The Only Dark Knight Guide You'll Ever Need (FFXIV Endwalker Patch 6.5 Edition)

[@VashimuXIV]

Aesthetics over damage is always my philosophy, and I haven’t regretted maining Dark Knight sense.

[@AzuriteTV]

Edgy brothers 😊

[@mlgzuniga08]

i embrace this philosophy as i enter the later stages of my free trial with paladin

[@Aitherea]

That intro was superb! I'm so glad I could be a part of it ♥

[@AzuriteTV]

Thank you for your part, you did a great job! 🥹

[@GawlJoey]

Youre character is cayuuute

[@bananafishbones5724]

This is such a huge step up from your previous videos, man. I can tell how much fun you had making it, and the effort and passion shines through superbly. Can't wait to see more videos in this style, as long as you'll have fun making them.

[@AzuriteTV]

Aww, I'm glad to hear that! I had a lot of fun making it and look forward to making more ☺️

[@evangelineaurora5091]

As a DRK main, oh my god I loved every part of this. Whilst nothing new, it was amazing to watch!

[@AzuriteTV]

DRK mains rise up

[@GawlJoey]

Downloaded FF14 tonight. Was looking through some classes and Black Knight seemed cool so I looked for a guide. SO glad I found your video. Not only was it informative but I was laughing the entire time lol. You earned a sub my friend

[@Tsuna_SoulSilver]

You sure put a lot of work on this and i enjoyed all of it :3 Got my DRK to 90 recently so this is video is just perfectly timed for me to check and try it out.

[@AzuriteTV]

Nicee! I hope you have a good time with it and use the knowledge I impart on you well 😌

[@obamaorb7426]

It’s wild how they made the tank with the worst sustain the least damaging and the one with the best sustain and invuln the strongest

[@GoatOfWar]

Cuckold bald streamer got his way

[@bipedalanimeskull]

i guess they over did it over the last few patches because i remember up to 6.2 or .3, DRK was still highest DPS or 2nd after GNB, while people complained about PLD and WAR having too little damage for high end contents welp, that's MMO balancing for you

[@obamaorb7426]

@@bipedalanimeskull Thing is WAR was only bad at the very start of abyssos, and PLD was bad until the end of 6.2, then the rework made it even worse which it still is, but they just keep buffing WAR and GNB so the difference between them and DRK/PLD is like what GNB/DRK was to WAR/PLD at the start of the expansion

[@xunremosefuldisruptionx2209]

That dark missionary caught me off guard, another Dark Knight classic baby! Good vid on the best critter tank!

[@AzuriteTV]

I do enjoy a good dark missionary 😌

[@MitchellDavenport]

The editing on this is superb

[@AzuriteTV]

Thank you! I really went out on this and learnt a lot along the way!

[@Gameplayr95]

Been playing FFXIV off and on for a few years now, never really progressing but just enjoying the world and story. This is the first guide video I've looked up since I picked up Dark Knight on a whime today and, while I'm sure not everything is the same with it being 9 months old (I'm at 6:42 as I type this), I have to say just these 6 minutes have made you a main-stay for my FFXIV consumption. Wonderful sense of humor and presentation.

[@LucciClubStudios]

Thanks for your help dude I’m still new to the series and learning how to use this class and gunbreaker

[@toastea6853]

I love this new format of yours! Very fun to watch and it seems like you had a lot of fun during the process too!

[@Reclamated]

“Use grit if you want to be the main tank or if you want to be an absolute menace in an alliance raid when there is already a main tank” I guess I have been a mindless absolute menace this entire time.

[@poolszaba]

Although drk might have the lowest rDPS, with their burst being the highest they will still contribute the most damage to jobs with raid buffs. This means even though you do less personal damage, you are boosting the damage of every party buff job up more than any tanks

[@AzuriteTV]

Yes

[@GoatOfWar]

Assuming the fight ends right after your burst (Spoiler, 90% of the time it won't)

[@poolszaba]

where to fight ends has nothing to do with how much damage you do during a burst... You could end just before the start of your 2 minutes, but you'll still have provided more damage for rdps jobs than any other tank@@GoatOfWar

[@GoatOfWar]

With a little more data available right now, we can clearly see that *the vast majority of times* Drk is doing the lowest dps. @@poolszaba

[@poolszaba]

this still isnt addressing my original point. DRK does more damage during the 2 min window than any other tank. This means that jobs that have 2 min buffs, will get higher rdps if they have a DRK than if they do not@@GoatOfWar (the damage wont show on DRK logs, its increasing the damage of jobs like ast, dnc, nin, ect...)

[@LuminNox]

DARK KNIGHT POWER BABY!

[@MrJjjakey]

"DRK is the lowest dps Tank" That's crazy, anyways: *crits every shb and puts 6 edges under second pot*

[@GoatOfWar]

And yet, statistics show that it's consistently at the botom :) Byt SURELY you're different!

[@MrJjjakey]

​@@GoatOfWar You really shouldn't pretend to know about something when you don't. You're actually just self reporting yourself as a shitter. Go to FFLogs, Anabaseios stats for the last 2 weeks. Sort by tanks, switch to aDPS since we're talking about feeding buffs, sort 99th percentile since that's the only group that's doing a 6/2 edge burst. Because you're a glue eater, I'll tell you why this sort's important. We're now looking only at optimized tanks (like, ones that are. I don't know. putting 6 edges under pot :) ) and their aDPS. With aDPS, we're looking at which tank feeds raid buffs better. ohhh shit! look at that!!! number 1!!!! how about that shit! Go back to Island Sanctuary.

[@MrJjjakey]

@@GoatOfWar Don't let me get in the way of you egoing that your special little job is best because somebody else optimized it in fights you can't do, however. If you go to fflogs Anabaseios, sort by aDPS tanks to look at which feeds raid buffs best, 99th percentile. We're now looking at which tanks in an optimized setting bursts the hardest and would you look at that!! Crazy!!! That's not "consistently at the botom :)". But seriously, do please continue to signal how little you actually know about what you're talking about. Makes it easier for the rest of us.

[@GoatOfWar]

''99th percentile'' Exactly, what about the other percentiles? You mention the 99th because that's the standard you're setting for the job. The vast majority of the time, it sits comfortably at the botom. It's only at around 95% when it does the same as the others. I've done the fights too, and i switched off of Drk to Gnb because Drk isn't worth playing outside of tightly optimised groups anymore. I've parsed pinks in Rdps and still do less than the others because the buffs simply weren't there. If sitting at the botom 95% of the time is not consistent eenough for you, what is? @@MrJjjakey

[@josph3n]

@@GoatOfWari know this is 3 months old but holy shit ur an idiot

[@praus]

This is great! I also appreciate the touching on level 50-60. I often find myself forgetting what to do when I pop into level synced stuff. Nice to have a bit of a reminder.

[@bargainbincatgirl6698]

Thanks for the guide... now I only need to level-up my DRK from level 50 to 90.

[@ehwick8175]

Wait, you mean from 30? I wish it started at 50 like SAM and RDM. I have a bunny boi i want to level DRK on, but starting at 30 💀

[@bargainbincatgirl6698]

@@ehwick8175 I already leveled up from there to 50, 40 more to go... Still, the DRK lore of 30 to 50 is nice.

[@cyberocelot1325]

Forgot to mention the passive buff for playing femra

[@AzuriteTV]

That's my secret 🤫

[@RicardoSantos-oz3uj]

Unmend is great for making the boss come to you, so that you position the boss in the center instead of on the edge. Which is faster and safer than going to the boss. then moving it. When you MT your primal concern is the party safety and damage, not your damage. Your damage is your 2nd concern. You should move the boss as little as possible. Your AOE combo can be done while running. Great when you want to get agro on more than one group. With enough practice, you grab everything and group them in one sweep.

[@MyChannelsNameIs]

*Breathes in* Dark Knight is still the highest damaging tank by a small margin. rDPS is not an accurate picture of tank damage, because what makes DRK so special it does pretty much all its damage under buffs and therefore feeds buffs as well as a melee DPS does when played correctly. If you swap FFlogs to display aPDS and then look at the percentile breakdowns, you'll notice that the best dark knights still match or beat the best gunbreakers. It's also the most useful tank for parsing, because for buff carriers, having a DRK feeding your buff is literally like having a 5th dps (or 6th if you run double DRK, which many parse statics still do)

[@dnawulf3212]

Returning to playing Drk and trying start with dungeons with cd usage + spacing so I found this... holy shit your content game leveled up massively, unhinged Azu is best Azu and Katana is still The Drk waifu, why are Femras perfection Kreygasm love the use of OG Castlevania ost towards the end also

[@retzerbil867]

That intro was really good

[@austinrthornton]

Was debating rolling DK... stumbled on this video, and was sold are the sheer effort and kawaii-emo-senpai. ty.

[@Lenz2371]

Almost knew everything, but had a blast watching. Well done :) Also playing mindlessly makes you forget how nice some ff14 animations are.

[@ShinhashiYT]

Certified Azurite hood classic

[@tanagerie]

This is every intrusive thought ive ever had as a DRK made into video form

[@hktk3982]

"Dark Knights have the worst DPS out of all the tanks" BUT! Every speed run clear tends to use double DRKs! Interesting... Recently swapped to DRK main early this year. It's been SUPER fun. The quests are really great and dear to me, and it plays different from the other tanks (though, imo, all the tanks are pretty independent of one another, kit-wise). The P10S lamenting of TBN not breaking... It's so real. I figured out in Thordan Unreal you can get a pre-pull TBN to break if you apply it around -0.5s. Every TBN on a party member is like a kiss on the cheek from me. Great video! Very witty while still informational (even if I knew everything, haha).

[@iPlayOnSpica]

Thank you very much for the fan service

[@AzuriteTV]

F-f...fan service!? 😳

[@iTheDashy]

Azu sucks c: I'm actually in the middle of leveling DRK at the moment so the timing on this was pretty amusing to me. It was also cool to see the somewhat different direction with the editing on this video. Thanks for all the helpful content!

[@sneakytrip6594]

DRK is probably the job I play the least along with WHM. So, always nice to get this info to maybe know what I'm doing during one of my annual DRK dungeon runs.

[@GoatOfWar]

Don't play Dark knight. It got powercrept HARD by the other tanks.

[@Nanashi-YT1]

I didn't know Shadow wall existed ( have been playing since patch 5.3 ) thanks for the guide

[@davidpoa7775]

I could not concentrate watching the video with your Au ra lookin so god damn good!. Good video Loved it! P.S can you blame me? lol

[@ITSPAGANHOE]

I’m grinding my way to ishguard to unlock dark knight so I can drop this Palladian so I can play this class this video came in so clutch thank you 🎉

[@driftwoods2229]

How you liking it? I just unlocked DRK

[@WhaazGoooD]

Did the exact same thing and I’m loving it but now I’m delaying my story until I get my DK up to speed lol

[@ARN084]

I dont even play the game and still find it entertenain, nice video really

[@jzisser9]

Azu sucks No, but seriously, love this new format. Hilarious and surprisingly, still informative! If you’re being educational and entertaining at the same time, you’re doing it right!

[@TheSinnohQueen]

The intro was immaculate. Genuinely had me dying 🤣

[@redxiii3089]

I wanted to write Azu sucks, but it's just me. I'm my own Azu. I suck q.q but I'm learning thanks to this video! on a serious note. great guide, straight to the point. love how in your overview of abilities you give scenarios in which it's best to use them. rather than glancing them over and going "Ok, let's get to rotation" like I feel like most guides do. and having a rotation for 50-60 and the higher ranges was absolutely top tier as I feel most guides only hit on the end-game aspect of tanks. where this gives casuals a better way to play in all content. from the 50 cap and onward. definitely earned a subscriber off this one.

[@Dream0fLife]

fun and informative guide well done

[@EdgeGilid]

This is a very detailed guide, great for beginners or people who would like to pick it up as their new main. Hope i can make you proud by clearing dsr as drk hahahh

[@silverfang5893]

Love this class, still learning how to wall to wall, but this helped alot.

[@Iowsbub]

When I was tanking HW dungeon I always was looking for my damage mitigation spells, now I know more 💀 Thank you, great guide!

[@StingcatKnight]

superior video 👍 i dont play dark knight but couldnt stop watching 😱

[@RIP-Daedae]

Usually I hate guides with anything more than the most pertinent of information however you managed to make me laugh as you wasted my time so kudos mate

[@RaifRedacted]

Super entertaining video. Helpful, as well. Curious how much has changed since this was made, though.

[@AzuriteTV]

A little bit... most of this stuff will still be applicable even now but I do plan to make an updated guide for DT... its just going to take some time with other guides taking priority

[@RaifRedacted]

@@AzuriteTV They're rebalancing everything next patch at end of month, anyway. May as well wait a bit.

[@KYZX_]

I subscribed for the end, I am simple

[@Scalifs]

The jokes are so funny with your delivery omg

[@rangosteel4071]

Man I love how your character looks, I wanna steal the look XD

[@BoBennings]

Lol this was such a fun watch, drk forever 💜

[@AzuriteTV]

Dark Knight brother! In unity we are strong 😤

[@squeallymae]

This was really well made. I learned stuff and also met my daily chuckle quota 😂

[@SaraHungary]

Comment for algorythm, the video was really fun!

[@AzuriteTV]

You a real one

[@darthkohai5456]

😂 Enjoying every second, really great video!

[@silasisawesome]

In before 6.5 balance changes renders this guide and it's audacious title rather dated. Not that I'm holding my breath mind you, but it would be kind of funny. On the note of funny, absolutely loved your presentation thoughout this video, from the little touches to the more involved intermissions. I will be looking forward to more content in this style, and for your eventual updated guide for 7.0, which inevitably will prove the folly of this tilte even if 6.5 doesn't. In the meantime I shall take what you've taught me to heart, to my healer's delight ; )

[@AzuriteTV]

7.0 Dark Knight will return to its glory 😤

[@vincentbeton]

Great effort on all the visual jokes and Details, though I expect the "Single/AoE GCD" Part will end up having the most replays. Those are surprisingly hard to get the hang off, I keep messing up 1-2-3s to this day and I can't be alone on this

[@SamTheLemonBoy]

Azu sucks. This was an incredible video and you should be beyond proud of what you have done! Super entertaining and fun! :D

[@AzuriteTV]

Thank you Sam! You're videos, editing and advice were a big inspiration! I hope I can continue to improve 😊

[@mirageowl]

the quality of this video is insane

[@three_dog]

i sincerely hope i'm not the only one here who appreciates that ainsley harriet drop 😂 oh also great guide and very funny, thanks azurite ❤

[@tuanang7889]

Top tier intro, love it (and i can feel the pain too)!

[@Kalletenz]

I think for the lvl 70 rotation you forgot tbn prepull since the first gcd would overcap mana if not used (if it breaks ofc) Great guide tho! Nice editing

[@AzuriteTV]

I forgor...

[@reef2025]

I just hope they rework Drk. All the Ogcds are cool but the lack of sustain and now lower damage just feels bad. All the other tanks feel so much easier to clutch whereas Drk struggles all the time

[@GoatOfWar]

Nah Dark knight doing the most damage was fine. But the cuck War players can't stand it when War isn't the best at everything so they cried that damage should not be a balance factor so now here we are.

[@reef2025]

@@GoatOfWar I just want to be able to do a dungeon and not have to suck my healer off just to do my job properly

[@tactuel]

i dont even play ff14, but the video is so well done

[@Cuthawolf]

Well i really super appreciate this video because despite having level DRK as one of my primaries...I didn't know Stalwart Soul existed. I just thought we got stuck with a one-button AoE. I don't know how I missed it (Yes I do, I'm very dumb) but I'm glad I have it now.

[@ZessaSnake]

OK, this was amazing! I learned a lot about DRK and had a good laugh while watching! One of your best videos so far! Oh and Azu sucks :)

[@goldenbastiontv1388]

Azu, Have you heard the story of Gunbreaker... Dark lord of the tank role ? Btw, I heard that warrior is getting a buff since it's unplayable and people are losing their because of it.

[@Sancturios]

Who the fuck thinks war is unplayable? Sounds like those warriors need to be smacked with theur own axe xD

[@AzuriteTV]

GNB is truly the chaotic alignment tank...

[@xquarkds9x]

With FF14 coming to xbox series s/x in open beta on february 21st after watching this video and deciding what class to play as a new player to ff14 i'm seriousely tempted to try dark knight even though i'm also thinking a dps class to try as well.

[@jsBaka]

really wish drk had the highest dps among tanks. warriors rotation is basically click the glowing button and when its up use inner release and pali is just as easy, and the only thing you have to do is align your buffs. And honestly I try to ignore gunbreaker exist so I have nothing to say about it. Maybe I just a little salty that warrior is so easy and so good in basically any content

[@GoatOfWar]

But then bald man gets sad and warrior gets buffed again.

[@AzuriteTV]

Kind of felt like that was Dark's purpose... being the highest dps tank but I guess its still fun to play 😞

[@Ravio.Helianthus]

Was waiting for the intro to mention DRK still has the highest DPS ceiling

[@GoatOfWar]

Irrelevant when you'll do less damage than warrior the other 95% of the time , when the fight won't end right after a burst. @@Ravio.Helianthus They *really* ruined the tank balance by buffing the other tank damage. They already have better sustain and utility.. Drk is just fucking garbage in comparison now. Warrior is a direct upgrade in every single aspect.

[@Tank-N-Spank]

I have mailed drk since their release still no regrets

[@royguillen5607]

I wish TBN would just become blood price in HW DRK but 10% reduce dmg and still grant a limited amount of mana

[@AzuriteTV]

Blood price was such a fun ability, sad they removed it 😞

[@kelmirosue3251]

I have living dead on a macro, I need to update it tho so it tells healers when to heal again

[@just_radical]

Nice work

[@HippeusOmega]

Great guide. Are you using the full Chaos armor ourside of the leggings for 2b thighs?

[@AzuriteTV]

Yess

[@cj-5426]

awesome guide! what armor are you wearing?

[@blackmagekongs2588]

Still love drk my favorite tank!

[@woopnaruto]

Azu sucks. Great vid always. I wanted to main DRK in the beginning but them Ogcds just scare me my brain just hurts i think ill stink with my shield and sword for now. :)

[@ShikiRyougi05]

DRK dealing so little damage still hurts me physically.

[@AzuriteTV]

Well... they don't do little damage, it's just SE decided to buff the other tanks out of the butt and left DRK alone :(

[@ShikiRyougi05]

@@AzuriteTV don't get me wrong...DRK aint bad at all, especially after the insane living dead buff...but i thought doing high damage was its whole schtick. That and....being the magic tank... whatever that is supposed to mean.

[@ursulcx299]

I dont make an habit of following people in their shower I swear, I was just listening to you and you had those dark squares and I was only looking respectfully and listening carefully please don't kill me! (Tho whatever mod you,re using, dang it made your model look pretty good.)

[@drevildruid]

I mainly pay healers and have often found myself having to struggle to keep DRK alive. They're so squishy (no matter the level).

[@AzuriteTV]

Just use TBN init

[@drevildruid]

@@AzuriteTVWhat?

[@DarkAngel-js1te]

really late on the question but do mind if i ask what earrings u are using in the video at 1.43 sec if anyone happens to know would be thankful

[@ehwick8175]

Open up with LD 😂…. that’ll spark life into a healer lol

[@chicoplusch7456]

I like your videos very much. I prefer to tank with the DRK, the other tanks don't appeal to me at all. But tell me, what kind of glamor do you use? I actually love your glamours.

[@otopple1283]

what was the website you used at the beginning of the video?

[@dadkwashere]

Good guide! Isn't drk also your main job?

[@leocreuu3254]

How did you make your eyes each a different color

[@Miltch]

What’s the song at 9:15 ? I’ve heard it before and have been dying to know what it is.

[@AzuriteTV]

It's from the game Deadly Premonition and the song is called Life is Beautiful! Most of my videos have song name at the top left corner as it plays, just for future reference!

[@Miltch]

@@AzuriteTV thank you! You da best 🫶

[@hyep8282]

"Did you main Dark Knight because you're all edgy and cool?" "No I main Dark Knight because I love big swords and I have a FF4 bias"

[@rickikim2068]

how many critical hit materia, direct hit, tenacity and skill speed per equipment should i meld?

[@BlaquePauldron]

Did something change? I'm still out damaging the other tanks as DRK... Do the other guys just suck???

[@Alexis-Catnip]

I have been playing final fantasy 14 for a week now and I really like your videos I boosted a dark knight as my first toon and I'm really loving the game but I just have to ask what armor is that you have ? And how can I get it ? did I mess up by boosting?

[@faithlessfear9943]

Ok im really new as ive started playing during the xbox beta so i have rhe question of why do you have the shirk macro setup with it doing it so many times instead of just once

[@nobody-xh6ii]

I think boosting dmg numbers will help drk alot. But i'm also in the 'nerf Warrior to the ground' corner because its crazy amount of sustains that make party members useless is INSANE in its own right. Theres NO REASON for it to have tank, healer AND dps all rolled into 1 with 0 draw back..

[@yasha886]

I liked the editing and your character is hot

[@AzuriteTV]

owo

[@jish6959]

how amn I supposed to learn anything when you literally super mash through the rotation?

[@nikbutawesome]

whats the glamour ur using!!

[@haleynaga5671]

I just wanted to pop to roulette with drk without have to watching my HP all the time man 😂

[@skyeunknown8076]

What website lets you check the stats like that?

[@therodesad]

If only they have more way to heal or lifesteal aside from 123 combo,abyss drain and emergency living dead... Maybe if blood spillier and quietus can also lifesteal would be great.... But overall from a view of trial player who like dark knight, I like how class look, playstyle and how their job quest story are

[@leonardodelcorralrodrigues6125]

nice video bro

[@Overdoseplus]

what pants are you using?

[@AzuriteTV]

2b thigh highs, you get them from the first Nier raid from Shadowbringers. Coffer at the end of the raid

[@amUusTV]

I was just leveling my dark knight so I can use it during shadow bringers but now that I know it’s basically worthless… guess it’s time to run the expansion as Warrior!!

[@GrimViridian]

Lol nothing in this game is worthless

[@Ochimusha108]

Looking at 'Best DMG' etc