Unbreakable (Void Titan Aspect) is all fantasy, no function
The current state of Titans in D2 is certainly one of the main talking points among the community, but most of the conversation is going toward Prismatic/exotic class items. However I think special attention needs to be paid toward the new Void Aspect, Unbreakable, and how much it is underperforming compared to other aspects in the Titan kit and when compared to the other new aspects released in TFS.
For those unfamiliar, Unbreakable converts the Titan's grenade into a frontal shield that absorbs damage and converts it into a short-range reprisal blast of void energy, all the while slowly giving the Titan an Overshield.
In theory, very cool. The fantasy of it, also very cool. In application, not cool, and there are 4 big reasons why: underperforming application, limited subclass synergy, PvE enemy interactions, and PvP. (an internet friendly numbered list, hooray)
1) Underperforming Application: there are not many modes in the game where an Unbreakable shield is needed, or where Bastion would not be better. Sure you could run both, but then you'd be missing out on other really good aspects. Not only does Bastion immediately give you full Overshield, not only does it share that Overshield with nearby allies, but it also blocks incoming damage. That last point might seem like a "no duh", but Unbreakable does not do that. While holding the Unbreakable shield and taking damage, the Titan takes chip damage which also keeps the Overshield from slowly getting applied. This means that the only thing Unbreakable does better than Bastion is its reprisal damage, however you need to be in super close proximity of an enemy in order for that to work. In normal content, where danger is trivial, is no big deal. In endgame PvE, however, its IS a big deal because taking the amount of damage needed to make the blast worth it, sacrificing the chance to get an Overshield because of chip damage, only for the blast to not kill the big thing you are protecting yourself against means you are more than likely dead. That fact alone makes Unbreakable ineffective in difficult content.
2) Limited Subclass Synergy: While Unbreakable is new, the Void 3.0 kit is not, so it confuses me that Unbreakable leverages so little of the Void kit. You can get grenade energy back by speccing into Devour or Offensive Bulwark, and the blast can apply Volatile if using Controlled Demolition, but beyond that, there's just not that much THERE there. While I've mentioned the Overshield gains trickle in over time (unlike Bastion, where its instantly full), what confuses me is that even if you give it time to fully charge, at base the Overshield only lasts 5 seconds. And the only way to extend it is to either use Echo of Persistence or to, once again, use the Offensive Bulwark aspect and get melee kills while the shield is still applied (which doesn't work in any challenging content because Void Titan is the weakest of the Titan subclasses when it comes to melee damage). The blast doesn't weaken or suppress or innately make the target volatile, its just straight damage that doesn't interact with many MANY of the fragments. And despite using your grenade charge, it doesn't return melee energy with Echo of Provision. Its just... there.
3) PvE Enemy Interactions: The reworking of Ursa Furiosa to grant Super gains from Unbreakable is undeniably very cool, and should add a lot of uses to that underused Exotic. 12% super energy on blocked damage does sound nice. In application, though, it doesn't work so well because of enemy AI. Very often, when I put up the Unbreakable shield, enemies seem to get very shy and stop shooting, even when there is no cover in between myself and them. The AI treating the Unbreakable wall like... a wall, and will stop shooting it, thus limiting both Super gains and reprisal damage. So in medium difficulty content, I'm left in the open with a weak Overshield and a barely damaged group of enemies and very little Super gains to show for it. I'm reminded of the DnD addage "Shoot your Monks", meaning DMs should intentionally have combatants shoot projectiles at Monk players so they can use their Deflect Missiles ability, which is both fun and flavorful. Unbreakable feels like it should be a taunt of some kind, whereas right now it just feels like a mobile way to get Overshield, and I can do that better via other means.
4) PvP: What's there to say, really? It feels like it would be good to use in PvP but the Aspect is countered by simply... not shooting the Titan. Keeping SMG/shotgun distance, let them try to advance, and in the long blast animation, shred them to bits. On the other hand, if the Titan is low health, and is trying to shield to keep their health up, shoot the -blam!- out of them to deal chip damage, prevent Overshield application, and you can quite literally break through and kill them in their Unbreakable aspect. I'm not suggesting it should make them invulnerable because PvP play doesn't need to be slowed down that much (Halo armor lock flashbacks), but as of now, Unbreakable is ineffective in most PvP situations.
From what I've seen on youtube/twitter/reddit and in games (both PvE and PvP) with my clan, Unbreakable feels like the weakest new aspect released. Ascension received an initially cold reception but seems to be gaining traction, while Hellion has been seeing regular play and praise, and thats fantastic. I'm not here to take away from the positive experiences other classes are experiencing. What I do want to do is to give feedback on Unbreakable not only for it to get buffed, but also to prevent the other classes from getting underperforming aspects in the future as well. We don't new Aspects very often, so they should be good out of the gate.
So, how does the abilities team fix Unbreakable? Should it last longer? Should it incur a shorter grenade cooldown? Should it weaken or suppress? Should it create Orbs of Power when shot? I certainly think it should be stronger, not allow chip damage, and I'd love it if it worked like a taunt that way Sentinel Titans can have a bit more of that MMO tank fantasy. As of right now though, I'm sad to say that Unbreakable is currently Unusable.
Your title is an excellent example of how I feel about the Unbreakable aspect… I was beyond excited for it when I saw it showcased to us last year but when I finally got my hands on it, I was beyond disappointed.
My disappointed resides with its incredibly low up time, its lack of subclass synergy, and it’s below average useless compared to Bastion.
With that being said, I certainly think it needs some love…
[u]My Proposal 1 [/u]:
- Decrease the grenade energy drain to allow at least an uptime of 10 seconds.
- Replace the “frontal blast” attack with a suppressive blast attack to allow it to synergize with the subclass and gives it some anti-champion capabilities.
- Fix it visually… I shouldn’t see the grenade throw animation awkwardly turn into the Unbreakable shield.
[u]My Proposal 2[/u]:
Rework the aspect entirely to fit the “I am your shield” fantasy…
- Converts your barricade into a mobile sentinel shield with a set number of HP points. (Can be held indefinitely if not destroyed… visually it’s the same shield we have now)
- Blocking damage charges the shield that fills a meter that has 4 sections.
- While blocking and having the meter charged, you would have be able to activate two different functionalities.
- Functionality 1: While blocking and hitting the melee button, the Titan would punch the back of the shield that releases an aura around them. This aura provides nearby allies an over-shield. The amount of over-shield is determined on how many sections of the meter you have filled. (1 section = 25% and so on and so forth).
- Functionality 2: While blocking and getting the grenade button, the Titan would punch the back of the shield to release a suppressive blast suppressing any enemy affected by the blast. The duration of the suppression would be is determined on how many sections of the meter you have filled. (1 section = 3 seconds, 2 = 6, 3 = 9, and 4 = 12)
- If you activate your sentinel shield super while blocking, the aspect shield would instantly transform into the sentinel shield super. There would not be a need for the super animation…
I apologize if advance… proposal 2 is a rather ugly thing to read lol
I should also add that I believe Over-Shields should NOT be on a duration/ timer. They should only go away when they get destroyed.