MCH needs a boost, I have a solution

[Mykhel]

We have 10 seconds of -20% dmg when we overheat and 10 seconds of -5% dmg reduction afterwards with no gauss addon... This is huge when it comes to our dps. We have dead zones where we don't have any other viable moves to use other than our basic shot, and then we're penalized for not perfectly rotating cooldown. Then, our big damage dealers involve our ammo (which has never made sense, I mean...what are we shooting without ammo?) So I have a solution.

The Gauss cannon is a cool addon that generates heat. It doesn't make sense to have to reapply a Gauss cannon. Make it permanent OR make alternative addons that modify our 3 basic attacks. Then why not give us a DOT when it overheats? Picture this: You reach 100 heat and go into the red. Instead of a dmg reduction, normal shots all become "Eject Gauss Core." You eject the heated Gauss cannon onto a single-target enemy creating a 30 second burning dot. Immediately after it's ejected, the Gauss Cannon is reusable to be heated again.

[Mykhel]

Another idea would be changing flamethrower to giving us a flame bot that keeps a constant dot on our enemies.

I also hate ammo and think that if it's going to be used, we should have varioous types of ammo to use in specific situations: Flame rounds for extra fire damage, poison rounds for an additional DOT, shock rounds for a chance to paralyze, etc.

I really think this would add the little bit we need to make us comparable to the other dps classes out there that are literally over 1k dps above us at the same ilvl...

[Fannah]

Flame rounds for extra fire damage

Just in case, there are no Elemental damages in the game from players. Only from PvE monsters --> Ifrit deals Fire dmg, but player's Fire spell inflict neutral dmg. So Fire and Water skills are as efficient against Ifrit, Shiva, Titan or whatever.
But I also wish we had different kind of bullets. We could even have like an RNG bullet system with crits and D.Hits. They would all provide the minimum of 25potency, 100% combo proc and no heat generated as current bullets. But if the crit chance proc when using a bullet, we would get a special ammunition. Same for D.Hit, why not. And we could even have a rare 3rd bonus one for Crit + D.Hit when using Quick Reload or Reload.

But just in case, the main part of what you've suggested have been suggested already (not to bring you down, but just so you know).

[Clawbriar]

If Gauss Barrel was kept on as a permanent stance, that would make Overheating less of a punishment, but that's... it. That's all it really needs, in my view. The game got rid of a lot of DoTs for some reason, and they've seemingly no intent of bringing them back for other classes, let alone for MCH where we literally only had one. The issue isn't so much DoTs or class flavour -- it's the fact that Overheat is a very 'tacked on' mechanic.

[Pence]

We have 10 seconds of -20% dmg when we overheat...... Picture this: You reach 100 heat and go into the red. Instead of a dmg reduction,.

I don't think you understand that overheating gives a +10% damage buff, not a debuff of any %.....especially not 20%

[Clawbriar]

I think OP meant the loss of both Gauss Barrel & Overheat's buffs for those 10 seconds afterward, of which it is a 15% decrease.

[AmandaLashaquoa]

I don't think you understand that overheating gives a +10% damage buff, not a debuff of any %.....especially not 20%

You've got it wrong, he didn't meant a debuff but the damage loss for losing Gauss Barrel plus time it could take to recover 50+ Heat.

@OP
I really like the ammo idea! Some "elemental" bullets would really be a nice flavour to it, maybe if they brought back our ocd skills and added these "elemental" shots with some nice effects and make hot shot set the enemies "on fire". :B its a nice little flavour indeed.

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

If it's all added to each other (that is GB being 5%, Hot Shot being 8%, and Overheat being 10% for a total of 23%) then you're not at a negative at all during the forced cooldown. You're at the baseline. You're dealing the full damage you would without any kind of increases at all, not somehow below that.

[Idolon]

While that is technically correct, it's not very meaningful. You should be spending as close as possible to 100% of your time with the GB, Hot Shot, and heated shot damage increases active, so that should really be considered your baseline damage, and the forced cooldown after overheat is indeed less damage than normal.

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

If that's the case, then you're only at a -5%, as you still have access to Hot Shot, barrel or not, and Overheating (as much as it's recommended to avoid it) is 10% you wouldn't be utilizing or missing anyways. And even then, just 10 seconds. Feels like an eternity at times, but 10 seconds indeed.