On Going Guard Tank Balance/Utility/Dps

**Technician46** · Jan 22 2022, 08:37 PM

I recall about about two years ago (? defiantly before Covid hit) that there was a big uproar about TANK BALANCE and the Devs saying something about taking an ongoing look at tanks specs. Well if I recall correctly, they did some little nerfing to the Cappies (in my opinion not enough) but for the most part left the Guardians untouched. The Devs did absolutely nothing to help their survivability in higher end raiding (Remmo at the time) and instances like Stairs at t5 ( w/ the bleeds over 1 million every few secs that captains were regularly completing and while groups with guardians struggled immensely if they were even able to complete it) or add more group utility to the guards to even compete w/ the captain's rezzes, healing and group buffs in their tanking line. Since then their response was to increase the guardians' dps in red line (which we defiantly needed but still not competitive enough for tier 3 and up raids/instance), added finesse to "Relentless Attack" (which should of been put on a passive trait not on a skill) and added a +40% dps increase raid wide to "Break Ranks" at the cost of losing our fortification and attached it to shield taunt which many, including myself asked them not to (should be been its own skill). Then it seems they put everything on hold when Covid hit (understandable), and later for the up coming new area (Gundabad), the brawler and the new LI system (they bit off to much if you ask me) and we haven't heard much till now. So I'd like to take the time to mention the issue of Guardian survivability and utility to the forefront of the conversation and the Devs radar. Here are some thought/suggestion that I've previously posted with some updates to them.

RED LINE and UTILITY:

1)PROTECTION BY THE SWORD (make it a group or raid wide utility):

a: Adds a 15% damage increase to guardian permanently until the skill is toggled off sorta like the captain's defense of m.e. or like our old "overpower stance"
b: Adds a 5% damage increase aura 25 to 30 meters from the guard as long as the skill is toggled.
c: Make it a NON PULSING skill, in other words let it be permanent until toggle off
d: Make it increase all damage types not just melee.
e: Can't be deactivated if the guard is put in any combat state (stunned, disarmed, silenced, knocked back, or punted) like "Shield Wall" does when we get stunned or punt to far from away from our target).

f: Increase our crit and devastate magnitudes on all our dps not just on bleeds

g: Remove our dependence on parry responses in red line seeing that most of the time when grouping and in red line there is another tank and mobs are not hitting us so we don't often generate parry response to use our skills depending on them (like some of our bleeds).

h) Increase damage dealt in red line by whatever is needed to be competitive in at least T3 level raids. All we really have is blue line.

BLUE LINE and UTILITY:

1) SHIELD WALL:

a: Make it a -75% damage reduction skill on the Guardian.
b: Adds a -5% to -10% damage reduction aura to any within 25 to 30 meters of the guard while the skill is on. NO EXTRA DAMAGE TAKEN/ABSORBED BY THE GUARDIAN LIKE SW DOES ATM.
c: Make it reduce all damage types (physical and tactical)
d: 15 sec duration with about 1:45 min cd to Guardian and all within 25 to 30 meters (Duration and cd up for discussion. Don't want to make it to strong but don't want to make it meaningless either and I don't feel 10 sec duration is enough).
d: Can't be deactivate if the Guardian is put in any combat state (stunned, disarmed, knocked down, punted, etc..... like Shield Wall currently does on stuns or knockdown not sure which to be honest).

2) LITANY OF DEFIANCE:

a: Make it a +10% incoming healing to guardian
b: Adds a 5% incoming healing aura to all within 25 to 30 meters of the guard
c: Make it a permanent skill while it's toggled to the "on" position or maybe even give a skill duration: 15 sec duration on a 45 sec. cd
d: Can't be deactivate if Guardian is put in any combat state (stunned, disarmed, knock down, punted, etc....).

3) Increase damage dealt in blue line by 20% (add this increase to passives within the blue line). Also increase our crit rating in tank line cause we need it to bring up our fortification fast.

4) Increase Morale by 20% (add this increase to passives within the blue line so when we switch to tanking line our morale goes up just like the other tanks can do).

YELLOW LINE and UTILITY:

1) PROTECTION:

a: Adds a 10% mitigation (physical and tactical) to the Guardian
b: Adds a 3% to 4% mitigation aura to all within 25 to 30 meters from the guardian
c: Make it permanent skill until toggled on or off
d: Can't be deactivate if Guardian is put in any combat state (stunned, disarmed, knock down, punted, etc....).

2) Increase damage dealt in yellow line by 30% (add this increase to passives within the yellow line) and increase our crit rating

3) Increase Morale by 10% (add this increase to passives within the yellow line)

These are just a few ideas and doesn't include all the other fixes the guardians need to traits and skills.
Just to mention a few:

1) Warriors Heart = +1062 incoming healing, +1% block chance, +1% partial block chance. These can be increased to something more meaningful

2) Strength of Morale = 4400 to 6000 morale, 1200 power cost, 30 min cd - change this to something like a Temporary 75k morale increase and 1000 power increase for 15 sec every 5 mins skill at 400 power cost. Just a thought but can be made to something more meaningful then what it is now.

3) Shield Taunt = I feel we need an INTERMEDIATE FORCE TAUNT and SHIELD TAUNT SHOULD BE MADE A FORCE TAUNT activated by a block response like it is atm.
4) Disassociate "Break Ranks" from Shield Taunt and make its skill. I know this will be harder to do cause you'll have to play w/ the cost of trait point which btw I feel some cost way to much. None should cost more them 5 trait points.

5) As mentioned above Red line should be disassociated from parry responses

6) Remove our fortification CASH OUT from our skills. Why do we have to lose survivability to use a skill? I don't recall atm any other tank having to do this why the guard only?

7) Remove Finesse from "Relentless Assault" and adds it to the 1st passive trait in both blue and yellow line please.....

8) etc, etc, etc.....

Any other ideas from the Gaudian community would be appreciated...... thanks guys

Please Devs, consider these improvements and added utilities to these Guardian's skills. We need some love.......

**Kotal** · Jan 22 2022, 10:26 PM

guardian survivability is definitely in a very good spot rn. cappy nerfs left them with a single big CD and 3 mediocre damage reduction skills you cycle through in a minute and that's it (utility is still better than guard tho), but guard has 3 big CDs, 3 lesser CDs, damage buffs or group wide damage soak on fort cashout and significant, easy to maintain bpe buffs, not to forget a very long combat state immunity when using the stun break.

the only changes in blue i wanna see rn to make me happy is fix the avoid issues: if shield skills get avoided you will not build forts at all and shield blow will not open a block response. this can be solved in multiple different ways: improve itemisation on tank gear to incluse plenty of finesse, make the effects on guard skills apply on use, not on hit, just like cappy skills (seriously, cappies can effectively tank with 0 finesse), or make shield skills harder to avoid (either by default or replace disorientation with just that).

red guard would just need a few minor buffs to be competitive (a bit more group buffs and ~10-20% more dps).

yellow line is a huge mess and needs a full on rework or the brawler treatment.

**Gabli** · Jan 23 2022, 12:29 AM