On the subject of Melee/Tank Gap closers

[ThorinG]

With the introduction of Dawntrail, we have lost a number of good (Damage based) gap closers which the majority of players really misses, such as DRK's Plunge, GNB's Rough Divide, and DRG's Spineshatter Dive, all for the sake of reducing job busyness.

Yet, there was a far logical solution to this that can even be implemented on all damaging gap closers, which is.. (Ability become unavailable the target is close or within "X" range), making them only available if the target is far, and at the same time achieve their goal of reducing Job busyness during burst.

Would love to read your feedback? Do you have other suggestions? Or are you satisfied with what we have?

Update based on feedback as of 14/02/2025:

Appreciate everyones feedback, yeah its clear now that my suggestion will create alot of complexity that i did not account for.

A safer solution is the one suggested by many, removing the damage from the gap closers.

if (animation fidelity) is a concern, then they can change Plunge/Rough Divide animation a little by making it hit with the flat side of the blade, and if needed, add a status effect instead of damage (Stun, Paralysis or Pacification)

[Burmecia]

i would take op's "only available to close the gap" gap closer.
i would take damageless gap closer, and i would still probably use it all the time at melee range because of undiagnosed ADHD.
damage on gap closer isn't must for me. i think it was good choice to take damage out of stuns/silences.

[TKMXIV]

Spineshatter Dive was an attack that closed a gap. Just like how Dragonfire Dive is an AOE attack that can close a gap.

Spineshatter Dive got replaced with a dumb little slide across the ground because someone on the job design team thought somebody said worm instead of wyrm.

[Carstien]

With the introduction of Dawntrail, we have lost a number of good (Damage based) gap closers which the majority of players really misses, such as DRK's Plunge, GNB's Rough Divide, and DRG's Spineshatter Dive, all for the sake of reducing job busyness.

Yet, there was a far logical solution to this that can even be implemented on all damaging gap closers, which is.. (Ability become unavailable the target is close or within "X" range), making them only available if the target is far, and at the same time achieve their goal of reducing Job busyness during burst.

Would love to read your feedback? Do you have other suggestions? Or are you satisfied with what we have?

Swing and a miss there, unfortunately. All that would achieve is a weird rotation where the tank, or melee runs out between GCD's just far enough to use the gap closer to get back in for more damage. As long as damage is on a gap closer, it will be used primarily for damage. Removing the damage was the best decision they could make and I hope they do it with WAR and PLD too, and just put the damage elsewhere. I get immensely frustrated when a tank of mine is trying to greed something they have no need to on WAR or PLD and the excuse is "I didn't have my gap closer, I just used it for my burst." Sorry, but using your gap closer for burst when you need it coming up, and you're fully aware of that, is a skill issue. Good tanks save them when they know the fight but it shouldn't be an issue in the first place and I'm annoyed that it is.

So, my suggestion is to take the damage off the remaining gap-closers, which I hope happens in 8.0.

[nguyentri11]

I cannot see this as logical at all. If you set the required distance of the gap closer being available too small then it becomes meaningless since you can run back between GCDs to use it. Set the required distance of the gap closer being available too big and it becomes too inconvenient to use because you can't use it at a distance shorter than the required distance. I doubt there's a sweet spot for the required distance.

[Uzephi]

The real question, OP: What is the legitimate gameplay reason where gap closers need to do damage? Emnity? They could always slap an 'increases emnity' on tanks' gap closers there... Their purpose is to close a gap, not damage the enemy.

[RedLolly]

Yeah, I disagree. No damage on them means they're utility skills and will onky be used as needed, and no matter what is done, bleeding edge players are going to feel the need to weave it in because any damage increase is worth it, no matter how awkward. And it's entirely possible that teeny tiny but of damage could be a world first difference, so that ugly rotation would become the standard.

Naturally, having damage taken away is going to feel bad even if it's a healthier design choice. I think it should remain as is.

[Kishin12345]

So we would have to run away a few yalms from the boss to get our gap closers into burst? That would make it busier than before tbh.
I would rather remove the potency from all gap closers so that they only have 1 purpose: closing the gap between you and the boss.
That way people won't even try to push them into bursts anymore.

[Aco505]

With the introduction of Dawntrail, we have lost a number of good (Damage based) gap closers which the majority of players really misses, such as DRK's Plunge, GNB's Rough Divide, and DRG's Spineshatter Dive, all for the sake of reducing job busyness.

Yet, there was a far logical solution to this that can even be implemented on all damaging gap closers, which is.. (Ability become unavailable the target is close or within "X" range), making them only available if the target is far, and at the same time achieve their goal of reducing Job busyness during burst.

Would love to read your feedback? Do you have other suggestions? Or are you satisfied with what we have?

This won't fix the issue because gap closers can be used for other things such as instantly cancelling knock backs. By forcing it to be used out of melee range, this functionality would become clunkier when it shouldn't be so.

Also what others have said: you'd just run out of melee range to then gap close back in for the damage.

Having gap closers that don't deal damage or that deal damage and let you think about whether to use them in buffs or not are both fine options. I will agree that losing proper jumps on DRG was not so fine though.

[Astronis]

The real question, OP: What is the legitimate gameplay reason where gap closers need to do damage? Emnity? They could always slap an 'increases emnity' on tanks' gap closers there... Their purpose is to close a gap, not damage the enemy.

Non-damaging tank gap closers did have enmity added to them sometime after they were changed because lacking any kind of enmity made them REALLY obnoxious to use at times.

Part of the irritation remains that Paladin and Warrior gap closers still do damage. I don't miss the damage, personally, I miss the animation.