Gunbreaker PvP Guide for FFXIV

FFXIV completely overhauled the small-scale PvP mode in Patch 6.1, removing the Feast and introducing a new 5v5 objective-based game mode: Crystalline Conflict. Along with the update, Gunbreaker's PvP abilities have been updated to reflect these game mode changes. Gunbreaker is an extremely versatile tank that can play a variety of roles due to its core ability, Draw and Junction.

This document will mainly focus on the new Crystalline Conflict mode, so while portions of it may apply to other PvP game modes, it is intended to apply to Crystalline Conflict.

Strengths

• Extremely flexible switching between damage, durability, and support
• Low cooldown, high impact Limit Break
• High burst damage as a tank
• Can heal nearby allies with its damage combo or a single ally with a regen
• Two gap closer charges for high mobility

Weaknesses

• Unable to use part of toolkit if specific role is not present on enemy team
• Limit Break is channeled and therefore highly telegraphed
• Must sacrifice survivability for damage and vice-versa
• No innate crowd control outside of Limit Break
• Personal buffs tied to gap closer, loses effectiveness if not used for damage

Gunbreaker in PvP plays similar to Gunbreaker in PvE, with a medium GCD and plenty of oGCD weaving. Gunbreaker's basic combo is the Solid Barrel Combo, which is essentially a four GCD combo as Solid Barrel grants access to Burst Strike. Their other combo is the 15-second cooldown Gnashing Fang combo. Every skill in the combo allows you to use another Continuation ability, which allows Gunbreaker to output obscene amounts of steady damage to a target. Finally, Double Down is an AoE nuke that is used as a part of your burst combo, and it is available every 20 seconds.

Gunbreaker has one gap closer, Rough Divide. Not only does it have two charges, it also grants No Mercy, a damage, healing, and movespeed buff for a short duration, aiding your burst window or survivability.

Draw and Junction is the core mechanic of Gunbreaker in PvP. Every 30 seconds, a Gunbreaker can junction an enemy player to receive a buff based on their role. This buff will buff all Continuation abilities as well as allow you to cast Junctioned Cast, which changes depending on what buff you gained. It will also give you Powder Barrel, allowing you to cast Burst Strike and Hypervelocity.

Junction Tank gives you the frontline power you need to survive enemy aggression. Continuation abilities give you a shield, and Junctioned Cast turns into Nebula, a strong damage reduction cooldown with thorns damage.

Junction Healer gives you teamwide utility at the cost of personal survivability. Continuation abilities heal yourself and allies around you, and Junctioned Cast turns into Aurora, a strong heal coupled with a heal over time effect.

Junction DPS increases your damage. Continuation abilities have 2000 increased potency, and Junctioned Cast turns into Blasting Zone, a 10,000 potency single target nuke.

Choosing which role to Junction is the fundamental decision that Gunbreakers have to make when entering combat. In addition, if you Junction too early, enemies can notice your buff and realize your intent during the fight, which can lead to them playing in a way that counters you. Whenever you Junction a role, you are stuck with that buff for the next 30 seconds, so choose wisely.

Due to how the matchmaking works, sometimes there will a role missing on the enemy team which locks you out of a specific Junction for that match.

Junction Tank is Gunbreaker's "intended" role, as it does have a blue icon. You are fairly sturdy with it, and thus it should be taken when the enemy team will focus you, you are frontlining in the fight, or you are engaging from neutral. Tank Continuation's shields as well as Nebula's reflect damage are both buffed by No Mercy, so Junction Tank does a deceptively high amount of damage, though most of it is filler as it is being spread out towards an entire team. Use this when you need to fight and stay in the fight.

Junction Healer is definitely the weakest of the three, but it does have its uses. It is very good when the entire team is contesting the crystal in overtime, as the AoE heal will increase the whole team's survivability, not only your own. Aurora is also a strong regen to put on an ally that is being focused or is in Guard, though it will not save them from a well-timed burst or LB combo.

Junction DPS allows you to play like a melee DPS skirmisher. You sacrifice the shielding and damage reduction from Junction Tank to gain access to Blasting Zone, a monstrous 14,000 nuke under No Mercy. Junction a DPS to burst priority targets or finish enemies off, and use standard defensives to retreat, similar to how a melee DPS plays. Like Junction Tank, you can use DPS when engaging from neutral, but will be prone to being CCed and bursted down much more easily.

Gunbreaker's Limit Break, Relentless Rush, is a strong AoE tool that deals heavy damage, increases enemy damage taken, and stuns at the end, with the caveat that it is extremely telegraphed. It is one of the few 60-second LBs, and is excellent when pressuring the crystal whether pushing or defending a push.

As there is a wind-up to the stacks of Relentless Shrapnel, should you wait until the cast is finished before casting Terminal Trigger? The answer is usually no, as because it is extremely telegraphed and the enemy team can easily CC you or use a mobility skill to move out of it. Therefore, use Terminal Trigger as soon as the priority target takes a stack and is able to be stunned, or you have the most amount of enemy players in your AoE ready to be stunned.

Due to how strong standard defensive options are in Crystalline Conflict, crowd control and burst is the way to secure kills, which allows your team to secure the objective. Gunbreaker's burst is relatively simple to pull off, but it is fairly reliable and hard to react to. Due to Relentless Rush being on a 60-second cooldown, it can be used to burst fairly often, and you should look for windows of opportunity where you can do a huge AoE burst on the crystal.

Your main burst combo when LB is not up consists of the following skills:

1. Junction DPS beforehand;
2. Rough Divide to gap close onto a target and gain the No Mercy buff;
3. Double Down;
4. Blasting Zone;
5. Wicked Talon or Burst Strike;
6. Eye Gouge or Hypervelocity;

This is a two GCD combo that deals 42,800 damage. Of course, the enemy can Recuperate after the first two hits as you have no low cooldown CC, but 28,400 damage in one GCD (Double Down + Blasting Zone) is nothing to scoff at. This is able to be used every 20 seconds and can easily pressure Guard or secure kills.

Your main burst combo when LB is up consists of the following skills:

1. Junction DPS beforehand;
2. Rough Divide to gap close onto a target and gain the No Mercy buff;
3. Relentless Rush;
4. Terminal Trigger at the right time;
5. Double Down;
6. Blasting Zone;
7. Wicked Talon or Burst Strike;
8. Eye Gouge or Hypervelocity;

Again, a two GCD combo, but with the stun from your LB you are able to get all hits off without retaliation - unless they burn Purify, a net positive for you. With two stacks of Relentless, which is the earliest you can Terminal Trigger, the LB, Double Down, and Blasting Zone will do 53,856 damage. The combo finisher and Continuation will increase this to 69,408 damage.

When not bursting, use the Gnashing Fang combo with the appropriate Junction, and if that is off cooldown use the Solid Barrel combo.