They are useless in PVP as well. They don’t deal enough damage and still die fast to enemy attackers. In my opinion, tank classes should be natural counters to DPS classes and completely murder them in PVP(for example by reflecting parts of the raw damage they take before reduction), while support classes counter tank classes by removing their buffs and/or shields to render them vulnerable, and DPS classes counter support classes since they are squishy.
That way every class would have a designated role in PVP and mixed builds would provide better coverage for all situations, while dedicated builds can build up on that point of interest.
Paladins Sanctuary does that, it’s not bad, but channeling it is not the sort of gameplay I want to see from it.
Depends. If the higher damage reduction and higher defense really would make a significant difference, I wouldn’t be here asking for this attribute.
The point is that my suggestion is oriented at the current status of the game with a lot of solo contents that discriminate harshly against defensive and support classes because of the high defense and HP pool of enemies while the defensive boosts and damage reductions do nothing much (18k damage per second from Tel Harsha on a defensive build that requires to stay close… yeah, no thanks) in return, all you do is take longer to clear when you choose a shield, you still die as easily if you’re off by a second.
Another thing that matters a lot is the low HP pool of defensive classes. Even with all damage reductions in place, skills that partially ignore your defense or have a high skill factor can still cost your life. Before Re:build was a thing, 300-500k HP was easily possible.
Now you’re stuck at about 200-300k regardless of your build.
Maybe IMC can throw in a HP boost attribute(+60% when maxed at lv 100) and a HP boost art (max level 20, enhances the HP boost art by multiplying its effect by 1,25 times) on top of it for defensive classes, for a maximum of +100% maximum HP if you use shield + one hand weapon.
Then you can play around with damage transfer shenanigans (for example a new physical link art to transfer damage percent-based on the portion of your max HP has in the parties total HP), devotion barrier, pavises, etc. to make tanking interesting.
There are lots of possibilities, my suggestion was just one way to regulate the current damage discrepancy that forces defensive classes outside of main character builds if they want to truly play with a shield. Other possibilities would be far more efficient, but I know that IMC won’t ever consider them because they dumbed down the game into an equip grinding stat simulator where too much content depends on brawn rather than brain.
Also,wipe mechanics are partially to blame for the death of defensive classes. There is no need for defense if you die either way, and just too many non-defense classes have iframes that it makes you look stupid for even trying to use defensive buffs rather than just iframing through strong attacks and staying away from damage.
WBR doubles down on that with DoT debuffs that cannot be removed, ignoring damage reduction and debuff immunity. If I cannot evade the debuff because face hugging and lack of mobility, at least let me remove it, I already lose time casting a debuff removal skill…
Then there is the same debuff susceptibility that kills defensive classes,too (I can’t deal much damage and then I’m also standing around disabled doing nothing as long as offensive classes,what a shocker).
All in all, if you want to make defensive classes really being worth the trade-off of the attack value, the developers need to make many more adjustments to the game, starting from bosses HP,attack and defense values over to debuff resistance and HP pool boosts for defensive classes if they use a shield to actually tank, the removal of wipe mechanics (or at least the ability to circumvent it with a defensive class rather than having a Priest with Revive) and some sort of compensation for PVP so they can counter offensive classes and be countered by support classes.
