Dark Knight Awakening

Dark Knight Expert

Awakening

Lua

Strong Dark Knight focus: Succession DK PvE guide (updated addons 2026) plus extensive Succ/Awk DK grind videos

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Dark Knight

Dark Knight Awakening

PvE Combo Guide

Dark Knight Awakening

Main PvE Combo

  1. Shift+Z
    Unveiled Fate+10% Attack Speed
  2. RMB
    Blooming Black Rose
  3. W+RMB
    Spirit HuntLoop restarts here
  4. Shift+RMB
    Spirit Legacy
  5. RMB
    Cluster of Despair
  6. Shift+Q
    Dark Nebula+18 AP
  7. Shift+LMB
    Shattering Darkness
  8. Shift+E
    Seed of Catastrophe
  9. Space
    Soul Snatch
  10. Shift+F
    Grip of Grudge
  11. S+LMB
    Touch of Exploitation

When you repeat the combo, skip the first two skills and start again from Spirit Hunt (W+RMB).

BSR Filler

  1. S+RMB
    Spirit BlazeDuring the BSR buff

While your Black Spirit's Rage buff is active, use Spirit Blaze as filler.

PvE Combo Guide

DPS Priority List

Use the skills higher on the list first for the most damage.

High Priority

Mid Priority

Low Priority / Filler

Movement

Class Mobility

Swap to Pre-Awakening

  1. A/D+RMB
    Shadow BulletEasiest swap
  2. Hotbar
    Balanced StrikeAny time
  3. Shift+A/D
    DuskCancel Balanced Strike

Swap with a sideways C-Swap (A/D+C). You can cancel that animation right away with F or W+F for instant movement. After Balanced Strike, cancel with Dusk so you don't get stuck in the animation too long.

Swap to Awakening

  1. Shift+RMB
    Spirit Legacy
  2. W+RMB
    Spirit Hunt
  3. S+F
    Trap of Vedir
  4. Hotbar
    Flow: Spirit Blaze

Getting Behind Mobs

  1. W+F
    Twilight Dash
  2. S+F
    Trap of Vedir
  3. W+RMB
    Spirit Hunt

Build Notes

Class Specifics

Skills to Lock

  1. Hidden Strike
  2. Darkness Burst
  3. Evasion
  4. Spirit Satiation
  5. Absolute: Split Second
  6. Phantasmal Snare
  7. Imperious Command
  8. Hallucination Gap

Skill Enhancements

  1. Shadow Strike
    Lv. 56
  2. Unveiled Fate
    Lv. 57
  3. Balanced Strike
    Lv. 58

Hotkey Skills

  1. Balanced Strike
    Hotkey
  2. Flow: Spirit Blaze
    Hotkey

Skill Add-ons

Class Addons

Spirit Legacy I

Inflict explosive damage to the enemy in front by charging dark magic into the phantom ...

Skill Add-on Effect

  • Critical Hit Rate +30% for 12 sec
  • All Damage Reduction -20 for 10 sec to target

Shattering Darkness I

Slam down your phantom blades while evading backward and perform a wide-area magic ...

Skill Add-on Effect

  • Attack/Casting Speed +10% for 12 sec
  • All Damage Reduction -20 for 10 sec to target

Seed of Catastrophe I

Summon a tree illusion to damage your foes.

Skill Add-on Effect

  • Back Attack damage +5% for 7 sec
  • Critical Hit Damage +5% for 7 sec

Twilight Dash

Dash forward and leave destruction in your path.

Skill Add-on Effect

  • All Damage Reduction +20 for 15 sec
  • Critical Hit Rate +30% for 12 sec

Cluster of Despair

Throw multiple Phantom Blades forward to inflict heavy damage.

Skill Add-on Effect

  • Back Attack damage +5% for 7 sec
  • Critical Hit Damage +5% for 7 sec

Dark Nebula

Explode the energies of concentrated darkness to attack your foes.

Skill Add-on Effect

  • Attack/Casting Speed +10% for 12 sec
  • Critical Hit Damage +5% for 7 sec

Change Log

October 22, 2026

1 change
Official patch notes
  • PvP

    PvP minimum damage when the target's defense exceeds your attack raised from 5% to 7%.All classes

October 8, 2026

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Unified the level-based base stats (Max HP, HP Recovery, All AP, All Damage Reduction and All Evasion) for every class. Class-specific stat differences now come from a new passive skill learned automatically at Lv. 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70.All classes

  • All

    Added the common skill Godslayer: Force Palm (Lv. 60+). Its Secret Book is obtained at A Freesword's Hearth in Voidekaia after finishing the Inner Edania main quests.All classes

April 30, 2026

7 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Flow: Darkness Outpouring: Cooldown removed.

  • All

    Trap of Vedir: Cooldown 10 → 7 sec; defense Forward Guard → Super Armor.

  • All

    Seed of Catastrophe: Added Forward Guard; Floating → Stiffness (PvE only; Core: Seed of Catastrophe applies it in PvP); no longer turns with the camera after the attack.

  • All

    Flow: Root of Catastrophe: Super Armor → Forward Guard, Down Attack removed, turns with the camera at the start.

  • All

    Shattering Darkness, Soul Snatch, Spirit Hunt: Shattering Darkness always lands at least 2 magic hits. Soul Snatch combos better and gains Knockback. Spirit Hunt no longer turns with the camera at the start.

  • All

    Flow: Spirit Blaze, Dark Nebula: Defense Forward Guard → Super Armor. Flow: Spirit Blaze can now be comboed from Spirit Hunt with LMB.

  • PvP

    PvP damage: Shattering Darkness III phantom blade 46.28% → 56% / magic 33% → 27% (Flow: Darkness Outpouring stays 46.28%), Flow: Bombardment 26.85/40.12% → 56/27%, Flow: Root of Catastrophe 21.38% → 45%, Soul Snatch 24.81% → 50%, Spirit Legacy III 43.73% → 38.3%, Dark Nebula 28.99% → 29% / 36% (attack 2).

April 2, 2026

1 change
Official patch notes
  • PvE

    Damage raised about 5% in PvE: Spirit Hunt III, Spirit Blaze IV (+7%), Flow: Spirit Blaze, Shattering Darkness, Flow: Bombardment, Flow: Root of Catastrophe, Spirit Legacy III and Dark Nebula. PvP ratios lowered so PvP damage stays the same.

February 26, 2026

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Trap of Vedir, Flow: Darkness Outpouring: Smoother transition from Trap of Vedir into Flow: Darkness Outpouring; you can move slightly later after Trap of Vedir (combo timing unchanged). Flow: Darkness Outpouring no longer turns with the camera on landing.

February 12, 2026

7 changes
Official patch notes
  • PvP

    Kamasylvia Slash: Knockdown now PvE only.

  • All

    Trap of Vedir: Added Knockback on attack 1; can combo into Flow: Darkness Outpouring during the skill; no Stamina recovery; Forward Guard about 0.29 sec longer (Feb 13 update).

  • All

    Soul Snatch: Added Critical Hit Rate +50% (nullified on cooldown).

  • All

    Flow: Spirit Blaze: Added Forward Guard; longer camera-turn window.

  • All

    Vedir's Dogma: MP cost in Awakening: 20 MP, plus 20 MP every 2 sec.

  • All

    Dark Nebula: All AP buff +12 → +18.

  • All

    Removed "Extra Damage to Guard Gauge" (including Extra Fixed Damage to Guard Gauge) from all skills.All classes

October 2, 2025

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Flow: Vedir Strike: Removed its cooldown (comboed from Air Strike).Both specs

September 25, 2025

6 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Grip of Grudge: Added Down Attack.

  • All

    Flow: Spirit Blaze, Flow: Darkness Outpouring: Floating / Down Smash replaced by Knockdown, for longer PvP combos.

  • All

    Core: Touch of Exploitation: Core effect changed from Bound on the last attack to Floating on the first hit (nullified on cooldown).

  • All

    Trap of Vedir: +2 hits before the backward motion.

  • All

    Spirit Hunt: Added Attack Speed +10% for 10 sec (same as Unveiled Dagger).

  • All

    Black Spirit: Spirit Hunt: No casting motion before the attack, shorter slowdown between hits, All Damage Reduction +10 / Movement Speed -5% replaced by All AP +10 for 20 sec, extra attack 3,214% → 6,338%.

August 21, 2025

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Imperious Command, Enforcement, Wheel of Fortune: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

July 24, 2025

3 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Combat system overhaul: Resistance and Ignore Resistance reworked, AP, DP reduction and Special Attack damage gaps between classes narrowed, and Special Attack damage effects of the same type no longer stack.All classes

  • All

    Infinite Mastery now grants Accuracy +18 and All Accuracy +18 per skill level.All classes

  • All

    Spirit Combustion: Critical Hit Damage +10% → All AP +15.Both specs

April 17, 2025

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Flow: Vedir Strike: Corrected the skill description.Both specs

April 10, 2025

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Kriegsmesser Training: Fixed a skill issue.

February 13, 2025

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Emergency Escape: Invincibility now also applies when you reappear; movement speed and Stamina recovery during the skill reduced; SPACE now jumps to higher terrain.All classes

  • PvE

    Combat Assistance can now only be used while total Family Level is 200 or lower; some skills deal less damage or lose effects when spammed during cooldown, while main PvE skills deal more damage.All classes

December 12, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

November 14, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Class balance adjusted.All classes

October 17, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Class balance adjusted.All classes

September 26, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • PvP

    Absolute: Flow: Ravage Rake: Fixed a skill issue.

August 29, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Black Spirit: Seed of Catastrophe: Skill behavior improved.Both specs

August 22, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Dark Nebula: Skill behavior improved.

August 1, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

July 25, 2024

4 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Nocturne, Absolute: Nocturne, Shadow Bullet, Cluster of Despair, Black Spirit: Spirit Hunt: Damage adjusted.Both specs

  • All

    Dusk: Skill behavior improved.Both specs

  • All

    Class balance adjusted.All classes

  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

July 18, 2024

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Class balance adjusted.All classes

  • All

    Fixed a class issue.All classes

July 10, 2024

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Fixed a class issue.All classes

June 19, 2024

5 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

  • All

    Dark Shadow, Trap of Vedir, Shadow Strike, Wrath of Vedir: Skill behavior improved.Both specs

  • PvP

    Absolute: Enforcement: Damage adjusted.

  • PvP

    Absolute: Hidden Strike: Skill behavior improved.

  • All

    Spirit Blaze: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

November 15, 2023

7 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Spirit Hunt, Grip of Grudge, Shattering Darkness, Trap of Vedir, Cluster of Despair, Dark Nebula, Spirit Legacy, Flow: Root of Catastrophe: Skill behavior improved.

  • All

    Touch of Exploitation: Fixed a skill issue.

  • All

    Flow: Bombardment: Corrected the skill description.

  • All

    Trap of Vedir: Smoother combos and controls.

  • PvP

    Touch of Exploitation, Spirit Hunt, Spirit Blaze, Flow: Spirit Blaze, Seed of Catastrophe, Flow: Root of Catastrophe, Spirit Legacy, Trap of Vedir: Damage adjusted.

  • PvP

    Soul Snatch, Cluster of Despair, Grip of Grudge, Dark Nebula: Damage adjusted.

  • All

    Shattering Darkness, Flow: Bombardment: Damage adjusted.

September 20, 2023

1 change
Official patch notes
  • PvE

    Fixed a class issue.All classes

September 13, 2023

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

September 6, 2023

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

August 9, 2023

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

July 19, 2023

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Fixed a class issue.All classes

July 5, 2023

6 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Flow: Spirit Blaze: Smoother combos and controls.

  • All

    Flow: Root of Catastrophe: Cooldown 8.5 → 8 sec.

  • PvP

    Spirit Legacy: Cooldown 11 → 8 sec.

  • PvP

    Seed of Catastrophe, Flow: Root of Catastrophe, Cluster of Despair, Dark Nebula, Grip of Grudge, Spirit Blaze, Flow: Spirit Blaze: Damage adjusted.

  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

  • All

    Class balance adjusted.All classes

April 12, 2023

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Trap of Vedir: Corrected the skill description.

April 6, 2023

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • PvE

    General class improvements.All classes

  • All

    Dusk, Chain: Dusk, Phantasmal Snare: Skill behavior improved.Both specs

November 23, 2022

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

October 26, 2022

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Blooming Black Rose: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

October 19, 2022

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    General class improvements.All classes

  • All

    Blooming Black Rose: Corrected the skill description.Both specs

October 12, 2022

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Black Spirit: Grip of Grudge, Black Spirit: Spirit Hunt, Black Spirit: Shattering Darkness: Fixed a skill issue.

June 15, 2022

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Obsidian Blaze, Unveiled Fate, Nocturne: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

  • All

    Cluster of Despair: Corrected the skill description.Both specs

May 31, 2022

5 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Black Spirit: Grip of Grudge: Fixed a skill issue.

  • PvP

    Spirit Blaze, Flow: Spirit Blaze, Black Spirit: Spirit Legacy: PvP damage reduced.

  • All

    Grip of Grudge: Cooldown 10 → 6 sec.

  • PvE

    Grip of Grudge, Cluster of Despair: Skill behavior improved.

  • All

    Cluster of Despair, Soul Snatch, Grip of Grudge: Smoother combos and controls.

April 6, 2022

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Cluster of Despair: Damage adjusted.Both specs

January 26, 2022

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Fixed a class issue.Both specs

  • All

    Shadow Bullet: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

January 19, 2022

2 changes
Official patch notes
  • PvP

    Black Spirit: Lunacy of Vedir, Absolute: Lunacy of Vedir: PvP damage reduced.Both specs

  • PvP

    Black Spirit: Prime: Lunacy of Vedir, Black Spirit: Spirit Legacy: Damage adjusted.Both specs

January 5, 2022

4 changes
Official patch notes
  • PvP

    Black Spirit: Absolute: Obsidian Ashes: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

  • All

    Black Spirit: Obsidian Ashes, Black Spirit: Absolute: Obsidian Ashes: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

  • All

    Black Spirit: Absolute: Obsidian Ashes, Black Spirit: Prime: Obsidian Ashes: Damage adjusted.Both specs

  • PvP

    Black Spirit: Seed of Catastrophe: Corrected the skill description.Both specs

August 11, 2021

3 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Nocturne, Absolute: Nocturne, Prime: Nocturne, Dusk, Chain: Dusk: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

  • All

    Core: Seed of Catastrophe, Seed of Catastrophe: Corrected the skill description.Both specs

  • All

    Absolute: Hidden Strike: Corrected the skill description.

June 29, 2021

1 change
Official patch notes
  • PvP

    Soul Snatch: Corrected the skill description.Both specs

May 26, 2021

8 changes
Official patch notes
  • All

    Nocturne, Absolute: Nocturne: Smoother combos and controls.Both specs

  • PvP

    Absolute: Enforcement, Absolute: Kamasylvia Slash, Absolute: Wheel of Fortune, Spirit Legacy, Shattering Darkness, Flow: Bombardment, Spirit Hunt: Damage adjusted.

  • All

    Overlord, Flow: Spirit Blaze: Skill behavior improved.

  • All

    Twilight Dash: Added Super Armor.

  • All

    Spirit Hunt: Smoother combos and controls.

  • All

    Dark Nebula, Seed of Catastrophe, Flow: Root of Catastrophe, Spirit Legacy, Spirit Blaze, Flow: Bombardment: Damage adjusted.

  • PvE

    Shattering Darkness: Damage adjusted.

  • PvP

    Core: Spirit Hunt: Fixed a skill issue.

April 28, 2021

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Core: Spirit Hunt: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

April 21, 2021

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Fixed a class issue.Both specs

April 7, 2021

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Core: Spirit Hunt: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

March 17, 2021

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Dark Nebula: Skill behavior improved.Both specs

February 25, 2021

1 change
Official patch notes
  • All

    Shadow Strike: Fixed a skill issue.Both specs

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