Q&A w/ The Dread Knight Class Lead

[Blood_Raven]

Have a question about start-game. Do the early skills/spells are they bought like WoW in the early, or are they like EQII when you lvl you just automatically get the skill/spell? Thanks!

Much love

Raven

[Lightning]

Apart from your level 1 skills, you have to buy them all from trainers. Coming along after the game goes live you will be able to learn extra abilities from watching mob's fight.

[Blood_Raven]

..Your gonna have to explain that too me. Learn EXTRA abilities? How does that play a part?

Much love

Raven

[BigGino]

From what I heard a long time ago, your perception skill allows you to both notice what spell/skill an enemy is using and learn it after watching it so many times. It was supposed to make different characters of the same class have slightly different skills depending on where the leveled up and how much they traveled. Not sure if its still in game though.


And now my question. I keep hearing rumors of Dks being horribly underpowered, is it true? Not that it matters because i am going to roll one anyways, I just want to know what Im gettign myself into as I download the patch.

[Lightning]

Originally Posted by BigGino

Not sure if its still in game though.

It's not in for launch, it should make a reappearance after launch though

[Reakk]

And now my question. I keep hearing rumors of Dks being horribly underpowered, is it true? Not that it matters because i am going to roll one anyways, I just want to know what Im gettign myself into as I download the patch.[/quote]

Not from what I've seen, at level 9 I'm doing ~50-60pts a hit with great axe, and 40-50 with hand axe(both have about same dps), criting for over 100 and up to 150, but the most fun is getting a mob down to half and then chain fearing-doting it to death, which usually doesnt take long and is a great way to up spell skill.

[XeroKill]

Originally Posted by Reakk

And now my question. I keep hearing rumors of Dks being horribly underpowered, is it true? Not that it matters because i am going to roll one anyways, I just want to know what Im gettign myself into as I download the patch.

Not from what I've seen, at level 9 I'm doing ~50-60pts a hit with great axe, and 40-50 with hand axe(both have about same dps), criting for over 100 and up to 150, but the most fun is getting a mob down to half and then chain fearing-doting it to death, which usually doesnt take long and is a great way to up spell skill.

Take a peak at the following thread for a discussion on a possible issue with us Dread Knights.

[velzevul]

Xaices,

per XeroKill's thread here:
http://vanguardfighters.com/phpnuke/...iewtopic&t=748

it is stated what defensive stance comes off of as 15/15/10 for War/Pal/DK, with DK depending on resistable effects to get there unlike War/Pal, and with DK able to benefit a warrior but not the other way around.

It seems to me that in a situation with a group with 2 tanks and DK being equally equipped as a warrior, this automatically gives lead to War, and DK becomes OffTank by default - simply because all the benefits of DK tankage are still there with him around, but warrior's mitigation goes even higher with DK debuffs.

Do you think it would make sense to change DC effects at level 5 to something like 5% damage reduction to everybody and 15% damage reduction against DK himself? To make it evident that if a DK is nearby, it is him who is best person to tank this mob after he just dumped half his mana pool into debuffing it, or at least make a "personal" DC effect equal out War and Pal mitigation at level 3 and surpass it by level 5, to compensate for early weakness?

Thank you for your opinion.

P.S. if you think this isn't a bad idea and if people on this forum agree, maybe a worthwhile to suggest to developers ? Nothing would make me happier...

[Eclipse]

On the beta forums, you mention in one of your posts, that in large raids you can achieve DC5 very quickly. The word I believe you used was "instantly".

I imagine this is due to longer battles first and foremost, but could you explain other factors for this? Or describe the difference in DC for a raid mob vs a non-raid 'boss'? If DC5 is quick to achieve in a raiding situation, how does it make you feel about your own effectiveness in a raid? I'm not going to pull the: "but X tank can do this!" card, your personal opinion on how it feels to you will be all I ask for.

(Feel free to pass over that one if it gives you WWII-esque flashbacks of the mess on the beta forums)

I do have a second question:

Level 38 - Shadow Incarnate: "Maximizes your Dreadful Countenance."

Is this something that can take you from one rank to another, or does it simply bring you to 99% of the cap for each rank of DC?

That sounded very weird, so I will give an example.

Say I am tanking, and suddenly hit DC4, I quickly hit Shadow Incarnate and am now DC5!
or
I am tanking, and suddenly hit DC4, I quickly hit Shadow Incarnate and am now one Vexing Strike away from DC5!

Thanks, and you're doing a hell of a job.

-Eclipse

[TeamSKKeris]

1. What are your comments on our symbols... which are more useful in which situations, do they scale well, etc.

2. How does mob damage stack up at higher levels? I know that level 10 4-dot mobs do around 260 dmg per hit in offensive stance without a shield.

3. IIRC both Paladins and Warriors get group enhancing abilities, but I am pretty sure, other than DC, DRKs get none. Since DC doesn't stack what is the point of having multiple DRKs on a raid other than as off-tanks and DPS?

Is DRK going to be regulated to a low priority group/guild class? ..because there are a lot of them on the Beta servers. The big deal is I've played unwanted classes in both EQ (Mage) and WoW (Rogue). At the end of the day I loved both classes, but hated that I could never get groups, etc. I do not want to go through that again with another game.