Gunbreaker gameplay hope and expectations

[Phoenicia]

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I don't think you read what I posted tbh.

Holmgang DOES give an edge. But doesn't make WAR OP. WAR loses Inner Beast because of stance lock. PLD and DRK access Sheltron and TBN regardless of stance. For example, PLD can mitigate EVERYTHING in O12S with only sheltron so you just add in CDs on top for safety/ease.

Defiance does NOT buff those "OP" oGCDs. It buffs shields and regens, but only by 20%. Grit and Shield Oath buff them effectively by 25% (including oGCDs) as long as those stances stay up. Hence WAR self-healing is "needed" to make up for this gap.

Onslaught is really a worse Plunge with a shorter CD. It has the same potency, same animation lock (after Plunge buffs). Only problem is it costs gauge. Because you don't want to spend Gauge on it all the time, it stays "available" and hence gives this placebo sense of having more mobility. What I am saying is, DRK has the same mobility if it didn't need to press Plunge.

Snip.

Not arguing with you here. I agree with what you say overall. Just wanted to clear some terminology.

Self healing IS mitigation. Damage reduction IS mitigation. Shielding IS mitigation.

Shielding pre-preemptively against damage is sustain just like healing after damage. So I agree with you here. Damage reduction is what you meant by

The only non-infinite sustain is mitigation, because that predicates that you always take damage from every hit and thus will get whittled down unless you have 100% mitigation.

as all self-healing and shielding is part of "mitigating damage". They just work different from direct % damage reduction.

Cheers