Hello fellow DKs, developers, combat designers, theorycrafters,

When comparing NB passives to DK passives, I think it is pretty obvious something went wrong in the design process....
Many threads have already enlightened how weak some of our passives are like Elder Dragon based on Health Regeneration...
However I think that in this patch an elegant and beautiful improvement to the DK Design could be the reclassification of some abilities and I would like thereafter to make a proposal:

Ardent Flame:

• Fiery Grip -> Earthen Heart
• Inferno -> Draconic Power

Draconic Power:

• Talons -> Earthen Heart
• Inhale -> Earthen Heart

Hearthen Heart:

• Stone Fist -> Ardent Flame
• Obsidian Shield -> Draconic Power
• Ash Cloud -> Ardent Flame

Hearthen Heart is a tree design for stamina returns and weapon buffs

• Fiery Grip and Talons are often the only magicka abilities in Stamina setups. They would use better the stamina return from Helping Hands and the weapon buff from Mountain blessing.
• Inhale is an iconic ability of the DK to "stand his ground", a situation where block is necessary meaning to Stamina Regen. Placing Inhale in Hearthen Heart allows stamina return from Helping Hands and longer tanking. It seems so elegant this way.

Draconic Power is a tree taking advantage of lasting effects (which Talons and Inhale are not) with Burning Heat 12% additional healing received which is useless for Talons and Inhale, abilities that do not benefit from a passive from the tree. On a sidenote "Eleder Dragon" should be modified to percentage of health/2s (1,5/3%) while a Draconic Ability is active since close to no one uses health regen in PVP and End Game (if not for Engine Guardian).

• Inferno (keeping its slow effect) and Obsidian Shield are lasting abilities that would take advantage of those two passives immensely, benefiting from additional healing even if Obsidian Shield expires or better a redesign of the ability keeping major mending but reducing the next 7 hits by 5/10% of health (2,5/5% in Cyrodiil). I will add that obsidian is counter productive with Heavy Armor "Constitution Passive" currently since it prevents being hit, this change would allow the (too) small resources from Constitution to proc. Inferno could be redesign to taunt and apply a debuff minor fracture (less armor), minor breach (less spell resistance), minor protection (8% less damage from target) or minor maim (less damage dealt) fitting it's new tanking tree perfectly and providing diversity to tanks setup. I would love the Inferno ability to be PBAOE again (like at launch).

Ardent Flame is the DPS tree, the place of flame/fire damage
That's the reason why Stone Fist and Ash Cloud belong to that tree taking especially advantage of all the passives: Stone Fist would slow additionally after the stun and could proc kindling, Ash Cloud would take advantage of Wold in flame (additional damage), warmth meaning at casting and for 2 seconds, target is rooted (70%+30% slow) or almost if computation is multiplicative (some inconsistency/obscurity in the way combat elements in general are calculated in TESO sadly)


I do believe those changes would make a more coherent and more elegant Dragon Knight design, more enjoyable to play too, with now exciting and logical combos.
For stamina DKs, those changes would make us feel more like DKs and less like weapon abilities users with better coherency.
For magicka DKs, those changes would allow two new damage dealing options, especially an instant and range one: Stone Fist and a range CC: Ash Cloud with a two seconds range root
For tanks, the addition of much a needed stamina return on Inhale would be so welcome, especially in PVP tanking, since you know we cannot avoid combat... and modifying Obsidian to still receive hits to proc not only "Constitution" from Heavy Armor but also all those sets bonuses that require you to get hit (Blood Spawn, Sourge Harvester, Warrior's Fury, etc.) would be coherent
For the other classes and balance, no direct buff just displacement of 7 skills in our already existing trees.
For the developers, easy elegant and beautiful changes, don't you think fellow DKs ?

Would you enjoy those changes ?