On the subject of Melee/Tank Gap closers

[Jeeqbit]

My opinion is they should not deal damage at all. If they deal damage only at range we might be motivated to intentionally create a gap where possible for a moment, depending on damage vs autos.

The issue is really the animation change. I understand the reasons for the animation change, because it helps explain why you aren't dealing damage if the animation does not look like you are. From a technical standpoint, the fast animation allows them to literally make you leap faster by reducing the animation delay. All of which is unnecessary, in my experience - things like Spineshatter and Plunge were completely fine as they were and only needed damage removing.

[Daralii]

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.

They said back when it was announced that they're getting rid of Intervene and Onslaught too. GNB and DRK were the first casualties because they had the busier burst phases, but PLD and WAR will likely get their own lame glides/teleports by 8.0.

[ovIm]

The slide is a mistake, it feels weak and boring.

The real solution is to add a proper cost to the gap closer so it is not something you just add in your burst phase, but use to close gaps. Like the old rage-costing Onslaught for WAR.
Keep the damage, keep the cool animations - and then put the skills on the GCD.

[TeresaFortell]

Or just rebalance the jobs to remove DPS entirely from 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?

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)

[Astronis]

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)

THAT would be fun.

[Carstien]

The animations are fine imo. People saying they feel weak are not thinking clearly, like are the no damage utility buttons meant to feel like they hurt? No.

If those animations such as plunge and rough divide are missed then they can be repurposed with future skills. Plunge animation was cool and a longer range GCD you can stock like RPR's harvest moon would be cool if it was damage positive. Gap closing GCD's like that and the one WAR has are fine, just regular potency gap closer but a GCD as somebody suggested...grats, you found the worst of both worlds. Stop having opinions please.

[Daralii]

The animations are fine imo. People saying they feel weak are not thinking clearly, like are the no damage utility buttons meant to feel like they hurt? No.

If those animations such as plunge and rough divide are missed then they can be repurposed with future skills. Plunge animation was cool and a longer range GCD you can stock like RPR's harvest moon would be cool if it was damage positive. Gap closing GCD's like that and the one WAR has are fine, just regular potency gap closer but a GCD as somebody suggested...grats, you found the worst of both worlds. Stop having opinions please.

Reprisal did zero damage even when it was a single-target DRK skill, and the animation has always consisted of your character grabbing their weapon with both hands, shoving it into the target (now the air near the target), and sweeping it out. There's more weight behind it than most of the modern nukes.

[Carstien]

Reprisal did zero damage even when it was a single-target DRK skill, and the animation has always consisted of your character grabbing their weapon with both hands, shoving it into the target (now the air near the target), and sweeping it out. There's more weight behind it than most of the modern nukes.

And? Reprisal may not be doing damage but it's crippling the target, making them unable to do damage. It has an effect, a powerful one. It also did damage so your information is a little wrong there. 210 potency attack on release. I remember old reprisal, and power slash, the best animation DRK had.

I still stand by my point. The animation of a gap closer doesn't need to feel powerful, it's just a gap closer. If there are exceptions, great, I don't really care but hearing "it looks too weak" feels whiny to me. It gets you from A to B, that's all it needs.

[Deejudanne]

"which the majority of players really misses"
got any statistics to back that up?