I'm writing this post in hopes the devs see this because this class really struggles in everything outside of soloing single mobs. For some context, I have a SHK at level 22, pretty much every single slot of gear I have is from a named mob minus a few crafted magic pieces. while my experience is incomplete, I can see the trend of this class and it's not a good one, in fact as I gain levels I feel like I am getting weaker in a group setting compared to other tanks while staying about the same in solo.

Core Issues

At a fundamental level, the class has four big issues. For one, the class' identity is being the "dps tank" while dealing about the least damage out of all tanks in a group setting, outside of Inquisitors. Secondly, your damage scaling is spread between DEX, STR and INT, on a class that, HAS to prioritize a large amount of STAM aswell as AGI, as unlike Fighters they do not have flat damage mitigation skills such as Defensive Stance and Unnerving Shout. Thirdly, their survivability is based upon said damage dealt through Siphoning Slash, on a spell with 1.5s cast time on a class that is being hit constantly, or a rng aura that does not scale in frequency or intensity based on weapon speed, on a class that is incentivized to use the slowest possible weapons with the highest flat damage.

Lastly, the pet. I struggle to understand why it even exists to begin with. It's not fundamental to the theme or identity of the class, it brings no utility, it cannot offtank any dangerous mob for longer than 10 seconds and it barely deals any damage. It's sole purpose is to be sacrificed for an absorb shield or a short thorn buff.

The class has a strong identity on paper, however ingame it falls flat right out of the gate.

My suggestions

Souldrend: The most important part of this is the simplest. Soulrend should not have a cast time, at all. In any fight where you REALLY want to be able to cast it, you are NOT going to, because it likely means that there's 2-3 mobs parked next to you pummeling your face the entire time. Removing the cast time, even without adding any CD, is not going to be overpowered because it has a mana cost, on a class that is never sitting down to regen mana nor has any meaningful ways to regenerate large amounts of it in a short period of time. You'll be able to trade your entire mana pool to survive an encounter that you maybe should not have. That is a fair trade.

Shadow Strike: should increase the duration of the Palpitation line, not the Shadows line. Why would I want to be in melee range to increase the duration of the ability I use to prevent mobs from getting in melee range to begin with? That's the entire case for that skill line as a whole, it barely deals any damage and snares are not something you need while tanking mobs because they're sitting ontop of you, not running around. Even if they are, a casted snare is not something you're going to get off even once while getting your face punched and the grip already exists for such occasions. For PvP I guess? Just make it increase both lines. then.

This should also be a rather large damage increase on dangerous targets with large HP pools as a fully ramped up Palpitation is one of the few damaging abilities on the class that deal actual damage.

Siphoning Slash: It should have more flat corruption damage, and be less reliant on having the fattest flat damage on a weapon. This skill is feast or famine and against a tough mob, like a named, it's almost always going to be famine because nameds have absurb amounts of AC and (probably) resists. This skill, which has fairly low base values, is going through 2 layers of mitigation for basically no reason. Maybe it'll have a better scaling once abilities shredding corruption resist are more available, but again it's more feast or famine design and not the good kind.

Vampiric Aura: This goes for every proc-on-hit aura in the game. ALL auras should have a relatively normalized PPM (proc per minute) regardless of whether you're using the fastest weapon or the slowest weapon, especially those that do not have any internal scaling based off of the weapon's damage itself like Vampiric Aura. Should faster weapons result in more procs? Absolutely they should, and the difference should be substantial. What needs to be changed is the current situation in which classes like SHK using the weapons the game incentivizes them to results in them absolutely gutting the rate at which their vampiric aura procs.

The pet: Idk man. That thing's awful. Just make it so when vampiric aura procs, it heals the SHK too. Were it for me I'd delete this thing entirely in return for a buff that gives my attacks a flat +5 corruption damage and a parry increase.

Unholy aura: Completely useless effect, you only turn it on to proc the low HP component and immediately switch back. 5% parry is barely noticeable and so is the Holy resistance which barely ever gets into play. Lastly, losing aggro is an achievement that you really need to go out of your way to see happen in this game so the increase is also completely meaningless. Just press your buttons.

Palpitation: Move the agility debuff component to Theft of Vigor and convert it to also stealing the stat. Should hopefully lessen the fact the class requires heavy investment in FIVE different stats to function at a base level compared to say a Fighter which just needs STR and STAM to function at a core level with a smaller investment into DEX to land more hits