Post-Hype GNB Discussion/Thoughts

Hi guys, I wanted to look deeper into the design of GMB & how we feel about it. This will touch upon the effectiveness of the job too, so discussion around that is welcome!

Identity
The GNB is pitched as a fast-paced, explosive job with high-impact skills. I think this is achieved in the offensive kit, but sorely neglected in the defensive kit we have. I break this down in more detail below, but suffice to say some aspects work and some really don't.

Offensive Identity
Offensive skills such as the the Gnashing Fang combo & Blasting Zone hit hard & fast, which is excellent. The overall rotation is active and keeps you feeling like a badass. + points here. Lots of oGCD engagement is fun and creates the pace we expected, & there are numerous decision points throughout as key skills come off c/d. It's rewarding to line everything up within No Mercy and really see the numbers fly.

One gripe is the Lv.80 skill (and the 70-80 journey in general), as it is just a trait/animation upgrade. Feels pretty bad and I'd really consider GNB largely complete at 70.

I think GNB has the best feel of all the tanks, possibly matched by WAR for it's damage, although rehashed animations are a letdown.

Defensive Identity
I feel that GNB is the lowest impact tank of the selection. Everything from the pitiful mitigation from Brutal Shell & the nuanced but laughable Heart of Stone interaction. I mean, seriously, plopping a 3k shield on a PLD with 120k+ is almost not worth bothering with.

Furthermore, Aurora is the lowest impact heal possible - it's a HoT, literally trickling in and smoothing things over. We have no way to takecontrol of a situation as a tank, simply. PLD's can drop 30k Clemency's or layer heavy defensives, WAR can burst heal themselves & allies with engaging abilities such as Nascent Flash. DRKs have a 25% HP shield that can turn the tide. GNB has... Well, nothing.

Resource Identity
Unlike other tanks, we really only have to worry about cartridges. I exempt c/d's here as all jobs deal with c/d management, even if ours line up a bit more cohesively. I think it's a hugely missed opportunity to load all cartridge gameplay into our damage, and that the decision is so simple hurts the overall engagement.

The decision flowchart is Gnashing if available > Burst Strike/Fated Circle spare cartridges generated. That's our resource cracked in a nutshell. It's a shame that in-game lore even discusses how cartridges are imbued with aether to create myriad effects, which is represented through in-game animations (Aurora, Brutal Shell). Why weren't we given a version of old Dark Arts (as an example) - cartridges can augment skills to create impact! Need a bigger heal, spend a cartridge on Brutal Shell for bigger potencies, then throw that on your MT. Aurora can provide up front healing followed by a HoT.

Let me know your thoughts guys.

I would enjoy a beefier shield for Brutal Shell, since it barely lasts through one auto attack in level appropriate or synced content. Other than that I'm pretty pleased overall with it compared to my experience with other tanks.

GNB mitigation is a game of sustained vs burst. PLD, DRK, and so on have high percentage mitigation tools up front. GNB is more about padding it out. It's deceptively powerful, which I think a lot of newer tanks (not saying you're a new tank) are unaware of, and thus they sort of perpetuate the thought that GNB mitigation is ass.

Fated Circle should be attained at an earlier level. Having no AOE option for the endless shells of leveling up to 72 feels pretty bad. Trade it with Heart of Light IMO.

"Brutal Shell"'s shield trait should instead be traited to occur whenever you expend Ammo / complete the ammo combo. Have it be 50% shield for a much beefier hit while also giving the Gunbreaker a defensive angle for cartridge expenditures.

Blasting zone having a decaying aoe factor would be icing on cake.

Otherwise, feelsgood.jpeg.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Amon-ster

GNB mitigation is a game of sustained vs burst. PLD, DRK, and so on have high percentage mitigation tools up front. GNB is more about padding it out. It's deceptively powerful, which I think a lot of newer tanks (not saying you're a new tank) are unaware of, and thus they sort of perpetuate the thought that GNB mitigation is ass.

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I absolutely would agree on a statistical level. Aurora potency-wise matches Clemency/Equilibrium & the consistency helps in both uncoordinated & coordinated groups. Likewise, the combined potency of Brutal Shell does make for a (still pretty meagre) but more noticeable change. Finally, Heart of Stone's near 1/3rd uptime is super strong and is a solid tool. I guess my qualm is that it feels at odds with the other half of GNB - our defensive options feel invisible/behind the scenes, simply filling in small leaks, rather than holding the flood back. As good as they are on a technical standpoint, our defense feel bad to use.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Amon-ster

GNB mitigation is a game of sustained vs burst. PLD, DRK, and so on have high percentage mitigation tools up front. GNB is more about padding it out. It's deceptively powerful, which I think a lot of newer tanks (not saying you're a new tank) are unaware of, and thus they sort of perpetuate the thought that GNB mitigation is ass.

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Possibly true, but given the bursty nature of raids thats actually not a great thing. There is rarely any relevant sustained damage on the tank, with huge spikes on busters, so sustained damage reduction is also devalued.

As for my own thoughts, after the hype has passed, I think I actually dislike GNB. For optimal play you have to sync cds and resources around No Mercy, which isn't hard, but its not a style I overly enjoy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lersayil

Possibly true, but given the bursty nature of raids thats actually not a great thing. There is rarely any relevant sustained damage on the tank, with huge spikes on busters, so sustained damage reduction is also devalued.

As for my own thoughts, after the hype has passed, I think I actually dislike GNB. For optimal play you have to sync cds and resources around No Mercy, which isn't hard, but its not a style I overly enjoy.

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As long as the boss is auto attacking there is sustained damage going out. That’s where brutal shell, camo, and aurora shine. Many people (not swaying you) keep thinking brutal shell needs to be on par with a cooldown/healer shield when in reality it designed to mitigate damage over time due to how frequently you are using it. The only buff it would need is maybe a 50 potency buff to both the heal and shield but it’s crazy seeing people ask for it to shield and heal your for the damage you do. Now in lower end content such as leveling and even soloing in ShB it’s pretty OP literally taking no damage ever lol. But anyway for raiding/extreme scenarios rampart, nebula, and heart of stone (which would literally be up for any tank buster) and enough for the burstier parts of raids. :)

Brutal shell doesnt need to be super amazing, but as the main defensive thing we have, and as the secondary effect we pass on with our "OT utility", it needs to be more substantial. I'd like it to be tied to the damage we do, not a low base potency.

a 2.5k shield every 25s for the other tank isn't even laughable. it simply doesnt exist. We use it for the 15% damage reduction, not to pass the shield. I think that should be addressed.


I enjoy GNB, even after the "hype". the kit is deceptively well-rounded and overall potent. My main gripe isnt that GNB's defensive kit is weak. IT just falls into the same issue HW and mid SB DRK had; recoverability. Heart of stone, camo, and aurora come together to smooth out and reduce the amount of blood loss youre taking, but they do nothing to recover any you've lost. GNB is not going to be soloing bosses like the good ol' days of WAR burst heals, or clemency. And frankly? I'm ok with GNB having some sort of weakness, considering how just all around it is across the board. as annoying as it is sometimes when the healer dies to something and having no reall hope for bringing things back

I am not to level 80 yet, but going from maining PLD I definitely noticed that as GNB I am more reliant on the healers. As PLD I could basically keep myself alive with clemency. There were plenty of dungeons where the healer would die on a boss and none of the DPS had a rez, but we downed the boss anyway because I managed my MP while using clemency on myself and the dps as needed. I appreciate that GNB has some more spread out mitigation with aurora, solid barrel, and heart of stone, but it definitely lacks that clutch "I'm going to save this run" ability. During my first run of Titania, my HP started going down fast and I wasn't getting heals, and I sort of flailed around trying to figure out some way (besides superbolide) that I could save myself, but there is just not much you can do.

Now, whether GNB necessarily needs to be able to save a run in a clutch situation, IDK. In the back of my mind, I always wondered if it was really good design that, as a PLD, it didn't always matter if my healer died. It sometimes felt like I was cheesing the game.

At the moment I'm having some issues with the job damage mitigation. My problem is that I'm unable to reach a conclusion if I'm taking too much damage due to maybe outdated gears sets or my mistakes in the CD usage or simply GNB while levelling is THAT dependent to a good healer. This evening I found myself in being forced to do basically wall to walls pulls In dhon mheg while when in the previous one I was lucky if I survived a single group using all the cool downs except for superbolide. Same dungeon, same CD used in the same situation but wildly different results

I'm being cautious in assessing GNB because I recently levelled WAR and was initially underwhelmed with the ShB changes but with further analysis I'm actually of the opinion that WAR is still a really good job.

My one concern I am having trouble is with GNB is why? I do kinda feel GNB offers nothing new for tank gameplay. The sounds and animations also feels less impactful compared to, say, WAR.

A missed opportunity for me is the Powder Gauge, I feel it should have 4 cartridges, not 2. Fated Circle should be available at an earlier level. When you pack mobs and are using your AoE combo, it is so easy to get two cartridges but, until level 72, you have no AoE skills that uses them.

I also think Burst Strike and the Gnashing Fang / Savage Claw / Wicked Talon combo should be able to be used at range, I think they'd be perfect skills to use in all those little moments where you're moving out of AoE attacks, which would bring something quite unique to GNB compared to the other tanking classes.