Turned to the Darkside. Can't find the cookies [Archive]

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taneil

08-30-2011, 06:51 PM

Got to lvl90 with my paladin and found the end game lacking. I'm a casual player so pick up groups are all I can hope for. No one seems to want a paladin as main tank so I spec him as a off-tank, and frankly I felt I was very good at, but finding groups that want an off tank over some other support classes is daunting. I kept hearing how great Shadowknights are and how much better they are as tanks, so I decided to join the Darkside. Traded in the shiny white and gold armor for black and skulls...I must be missing something though, because aside from soloing a lot better then my Pally, the SK just doesn't seem to have quite as much utility.Examples. I have multiple spike heals as a pally. They have gotten me and my groups out of more trouble then I can count. I seem to have more taunts too, including an AOE, as a pally.The attacks the SKs have that do damage and heal are great solo, but seem all but useless in groups.A couple spells I really don't get the point of: Death March The spell that does 25k + damage, doesn't seem to do much to anything but base mobs. I'd rather I had a big emergency heal. Feign Death, great for annoying party members, but the last thing I want to do is feign death and have mobs running off to attack other members of the party. Anyway, not complaining. I'm committed to the darkside, now. Just could use some solid advice on how to be a villian.

Duckschu

09-01-2011, 12:25 AM

Sorry, I ate the cookies.FD can be cast on the stupid DPS that won't wait for you to pull and establish agro. I find FDing them right before I pull, or right after is a nice way to curb that enthusiasm. Also, its fun to keep people on their toes - try FDing yourself in a big pile and popping right back up. I love it! (Be sure you have grave sac avail before you do tho >.> and you didn't hear that from me)DPS is your threat as an SK. Taunts? What are those? <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Harm Touch is kinda really only a threat generator on a boss pull - otherwise, I use it sporadically to finish off stuff beating on a teammate that hasn't learned to target through the tank yet <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Using it hoping to drain a ^^^ to half health is really just going to disapoint you. If you must (for the ego boost) use it on a green (or even grey) ^^^. Then it makes an impact!The heals... well... the heals apparently don't scale for (bad word removed). However, while solo, or even in very small groups, they do a nice job of pretty much continously ticking away and keeping you alive. Pretend that they're druid HoTs and maybe it will make more sense.I really find my SK shines in small groups with a very crappy healer or no healer at all. The rolling heals really help prevent spike damage and make your health bar a LOT more predictable imo. Its nice to know that because of those heals I can wait until 15% or maybe even 5% before popping my "neener neener you can't hurt me!" abilities. Then, Tap Veins and we're back in business baby!Death March. Use it. Love it. Make it your new best friend. It gives you and your group a nice int buff. It gives your group a nice dps buff. It gives your group a nice ability casting speed buff. All for 10 seconds. But that's not why its awesome..."Makes group members (AE) immune to Root, Stifle, Stun, Fear and Daze effect".It does this for 10 seconds after you use it.It does this for 10 more seconds after your group kills something.It does this for a full minute and can keep overwritting itself. Theoretically, with sort of lucky timing and enough trash mobs around you dying on a regular basis, you can keep Death March up and Active for 70 seconds (getting one last proc right as it expires).Its gold for preventing stun and silence. The dps and casting speed buffs are nice too - but imho, its really about the immunity. Prior to DM, I used to get eaten alive by some group of mobs because 7 or 8 could chain stun you to death. Not anymore! Now I eat them! Nom nom nom! DM gives you wiiiiiiiings!But seriously... I really think the other fighters are miles ahead of both pallies and sks this expac. Maybe the next one too. Someone has to be on the bottom, right? However, I enjoy my SK much more than my other fighters - but that's probably just a playstyle thing.

Umub

09-06-2011, 08:01 PM

I personally would be surprised if you suddenly found that your SK was more popular for pugs than your Pally. I really haven't seen any bias against Pallys.In fact, Pallys have one of the better aggro tools available, Amends. Aggro control is one of the biggest issues with the high DPS going around right now. For an SK, as the previous poster mentions your aggro control is more about DPS than Taunts, but personally I use my taunts constantly in rotation because they are also debuffs. You can also change your AA spec and add adornments to increase your hate.You might also look for a guild that welcomes casuals. It should be easier to find a group and you might even find a tank that can give you pointers.