objectively correct, I go back and do 80 and cry like, actually every few weeks. It's just so beautifully written, god, I love Fray so fucking much ;_; THEY JUST WANT US TO BE HAPPY AND BEING THE WOL MEANS THAT PROBABLY WILL NEVER HAPPEN BC BEING THE WOL IS SUFFERING
Dark Knights have always been my personal favorite Job, at least in theory. They’re not evil, yet they use a lot of abilities which many other fantasy stories would enlist as ‘evil’ or ‘corrupt’. I just wish it was more prevalent in the mainline games tbh, since it does have massive potential.
Same. Dark Knights are by for one my favorite classes in FF games. Emo Edgelords clad in slick dark armor that crush their enemies with darkness, their own pain, and giant weapons are right up my ally. You know what's better? How in some games, Dark Knights use blood magic to restore hp to balance things out. Best DPS/Tank class ever.
@@adrammelechthewroth6511 i love EDGELORDS!! Guts from Berserk is the ultimate Dark Knight. But I would argue that Spawn is the greatest when it comes to edge lords in fiction XD
I feel this got overlooked: the FF11 version of DK is more like the variant of FF4, where Darkness doubled damage at the cost of hp, melded with the Blood Sword (from numerous games) where all attacks gave the DK hit points on every attack. Every iteration after FF4 feels like a nod to one of the two variants from FF4.
Though it's never been made canon by Square Enix, I like to think of Garland as the first Dark Knight in FF (the dark knight of Cornelia). But yeah, canonically, Leon is the first one.
This is a very good point, i'd like to think Garland as the first Dark Knight of FF franchise too, well he literally started off as a knight in the kingdom then later turned to the dark side
I can't say that I agree, a bad guy in a suit of armor does not make a dark knight. I'd use the term Rogue Knight for him since he used to be loyal to Cornelia.
the one thing i love about opera omnia, its how it expands upon the Final fantasy 2 characters, especially their abilities. like how it shows Leon's Dark knight powers via his Dark bind, Dark erosion, and Dark stream abilities
Seriously, I was wondering why it was left out. Bravely Default is the best FF game I've seen in the past ten years, and its take on ALL the classic FF elements, jobs included was exemplary.
While the idea of Dark Knight being classified as a Tank in 14 sounds odd, it brings to my mind most of the early game of FF4 when Cecil is frequently almost the only party member who can reliably not die from one or two hits.
One addition to the Tactics war of the lions. The unit needs to have at least 20 confirmed kills. As in the little red counter goes all the way down and the target turns into a crystal or chest.
Good to know. I'm working on making Ramza a Dark Knight now and didn't know about the kills having to be "confirmed" that way. I'll have to be sure I work on that.
@@gabrielninhyrule3020 That’s where putting an enemy to sleep in an instance and spamming Tailwind with JP Boost come in. Not that that makes it fun, lol. But at least that gets it over with.
This is a great video! Would have liked to get a shoutout to the Cave of Shadows in FFIII, which had all the ennemies multiply if hit by anything but a DK's katana. A very interesting forced class dungeon!
I love FF14's version of the dark knight. They were once knights that became vigilantes so they could punish the untouchables of society when they started to break the law. I also like how they stressed that just because they use darkness doesn't automatically make them evil.
I feel like 4 is an underappreciated game for how important it was. It was the first game to have a really good story that was expansive, with character arcs that mattered and multiple angles to the strife being felt. It introduced the Paladin, and gave the summoner a real leg to stand on.
@@MrMakoto2 It seems to me like VI and VII tend to get credit for stuff IV did, like having deep characters and introducing heavy sci-fi elements to the series.
I like Bravely Default's take on the Knight as it makes the dichotomy of its wielder and his liege. Where a Paladine of light stands his shadow is nearby in order to help him in battle. It even works like that in game to great effect.
@@hello-gx6oi mechanically the Paladin is very defensive focused. A common synergy is the Dark knight taking damage and when at the maximum having the Paladin focus on defending the lowest health dark knight. Minus strike is then maintained and max damage is applied. Paladin and his shadow.
Well a lot of people are sayimg it has the best job story period in 14 but I quit before completing heavensward when it was the only expansion due to money issues but I love the class when I was trying it out
@@PyroKitsuna11 it's definitely the best job story. I only have one more quest left(lv. 80) until endwalker comes out. Should have it done today or tomorrow.
@@ItsSauIGoodman then if I ever get back to 14 going dark Knight and try to be the best tank I can be cause use to mainly be dps was a healer for a bit but every gladiator or paladins I was with always did something wrong or sucked also I despise paladins anyways x3 also I wanna try that reaper class
Dark knight’s story is amazing. SE thought so too apparently cause they promoted the writer for it (Natsuko Ishikawa) to the lead writer for shadowbringers!
After playing the full version of FFIV for the first time on the PS1, I've always been annoyed with Square's decision to remove 'Darkness' from Cecil's abilities in the first North American release on SNES. Not because of the ability's utility, but because removing it actually makes the fight with the Mirror Cecil on Mr. Ordeals nonsensical. Since the player has no idea that Darkness saps HP, it's not clear at all that the key to winning the fight is to always defend. The removal of Darkness ruined what was originally an amazing storytelling moment in the game that drives home the message that Cecil cannot win by relying on the Dark Blade.
Fully agree. In addition to the battle mechanics not being clear during the Mount Ordeals encounter, the player also loses part of the duality aspect of the Dark Knight and Paladin class change. As a Dark Knight, Cecil could sacrifice his HP to deal increased damage to enemies (the Darkness ability). But he couldn't protect his allies in either the story or the moment to moment gameplay. (Rydia, Edward, Rosa). But as a Paladin, his new ability, "Cover" has him sacrifice his HP to protect his allies instead. The change in Cecil's class specific ability reinforces the change of his character in the story. Without having the Darkness ability in SNES version this aspect of the story is weakened.
how could you not know that darkness uses ur HP to activate? u r literally using that ability for the first half of the game. or is there something that i miss??
@@toparky2470 The Darkness ability is completely removed from Cecil's action menu in the first version of the game to be released in North America on the SNES. They did this for a number of characters (Rosa's Pray, Tellah's Recall). So the first time you ever see it used is when the Mirror Dark Knight uses it, and it doesn't show him taking damage from using it.
I'm not 100% sure, though I'd have to check my history here, that it was Square's choice entirely to remove the skill from the SNES release. Nintendo was REALLY strict on anything that could be construed as too evil or too religious, which is also why Rosa didn't have her Pray skill in the game.
Ok 1. I just started replaying FFIV today and 2. Dark Knights are one of my all time favorite job classes next to Red Mage and Paladin. Thank you so much for this awesome video!!
*Final Fantasy 9 had a concept art of Dark Knight job in the early stage of creation. *Final Fantasy Dimensions has Graham as the prominent Dark Knight guest character (thought I would just mention it, since the video only explains about the job class). *Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia has currently not only Cecil from Final Fantasy IV as a playable Dark Knight, but Leon from Final Fantasy II as well. But since the game is still alive & online, it's possible that they would add more playable Dark Knight characters from other Final Fantasy series as well.
Steiner could still be considered a Dark Knight since he’s directly opposite of Beatrix and her Paladin skills. I mean, he does get the Darkness Attack Skill when you get the Bloodsword. And interesting fact is how both Beatrix and Steiner switch places in the Story, where Steiner is the loyal Knight while Beatrix was willingly committing evil while still serving her Queen.
Its quite interesting on how each dark knight from different FF games has their own differences, stories , and abilities to show how they change through out the games
I can't believe you even talked about my favorite Dark Knight, Duane. I remember always dropping the CG Duane meme at BraveEx livestreams, and through whatever turn of events; he exists....in the spinoff. But its still incredible, and this is truly a complete history if it has Duane. Cheers.
Bravely Default 2 Hell Blade is probably the most creative. It uses its hp to deal different damage over time elemental attacks while also being one of the best spell casting jobs.
Considering in ffxiv they have the dark knight using large swords and the combination of physical attacks as well as magic, I've kind of retroactively seen Cloud from ff7 as a psuedo dark knight as well. This I think plays into his connection to Sephiroth, Jenova, as well as the fact he was previously a SOLDIER working for a evil organization like Shinra.
Dark knight entrance in Final Fantasy X-2 is metal as fuck, I always loved it Edit: oh and btw, I love these videos focusing and talking about the FF classes and its history and how they were in each game, these jobs made for me FF being so appealing to me so I don't want them to miss that distinction
I am curious, would anyone consider Cloud Strife from FF7 a Dark Knight? I mean most of the characters in FFVII and FVIII are kind of fluid by design but since then dark knights, especially in FFXIV have been shown wielding great swords while also using magic, it seems to invoke Cloud vibes. Am I crazy?
Love the video, but there was one glaring omission: Cloud Strife He uses a greatsword, his power is heavily associated with emotion and willpower, he starts with Black Magic materia and has a LB which is an upgraded black magic in Meteor Rain, has high strength and intelligence, armor is both blacks and dark blues, had a gray/non-chalant attitude towards most things, and is even referenced in FFXIV's Dark Knight as they have his victory pose, and Souleater's animation is Climhazard. I know FFVII doesn't have explicit jobs, but much like how Tifa is a Monk and Cid is a Dragoon, Cloud is very very clearly a Dark Knight
Sounds like you got it backwards. He only looks like a modern Dark Knight in retrospect, because they took some cues from him. The cues he could've been taking from Dark Knights back then were very different, and he didn't take them. As a matter of fact, his Ultima Weapon works opposite of most Dark Knight mechanics, getting weaker the lower his HP goes.
@@gorimbaud I only listed 2 things that were referenced after VII, and multiple more that were present on release and consistent with Dark Knights at that time.
@@MetalGodX3 But the stuff you did reference isn't really specific to Dark Knights, which is why Cloud shares them accidentally by being the protagonist and therefore a character they wanted to be well-rounded in both melee and magic. Stat distributions aren't the defining qualities of a Dark Knight, and access to _black_ magic definitely wasn't, either.
@@gorimbaud Did you not watch the video? Multiple Dark Knight iterations have had both the high strength and magic stats, and multiple have been users of black AND dark magics. Not mention the literal every other defining factor of Dark Knight being hit by Cloud. Every character in FFVII does have a job, even if not explicitly said; Cloud - Dark Knight/Mystic Knight Tifa - Monk Barret - Machinist Yuffie - Thief / Ninja Aerith - White Mage Red XIII - Red Mage Vincent - Summoner Cid - Dragoon Cait - This one is the iffy-est but closest to a Bard
@@MetalGodX3 You're forgetting the point I've been making from the start, that this is about the classes as they existed when Cloud was created. You only had three. Leon could use magic, yes, just like every other character in FF2. Dark Knights in III could only use _white_ magic. Cecil, while he was a Dark Knight, couldn't use magic at all. Being able to use magic was a trait they had, but it wasn't a defining trait. The defining traits of Dark Knights are changing allegiances and having attacks with HP recoil. Anyway, Cait Sith's not a Bard, he's a Gambler like Setzer. And Vincent isn't a summoner, since he doesn't summon monsters, he turns into them. I think a better argument could be made for Vincent being a Dark Knight, personally, though he also has Berserker tendencies. Aerith's class was intended to be a Geomancer, and while that fits her lore better, the application was definitely closer to a White Mage.
Dark Knight has always been my favourite FF job since my first Final Fantasy game I got into was FF4. I think the best representation happens in FFXIV where the power that they wield is more akin to a primal kind of magic; Warriors use the primal beast within to empower themselves while Dark Knights uses that primal magic instead and that magic is incredibly taxing on the caster, which is reflected ingame as the spells having a high MP cost (3000 out of 10k) and the recovery being somewhat slow though the spells themselves are notably powerful. As such, they come across as tanks not as defenders but rather avengers : Paladins will protect the weak and helpless, Dark Knights will punish those that uses power to oppress the weak and helpless.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Paladin video comes within a few months of the release of the Endwalker expansion to FFXIV, since the Paladin is the 'main' class of that expansion and the story will likely use themes associated with the class, particularly those developed in FFIV.
Thanks for the vid! I play WoTV FFBE, and it's nice to see the jobs we have also be included here. :D Just to add: - Duane can now be upgraded to "Abyssal Dark Knight". He is currently considered to be one of the strongest physical attackers in the game. He is considered as a bruiser, with high HP and defenses paired with strong attacks that can lower Attack, Magic, and resistances of his enemies. He also has "Death Scythe" as his Limit Burst (ultimate skill), which is an AoE that absorbs HP based on damage dealt. His "Darkness" skill can also be upgraded to "Eternal Darkness" which gives more utility to the move. - Sterne Leonis' alt form "Knight of Ruin" can now be upgraded to "Bloodstained Knight". Unlike Duane, KoR Sterne tends to lean on the DPS side with lower HP and lower resistances. He also has higher attack, speed, and evasion. Moreover, his Limit Burst, "Destructive Fang", also restores HP based on damage dealt. Also, unlike Duane, he became a "dark knight" (while formerly from a Soldier class) due to the feeling of betrayal, and when he received the Accursed Armor that turns his hatred into power, he used it to slaughter everyone on his path, sometimes even innocent people, to get revenge on the one who wronged him. Also, if you still haven't done so, can you please create one for Assassins? WotV currently has only one assassin, Vinera, but her backstory is one of my favorites. Thanks in advance! :)
I think it's really interesting that when I was younger I always thought I would be a Dark Knight, but as I grew up I started to idolize the Paladin role more. Dark Knights are still my favourite class in general though.
To me, Dark Knights feel like they could be a one-man army. I've had ideas of how to make that happen. Most moves do require HP, but also some moves that make them more evasive and drain HP. (also, black and orange is a great color combo)
Great video! Though you did happen to miss Leon’s addition to Opera Omnia, a year(?) ago if I recall correctly. I’m surprised I noticed anything off about it, you went way deeper than I could’ve.
I would love to see the Paladin done next as it's the natural opposite to the Dark Knight and it has huge story significance in several Final Fantasy games especially Final Fantasy IV where it made it's debut.
If you think about it the first hero of FF is a paladin because the warrior who was blessed to become a knight is a warrior of light. Paladin is associated with light therefor making the warrior/knight a paladin.
* sad bravely noises * 4 heroes get a spot light in this and it's an even lesser known title then it's reborn version, bravely default... Guess I'll give a quickie for it: Dark Knight appears as a job, but the user is Alternis. This version of DRK retains the troupe as it's other variations in the series. Dark bane is basically the single target darkness, while Black Bane was the target all damage. It's highest stat is STR and swords were it's go to, along with katanas, something that hasnt been done since FFIII. Minus strike is the true bread and butter of the job of inflicting more damage the lower it's health got. Dark Knight shows up again in the sequel, bravely second retaining the same stats and skills as before, but with slight alterations to it's traits and an inclusion of having an A rank with Greatswords(katana and swords are still S rank, spears also A). The job shows up once more but as a different name Hellblade, in Bravely Default II. This incarnation however regains it's lost high magic attack along with their power physical attacks. Every action, save for a few, in the Hellblade's diabolism action costs 25% HP to perform a selected elemental attack at three regular intervals. Similar, but not like it's previous entries. They have a passive trait called, deal with the devil, that restores 8% of the users hp and mp at the end of every turn. also has minus strike.
@Alric in the or one of the history of rdm and Blu he did mention rdm and vampire, no details, just highlights - went something like "rdm also had an appearance in square's spin off series, bravely default. And just like it's other incarnation, it remained the 'jack of all trades master of none' with the class having access to mid tier spells and heal magic, whilst being average in sword/staff play." Also think he mentioned it didn't have the dualcast, but it still kept the identity/trope of the job? In the blue mage history, vampire was glossed over and catmancer wasn't brought up? Speaking of I'm sad there's no Blu in BD2, haven't beaten it yet, but Im like 85% done in terms of story
Dark knights need to build power based on negative emotions…not HP lose. Think along the lines of party members dying. Skills not working (frustration). Hitting an enemy repeatedly to build kinetic anger (think wailing on a zombie until they are blood pudding). Emotions.
I wonder if Dark Knight will be the "main class" of the protagonist in FFXVI. It would be the perfect class for the character since the theme of the game will be much darker than previous FF games.
Some extra trivia on the evolution of Dark Knight in FF14 To let the job still retain the same flavour of it's past incarnations, a lot of Dark Knight skills would use one third of your MP instead of HP a neat fact in the FFXIV setting MP comes from something called Aether which is all around world and inside people which they need to live, Black Mages would use their own inner Aether to cause pure destruction and to a similar extent Dark Knight would do the same for their skills effectively using their life energy without having a be an actual game mechanic. Also during the expansion it was introduced Heavensward it had a skill called Dark Arts which one could argue is XIV's version of Darkness where you would sacrifce 2400 MP to augment a skill which could be increasing your single target attack, applying Blind in one of your aoe attacks and even ehance a defence mitigation ability. They also had something akin to Charon or to be more specific Amok with their damage stance Darkside which would increase damage by 20% but periodically drain your MP. With the stance on you could not regain MP via outter aid and it solely came down to using your own MP regenerating abilites (and Eithers)! Dark Knight has been my favourite job aside maybe Dragoon ever since I was a kid and played FF4 for the first time. I really like learning of it's history and how it was interperated in other FF games/spins offs I've yet to play.
Dark knight in Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions was honestly broken. I grinded out a full squad of them for giggles after having beaten the game just to see how ridiculous they were. Had my squad before fighting Wiegraf and absolutely steamrolled everything.
For War of the Visions, all the Soldier class character have attacks that sacrifice HP for damage. In his normal form, Sterne has an limit burst that does bonus damage while he is lower health. As a Knight of Ruin, his LB also gets lifesteal added as an affect.
I think my favorite version if this job class is in the etrian series, they are called highlanders in that game. They use spears but just about everything else you would expect of the class exists with the high lander, though they also had the ability to use their allies hp to do powerful attacks too along with a different variation that one eats up their own. They also had a passive that would give allies TP (etrians version of MP) for taking their hp. Also have a buff that boosts attack for the party line but makes all attacks also consume their hp. And yes it doubled up for the highlander if you had that buff and used a skill that also consumed your hp.
The Dark Knight is a narrative topos in FF series. Terra, Celes, Cloud, Barrett, Squall, Seifer, Steiner, Kuja, Auron are somewhat inside the Dark Knight's dilema and charater development.
Dark Knights in FF14 have in my opinion the best job quests in the game. The slow accumulation of frustration, grief and anger during the events of the main story and how it all eventually blows up with the single phrase "I tire of this charade". Marvellous, just marvellous. Extra points to Naoki Yoshida and his team for making an homage to FF4 in the next expansion, with the Warrior of Light's "canonical" job changing from Dark Knight to Paladin.
And be hated by ever Healer in the game?!? Gunbreaker's Invisibility Bubble already gets enough people bitching about it. DRK in FF14 is a Tank Class. Not DPS. They should be focus on maintaining aggro. Not dealing damage. If anything. Upcoming Reaper Class is basically the DPS DRK.
@@Blackdragon46 Well, by that logic. Warrior shouldn't be a tank either. As they carry around a big ass Ax. Plus a lot of the time. Their armor does not match up to being very tanky. I'd argue Gunbreaker too for not looking very tank like but then again. Gunbreakers are more of your Bodyguard Type. They technically are a Secondary Tank. They protect but in reality. They aren't really meant to take a giant god fist to the face. They can if they really have to but they prefer not to. Rather perfect for handling the rabble and maybe sweet talking the healer....oh wait that is just me. So by all accounts. The only true tank in this game is Paladin. Who can also heal if shit gets real. Their healing isn't that great but it is better than no healing. And if Square got rid of that ability. I will revolt. Best fucking skill at 60+. Other thanks need a similar ability.
@@Qardo You're absolutely right. Though, Gunbreaker was at least made for FFXIV even if it was based on FF8. Also agree that Paladin really doesn't have as much white magic as it should. It's a shame that it got shafted on that end.
Watching in 2024. It looks like FFVII Rebirth, they are leaning to making Cloud some sort of Dark Knight as he loses his mind in the narrative. His weapon Umbral Blade, has passive abilities like bloodsucker. We even get a materia, Darkside, which buffs damage of abilities at the cost of HP. I think in Part 3, we’ll see a definitive gameplay shift for Cloud where he fights as a Dark Knight.
Final Fantasy Record Keeper also has a number of heroes that are Dark Knights from different FF games; each with associated job skills from the respective FF (as well as some new ones), and a Darkness ability type; that reinforced a lot of trends seen in other showings of Dark Knight around that time.
In Bravely Default 2 there's a job known as the hellblade obtained towards the end of the story in a way it's an evolution of The Dark Knight as all of its abilities that the old damage are basically Soul Eater but named after precious gems and deal Elemental damage to the Target. There's also the fact that you obtain it after defeating a military extremist who just wants the best for his country.
I’ve always considered Noctis from FF15 as a dark knight. Melee with black magic and the royal weapons sap your health. Head-cannon for me definitely has him as a dark knight, Gladio as a warrior, Ignis as a dragoon, and Prompto as a machinist.
I would like to add a few points. In 4, DK Cecil has an awful growth and the story make it clear that the class is a burden that limits Cecil. In 14, the DK is one of the 2 physical classes that use MP and has more magical mitigation tools than others tanks.
Love this video and loving your backlog ive been watching through. I was wondering how you felt about the Bravely Default series appearing in these video's? I know it doesnt have the magical words "Final Fantasy" in the title but it's about as close as you can get 😁 And maybe to get you interested as well as answer the video's comment question; My favorite Dark Knight is from the original Bravely Default, for their passive that lets them deal a massive damage explosion when they are knocked out!
I released a romhack for FFT that allows Ramza to become a Dark Knight after the battle with Gaffgarion. It fit his character progression so much. All of the Holy Knights in the game (except Agrias) were Lawful Evil characters, and Ramza was their Chaotic Good counterpart.
First, thank you for doing all the research on these FF spin-offs that no one cares about. That's thorough professionalism. Second, the Dark Knight being introduced in Heavensward in FFXIV was what convinced me to give that game a try. It was a long, arduous road getting through ARR and its patches just to unlock it, then another to level DRK up to lvl 50 so I could main it for the story. By then, I'd forgotten who half of the Heavenward characters introduced so far were, but it was worth it. The Dark Knight storyline, as well as their purpose (to kill those in power who abused being untouchable, willingly being branded heretics, murderers, paraiahs and wanted men/women all to protect those who couldn't protect themselves) was just SO DAMN COOL! No wonder the writer for that storyline, Natsuko Ishikawa, was made head writer for Endwalker.
One correction to Walking Dead, they don't have to be healed to full, they have to be healed for an amount totaling their max hp in the span of the status. You may say "Isn't that the same thing?" and I say "No and here's why" You cannot be reduced below 1 hp while under the effect of Living Dead, but you still take damage. If you're healed for half, brought back to 1 hp, and healed for half again in that span of time, you won't die. It's really not clear based on the tooltip, but that's how it works apparently.
Record Keeper's presence of Dark Knights went a bit beyond just the nameless job character. The class is represented by an entrie school of abilities (Darkness) that was all about dark attacks that came with risks - dealing self damage, dooming themselves to gain stat bonuses, abilities that were stronger under doom, etc.
Dark Knights in Explorers also had a passive that increased elemental damage so you could use Magic better than the other melee jobs if you used a weapon with a high magic stat.
Worth adding that after the sidurgu quests in ffxiv darknight actually pulls from love for its power. Ffxiv making it so drk is powered by any strong emotion.
![The Downfall of Adel [The Complete Unabridged Timeline of FF8]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8au15HNfKIE/mqdefault.jpg)
![[UNCUT] เก็บ "สจ.โต้ง" เอี่ยวมาเฟีย รู้ตัวคนบงการ ก่อนสั่งลั่นไก I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 13 ธ.ค.67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/o-J_p62D40w/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Complete Story of Destiny! From origins to Shadowkeep [Timeline and Lore explained]](/img/n.gif)
I can't speak to the rest of the XIV community, but I would say that the Dark Knight story line is one of the best job quest series in the game.
Overstated opinion. It’s why that writer wrote shadowbringer and endwalker
I completely agree I really enjoyed the Dark Knight storyline as well as the red mate storyline from 14
It really didn’t fit my warrior of light. But I could see it being good if you were headcanoning your character differently.
objectively correct, I go back and do 80 and cry like, actually every few weeks. It's just so beautifully written, god, I love Fray so fucking much ;_; THEY JUST WANT US TO BE HAPPY AND BEING THE WOL MEANS THAT PROBABLY WILL NEVER HAPPEN BC BEING THE WOL IS SUFFERING
@@paralolagram I mean in terms of SHB and embracing the darkness the DRK story fit perfectly and was essentially a precursor
Dark Knights have always been my personal favorite Job, at least in theory. They’re not evil, yet they use a lot of abilities which many other fantasy stories would enlist as ‘evil’ or ‘corrupt’. I just wish it was more prevalent in the mainline games tbh, since it does have massive potential.
I wish they had been a class in FFV. I keep hoping someone will make a mod for that
I play black mage, and was surprised at how much I love dark knight in 14
Same. Dark Knights are by for one my favorite classes in FF games. Emo Edgelords clad in slick dark armor that crush their enemies with darkness, their own pain, and giant weapons are right up my ally. You know what's better? How in some games, Dark Knights use blood magic to restore hp to balance things out. Best DPS/Tank class ever.
@@adrammelechthewroth6511 i love EDGELORDS!!
Guts from Berserk is the ultimate Dark Knight. But I would argue that Spawn is the greatest when it comes to edge lords in fiction XD
Whenever I play any fantasy RPG, I'm always trying to make a dark knight, no matter the franchise
I feel this got overlooked: the FF11 version of DK is more like the variant of FF4, where Darkness doubled damage at the cost of hp, melded with the Blood Sword (from numerous games) where all attacks gave the DK hit points on every attack.
Every iteration after FF4 feels like a nod to one of the two variants from FF4.
Though it's never been made canon by Square Enix, I like to think of Garland as the first Dark Knight in FF (the dark knight of Cornelia). But yeah, canonically, Leon is the first one.
This is a very good point, i'd like to think Garland as the first Dark Knight of FF franchise too, well he literally started off as a knight in the kingdom then later turned to the dark side
Idk why I thought of gun-wielding, zombie-killing, roundhouse-kicking Leon when you said that.
@@badtiming2208 that is THE modern Dark Knight lol
Is that why DRK has lowish DPS of the tanks? Instead I knock them all down?
I can't say that I agree, a bad guy in a suit of armor does not make a dark knight.
I'd use the term Rogue Knight for him since he used to be loyal to Cornelia.
the one thing i love about opera omnia, its how it expands upon the Final fantasy 2 characters, especially their abilities. like how it shows Leon's Dark knight powers via his Dark bind, Dark erosion, and Dark stream abilities
You jumped one of the best entries of Dark Knight in the FF variation game
Bravely Default / Bravely Second
Dark Knight is so AMAZING there
Agreed.
My boi (REDACTED) is one of the best examples of a dark knight in history, the a true icon of destructive self sacrifice.
The Hellblade in Bravely Default 2 is also rather interesting since the game also uses HP as a resource for skills.
Seriously, I was wondering why it was left out. Bravely Default is the best FF game I've seen in the past ten years, and its take on ALL the classic FF elements, jobs included was exemplary.
While the idea of Dark Knight being classified as a Tank in 14 sounds odd, it brings to my mind most of the early game of FF4 when Cecil is frequently almost the only party member who can reliably not die from one or two hits.
One addition to the Tactics war of the lions. The unit needs to have at least 20 confirmed kills. As in the little red counter goes all the way down and the target turns into a crystal or chest.
Good to know. I'm working on making Ramza a Dark Knight now and didn't know about the kills having to be "confirmed" that way. I'll have to be sure I work on that.
Yeah getting that’s the easiest part of it all though. Mastering black mage and getting level 8 geomancer weren’t fun at all
@@gabrielninhyrule3020 That’s where putting an enemy to sleep in an instance and spamming Tailwind with JP Boost come in.
Not that that makes it fun, lol. But at least that gets it over with.
This is a great video! Would have liked to get a shoutout to the Cave of Shadows in FFIII, which had all the ennemies multiply if hit by anything but a DK's katana. A very interesting forced class dungeon!
I love FF14's version of the dark knight. They were once knights that became vigilantes so they could punish the untouchables of society when they started to break the law. I also like how they stressed that just because they use darkness doesn't automatically make them evil.
Yep! I love that fact about Dark Knights :)
He didn't mention tbn which is clearly better then living dead
@@joeterrasi2202 I hated TBN when it got introduced. It was only after a few tweaks and another expansion did I start to love it.
@@eviljoshy3402 what!!! OG tbn was amazing it gave you mp back for another tbn to be used it was the biggest hack for tanks since lb3
They are the people's heroes, having no heraldric nor alliegeance!
I feel like 4 is an underappreciated game for how important it was. It was the first game to have a really good story that was expansive, with character arcs that mattered and multiple angles to the strife being felt. It introduced the Paladin, and gave the summoner a real leg to stand on.
IV is my favorite of the older titles =)
i feel that most fans of the franchise understand and appreciate the importance of FF4. Never heard of it being underappreciated in the community
It's not under appreciated... but it did have to compete with ff6.
@@MrMakoto2 There is a new crowd that shits on 4 because they're hipsters.
@@MrMakoto2 It seems to me like VI and VII tend to get credit for stuff IV did, like having deep characters and introducing heavy sci-fi elements to the series.
I like Bravely Default's take on the Knight as it makes the dichotomy of its wielder and his liege. Where a Paladine of light stands his shadow is nearby in order to help him in battle. It even works like that in game to great effect.
Can you explain more about it?
@@hello-gx6oi mechanically the Paladin is very defensive focused. A common synergy is the Dark knight taking damage and when at the maximum having the Paladin focus on defending the lowest health dark knight. Minus strike is then maintained and max damage is applied. Paladin and his shadow.
Just started playing Dark Knight in 14. I love it a lot, the job quest story is amazing and cant wait to get to the lvl 80 quest to see what happens.
Well a lot of people are sayimg it has the best job story period in 14 but I quit before completing heavensward when it was the only expansion due to money issues but I love the class when I was trying it out
@@PyroKitsuna11 it's definitely the best job story. I only have one more quest left(lv. 80) until endwalker comes out. Should have it done today or tomorrow.
@@ItsSauIGoodman then if I ever get back to 14 going dark Knight and try to be the best tank I can be cause use to mainly be dps was a healer for a bit but every gladiator or paladins I was with always did something wrong or sucked also I despise paladins anyways x3 also I wanna try that reaper class
Dark knight’s story is amazing. SE thought so too apparently cause they promoted the writer for it (Natsuko Ishikawa) to the lead writer for shadowbringers!
@@zinogr3gaming903 yeah I hope she writes endwalker too
I feel in love with Dark Knight ever since FFXI, when I saw a person wearing the artifact armor in town I knew thats what I wanted to strive for.
I just made a dark knight build for DND 5e last week. Crazy.
Love the Dark Knight. Wish you would have mentioned them from the Bravely Series even though its not “technically” a FF game. Great vid.
After playing the full version of FFIV for the first time on the PS1, I've always been annoyed with Square's decision to remove 'Darkness' from Cecil's abilities in the first North American release on SNES. Not because of the ability's utility, but because removing it actually makes the fight with the Mirror Cecil on Mr. Ordeals nonsensical. Since the player has no idea that Darkness saps HP, it's not clear at all that the key to winning the fight is to always defend. The removal of Darkness ruined what was originally an amazing storytelling moment in the game that drives home the message that Cecil cannot win by relying on the Dark Blade.
Fully agree. In addition to the battle mechanics not being clear during the Mount Ordeals encounter, the player also loses part of the duality aspect of the Dark Knight and Paladin class change.
As a Dark Knight, Cecil could sacrifice his HP to deal increased damage to enemies (the Darkness ability). But he couldn't protect his allies in either the story or the moment to moment gameplay. (Rydia, Edward, Rosa).
But as a Paladin, his new ability, "Cover" has him sacrifice his HP to protect his allies instead.
The change in Cecil's class specific ability reinforces the change of his character in the story. Without having the Darkness ability in SNES version this aspect of the story is weakened.
how could you not know that darkness uses ur HP to activate? u r literally using that ability for the first half of the game. or is there something that i miss??
@@toparky2470 They changed the name of it for you, but not for the Mirror Cecil, so you don't realize it's the same thing.
@@toparky2470 The Darkness ability is completely removed from Cecil's action menu in the first version of the game to be released in North America on the SNES. They did this for a number of characters (Rosa's Pray, Tellah's Recall). So the first time you ever see it used is when the Mirror Dark Knight uses it, and it doesn't show him taking damage from using it.
I'm not 100% sure, though I'd have to check my history here, that it was Square's choice entirely to remove the skill from the SNES release. Nintendo was REALLY strict on anything that could be construed as too evil or too religious, which is also why Rosa didn't have her Pray skill in the game.
Dark knight is such a cool name and character, first discovered one in FFX-2 as the dressphere for Paine. Really was a sick design
Ok 1. I just started replaying FFIV today and 2. Dark Knights are one of my all time favorite job classes next to Red Mage and Paladin. Thank you so much for this awesome video!!
Cecil's been my favorite of the Dark Knights, mainly because I love his story and how he evolved from a Dark Knight to a Paladin.
Odd. Usually its the other way around. Sad.
Cecil disappoints😔
Ah "Of Course"
The Dark Knight Rises
*Final Fantasy 9 had a concept art of Dark Knight job in the early stage of creation.
*Final Fantasy Dimensions has Graham as the prominent Dark Knight guest character (thought I would just mention it, since the video only explains about the job class).
*Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia has currently not only Cecil from Final Fantasy IV as a playable Dark Knight, but Leon from Final Fantasy II as well. But since the game is still alive & online, it's possible that they would add more playable Dark Knight characters from other Final Fantasy series as well.
Steiner could still be considered a Dark Knight since he’s directly opposite of Beatrix and her Paladin skills. I mean, he does get the Darkness Attack Skill when you get the Bloodsword.
And interesting fact is how both Beatrix and Steiner switch places in the Story, where Steiner is the loyal Knight while Beatrix was willingly committing evil while still serving her Queen.
Yeah I saw that in the concept art.
Where did you see the FF9 dark knight concept art at?
@@danielramsey6141 Yeah, Steiner should've been a full-on Dark Knight for those reasons.
Its quite interesting on how each dark knight from different FF games has their own differences, stories , and abilities to show how they change through out the games
You gotta start including the Bravely series for these evolution videos
I can't believe you even talked about my favorite Dark Knight, Duane. I remember always dropping the CG Duane meme at BraveEx livestreams, and through whatever turn of events; he exists....in the spinoff. But its still incredible, and this is truly a complete history if it has Duane. Cheers.
I'm really thankful for this channel, it's on a wavelength perfect for watching when I'm grabbing a snack or relaxing in bed
As a Dark Knight main in FFXIV I’ve been waiting for this.
Dark Knight chads
Same.
Bravely Default 2 Hell Blade is probably the most creative. It uses its hp to deal different damage over time elemental attacks while also being one of the best spell casting jobs.
This and Dragoon are my fav classes
Considering in ffxiv they have the dark knight using large swords and the combination of physical attacks as well as magic, I've kind of retroactively seen Cloud from ff7 as a psuedo dark knight as well. This I think plays into his connection to Sephiroth, Jenova, as well as the fact he was previously a SOLDIER working for a evil organization like Shinra.
And now he fights not for the elite, but for the people like FF 14 Dark Knights.
Dark knight entrance in Final Fantasy X-2 is metal as fuck, I always loved it
Edit: oh and btw, I love these videos focusing and talking about the FF classes and its history and how they were in each game, these jobs made for me FF being so appealing to me so I don't want them to miss that distinction
I am curious, would anyone consider Cloud Strife from FF7 a Dark Knight? I mean most of the characters in FFVII and FVIII are kind of fluid by design but since then dark knights, especially in FFXIV have been shown wielding great swords while also using magic, it seems to invoke Cloud vibes. Am I crazy?
Nope. Even clouds moody attitude reflects what dark knights are like.
Thanks!
You're most welcome Nathaniel, thank you for the donate!
Love the video, but there was one glaring omission: Cloud Strife
He uses a greatsword, his power is heavily associated with emotion and willpower, he starts with Black Magic materia and has a LB which is an upgraded black magic in Meteor Rain, has high strength and intelligence, armor is both blacks and dark blues, had a gray/non-chalant attitude towards most things, and is even referenced in FFXIV's Dark Knight as they have his victory pose, and Souleater's animation is Climhazard.
I know FFVII doesn't have explicit jobs, but much like how Tifa is a Monk and Cid is a Dragoon, Cloud is very very clearly a Dark Knight
Sounds like you got it backwards. He only looks like a modern Dark Knight in retrospect, because they took some cues from him. The cues he could've been taking from Dark Knights back then were very different, and he didn't take them. As a matter of fact, his Ultima Weapon works opposite of most Dark Knight mechanics, getting weaker the lower his HP goes.
@@gorimbaud I only listed 2 things that were referenced after VII, and multiple more that were present on release and consistent with Dark Knights at that time.
@@MetalGodX3 But the stuff you did reference isn't really specific to Dark Knights, which is why Cloud shares them accidentally by being the protagonist and therefore a character they wanted to be well-rounded in both melee and magic. Stat distributions aren't the defining qualities of a Dark Knight, and access to _black_ magic definitely wasn't, either.
@@gorimbaud Did you not watch the video? Multiple Dark Knight iterations have had both the high strength and magic stats, and multiple have been users of black AND dark magics. Not mention the literal every other defining factor of Dark Knight being hit by Cloud.
Every character in FFVII does have a job, even if not explicitly said;
Cloud - Dark Knight/Mystic Knight
Tifa - Monk
Barret - Machinist
Yuffie - Thief / Ninja
Aerith - White Mage
Red XIII - Red Mage
Vincent - Summoner
Cid - Dragoon
Cait - This one is the iffy-est but closest to a Bard
@@MetalGodX3 You're forgetting the point I've been making from the start, that this is about the classes as they existed when Cloud was created. You only had three. Leon could use magic, yes, just like every other character in FF2. Dark Knights in III could only use _white_ magic. Cecil, while he was a Dark Knight, couldn't use magic at all. Being able to use magic was a trait they had, but it wasn't a defining trait. The defining traits of Dark Knights are changing allegiances and having attacks with HP recoil.
Anyway, Cait Sith's not a Bard, he's a Gambler like Setzer. And Vincent isn't a summoner, since he doesn't summon monsters, he turns into them. I think a better argument could be made for Vincent being a Dark Knight, personally, though he also has Berserker tendencies.
Aerith's class was intended to be a Geomancer, and while that fits her lore better, the application was definitely closer to a White Mage.
Dark Knight has always been my favourite FF job since my first Final Fantasy game I got into was FF4. I think the best representation happens in FFXIV where the power that they wield is more akin to a primal kind of magic; Warriors use the primal beast within to empower themselves while Dark Knights uses that primal magic instead and that magic is incredibly taxing on the caster, which is reflected ingame as the spells having a high MP cost (3000 out of 10k) and the recovery being somewhat slow though the spells themselves are notably powerful.
As such, they come across as tanks not as defenders but rather avengers : Paladins will protect the weak and helpless, Dark Knights will punish those that uses power to oppress the weak and helpless.
that was pretty instructive, can we talk about the dark knight's opposite, the knight/paladin some day?
I wouldn't be surprised if the Paladin video comes within a few months of the release of the Endwalker expansion to FFXIV, since the Paladin is the 'main' class of that expansion and the story will likely use themes associated with the class, particularly those developed in FFIV.
no. Virgin Paladin vs Chad Dark Knight
@@GooseGumlizzard They're both Chad.
Thanks for the vid! I play WoTV FFBE, and it's nice to see the jobs we have also be included here. :D
Just to add:
- Duane can now be upgraded to "Abyssal Dark Knight". He is currently considered to be one of the strongest physical attackers in the game. He is considered as a bruiser, with high HP and defenses paired with strong attacks that can lower Attack, Magic, and resistances of his enemies. He also has "Death Scythe" as his Limit Burst (ultimate skill), which is an AoE that absorbs HP based on damage dealt. His "Darkness" skill can also be upgraded to "Eternal Darkness" which gives more utility to the move.
- Sterne Leonis' alt form "Knight of Ruin" can now be upgraded to "Bloodstained Knight". Unlike Duane, KoR Sterne tends to lean on the DPS side with lower HP and lower resistances. He also has higher attack, speed, and evasion. Moreover, his Limit Burst, "Destructive Fang", also restores HP based on damage dealt. Also, unlike Duane, he became a "dark knight" (while formerly from a Soldier class) due to the feeling of betrayal, and when he received the Accursed Armor that turns his hatred into power, he used it to slaughter everyone on his path, sometimes even innocent people, to get revenge on the one who wronged him.
Also, if you still haven't done so, can you please create one for Assassins? WotV currently has only one assassin, Vinera, but her backstory is one of my favorites. Thanks in advance! :)
I love that you had Rua in the video to show how amazing DRK is
I think it's really interesting that when I was younger I always thought I would be a Dark Knight, but as I grew up I started to idolize the Paladin role more. Dark Knights are still my favourite class in general though.
Thanks FF Union for covering my favorite FF class!
To me, Dark Knights feel like they could be a one-man army. I've had ideas of how to make that happen.
Most moves do require HP, but also some moves that make them more evasive and drain HP. (also, black and orange is a great color combo)
...What?
Black and purple man. Way better fit for their theme.
you could argue cloud is a dark knight lard sword loaner/dark mind set can use black magic big sword
Great video! Though you did happen to miss Leon’s addition to Opera Omnia, a year(?) ago if I recall correctly.
I’m surprised I noticed anything off about it, you went way deeper than I could’ve.
More like two years.
FFXIV dark knight main here. been a DRK fanboy ever since FFIV and I wholeheartedly approve of this video 😁
I would love to see the Paladin done next as it's the natural opposite to the Dark Knight and it has huge story significance in several Final Fantasy games especially Final Fantasy IV where it made it's debut.
I really like Final Fantasy IX’s take on the Paladin class.
James Shepherd, it has already been done in FFIV
@@BranBal I know, I've played the DS Version of FFIV. Cecil is the first Paladin of the franchise.
Breav Lee intensifies.
If you think about it the first hero of FF is a paladin because the warrior who was blessed to become a knight is a warrior of light. Paladin is associated with light therefor making the warrior/knight a paladin.
Best part of the Dark Knights are the Moogles dancing and singing
Truly the most evil of creatures in all the games....
You forgot the biggest trait of Dark Knights.....Edge Lords
* sad bravely noises *
4 heroes get a spot light in this and it's an even lesser known title then it's reborn version, bravely default...
Guess I'll give a quickie for it:
Dark Knight appears as a job, but the user is Alternis. This version of DRK retains the troupe as it's other variations in the series. Dark bane is basically the single target darkness, while Black Bane was the target all damage. It's highest stat is STR and swords were it's go to, along with katanas, something that hasnt been done since FFIII. Minus strike is the true bread and butter of the job of inflicting more damage the lower it's health got.
Dark Knight shows up again in the sequel, bravely second retaining the same stats and skills as before, but with slight alterations to it's traits and an inclusion of having an A rank with Greatswords(katana and swords are still S rank, spears also A).
The job shows up once more but as a different name Hellblade, in Bravely Default II. This incarnation however regains it's lost high magic attack along with their power physical attacks. Every action, save for a few, in the Hellblade's diabolism action costs 25% HP to perform a selected elemental attack at three regular intervals. Similar, but not like it's previous entries. They have a passive trait called, deal with the devil, that restores 8% of the users hp and mp at the end of every turn. also has minus strike.
@Alric in the or one of the history of rdm and Blu he did mention rdm and vampire, no details, just highlights - went something like "rdm also had an appearance in square's spin off series, bravely default. And just like it's other incarnation, it remained the 'jack of all trades master of none' with the class having access to mid tier spells and heal magic, whilst being average in sword/staff play." Also think he mentioned it didn't have the dualcast, but it still kept the identity/trope of the job?
In the blue mage history, vampire was glossed over and catmancer wasn't brought up?
Speaking of I'm sad there's no Blu in BD2, haven't beaten it yet, but Im like 85% done in terms of story
Dark knights need to build power based on negative emotions…not HP lose. Think along the lines of party members dying. Skills not working (frustration). Hitting an enemy repeatedly to build kinetic anger (think wailing on a zombie until they are blood pudding). Emotions.
I wonder if Dark Knight will be the "main class" of the protagonist in FFXVI. It would be the perfect class for the character since the theme of the game will be much darker than previous FF games.
Some extra trivia on the evolution of Dark Knight in FF14
To let the job still retain the same flavour of it's past incarnations, a lot of Dark Knight skills would use one third of your MP instead of HP a neat fact in the FFXIV setting MP comes from something called Aether which is all around world and inside people which they need to live, Black Mages would use their own inner Aether to cause pure destruction and to a similar extent Dark Knight would do the same for their skills effectively using their life energy without having a be an actual game mechanic.
Also during the expansion it was introduced Heavensward it had a skill called Dark Arts which one could argue is XIV's version of Darkness where you would sacrifce 2400 MP to augment a skill which could be increasing your single target attack, applying Blind in one of your aoe attacks and even ehance a defence mitigation ability.
They also had something akin to Charon or to be more specific Amok with their damage stance Darkside which would increase damage by 20% but periodically drain your MP. With the stance on you could not regain MP via outter aid and it solely came down to using your own MP regenerating abilites (and Eithers)!
Dark Knight has been my favourite job aside maybe Dragoon ever since I was a kid and played FF4 for the first time. I really like learning of it's history and how it was interperated in other FF games/spins offs I've yet to play.
arent you kinda missing Caius Ballad? His whole story SCREAMS "DARK KNIGHT", so does his aesthetic , moves and choice of weapon...?
Dark knight in Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions was honestly broken. I grinded out a full squad of them for giggles after having beaten the game just to see how ridiculous they were. Had my squad before fighting Wiegraf and absolutely steamrolled everything.
mad respect for mentioning FF Dimensions! You just earned yourself a sub, mister
Love how thorough the video is. The original FF Dimensions is is a underrated game imo.
The design of Dark knight and Cecil story in FF4 is one of the reasons that made that game so charming to me
Can't concentrate on the commentary with The Legendary Beast playing. One of the best tracks from FFVIII
I feel for a lot of these, you could also discuss the Bravely Default incarnations, because they are effectively Final Fantasy games
I was so sure summoners were next, but Dark knights are fun too.
He shouldn’t do a video on summoners.
@@AsuranFish why not?
@@doomsdayguy2650 Because he should…
STAY AWAY FROM THE SUMMONER!
@@AsuranFish did you...... did you just make a ff10 reference
@@doomsdayguy2650 I won’t go so easy on you next time!
These vids are edited so well, interesting lore too
For War of the Visions, all the Soldier class character have attacks that sacrifice HP for damage. In his normal form, Sterne has an limit burst that does bonus damage while he is lower health. As a Knight of Ruin, his LB also gets lifesteal added as an affect.
Yess can't wait for this! Love dark knights, and kudos for showing star wars the force unleashed, loved that game lol
I think my favorite version if this job class is in the etrian series, they are called highlanders in that game. They use spears but just about everything else you would expect of the class exists with the high lander, though they also had the ability to use their allies hp to do powerful attacks too along with a different variation that one eats up their own. They also had a passive that would give allies TP (etrians version of MP) for taking their hp. Also have a buff that boosts attack for the party line but makes all attacks also consume their hp. And yes it doubled up for the highlander if you had that buff and used a skill that also consumed your hp.
The Dark Knight is a narrative topos in FF series. Terra, Celes, Cloud, Barrett, Squall, Seifer, Steiner, Kuja, Auron are somewhat inside the Dark Knight's dilema and charater development.
Dark Knights in FF14 have in my opinion the best job quests in the game. The slow accumulation of frustration, grief and anger during the events of the main story and how it all eventually blows up with the single phrase "I tire of this charade". Marvellous, just marvellous.
Extra points to Naoki Yoshida and his team for making an homage to FF4 in the next expansion, with the Warrior of Light's "canonical" job changing from Dark Knight to Paladin.
I sorta wish in FFXIV it kept attacks that risked HP for damage. Would be cool
And be hated by ever Healer in the game?!? Gunbreaker's Invisibility Bubble already gets enough people bitching about it.
DRK in FF14 is a Tank Class. Not DPS. They should be focus on maintaining aggro. Not dealing damage. If anything. Upcoming Reaper Class is basically the DPS DRK.
@@Qardo Yeah and? I don’t care, you can call me a little evil 😈
I wish they had made it a DPS and something else a tank instead. Just doesn't feel right for DRK of all things to be a tank for that very reason.
@@Blackdragon46 Well, by that logic. Warrior shouldn't be a tank either. As they carry around a big ass Ax. Plus a lot of the time. Their armor does not match up to being very tanky.
I'd argue Gunbreaker too for not looking very tank like but then again. Gunbreakers are more of your Bodyguard Type. They technically are a Secondary Tank. They protect but in reality. They aren't really meant to take a giant god fist to the face. They can if they really have to but they prefer not to. Rather perfect for handling the rabble and maybe sweet talking the healer....oh wait that is just me.
So by all accounts. The only true tank in this game is Paladin. Who can also heal if shit gets real. Their healing isn't that great but it is better than no healing. And if Square got rid of that ability. I will revolt. Best fucking skill at 60+. Other thanks need a similar ability.
@@Qardo You're absolutely right. Though, Gunbreaker was at least made for FFXIV even if it was based on FF8.
Also agree that Paladin really doesn't have as much white magic as it should. It's a shame that it got shafted on that end.
Yesss. Great coverage of one of my favorite classes
Dark knight and Dragoon are my farvorite Job
"I've been waiting for this!"
Watching in 2024. It looks like FFVII Rebirth, they are leaning to making Cloud some sort of Dark Knight as he loses his mind in the narrative. His weapon Umbral Blade, has passive abilities like bloodsucker. We even get a materia, Darkside, which buffs damage of abilities at the cost of HP. I think in Part 3, we’ll see a definitive gameplay shift for Cloud where he fights as a Dark Knight.
Excellent video, maybe now that's Endwalker is near, Sage?
Bravely default is basically final fantasy..include them in your History of evolution videos because they are amazing videos
great video as always. for the next evolution video I'd really like to see monk/black belt, for sommons maybe alexander or shiva?
There was also the nod to Dark Knights in Final Fantasy 8 through the Diablos GF which could allow the use of the Darkside ability.
Final Fantasy Record Keeper also has a number of heroes that are Dark Knights from different FF games; each with associated job skills from the respective FF (as well as some new ones), and a Darkness ability type; that reinforced a lot of trends seen in other showings of Dark Knight around that time.
Was actually looking for this yesterday
In Bravely Default 2 there's a job known as the hellblade obtained towards the end of the story in a way it's an evolution of The Dark Knight as all of its abilities that the old damage are basically Soul Eater but named after precious gems and deal Elemental damage to the Target. There's also the fact that you obtain it after defeating a military extremist who just wants the best for his country.
I’ve always considered Noctis from FF15 as a dark knight. Melee with black magic and the royal weapons sap your health. Head-cannon for me definitely has him as a dark knight, Gladio as a warrior, Ignis as a dragoon, and Prompto as a machinist.
I would like to add a few points.
In 4, DK Cecil has an awful growth and the story make it clear that the class is a burden that limits Cecil.
In 14, the DK is one of the 2 physical classes that use MP and has more magical mitigation tools than others tanks.
Love this video and loving your backlog ive been watching through. I was wondering how you felt about the Bravely Default series appearing in these video's? I know it doesnt have the magical words "Final Fantasy" in the title but it's about as close as you can get 😁
And maybe to get you interested as well as answer the video's comment question; My favorite Dark Knight is from the original Bravely Default, for their passive that lets them deal a massive damage explosion when they are knocked out!
I released a romhack for FFT that allows Ramza to become a Dark Knight after the battle with Gaffgarion. It fit his character progression so much. All of the Holy Knights in the game (except Agrias) were Lawful Evil characters, and Ramza was their Chaotic Good counterpart.
My favorite iteration of dark knight is in bravely default. Pretty standard entry, but so good in that game too.
First, thank you for doing all the research on these FF spin-offs that no one cares about. That's thorough professionalism.
Second, the Dark Knight being introduced in Heavensward in FFXIV was what convinced me to give that game a try. It was a long, arduous road getting through ARR and its patches just to unlock it, then another to level DRK up to lvl 50 so I could main it for the story. By then, I'd forgotten who half of the Heavenward characters introduced so far were, but it was worth it. The Dark Knight storyline, as well as their purpose (to kill those in power who abused being untouchable, willingly being branded heretics, murderers, paraiahs and wanted men/women all to protect those who couldn't protect themselves) was just SO DAMN COOL! No wonder the writer for that storyline, Natsuko Ishikawa, was made head writer for Endwalker.
Gods, I remember spending time running around Gustaberg killing worms with that shitty sword and a low level warrior...
20:36 Lightning attacks the enemy, special effect "knocked up". ;D
FFXIV Dark Knight Job Quest is the best, my mind was blown.
Poor Bravely Default, missed the Dark Knight episode
Wow, i just left a comment about this. Glad to see another fan 😁
One correction to Walking Dead, they don't have to be healed to full, they have to be healed for an amount totaling their max hp in the span of the status.
You may say "Isn't that the same thing?" and I say "No and here's why"
You cannot be reduced below 1 hp while under the effect of Living Dead, but you still take damage. If you're healed for half, brought back to 1 hp, and healed for half again in that span of time, you won't die.
It's really not clear based on the tooltip, but that's how it works apparently.
Commenting before I watch: I swear to god if Cloud or Auron are mentioned as being Dark Knights, I'll cry.
Wow i learned a lot on Dark knights today, I am only familiar with them from tactics, Xi, and XIV.
Having trouble with the Final Boss of FFII? Leon with the Blood Sword goes BRRRRRR
"Dark Knights can be Warriors of Ligbt" shows ShB dark knight defeating a lightwarden and bringing darkness
Record Keeper's presence of Dark Knights went a bit beyond just the nameless job character. The class is represented by an entrie school of abilities (Darkness) that was all about dark attacks that came with risks - dealing self damage, dooming themselves to gain stat bonuses, abilities that were stronger under doom, etc.
Dark Knight is my absolute favorite class and Cecil is one of my favorite Final Fantasy characters.
Yyooooo great video topic!!!!
❤️💙🔥🔥💙❤️
FFXIV's Dark Knight story is, in my opinion, the best tank questline and unlocking it in Heavensward was a great time
Dark Knights in Explorers also had a passive that increased elemental damage so you could use Magic better than the other melee jobs if you used a weapon with a high magic stat.
Worth adding that after the sidurgu quests in ffxiv darknight actually pulls from love for its power. Ffxiv making it so drk is powered by any strong emotion.
7:32 "Ello Rua here!"
X2 had some interesting skills with the dark night and they were really good looking