I strongly disagree with implementing any Global Cooldown (GCD) changes to this ability. It's powerful enough as it is, and altering its GCD requirements would have a significant negative impact on small-scale PvP, such as group ranked matches, where precise timing is crucial. As a veteran, I must assert that anyone advocating for GCD changes to this ability simply lacks the necessary experience in this game. My intention is not to attack anyone, but rather to highlight the delicate balance required in certain aspects of this game's content, such as ranked/group ranked, which many may not be participating in. Due to this, your perspective on this ability is likely based solely on PvE and Orvr/scenarios. However, when it comes to competitive gameplay in this game, even small changes can have extreme effects, and this case is clearly one of them.Dobzse wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 8:43 pm Buff Guard: ability with taking it off the global cooldown, similar to kotbs/chosen auras it should have its own cooldown like 0.5 sec but definetly off the GCD.
It's frustrating when I can't guard switch quick enough eventhough I'am already spamming the guard skill on the right party member.
Also Guard should steal a fixed amount of agroo points from the part member receiving the guard. This would be on top of the passive -35% threat you get from the guarded target. There needs to be a 5-10 second internal cooldown so you don't end up guard swapping the whole party to collect agroo.
This change would allow to make pve fights more interesting for tanks and the party as well, as it enabled active threat management. It would also allow main and off tanks to catch up on agroo.
Please discuss give all your pros and cons.
However, I do agree that this ability could benefit from improvements in terms of aggro management. The current state of aggro generation is unclear; it's uncertain whether it's broken or if there have been undocumented changes to the system. Nevertheless, there's a noticeable discrepancy in performance, especially evident with certain bosses seemingly immune to aggro generation.
Also there is the thing about builds: From my perspective, many shielded tank builds are currently unviable in PvE. Most two-handed builds offer high levels of parry and sufficient damage output to effectively tank content, while also providing superior aggro generation due to dealing more damage. Shielded builds struggle to maintain aggro because aggro generation scales with damage dealt. For example, in Order, a two-handed Swordmaster is likely the best tank you'd want in PvE. They offer high damage and decent parry, making them highly effective. I see no reason why one would opt for a shield, which offers some block chance but risks struggling with aggro control, especially since most PvE content doesn't require two tanks, and finding even one tank can be difficult enough nowadays.
But that said, it's quite clear that the main issue here lies in the guard switching mechanics (for PVE), but rather in the current state of the broken aggro system.