Dark Knight Tank Gear and Best in Slot — Dawntrail 7.1

There are two main GCD speeds recommended to target for DRK specifically: 2.50 and 2.46. The damage difference between them is negligible, and comfort should be the main concern when picking between sets. 2.50 is more straightforward for keeping oGCDs aligned and hits slightly harder on a per-cast basis, but doesn't have a perfectly clean resource loop. 2.46, by contrast, does loop cleanly over a two-minute cycle but requires more attention to keep everything properly aligned. You can also use sets built for other tanks and different GCD speeds at very little loss.

Note the two Determination melds on the 2.46 set. This is shown in the earring, which enables full compatibility with the 2.50 set with no re-melding required.

There are two main GCD speeds recommended to target for DRK specifically: 2.50 and 2.46. The damage difference between them is negligible, and comfort should be the main concern when picking between sets. 2.50 is more straightforward for keeping oGCDs aligned and hits slightly harder on a per-cast basis, but doesn't have a perfectly clean resource loop. 2.46, by contrast, does loop cleanly over a two-minute cycle but requires more attention to keep everything properly aligned. You can also use sets built for other tanks and different GCD speeds at very little loss.

The optimal buy order for tome gear is somewhat up in the air according to your exact progression. Generally speaking, boots are quite efficient and ring or earrings are a smaller boost but can be bought with only one week's worth of tomes. The chestpiece represents a similar increase as the boots, but is much more expensive. Gloves for 2.46 are likely not worth buying until you can augment them.

These sets feature some deviations from the general meld priority, but simply following that priority exactly is a very minor loss in both cases. The 2.46 set melds Skill Speed in the gloves and earring specifically because those are the two slots that will be replaced by gear with native Skill Speed rolls.

These sets are specifically for The Omega Protocol (Ultimate) with an ilvl sync of 635. With the advent of Patch 6.5 and The Lunar Subterrane, i635 armor is available and represents an improvement in some slots. The gearsets in this section take advantage of this new gear, but other sets for those who don't wish to farm the dungeon are also provided.

The latest two stages of the Manderville relic both provide a roughly 0.5% damage boost vs the i635 savage or ultimate weapons. Both the i645 and i665 relic stages perform identically in The Omega Protocol because of ilvl sync.

2.50 is strongly recommended for maximum damage output, ease of play, and excellent alignment with various mechanics in the encounter.

For 2.50, general meld priority is followed exactly. If you don't have an i645 or i665 Manderville relic, meld two or three Direct Hit materia to the savage or ultimate weapons, respectively.

For 2.45, the exception to general meld priority is one Critical Hit meld replaced with Direct Hit, shown here in the hands. If you don't have the latest relic step, meld two Skill Speed materia into the savage weapon and add a Direct Hit for the ultimate weapon.

Portions of these gear sets can only be acquired by completing the Abyssos raid tier. A guide for the content can be found in the link below.

These sets are specifically for The Omega Protocol (Ultimate) with an ilvl sync of 635. The sets listed in this section do not require farming dungeon gear, and perform 0.5~1% lower.

The latest two stages of the Manderville relic both provide a roughly 0.5% damage boost vs the i635 savage or ultimate weapons. Both the i645 and i665 relic stages perform identically in The Omega Protocol because of ilvl sync.

2.50 is strongly recommended for maximum damage output, ease of play, and excellent alignment with various mechanics in the encounter.

For 2.50, the exception to general meld priority is one Direct Hit meld replaced with Determination, shown here in the wrist. If you don't have an i645 or i665 Manderville relic, meld two or three Direct Hit materia to the savage or ultimate weapons, respectively.

For 2.45, exceptions to general meld priority are two Direct Hit melds replaced with Determination, also shown here in the wrist. If you don't have an i645 or i665 Manderville Relic, meld two Skill Speed materia into the savage weapon and add a Direct Hit to the third slot in the ultimate weapon.

Portions of these gear sets can only be acquired by completing the Abyssos raid tier. A guide for the content can be found in the link below.

With the advent of patch 6.3 and Lapis Manalis, i605 armor is now available and represents an improvement in some slots. The gearsets in this section take advantage of this new gear, but other sets for those who don't wish to farm the dungeon are also provided.

The latest two stages of the Manderville relic both provide a roughly 0.5% damage boost vs the i605 savage or ultimate weapons and the i615 and i630 relic stages. Both the i645 and i665 relic stages perform identically in Dragonsong's Reprise because of ilvl sync.

A 2.45 GCD aligns well with mechanics for this encounter and is a solid option. The damage output between GCD speeds is still quite small, and 2.50 is more than viable if you are comfortable with it.

For 2.50, meld priority is followed exactly. If using the i605 savage or ultimate weapons, meld two or three Direct Hit materia as slots allow.

For 2.45, exceptions to the general meld priority are two Direct Hit melds replaced with Determination and two Direct Hit melds replaced with Skill Speed, shown here in the head and ring, respectively. If using the i605 savage or ultimate weapons, meld two Skill Speed materia into the savage weapon and add a Direct Hit to the third slot of the ultimate weapon.

Portions of these gear sets can only be acquired by completing the Asphodelos raid tier. A guide for the content can be found links below.

These sets do not require farming dungeon gear, and perform about 1.5% lower.

The latest two stages of the Manderville relic both provide a roughly 0.5% damage boost vs the i605 savage or ultimate weapons and the i615 and i630 relic stages. Both the i645 and i665 relic stages perform identically in Dragonsong's Reprise because of ilvl sync.

A 2.45 GCD aligns well with mechanics for this encounter and is a solid option. The damage output between GCD speeds is still quite small, and 2.50 is more than viable if you are comfortable with it.

For 2.50, the exception to the general meld priority is one Direct Hit meld replaced with Determination, shown here in the neck. If using the i605 savage or ultimate weapons, meld two or three Direct Hit materia as slots allow.

For 2.45, exceptions to the general meld priority are one Direct Hit meld replaced with Skill Speed, shown here in the head; and two Direct Hit melds replaced with Determination, shown here in the head and neck. If using the i605 savage or ultimate weapons, meld two or three Direct Hit materia into the savage and ultimate weapons, respectively.

With a wide range of gear that caps both substats when synced to the ilvl for The Epic of Alexander now available, optimizing gear beyond a full synced setup provides only a fraction of a percent more damage and is generally not worthwhile. The item level listed below will outline what item level is required to max out both substats on gear for the fight. All gear above the specified item level will work:

• Item level 595

Additionally, Grade 6 or higher Tinctures of Strength will all provide the same benefit.

Use pieces with Crit+Det in every slot for 2.50 GCD, and substitute a Crit+SkS chest or leg piece to hit 2.45. Moqueca is the optimal, and likely most readily available, food.

The most significant optimization that can be made is the use of a completed Bozjan Resistance Weapon from the Shadowbringers relic questline. This is a significant amount of work for a ~1% damage increase, so it is only recommended for those who have completed their relics for other reasons. Stat allocation is as follows:

• 184 Critical Hit / 180 Determination / 104 Tenacity

Keep in mind, the Relic weapon is NOT mandatory to clear these fights. The damage gain is quite small, and DPS checks in old ultimates should not pose any significant obstacle to clearing.

With a wide range of gear that caps both substats when synced to the ilvl for The Weapons Refrain now available, optimizing gear beyond a full synced setup provides only a fraction of a percent more damage and is generally not worthwhile. The item level listed below will outline what item level is required to max out both substats on gear for the fight. All gear above the specified item level will work:

• Item level 500

Additionally, Grade 4 or higher Tinctures of Strength will all provide the same benefit.

Use pieces with Crit+Det in every slot for 2.50 GCD, and substitute a Crit+SkS chest or leg piece to hit 2.45 if you do not have a Shadowbringers relic. Moqueca is the optimal, and likely most readily available, food.

The most significant optimization that can be made is the use of a completed Bozjan Resistance Weapon from the Shadowbringers relic questline. This is a significant amount of work for a ~3.5% damage increase, so it is only recommended for those who have completed their relics for other reasons. Stat allocation is as follows:

• 136 Critical Hit / 131 Determination / 83 Tenacity / 118 Skill Speed

Keep in mind that the Relic weapon is NOT mandatory to clear these fights. The damage gain, while not insignificant, is still not likely to make or break a clear given the lower DPS checks in old ultimates.

With a wide range of gear that caps both substats when synced to the ilvl for The Unending Coil of Bahamut now available, optimizing gear beyond a full synced setup provides only a fraction of a percent more damage and is generally not worthwhile. The item level listed below will outline what item level is required to max out both substats on gear for the fight. All gear above the specified item level will work:

• Item level 470

Additionally, Grade 3 or higher Tinctures of Strength will all provide the same benefit.

Use pieces with Crit+Det in every slot for 2.50 GCD, and substitute a Crit+SkS chest or leg piece to hit 2.45 if you do not have a Shadowbringers relic. Moqueca is the optimal, and likely most readily available, food.

The most significant optimization that can be made is the use of a completed Bozjan Resistance Weapon from the Shadowbringers relic questline. This is a significant amount of work for a ~3.5% damage increase, so it is only recommended for those who have completed their relics for other reasons. Stat allocation is as follows:

• 127 Critical Hit / 122 Determination / 96 Tenacity / 118 Skill Speed

You can also opt to use the spread of 136 / 131 / 83 / 118 recommended for The Weapon's Refrain in order to avoid having to restat your relic for each encounter, at negligible cost of ~0.1% DPS.

Keep in mind that the Relic weapon is NOT mandatory to clear these fights. The damage gain, while not insignificant, is still not likely to make or break a clear given the lower DPS checks in old ultimates.