PSO2 Ranger and/or Gunner with Reflect Aegis?

[Altiea]

So, something came to mind while I was level grinding in PSNova. I realized how often I was spamming Reflect Aegis and how amazing it made Assault Rifle. So I came to wonder, "How would this Art affect how Rifle is played in PSO2?"

To clarify, Reflect Aegis is an Art for Assault Rifles that only appears in Nova. It is a 100 GP Art that erects a barrier in front of the player. This shield:


Blocks and negates attacks directed at the player except directly behind them
Has a roughly 90 second uptime
Shatters if it eats a powerful melee attack
Typically absorbs the majority of ranged and projectile attacks without breaking
Only works for Assault Rifles and shatters if weapon is switched


This Art:


Eliminates the need for Massive Hunter
Helps retain Standing Snipe
Allows Rifle players to play hilariously reckless by sitting directly in front of the enemy and spam Arts until the enemy dies
Allows Rifle players to play hilariously cheap by camping in a corner and spam Arts until the enemy dies


So the key question is,

How would Reflect Aegis change how Rifle is played in PSO2?

[isCasted]

So, they still haven't fixed this cheap mess, huh...

Standing Snipe has to go away, and Rifle needs some mobility PAs with iframes. Maybe a shield PA could work, but only if it lasted 3-5 seconds at most.



Only works for Assault Rifles and shatters if weapon is switched


Weak Bullet already forces you into Rifle and, possibly, Launcher for extended periods of time. Because fuck adaptivity and versatility, am I right?

[Altiea]

So, they still haven't fixed this cheap mess, huh...

Standing Snipe has to go away, and Rifle needs some mobility PAs with iframes. Maybe a shield PA could work, but only if it lasted 3-5 seconds at most.



Weak Bullet already forces you into Rifle and, possibly, Launcher for extended periods of time. Because fuck adaptivity and versatility, am I right?

Ironically, SS stops mattering for RA, at least in Nova, once you get TAJA (which gives +80% in Nova) and Elemental Weak Shoot.

[Kondibon]

and Rifle needs some mobility PAs with iframes.Impact slider has iframes now. :3c

[isCasted]

Yes, but I imagined something more... involved than "start off with iframes -> slowly fly around while everything eats bullets", as well as something that doesn't outclass other PAs outdated like T0 Parallel Slider does, but instead complements them.

I imagined something like uncrafted Parallel Slider, but really fast and with iframes for its entire duration (maybe a variation of melee step with ~30 PP cost, and you shoot weak-ish bullets that travel slightly faster than Messiah Time); or something that gives you an aerial dodge like S-roll but higher, much faster and without iframes. Heck, even 3-second long Reflect Aegis would be more fun than T0 Parallel Slider.

[Altiea]

Upon further experimentation, it turns out that Aegis actually makes Rifle top tier because it gives you virtual invincibility against all forms of projectile damage, including sruff that normally one-shots you. So make of that what you will.

[MightyHarken]

I actually had this idea a while ago without ever playing PSNOVA, you can ask Pyrei about it. I literally wanted a passive force field that activates along with standing snipe that makes user unflinchable by ranged and tech attacks but would break if struck with a melee attack. It would be a perfect idea to give ranger sustainability with their dps. I wouldn't ditch Massive hunter though, I'd keep both skills.

[MightyHarken]

So, they still haven't fixed this cheap mess, huh...

Standing Snipe has to go away, and Rifle needs some mobility PAs with iframes. Maybe a shield PA could work, but only if it lasted 3-5 seconds at most.



Weak Bullet already forces you into Rifle and, possibly, Launcher for extended periods of time. Because fuck adaptivity and versatility, am I right?

Sorry but I don't agree. With parallel slider type 0. You don't even need moving snipe anymore because you can move around with SS active.

[GoldenFalcon]

I thought Reflect Aegis didn't provide invincibility to ranged/magic damage while in quests above level 100. As in, it treated all damage like striking damage in determining when the shield broke

Regarding systems in PSO2, yeah, it would have to be an active skill, like Katana Combat or something. But if they give it to any class, it should be given to the true ranged/magic hybrid that they add in episode 5.

[isCasted]

Sorry but I don't agree. With parallel slider type 0. You don't even need moving snipe anymore because you can move around with SS active.

I'm not sure what part of my post you don't agree with, because I don't see with what it has to do with what I said, In fact, you furthered my point form another post where I said that PS T-0 is too uninvolved.

You see, as a gamer I want an ability to utilize as many options given to me as possible, and be rewarded with efficiency accordingly. That's the dynamic that makes any game fun. I don't want elements that take away important aspects of the game like avoiding enemies (which is what Reflect Aegis does), neither I want elements that frustrate me by distracting from core gameplay (like Standing Snipe, which requires you to hang in one place for a whole second in a game where everything makes you move).

What makes PS T-0 weird is that while it somewhat addresses issue of Ranger's mobility, it takes away niche from other PAs due to its sheer power. Even when you say the part I highlighted you are clearly implying that PS T-0 is almost the only thing you should care about, which clearly shows a problem with it.

[MightyHarken]

I'm not sure what part of my post you don't agree with, because I don't see with what it has to do with what I said, In fact, you furthered my point form another post where I said that PS T-0 is too uninvolved.

You see, as a gamer I want an ability to utilize as many options given to me as possible, and be rewarded with efficiency accordingly. That's the dynamic that makes any game fun. I don't want elements that take away important aspects of the game like avoiding enemies (which is what Reflect Aegis does), neither I want elements that frustrate me by distracting from core gameplay (like Standing Snipe, which requires you to hang in one place for a whole second in a game where everything makes you move).

What makes PS T-0 weird is that while it somewhat addresses issue of Ranger's mobility, it takes away niche from other PAs due to its sheer power. Even when you say the part I highlighted you are clearly implying that PS T-0 is almost the only thing you should care about, which clearly shows a problem with it.

I keep saying parallel slider type 0 would have been a better fit for one point, but still, this PA is not a replacement for burst damage, at least not in most cases. Using SC is still a lot stronger and so is End Attract in most cases, I still use sneak shooter to go in SS position while dealing some damage and quickly use any of the three above mentioned depending on the situation.

[Altiea]

I thought Reflect Aegis didn't provide invincibility to ranged/magic damage while in quests above level 100. As in, it treated all damage like striking damage in determining when the shield broke.

I think I'm just now figuring this out, since I didn't main Rifle on my first character and I just reached SH two hours ago with a second one, who is a Rifle main.

[ZerotakerZX]

Isn't this game easy enough?

[Saotome Kaneda]

I thought Reflect Aegis didn't provide invincibility to ranged/magic damage while in quests above level 100. As in, it treated all damage like striking damage in determining when the shield broke
It absorbs up to a certain amount of damage while negating the rest. This is why at SH difficulties where the enemies get a huge boost in atk for being lv110+ it breaks almost immediately: it reaches the threshold far faster. This is affected by your own defense and any dmg reducing buffs of any form (guard stance, etc) so you can gain the shield strength you remember from early game simply by leveling the GA up and getting better gear.

[Altiea]

It absorbs up to a certain amount of damage while negating the rest. This is why at SH difficulties where the enemies get a huge boost in atk for being lv110+ it breaks almost immediately: it reaches the threshold far faster. This is affected by your own defense and any dmg reducing buffs of any form (guard stance, etc) so you can gain the shield strength you remember from early game simply by leveling the GA up and getting better gear.

Increasing its level boosts durability, right? I feel like this is the case.

[Saotome Kaneda]

Increasing its level boosts durability, right? I feel like this is the case.

Correct. Once I got the 80% ele resist units and levelled up Aegis to lv25 I was able to withstand full barrages from multiples of the octopus mobs. When I first got to SH it would break after like 5 hits.

Better example: finding the threshold where you can absorb hits from Reivgeist's shoulder vulcans without having them break in a single hit.