Thread: DEV Request: WM & GB changes for 4.0

Originally Posted by Xlantaa

The Gauss Barrel was designed for the Machinist, and it works on machinist due to the nature of their combos (can be executed in movement). They copy-paste to bard, and destroy the bard. They should keep the machinist as is it, and change the bard one.

I'm in the process of leveling Machnist too after having sub-mained Bard for several months just to see their differences, and this was exactly the first thing I observed upon unlocking Gauss Barrel. Bard's version in comparison to how it works for Machnist feels like a very poorly thought out copy-paste job that feels like a dev decision to nerf the class in terms of playing style more than anything actually reasonable. Especially since Gauss Barrel doesn't really clash with anything else in the Machnist skill set - if anything, it encourages people to use Quick Reload more intelligently to keep up their procs for more mobility and ease of use in weaving in off-GCDs, and maintaining earlier Machnist buffs and procs becomes even more important (especially Rapid Fire, which gained the additional effect of being able to ignore Gauss Barrel casting.)

But for Bard, Minuet hugely clashes with one of the major mechanics of the class, the Bloodletter/Rain of Death CD resets, to the point where Bards will often have unused Bloodletter/RoD resetting multiple times because they were already using something with a cast time. Minuet doesn't add ANYTHING for Bards playing-style wise besides Empreyal and Iron Jaws being locked behind Minuet, and that's really an essential limitation instead of something that's actually interesting. It doesn't even do anything to the songs. (The only earlier weaponskill that gains an additional effect under Minuet is Straight Shot if the Straighter Shot procs at a 20% rate, and that only lets you cast it while moving.)

I mean, the whole 'turning Bard from a mobile ranged DPS to a caster' is the least of my concerns, movement is hardly an issue with proper positioning anyway. It's mainly Minuet clashing with everything you use in the 51 levels prior to learning it, with nothing to mitigate how awkward your rotations suddenly become. It suddenly transforms the class into something completely different.