One of the things that drew me to MRD was the idea of an AoE tank, these abilities seem to be in line with the concept, which makes me a happy camper.
I was hoping, though, to get the attention of a dev or community rep to respond to a few key concerns about what seems to be the new Steadfast and Enduring March.
One of the key issues with Steadfast was enemies' affinity for knock back attacks. Often, it's nigh impossible to even activate Steadfast in its current form with mobs bouncing us around.
If one managed to attain Steadfast, Enduring March gave the option to lock it in -- but only for :20 seconds every minute making the whole thing pointless in light of the myriad of other options available. It was much more lucrative to keep up a Foresight/Featherfoot rotation than to bother with Steadfast/Enduring March.
Seeing as how things are changing drastically ability-wise, I was hoping SE might give us an idea of recasts and durations for MRD Abilities 5 and 6 because as described, they together seem like a way for a MRD to lock into a "tank stance."
I know some might respond "wait and see," but the point of the info released is to discuss and offer feedback. But my feedback is contingent on the requested information. If recasts are long and ABL 6 duration brief, then the same old problems likely will persist.
So here's my thoughts based on what we know:
- ABL 6 should stay active until ABL 5 is wiped. If Ifrit is a sign of things to come, then movement will be a key element in endgame. Restricting movement will be a hefty deterrent to abuse of this combo by non-tanking MRDs.
Leaving the choice of whether or not to use ABL 6 in the hands of the player keeps things open for flexible play styles. Using ABL 6 will allow continued protection for ABL 5 from knock backs, but will make the player more vulnerable to AoEs. Not using it will make ABL 5 vulnerable to knock backs but the player will be more likely to dodge AoEs.
- Looking forward, MRDs frontal enmity-building combo will be capped with a WAR WS that consumes ABL 5. This is another reason recasts should be reasonably low in addition to being able to lock into this stance. The Combo up to the WAR WS seems it was intended for tanking situations, the tactic seeming to be choosing your moment to spike damage wisely as it'll leave you as a tank vulnerable to standard damage amounts, as if it were an ability that would make a Gladiator drop their shield.
Just some thoughts. It's tough to offer feedback with partial information, but I hope this helps.