DSR observation: PLD Sheltron does not block while stunned

[Storm-Driver]

After another night in Dragonsong's Reprise with my static, we decided to mix up cooldowns in order to save my Hallowed Ground for a future mechanic. Where I was previously using it on the tether'd Shield Bash buster during Strength of the Ward (first trio), I've begun using Sentinel+Sheltron instead, with an Oblation from my co-tank and other mitigation that my healer's could spare. However, my group has already discovered an issue with this.

Sheltron, or Holy Sheltron in 6.0, is PLD's quick mitigation tool akin to DRK's The Blackest Night, GNB's Heart of Corundum, and WAR'S Bloodwhetting. It gives a small regen to the PLD, a 15% damage reduction for 4 seconds, and increases block-rate to 100% for 8 seconds (block inherently has a 20% damage reduction) on top of the first. Sounds really nice, and like it would work perfectly for something like the Shield Bash+Holy Blade Dance busters during the first trio, which has an initial very strong hit, and several rapid-fire weaker hits after the first few seconds.

Issue being, PLD's do not block while they are stunned. I have witnessed it over and over, when I use Sheltron, I always blocked the initial hit from Shield Bash, but never the stack damage from Dragon's Rage, nor any of the sword cleaves from Holy Blade Dance. The 4 seconds of damage reduction from the initial Sheltron typically fall off around the end of the Holy Blade Dances if I time it very carefully. But there's been times I didn't time it right and missed the button, got stunned, and just died to the damage. When I did time it right, I still dropped tremendously lower than my co-tank, who was also using their cooldowns for their own tether.

While we can heal through this damage given warning, it still feels rough that PLD just cannot utilize one of the core elements of their kit to mitigate an otherwise extremely powerful attack. I don't want to go back to using Hallowed Ground for this mechanic just because one of my mitigation tools doesn't work for an incredibly specific criteria, which none of the other tanks have an issue mitigating for. It feels like an oversight, or a kick in the knee because I'm playing this one tank, and not the others.

[Chopstix]

yikes, i was gonna say maybe u r using it too early, but that is clearly not the case

that is quite the bummer, im a warrior there and i cannot use my short CD at an ideal time because i need it up to take the next buster, so im getting a GCD shield and haima from my sage healer

it is downtime there, ask for some love from ur healers! i doubt this stun no block is going to get fixed, hell it might even be intentional

[Dzian]

maybe it's just me but I wouldnt expect it to block if i was stunned... just seems like common sense.

[RyuDragnier]

maybe it's just me but I wouldnt expect it to block if i was stunned... just seems like common sense.

It is, but at the same time it means PLD is the only tank to have a disadvantage there since all other unique tank cooldowns don't have that issue.

[Cabalabob]

Sheltron has always been kind of a nuisance because increasing block rate rather than giving flat mitigation like all the other tanks is inherently flawed. Enemies that crit can’t be blocked (diabolos in dun scaith) or while you’re blocking you can’t parry. Not to mention PLD has the least options for personal mitigation of all the tanks having one less personal CD and the longest recast invuln.

Unfortunately the best advice I can give is: work around it.

I don’t know the fight or your strat so I can’t give any specific advice but, maybe use sentinel + rampart and use sheltron later in place of a rampart. Or have the other tank take the Buster with a buffed intervention instead.

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

Both tanks take tethers during P2 so cannot have other tank take it, both need to mitigate through it.

While the easiest solution is have 1 tank invuln tether, other uses some mitigation, then on P3 tethers, other tank uses their invuln and while you kitchen sink where blocking will work.
Of course, OP said that isn't an option, so guess they'll have to make do without blocking under the effect of down for the count.

[DanielNegreanu_Adamantoise]

Sounds like something they should fix after replacing clemency with an ogcd

[Shurrikhan]

Sounds like something they should fix after replacing clemency with an ogcd

Umm, no. It should either be changed into a simple mitigation tool that perhaps, as a hidden effect, prevents any further blocks, or guaranteed blocks should be allowed to affect crits and work even while stunned well before Clemency would need to offer an extra ~3k free healing per minute to a job that already does nearly 5900 free healer per minute (between Holy Shelltron and Shock-Conf-Combo healing per GCD) -- assuming the latter would even have any reason to be added at all, which is more than unlikely.

[ThorneDynasty]

Yeah, get rid of all those pesky situational skills, they are bad design. Also PLD rotation should be fixed to be strictly in line with buff windows. No cursed openers either, remove FoF or make it affect Confiteor combo, which should always be a DPS gain on the 60s timer. With that you don't need those silly holy-holy-holy-holy repetitions just to keep the dot lined up, you can make the magic combo a single burst button, maybe even combine it with Req. Also Passage of Arms is objectively the worst party mitigation, just make it a reskin of the standard Dark Missionary style mitigation already.

Wait, why are there 3 Warriors suddenly? With the actual Warrior being the least homogenized? How did this happen? All I did was remove jank.

[Shurrikhan]

Shelltron is not "situational", Thorne. It merely suffers from a glaring oversight. You could more reasonably complain, even, over guaranteed crits finally getting alternate contribution from crit buffs instead of nothing -- the latter of which, btw, is Shelltron's contribution against crits, for no good reason.