear choices for DD while leveling.

IMO, SAM is actually a far more viable choice as a DD. But before I get into that, play whatever DD you find the most fun, LS demands be damned.

DRK Pros:

- Stun
- Souleater + Bloodweapon (great for zerging)
- Desperate Blows (incredibly powerful for zerging, and allows you to go /WAR)
- Absurdly high attack rating
- Potential to hit the haste cap of 80.
- One of the best relic weapons in the game (Apocalypse)

SAM Pros:

- Arguably best set of weaponskills in the game.
- Hagun is broken as hell.
- Meikiyo Shisui + Sekkanoki + Meditate = serious WS/SC abuse.
- Can tank fairly well (this point is very important and gives SAM a serious edge)
- Can reliably deal spike damage on targets that aren't melee friendly (i.e. you don't want to TP on)



Now back to DRK;

Pre-60 you're going to want to use Great Axe, period. It's sad but Scythe and Greatsword weaponskills both suck royally before Guillotine & Spinning Slash. Just try to keep them skilled while using that Great Axe and opening each fight with a Shield Break if possible. That evasion -40 is very powerful. Plus Sturmwind is your best WS for using Souleater with to sneak in a chain 6. Just make sure it's a killing blow when you do it or you'll be sponging MP or even get KO'd. Try to keep a crossbow and acid bolts with you as well. DRK is only a D-Rank in marksmanship and as such by the 40's your accuracy will really taper off, but from 16 to about 37 acid bolts are a wonderful tool.

Finally, as with any melee, you should always prioritize accuracy whenever possible. All that power doesn't mean didly when you can't hit the target, especially when you're only swinging every 8~10 seconds. Don't listen to anyone who says DRK has bad accuracy either; that's total crap. A+ Scythe, A- Greatsword, B+ Great Axe, Absorb-AGI, Absorb-Acc, Absorb-TP etc... DRK has plenty of good things going for it when it comes to putting the hurt on. It's also believed that Souleater gives you an accuracy bonus though idk for certain on that.