7.1 Double Down includes an oversight

[SWATomega]

I have been using GNB after the change at first when i was using it i thought it would mess up the rotation quite a bit. After playing it through Dungeon and Raids, I can see why the change was positive. Previously it was quite punishing to have downtime or needing to use your range attack, a single missed GCD could cause drifting. The reduction of the cartridge from 2 to 1 allows a leeway that was missing in the where you can make range attacks and not feel like you will miss the 1 min or 2 min bursts with some forgiveness in in the 30 and 1:30 moments. I was going in with my 2 min with two cartridges was weird at first but after doing a 6 and 8 min rotation and do testing it with range attacks to simulate downtime, it feels better.

Now, you can still encounter a 2 min with one cartridge, but when I attempted to cause it to happen on purpose (used burst strike too much or too many range attacks were used). i can see the frustration but it is a relatively positive change in theory, testing, and in practice.

[inhaledcorn]

I have been using GNB after the change at first when i was using it i thought it would mess up the rotation quite a bit. After playing it through Dungeon and Raids, I can see why the change was positive. Previously it was quite punishing to have downtime or needing to use your range attack, a single missed GCD could cause drifting. The reduction of the cartridge from 2 to 1 allows a leeway that was missing in the where you can make range attacks and not feel like you will miss the 1 min or 2 min bursts with some forgiveness in in the 30 and 1:30 moments. I was going in with my 2 min with two cartridges was weird at first but after doing a 6 and 8 min rotation and do testing it with range attacks to simulate downtime, it feels better.

Now, you can still encounter a 2 min with one cartridge, but when I attempted to cause it to happen on purpose (used burst strike too much or too many range attacks were used). i can see the frustration but it is a relatively positive change in theory, testing, and in practice.

The problem is: If downtime is causing drift due to how strict the rotation is, the solution is to give GNB something to do during downtime. GNB should have something like Forbidden Mediation to reload cartridges the way MNK fills Chakra (we could even reuse the old Quick Reload animation from HW MCH). Putting it on the GCD will prevent it from being used on cooldown like Improvisation was in ShB. Like, it's lore compliant that the Gunblade can be reloaded with pre-loaded cartridges because Thancred does it. Why can't we do it, too?

[SWATomega]

The problem is: If downtime is causing drift due to how strict the rotation is, the solution is to give GNB something to do during downtime. GNB should have something like Forbidden Mediation to reload cartridges the way MNK fills Chakra (we could even reuse the old Quick Reload animation from HW MCH). Putting it on the GCD will prevent it from being used on cooldown like Improvisation was in ShB. Like, it's lore compliant that the Gunblade can be reloaded with pre-loaded cartridges because Thancred does it. Why can't we do it, too?

Downtime will always be a thing, but some classes handle it better, Drifting is also a case-by-case basis (forget to use it, not enough resources, etc.). GNB was quite a strict class in rotation in EW with the addition of Double Down, where 100% melee Uptime was basically needed to maintain the 1 and 2 min bursts. If you didn't spend your cartridges or spent too many in EW and 7.0 you would drift double down. Now they have reduced the count for activation to one cartridge, from 3 to 2 for the 1 and 2 min bursts (relative to what opener is used). So now we have a case where 3 GCDs are freed up to be used (to generate a 3rd cartridge) that provides more flexibility to reduce the chance to drift the GCD of double down.

Plus the tanks don't have a down time ability, those are regulated to DPS classes in most cases. Plus there is a difference between lore accuracy and gameplay.