How and where to unlock the FFXIV Dark Knight job
Dark Knight is an exciting new tank class released inFinal Fantasy XIV: Skywardwho uses magic not only to sustain hatred, but also to inflict pain on enemies. But before we explain howFFX IVDark Knight works, we must first explain how to unlock it in the first place.
First things first, you must be at least level 30 in a Disciple of War or Magic class to start the quest and have access to Ishgard. This may be obvious to most, but if you've just picked upFFXIV: Toward the Skyand hoped to hit the ground running as a Dark Knight, unfortunately that won't be possible.
Unlike the other new job quests, which are easy to find by simply looking for a suitable marker on the map of Ishgard, this isFFX IVThe Dark Knight job search is well hidden. First find the Citizen of Ishgard at coordinates (13.8) near the courthouse to start the quest.
After a brief exchange, you will make your way to your new mentor. Talk to the Punctilious Temple Knight to trigger a scene where you meet Fray, your connection to theFFX IVWorld of the Dark Knight After this cutscene ends you have unlocked the Dark Knight, congratulations!
However, it would be foolish to stop here and jump right in. There is a job quest that you must tackle right after completing the unlock quest. It can be surprisingly challenging if you don't use the right strategy. It's important that you get through it though, since Darkside, the ability you unlock as a reward, is extremely important. With that, let's discuss the next mission, Ishgardian Justice.
Darkside and your first job hunt: Ishgardian Justice
Go ahead and switch to Dark Knight and start going through the steps for Isghardian Justice. You don't have to go far and the Lowborn Witch you are looking for is clearly marked on the map. Fray has some choice words for the corrupt knights of the temple, and he's counting on you to bring justice.
Follow the quest steps (everything is clearly marked on the map and easy to find) until you meet Pernicious Temple Knight to start an instanced battle.
Now this can be difficult and you will need everything at your disposal to pull it off successfully.FFX IVDark Knights have no innate healing or healing abilities until you unlock Souleater at level 38. Luckily, Fray will be there to take care of the healing for you. However, Fray does not heal as quickly as you would like, so the responsibility of completing the task is yours. Finally, it's important to note that in this scenario, you are the tank, not Fray. Make sure to use Unleash to keep all enemies on you and off Fray. Fray has more health than the average healer, but he won't last forever.
The first group of enemies is easy, so take them out quickly and make sure to avoid their AoE attacks at all costs, and three llamas will spawn. Touching these flames grants you a stacking buff that increases your damage dealt and reduces damage taken. However, you can only handle about two stacks at a time or they will kill you. Grab two and then move on to the next group of enemies.
There is a white wizard enemy, Ishgardian Chirugeon, that must be eliminated first. Hit him with your Hard Slash Combo, then use Low Bow to stun his Cure. It should be dead before it has a chance to heal again. With the White Wizard out of the way, you should be able to take down the other enemies quickly. Again, make sure to avoid her AoE attacks, as your HP will be reduced so much that if you get caught by them, Fray will have a hard time keeping up. If your Dark Stack levels are low, fill them up by hitting the flames before proceeding. Just be careful not to grab too much.
Go to the last room and use the same strategy as above. Kill the Ishgardian Chirugeon first, then the other Attaches, and finally the boss knight, Pernicious Temple Knight. As you fight him, more ads will appear. Walk away from the Pernicious Temple Knight when he spawns, take out the Ishgardian Chirugeon first, then the others, then head back to the Pernicious Temple Knight. Keep the pressure up by using your DoT Attack Scourge while mixing in Reprisal if you can, and you should be able to take down Pernicious Temple Knight in no time.
Once you've defeated Pernicious Temple Knight, you'll have completed the quest and unlocked Darkside, an important skill we'll get to in a moment. Your next quest is at level 35 and is given to you by Fray where you first met.
With all that said, let's talk about the strategy to enter your first dungeon as a Dark Knight.
How to Play as Dark Knight FFXIV
If you've played any of the other tank classes before, there will be a few thingsFFXIV dieDark Knight that look familiar to me. However, Darkside adds an element of MP management that is missing from the other tanks Paladin and Warrior. However, let's start with the basics first.
In dungeons, you typically fight groups of two or three other enemies. Lure these foes in with your doom ranged attack, which has the added benefit of increasing your animosity (or hatred, if you prefer). Once the enemies are grouped, periodically hit them with Unleash, which deals AoE damage that also increases hostility. Be careful though, as Unleash will deplete your MP. Once you've rounded up all the enemies (and aimed away from the other party members, especially the healer), launch your Hard Slash -> Spinning Slash combo, which quickly spawns enmity on a single target.
nowFFXIV dieDark Knight has two stances that can be used simultaneously but have very different functions. The first is Grit, which is similar to Shield Oath in Paladin. It will reduce your damage but greatly increase your enmity generation and reduce damage taken. This should always be on if you have a main tank (read: any four-man dungeon). Next up is the ability you just unlocked, Darkside. Darkside quickly drains your MP but increases your damage in return. When activated, it can greatly improve your team's damage per second (DPS), but you'll need to keep your MP pickup high to maintain this.
In Darkside, the only way to reliably boost your MP is to use Siphon Strike after Hard Slash instead of Spinning Slash. The problem is that this messes up your enemy spawn. The trick is to spawn hate with Unleash and Hard Slash -> Spinning Slash (with Darkside on if you start with high MP), but once you've blocked the hate start Siphon Strike after Hard Slash in your place, Shuffle Spinning Slash at once if your MP is high. This allows you to offset Grit's reduced damage while retaining all of his buffs.
While this will be your rotational mix, there are other important skills to mix in as well. Low Blow is a disabled GCD (read: doesn't count towards cooldown timer) stun, but it has a cooldown before it can be used again. Awesome deadly AoEs are crucial to surviving tough battles asFFX IVThe Knight of the Night.
Shadow Skin reduces damage taken and can be stacked with Retaliation (which can be used after a successful parry) for quality mitigation. Finally, Scourge should be used as often as possible to keep DoT on your enemy and increase your party's overall DPS.
And that's pretty much it when it comes to Dark Knight beginner tipsFFXIV: Toward the Sky. As you level up, you gain new skills that you need to work on your rotation. But as long as you understand the basics, you'll be in a great position to learn how to use these new skills with ease!
How do you like it?Final Fantasy XIV: SkywardAnd the new jobs so far? Tell us in the comments!
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