GNB from controller player perspective

For full transparency I haven't yet leveled my gunbreaker, but last night I was mapping out my layout for the new class and I felt overwhelmed by the amount of abilities. The actual number of abilities isn't that much different from the other tanks, but where the others seem to have abilities you will press once every 60/90/120 seconds and forget it, gunbreaker has more buttons that need spamming. Even without understanding the complexities of the class, I couldn't help but wonder why continuation is even a button. Couldn't the ready-to-rip/tear/gouge combo actions just combo off of their respective actions. It may be a small gripe, but my controller layout would feel so much better with just 1 or 2 less buttons needing to occupy what I consider prime real estate (I don't like having to switch to other hotbars, or use the double cross features for frequently used abilities). I could be totally wrong, looking for feedback, specifically from my controller brethren. Thanks in advance.

And it begins, see you in 6.0 when GNB becomes a War clone like Drk.

The solution to controller issues is just bite the bullet and swap hotbars. Its an adjustment but once you make it, life is so much better in game. I remember the overwhelming feeling when i was forced to move to a 2nd set. And it took a few days to get used to it. But 5 years later it was MORE than worth it.

You just have to bite the bullet and work through new muscle memory. 2 full sets to toggle. I later picked up another half bar with 8 actions with the left+right trigger bar. I put long recast items and rarely used items there (potions, immunities, stun/silence, number markers).

With 2 bars you cant get 'lost' cycling as its a binary toggle (3 would be terrible). And the double bar is always available no matter which one you are currently on.

Brains are good at adapting. Just make it adapt.

Odly enough with all the culling i now have empty spaces adter dealing with HW/SB now in ShB.

You have 40 buttons available for you with a matter of clicking L2 and R2 and macros to use, GNB has 30 skills + role.

Seems fine to me.
Merge few abilities and skills together into one button if you like i used to do that on PLD.

I change crossbars to help. I have a crossbar dedicated to AOE and the other dedicated to Single Target.

I do macro my defensive cooldowns together (except Superbolde) and have Bow Shock, Sonic Break, Blasting Zone, and Rough Divide on a macro. I then have a locked, full time on-the-screen bar dedicated to macrod actions that act like a visual timer for me (or if I have to, mouse click the action).

If you plan on doing any savage, extreme, or ultimate... I would stay away from stacking oGCDs like I do in macros. Macros can delay actions, and we don't want anyone one to eat a full TB because their macro'd Rampart failed to activate in time.

I played a bit with the simulator and came with a layout I thought out would be nice pre-launch, based of off my layout on other tanks.
Only to find out that its fundamentally different despite having the same 123 base.
After all it can go 123123124344 or whatever.

On my preference I use the "Press left trigger then right trigger to show this set left side" and "Press the right trigger then left trigger to show this set right side" setting for the controller.
While my view is always on another set thats dedicated for single target situations, or change to another thats set for AoE situations.

for a total of dancing between 3 sets.

Wish there was an easy way to share my setting...
Lemme try to explain it tho.

(Before we begin: please note that I use an xbox one controller)
So, Visually on single target Im ALWAYS on Set 3, Set 3 has all the "Long CD or requires a proc" offensive skills.
So on Set 3 Left side we have:
Up > No Mercy
Left > Bloodfest
Down > Bow Shock
Right > Blasting Zone
Y > Solid Barrel
X > Sonic Break
A > Gnashing Fang
B > Brutal Shell

Meanwhile on Set 3 Right side we have:
A > Rough Divide
B > Lightning Shot

Set 1 is the one where there are stuff I do press but don't really require my visual attention.
So by pressing Left trigger then the right trigger we have the Set 1 Left side like this:
Y > Wicked Talon
X > Continuation
A > Keen Edge
B > Savage Claw

If I happen to have a Charge that I want to dump on Burst Strike, it is on the Set 1 Right side, so pressing the Right trigger then the Left will be like:
B > Burst Strike

The logic here is that everything you need to keep track of (thats offensively oriented) will be on the left side of set 3. When you enter the Gnashing Fang combo, its a matter of pressing and releasing the right trigger to use Continuation, the other combos and see if there is any other oGCD you want to doubleweave.

If youre having trouble tracking CDs then just make a dummy set of icons on your screen that arent tied to the controller. (Can post picture when i get home).

Basically i have my controller hotbars. Then off to the right of them i have a little group of 12 squares with duplicates of stuff i want to track timers so they are always on the screen. I have stuff like potions, immunities, offensive buffs, ogcds etc so i can watch those timers regardless of what bar im on.

Edit: also, PLEASE dont combine skills into on button via macros. It will just make you a worse player without the ability to control what skill you use, and you still have to deal with the delay cause by using macros that will prevent double weaves and delay your gcds. Macros should he used as sparingly as possible in this game since they dont 'cue up' before hand like normal buttons.

I appreciate the good advice here but I'm already taking advantage of most of the above mentioned. It would be easier to show than tell, so I'll post a pic later when I get home. However, I do enable the hidden hotbars (L2 + R2, R2 + L2), so I'm already working with 32 buttons, this is what I referred to as "prime real estate." I then have half of the double cross hotbar (L2 L2, R2 R2) on either side, giving me 8 more total. Also, I have some dummy bars to show cooldowns. With 40 available actions I can do most everything I want with ease and comfort on most jobs, so I guess I'm just nit-picking, but when I see an ability like continuation I cringe a little. It's not that it's all bad design imo, it's just that the ability doesn't do anything until you hit gnashing blade and then it's the every other button.. button. I dont think it would turn GNB into a WAR clone by borrowing that philosophy of Gnashing Blade turns into Ready to Rip, ala Fell Cleave into Inner Chaos. Personally, I rejoiced the day they made Inner Beast the same button as Fell Cleave, you should have seen my complicated-as-hell change hotbar/change stance macros back in the 3.x days. Maybe I should have titled this thread: "Why is Continuation? A controller player's plight to satisfy his OCD."

PS: Macros are not optimal (almost always) and so I use only the most necessary of macros. Keep in mind also things like potions, ready check, limit break etc as actions occupying precious space that are not necessarily GNB actions.

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Originally Posted by Exoxo

And it begins, see you in 6.0 when GNB becomes a War clone like Drk.

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Rest in peace 4.0 Dark Knight, you weren't perfect, but you had potential, were fun, and actually tried to be unique.

Gone but never forgotten.

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Originally Posted by Messiah601

I appreciate the good advice here but I'm already taking advantage of most of the above mentioned. It would be easier to show than tell, so I'll post a pic later when I get home. However, I do enable the hidden hotbars (L2 + R2, R2 + L2), so I'm already working with 32 buttons, this is what I referred to as "prime real estate." I then have half of the double cross hotbar (L2 L2, R2 R2) on either side, giving me 8 more total. Also, I have some dummy bars to show cooldowns. With 40 available actions I can do most everything I want with ease and comfort on most jobs, so I guess I'm just nit-picking, but when I see an ability like continuation I cringe a little. It's not that it's all bad design imo, it's just that the ability doesn't do anything until you hit gnashing blade and then it's the every other button.. button. I dont think it would turn GNB into a WAR clone by borrowing that philosophy of Gnashing Blade turns into Ready to Rip, ala Fell Cleave into Inner Chaos. Personally, I rejoiced the day they made Inner Beast the same button as Fell Cleave, you should have seen my complicated-as-hell change hotbar/change stance macros back in the 3.x days. Maybe I should have titled this thread: "Why is Continuation? A controller player's plight to satisfy his OCD."

PS: Macros are not optimal (almost always) and so I use only the most necessary of macros. Keep in mind also things like potions, ready check, limit break etc as actions occupying precious space that are not necessarily GNB actions.

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Not sure if its an option for you but i have a few things hotkeyed to my arrows on keyboard. Notably sprint, mount, teleport, home point. Tank lbs are always watching the cinimatic attack anyway with tons of time to hit it.

If hybrid doesnt work, you can always make use of a 3rd hotbar for transportation, ready check, non combat etc and check the box to have that hotbar turn off when your weapon is drawn. I ised that for a while before i hybrid stuff on my keyboard. Any non-combat action you can just have unavailable during combat but there when youre not.

Although i i just hit ready checks and countdowns from the menu. Not everything needs to he on a hotkey :P

I use the extended hotbars on controller to alleviate the issue. Actually with GNB 30 actions you have plenty of space. At this point it really just comes down to muscle memory.

Had the same experience (trying to setup GNB on a controller), and overall I just feel like GNB has too many buttons that do practically the same thing; e.g. Bow Shock & Fated Circle, Danger Zone & Burst Strike, and an entire 2nd combo just for Continuation, really?

Could the cartridge spenders not simply have been oGCD Abilities (i.e. 'trigger pulls' between slashes) and the main combo replaced when in Continuation mode?

my GNB hot bar is perfectly comfortable to me i could fit everything even limit break

then i learned i forgot to put sonic break on my hot bar i didnt even have it on the entire time i was grinding it to 70 ShB msq and first EX primal(SE??)
Rip limit break but even after that im still very comfortable with the layout

I'm on ps4 and have no issue playing any job I don't rearrange buttons ever unless it's to get rid of non combat stuff like return teleport ect. I alway have them in order of level gained so the order they naturally appear in. Just feels right that way to me.

My advice is practice on a dummy while occasionally switching bar to see if anything up.

Worse comes to worst, you just aren't capable of playing the job which may sound harsh but it could be, I don't want it to.

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Originally Posted by Messiah601

For full transparency I haven't yet leveled my gunbreaker, but last night I was mapping out my layout for the new class and I felt overwhelmed by the amount of abilities. The actual number of abilities isn't that much different from the other tanks, but where the others seem to have abilities you will press once every 60/90/120 seconds and forget it, gunbreaker has more buttons that need spamming. Even without understanding the complexities of the class, I couldn't help but wonder why continuation is even a button. Couldn't the ready-to-rip/tear/gouge combo actions just combo off of their respective actions. It may be a small gripe, but my controller layout would feel so much better with just 1 or 2 less buttons needing to occupy what I consider prime real estate (I don't like having to switch to other hotbars, or use the double cross features for frequently used abilities). I could be totally wrong, looking for feedback, specifically from my controller brethren. Thanks in advance.

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Are you using WXHB with 8 buttons on and having return to XHB after input from WXHB enabled? as someone who has played some melee DPS, RDM, and DRK in Stormblood, and playing most of DRK when I got to Heavensward content before Stormblood came out, I know it was intimidating at first when learned of WXHB, but getting good with it by grasping the basics is good place to start, timing is also helps, I also recommend running some level 50 dungeons first to get a grasp of GNB rotation at that level, then level 60 dungeons to a grasp of the rotation at that level, then level 70 dungeons, though you might need to get some friends or Free Company mates to help you(assuming you can get someone who is willing to go as a healer).

Once you get the Bloodfest ability that's when you have better understanding of what your level 80 rotation will be like.

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Originally Posted by Acidblood

Had the same experience (trying to setup GNB on a controller), and overall I just feel like GNB has too many buttons that do practically the same thing; e.g. Bow Shock & Fated Circle, Danger Zone & Burst Strike, and an entire 2nd combo just for Continuation, really?

Could the cartridge spenders not simply have been oGCD Abilities (i.e. 'trigger pulls' between slashes) and the main combo replaced when in Continuation mode?

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That sounds boring, it’d just be 123 with a few oGCDs. Not far from current Drk or even 2.X Pld.

I personally love Continuation,
in FFVIII the mechanic on Attacks allowed you for an extra explosion by doing an input on right time given the animation.
I was hopping for something like that for the Gunblade incarnation in FFXIV and they actually brought it with this button.

Gnashing Fang, Savage Claw and Wicked Talon are the weapon slashes, while Continuation is the Trigger at the grip adding explosions to the explosions.

Please don't ask for it to be taken away, its not even a button to be taken track of, you only press it when and only when using certain other skills so it doesn't have to even be visually present on your screen for you to know you can use it.

GNB was the easiest class to plan my keys for controllers. I only had to make small adjustments to make things feel smoother such as camo, heart of stone, and the gap closer. Still will probably change things again to be perfect.

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Originally Posted by Exoxo

That sounds boring, it’d just be 123 with a few oGCDs. Not far from current Drk or even 2.X Pld.

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Maybe it's just me but I would much rather have oGCDs to weave than have to press 45678 just for a bit of extra potency.

NB. I know damage is important and you always want to do the most damage per GCD, but in terms of gameplay pressing 1>gcd>2>gcd>3 or 4>gcd>5>gcd>6 or even 4>gcd>4>gcd>5 feels no different... pressing 1>4>2>4>3>5 does.

I’m on controller and haven’t had a single issue with hotbar space. I actually have free space lmao!

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Originally Posted by Acidblood

Maybe it's just me but I would much rather have oGCDs to weave than have to press 45678 just for a bit of extra potency.

NB. I know damage is important and you always want to do the most damage per GCD, but in terms of gameplay pressing 1>gcd>2>gcd>3 or 4>gcd>5>gcd>6 or even 4>gcd>4>gcd>5 feels no different... pressing 1>4>2>4>3>5 does.

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So to you there’s no difference in having 1 combo or 2? We have Drk and the kid mode War. Must every tank be 2.0 Pld?

GNB has 32 skills which fits in exactly 2 hotbars for controllers

I think it's fine, I do get some Dark Arts vibes doing the Conti combo and it does feel good landing each hit and weaving in Blasting Zone while under No Mercy.

That being said I wish some of the sound effects had more impact, especially Burst Strike since we use it so much.