Dire Lord

## Available Races

Dark Myr

Halfling

 Human

 Ogre

 Skar

**Dire Lord** is a class available to the Dark Myr, Human, Ogre and Skar races. The Dire Lord's primary group role is Tank, making it is their priority to maintain the attention of hostile non-player characters, directing damage away from their allies. The Dire Lord is a capable damage dealer who specializes in combating magic wielding foes, draining their mana and reducing the damage of their spells.

## Description

The Dire Lord is considered a myth by most. In the oral tradition of Terminus' history, there are legends that speak of Dire Lords capable of mastering the crippling power of fear, with some able to manipulate the very essence of their enemies.

The Dire Lord is a proficient combatant that is known for their swift and brutal melee attacks and their relentless self-healing. But while battling their enemy in a corporeal sense, Dire Lords are also waging war in the imagination of their foe. By infiltrating the essence of a being, the Dire Lord can ravage their enemy with horrifying phantoms, alter the properties of their essence and even steal their essence completely. By mastering Essence-manipulation, the Dire Lord is able to wield their own blood in battle, using it to replenish themselves or to assail their enemies from the inside out.

## Gameplay Information

### Group Role

The Dire Lord's official role is  **Tank** . Classes in the tank role focus on gaining and maintaining the aggro of mobs. To be able to properly tank, it is important to understand the *Hate* mechanic. Mobs have a hidden "hate list" which contains every PC and pet that is in active combat with it ("on aggro"). Whoever is at the top of the list is the target the mob will attack. Every ability that is equipped to the Action hot bar innately generate hate. Abilities which are specifically designed to generate hate are referred to as Taunts.

While each of the tank classes are capable of performing their role in a variety of adventuring situations, each has their own specialties that help them excel in specific areas. The Dire Lord's specialty is against magic-wielding (Sanguine Cloak) or magically enhanced foes ( Edge of Midnight). Unlike the other tanks, Dire Lords cannot equip heavy plate (the highest tier of armor). They are far from vulnerable, however, with many of their attacks causing high damage ( Thresh) and healing the Dire Lord ( Abyssal Strike).

### Combat Resource

Essence
In combat, Dire Lords will constantly generate Essence as a percentage of the damage they deal. They will also gain Essence based on the damage they take. As Essence is accumulated, it is represented by an Essence Vial integrated into the character portrait. In addition, certain abilities will increase a Dire Lord's Essence by a certain amount when used. Other abilities will have an Essence cost in order to be performed.
Malefic Power
Not much is currently known about Malefic Power.
### Weapons & Techniques

The only weapon class that Dire Lords can equip is Edged and they can use both one-handed and two-handed varieties.

Dire Lords have the unique quality that they gain a bonus depending on if their weapon is one-handed or two-handed. While wielding a one-handed weapon, Dire Lords get a bonus to Critical chance and while wielding a two-handed weapon, Dire Lords gain a bonus to Critical damage.

### Race

Dire lords can choose between five different races: Dark Myr, Halfling, Human, Ogre and Skar.

## Player Guides

* For an in-depth look at the Dire Lord, please see the guides available on the Dire Lord Guides page.

## FAQ / Q&A

If the Dire Lord is unable to wear plate armor, won’t they be un-viable as a main tank in raids?
Chris
Perhaps, with *certain* Physical damage-heavy encounters or bosses, and depending on specific encounter mechanics, Dire Lords may struggle compared to the higher AC Warriors and Paladins. However, from the conversations I hear and read, I think the Dire Lord’s incredible Magical damage mitigation is being heavily undervalued. You can trust that we are designing content with all 3 Tanks in mind, and there will be plenty of end-game content where the Dire Lord will shine the brightest. | Question
Will the Dire Lord have the highest base Hit Points? How will Dire Lord's hit points scale against other tanks?
Chris

## Trivia

* During the June 9th, 2022 “Monk Combat Updates and Gameplay” stream it was announced that, as part of updates to the class-race matrix, Halfling would now be able to pick the Dire Lord class.

## Gallery

* Image of the Dire Lord class page following the website update in 2020. [Click for Larger Preview]
* Image of the Dire Lord class page following the class reveal in June, 2018 (Archival Purposes Only) [Click for Larger Preview]

## References

1. ↑ Official Website
2. ↑ 2019 Newsletter (Archived. Retrieved 4/22)
3. ↑ Dire Lord Burning Question 2 (Retrieved 6/22)

Cleric
Druid
**Dire Lord**
Enchanter
Monk
Paladin
Ranger
Rogue
Shaman
Summoner
Warrior
Wizard

Bard (In Development)
Necromancer (In Development)