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Basically, DA is a good all around set for general PvE but tough mobs and/or AV type encounters can prove hazardous.
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The above quote is an excellent description. Keep in mind, people lauding DA for dark regen often neglect to say how often you have to use it and how much endurance it costs.
DA is an ok set for soloing, it can handle small team size [2-3 players] spawns without too much trouble, beyond that or against hard hitting single targets, it's much more difficult to manage.
With careful planning in combat and a supporting primary [such as DM] or heavy investment into IO sets, DA can be quite good - but requires this investment to compete against other common armour types for general effectiveness.
DA can handle 8-man spawns just fine, but that is where dark regen comes in. You will be leaning on it heavily to mitigate the alpha from each spawn. You can do some amazing things with a DA brute and when things are going right it is an amazing set. If you get upset from your green bar making drastic dips a lot it is probably not th set for you though. I found it to be a very active set that I had to pay a lot more attention to, it is definitely not easy mode like WP.
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Just curious?
I never see any in game lately, so I decided to make one no budget for fun and can't seem to get any input on the build (multiple forums)...
Is Dark Armor underperforming that badly that no one wants to play/look at it?
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Dark armor, much like the other dark-themed sets, sacrifices straight forward use for lots of tricks and utility. This is a good thing if you're looking to add depth to your gameplay, or want to delve into some roll a little outside of your ATs normal role. It's bad if you wait a straight-up performer.
DA gives up higher resistance numbers towards s/l and kb protection for some good, but very conditional powers. You get a stealth power - not always that useful for a brute, and a minion-only disorient. I partnered it w/ EM to stack the disorients better, and got -kb IOs to fill that gap. The biggest draw for me is the heal - arguably one of the best for a melee person.
I just think that many players want an armor set that they can turn on and don't have to think about.