The problem with gap closer potency - TLDR PLEASE REMOVE POTENCY FROM GAP CLOSERS

Summary:
Gap closer (GC) potency combined with gap closers being oGCD reduces their utility as a movement tool to just-another-dps-button. This leads to unnecessary oGCD bloat and an extremely dissatisfying experience when missed GC opportunities happen in context. Feeling punished for holding GCs to use as movement utility should not happen.

Pros to removing gap closer potency:
Opportunity to use the ability as intended
Reduced oGCD bloat

Cons to removing gap closer potency:
Reduced overall damage
The "CRUNCH" feeling when you HIT with a gap closer

The removed 150 potency can be moved to other abilities, of course.

It would also be nice in gap closers did something that wasn't potency, ie. PLD charges to the target and absorbs the next auto-attack rather than the target of target.

This is specifically why they have multiple charges. You are only losing DPS if you are sitting on a fully charged skill, so long as that cooldown is ticking, then your banked charge is free to use for movement. If they took away the additional damage andit was used purely for movement, then they'd likely remove the charges too and just give it a cooldown based around common raid mechanics.

As a GNB, I love my Rough Divide, as it takes the place of Continuation as an oGCD to weave when Continuation isn't available, it maintains that momentum because sitting there for an entire GCD doing nothing just feels bad. PLUS it's a gap closer. Its actually reducing button bloat.

But in the name of greater differentiation between tank skills, to prevent further homogenisation, I'd be all for giving PLD a completely different effect as you suggest, by tying mitigation to the gap closer instead. Low level, maintenance mitigation of course, like a 20% increase to your block rate or something and move the damage to something else like increasing Circle of Scorn's potency by 15.

WAR could instead have "Increases the potency of your next weaponskill by 20%" or something. (would be a 130 potency buff to an Inner Chaos)

And DRK could have a small HP and MP regen tied to Plunge, and offset the lost damage by reducing the cooldown on AD/CnS to 30s. (both of which would also give DRK slightly better self sustain in pulls which is needed right now)

The issue with gap closers needing to have potency is a perfect example of current Warrior. Just think if Warrior lost its potency on onslaught. The job would kinda lose alot of it's enjoyment as you just 1, 2, 3 even than you do now and only have one single OGCD attack for your rotation. It would hurt the enjoyment of the job. Now I do agree with DRK needing their gap closer damage moved because they have enough OGCDs to begin with. It's honestly just a situation where you have to individually look at the tanks and see which ones have a good amount of OGCDs vs those with almost none.

I remember watching the Heavensward Job Actions reveal something like six years ago, and seeing DRK flip into battle with Plunge was the coolest thing ever. And now? I would trade it for Ingress/Egress in a heartbeat. One of the highlights of tanking is supposedly positioning and movement, and yet melee dps are consistently way ahead in this area.

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Originally Posted by Seraphor

This is specifically why they have multiple charges. You are only losing DPS if you are sitting on a fully charged skill, so long as that cooldown is ticking, then your banked charge is free to use for movement.

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You are still losing damage every time you don't use the charges inside of the raid buffs (and in case of PLD/GNB personal buffs too so it's even worse). Additionally, what the charges on any skill do, is that as long as it's possible to bank all of them for buffs, it will be optimal to do so, therefore adding more ogcd bloat to burst windows and making the downtime between those even more boring.

Unless a specific fight calls for it. You are using both charges in the raid buff window. I hope they remove the potency and add the potency to other skills to make up for it.

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WAR could instead have "Increases the potency of your next weaponskill by 20%" or something. (would be a 130 potency buff to an Inner Chaos

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This would force it back into the DPS rotation. I would recommend something like this: "Charge into battle xyz. Your next weaponskill hits all targets in a cone based on the distance travelled to the target." For DRK, "Plunge into your target and refresh the timer of TBN". Any except single target dps increased.

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Originally Posted by BarretOblivion

The issue with gap closers needing to have potency is a perfect example of current Warrior. Just think if Warrior lost its potency on onslaught. The job would kinda lose alot of it's enjoyment as you just 1, 2, 3 even than you do now and only have one single OGCD attack for your rotation. It would hurt the enjoyment of the job. Now I do agree with DRK needing their gap closer damage moved because they have enough OGCDs to begin with. It's honestly just a situation where you have to individually look at the tanks and see which ones have a good amount of OGCDs vs those with almost none.

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If a gap closer is a difference between a job being fun or not, there are much bigger problems with the job.

WAR and PLD would need something to replace them since they are already pretty low on oGCDs. But for GNB and DRK it would be a blessing, specially for high ping users.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BarretOblivion

The issue with gap closers needing to have potency is a perfect example of current Warrior. Just think if Warrior lost its potency on onslaught. The job would kinda lose alot of it's enjoyment as you just 1, 2, 3 even than you do now and only have one single OGCD attack for your rotation. It would hurt the enjoyment of the job.

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You enjoy spamming Onslaught?

WAR didn't spam Onslaught before and it was just fine. That is, I doubt anyone sincerely enjoys WAR now over Shadowbringers just because they get to spam Onslaught some more.

Give WAR a second real oGCD if it's so important.