Category: 5.0 Shadowbringers

FFXIV Gunbreaker (GNB) Basics Guide & FAQs – Shadowbringers Updated!

Shadowbringers Updated! A guide on the basics of Gunbreaker! GNB unlocking & requirements, why play a Gunbreaker, and other FAQ’s

DAWNTRAIL Guides! Dawntrail L90-100 Miner Leveling, Botanist Leveling
Dawntrail Normal Raid Guide (Quick, Spoiler Free)
See: Viper STARTER Guide / Rotation | Pictomancer Starter Guide / Rotation

 

Good day… going Gunbreaker? If you’re “gunning” to go for the GNB job, you’ll find a gamut of basic information and FAQs in our Gunbreaker Basics Guide. Read on if you’re expecting to learn about unlocking GNB, Gunbreaker Job Identity, trait and skill list, crafters and gatherers related to GNB, and link to other important Gunbreaker info!

Gunbreaker is a Tank job released in 5.0 Shadowbringers, along with the Dancer. GNBs are the fourth tank job in the game, preceded by Dark Knight.

Go to top

How to become a Gunbreaker? Unlocking GNB:

Unlock and become a Gunbreaker by doing the quest, “The Makings of a Gunbreaker”, which is found at New Gridania (NPC: Gods’ Quiver Bow). The only requirement is having a level 60 Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic leveled.

Unlike the Heavensward classes, I’m almost certain you can rush into using GNB once you have the level requirement – and NOT required to be “at” Shadowbringers tier content.

Note that, upon completing the quest you MUST EQUIP the “Soul of the Gunbreaker” to actually formally BECOME a GNB.

Rushing to or want to know how to unlock a certain class? Learn more:
FFXIV Job Unlock & Requirements Guide.

Go to top

Gunbreaker Playstyle & GNB Job Identity

If you’ve asked yourself, “Why play, try, or choose Gunbreaker?” – here’s my attempt at selling you the GNB class.

Gunbreakers are “Gunblade” (I assume you’re familiar? You are playing a Final Fantasy game after all!) wielding tanks, that kinda feel like playing a DPS class. They’re on the hectic side of tanks, when it comes to button mashing. Your rotation “revolves” (kek) around loading and spending ammunition.

Known for good DPS despite being tanks, sacrificing a little on the “hardcore defenses”. They’re pretty flexible, with some utility here and there. Make no mistake, though, I feel as if the GNB trademark is their super active playstyle and DPS-like rotation.

Aesthetically and thematically, if you’re a fan of FFVIII’s Squall and Gunblades in general, FFXIV’s Gunbreaker gets pretty close!

DISCLAIMER

DISCLAIMER: This is not meant to be a blurb that aligns with the current meta. That changes from patch to patch. Our goal here is to provide you with an idea of what the job is trying to be, getting cues from both the Developers’ concrete decisions on job design, as well as our own feedback.

Go to top

What Crafters & Gatherers should Gunbreaker level?

While it’s common in MMORPG’s to think you want to craft your own gear as you level up your GNB… I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT.

Leveling up your DoH and DoL jobs should be thought of as a different activity completely. To be honest, if you’re a newer player, simply ensure that you DO NOT OVERCAP Levequests (always have less than 100).

The only relation a combat job has to a crafter or gatherer class is “which classes do you need to repair your gear”? My advice, ultimately, is pretty much all or nothing – level up all DoH classes in tandem. As a separate project, level up all DoL classes in tandem (with the optional Fisher).

Go to top

What’s the best race for Gunbreaker?

Racial stats are (was?) a thing. However, I highly recommend not caring about it. The difference in performance between the “best” and “worst” race for you is not even 0.1%.

My advice? Pick for aesthetics. Will you stay the same job forever? If you change mains, will you race change? Ultimately, the difference is so microscopic that I cannot in good faith tell you that racial stats are an integral part of your character.

I won’t even link the Racial Stats Guide, as I haven’t checked up on this in a while – and I don’t want to cement the idea that the “best race” really matters.

Go to top

Related Gunbreaker Guides – Read More!

Here are s a few useful links for you:

Go to top

Upcoming Odds and Ends

Here’s a few things we’ll be adding on here in the near future:

Adding a “links to further resources”, we’re doing a site restructure so once those links are set, they’ll go in here.
Human-readable, newbie-friendly skill and trait list.
> I used to have the in-game skill list here, but I found it useless as the in-game one is better… I’d rather have a new player friendly rundown.
More descriptive job identity? Pics?
> I dunno… pictures of the job gauges? A gif of some flashy skills?
Feel free to suggest anything else via comment or socials!

Go to top

Summary & Outro

Well that’s about it for a really, really basic guide that hopefully points some lost souls in the right direction, or answers some of your questions regarding Gunbreaker.

Join our IRL Cross-World Linkshells (socials lol): 

Contact us about anything and everything. Don't be shy! Love our guides and want to let us know? Got questions or corrections? Suggestions for improvement? TALK TO US! How, you say?

Comment below if it's about this guide. Message us on any of our socials above about anything.  We're organizing our email situation if you're into that.

Go to top

FFXIV Gunbreaker GNB L60+ Rotation for leveling

A newly minted Gunbreaker, so many skills – so little time! Lucky you’ve found the right place! Our Gunbreaker L60 & Leveling Rotation guide should help you get into the basics.

Looking for a list of skills? See our Gunbreaker general guide, or preferably… your own skill list. Gunbreaker enters the world with the following number of actions, all of which we will account for:

  • NINETEEN Job actions
  • SEVEN Role actions

L60+ Gunbreaker leveling rotation: Navigation
L60 Rotation Summary | L60 Skills explained | L60+ skills, and rotation effect.

Gunbreaker (GNB) L60 Rotation Summary

Here we discuss the single target rotation, AoE rotation, and cooldown usage of Gunbreaker. If you need a skill by skill explanation and protips, it’s in the next section.

Protip: Never forget your enmity stance (Royal Guard) in dungeons. And at least one of you two tanks should have it in raids (Remember the “he who keeps it on is the main tank” rule).

L60 Gunbreaker Single Target Rotation

It would help to imagine Gunbreakers L60 rotation as using combos to gain cartridges, and appropriately spending them.

Your basic rotation loop looks something like this:

  1. Keen Edge > Brutal Shell > Solid Barrel GAIN CARTRIDGE.
  2. Spend cartridge: Gnashing Fang combo > Burst Strike (cooldown dependent)

That constitutes a majority of your decisions and actions, but also consider the miscellaneous parts of your DPS.

  • Use heavy cooldowns: No Mercy > Sonic Break
  • Weave OGCDS: Danger Zone > Rough Divide

L60 Gunbreaker AoE Rotation

Your basic AoE rotation (3+ enemies!) loop looks something like this:

  1. Revert to single target at any time you have less than 3 enemies.
  2. Demon Slice > Demon Slaughter combo: GAIN CARTRIDGE
  3. Save up to 2 Cartridges, don’t overflow! Use them as you would in your single target rotation but maybe prioritizing Burst Strike spam, for speed.

That constitutes a majority of your decisions and actions, but also consider the miscellaneous parts of your DPS.

  • Use heavy cooldowns: No Mercy > Sonic Break
  • Weave OGCDS: Danger Zone > Rough Divide

AS YOU DO NOT HAVE A CARTRIDGE AoE SPENDER,
you cannot truly have an isolated AoE rotation yet,
and must incorporate single target.

L60 Gunbreaker Other skills and responsibilities

Here we outline the uses of any other skill not mentioned in the rotation guide above.

Keep Royal Guard on! You’re a tank, so (easy as it is these days) hold aggro at all times. Royal Guard is essentially an enmity generation stance. It’s OGCD these days! Provoke helps with the strays

Heavy damage (help your healers!) should be mitigated by:
Nebula, Camouflage, and role action Rampart.

You can help heal yourself with Aurora. Every little bit counts…

If you’re on the precipice of death, Superbolide ENSURES you to be an inch from it! Jokes aside, it will keep you alive for the next few seconds. Hopefully, you’ll be alive AFTER it.

Go to top

Gunbreaker L60 skill by skill explanation and binding tips

Here, we bind your actions and help you understand them
IN THE ORDER THEY APPEAR.

Job ActionsRole Actions

Keen Edge: is your basic combo starter. “1”.

No Mercy (short cooldown): A very long DPS steroid that should BASICALLY be used as much as you can. Keep it in reach as its cooldown is very generous.

Brutal Shell: Is the second step in your basic combo. “2”.

Camouflage (long cooldown): an amazing cooldown due to its titanic duration. Essentially a second Rampart. Great for absorbing “two” mechanics worth of damage.

Demon Slice: is the first step in your AoE combo.

Royal Guard: is your tank stance. Switching it is OGCD these days. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind clicking this, or having a far bind.

Lightning Shot: Ranged pulling attack.

Danger Zone (short cooldown): Heavy OGCD attack. Used quite often.

Solid Barrel: Your basic combo finisher. “3”. It also gains you a Cartridge.

Burst Strike: Heavy single target Cartridge spender.

Nebula (long cooldown): Short but heavy damage mitigation. Use for tank busters.

Demon Slaughter: Your AoE combo finisher that also gains you a Cartridge.

Aurora (cooldown): A cute regen effect on yourself, or any party member.

Superbolide (long cooldown): Ultimate “Oh Shit” Button, but puts your health at 1.

Sonic Break (cooldown): Massive DoT with long duration that’s mostly relevant on bosses.

Rough Divide (short cooldown): OGCD gap closer with damage. Will mostly be used for damage, lol. Keep it close in bindings.

Gnashing Fang > Savage Claw > Wicked Talon: Are the three parts of your cartridge combo. Note that the combo has a cooldown, aside from cartridge cost. Personally, I put these in “Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3”.

I’ll loosely discuss these Tank Actions in relation to Gunbreaker.

Rampart: is a workhorse. Due to its long duration, it’s suitable for large dungeon pulls and “double mitigating” a string of mechanics in raids. Gunbreaker also has Camouflage to act as a “Rampart 2”.

Low Blow: Is rarely useful in raids but great otherwise. Stunning a monster makes it deal no damage, and can also interrupt their spells. I used to bind this near me, but I now have a super out of the way bind for it. (CTRL or ALT + something). Clicking it is fine, too.

Provoke: Is essential in raids, and has some usefulness in dungeons. You should ALWAYS know if your Provoke is up, and where to press for it. No self-respecting tank would ever be confused about their own Provoke.

Interject: Similar to Low Blow in many respects, it’s a pretty niche skill. Find a far bind for it, or click it.

Reprisal is a godly skill in raids, but pretty much a non-issue otherwise. Find a good bind for this if you’re the raiding type.

Arm’s Length is something I comfortably put in the “okay to click” tier. It’s RARELY used and its uses will rarely catch you off-guard. It’s almost always planned.

Shirk: is essential in most raids. Transferring aggro to and receiving aggro from your tanks helps ease tank swap mechanics.

Go to top

Gunbreaker L60+ How new skills affect rotation

I’ll add to this very soon.

Go to top

L60+ Gunbreaker leveling rotation: Navigation
L60 Rotation Summary | L60 Skills explained | L60+ skills, and rotation effect.

WELL THATS IT FOR NOW. I’ll definitely be adding information. Good luck shooting and slashing with your Fresh L60+ Gunbreaker Leveling Rotation!

Like us on Facebook for more updates!

FFXIV Dancer L60+ Rotation for leveling

So you’re a fresh Dancer and plopped into this world without a clue. Fear not! Our Dancer L60 & Leveling Rotation guide should help you get into the basic meat of things!

If you’re looking for a list of skills, check our Dancer General Guide, or preferably… your own skill list. Dancer enters the world with the following number of actions, all of which we will account for:

  • FIFTEEN Job actions
  • SIX Role actions

L60+ Dancer Leveling Rotation: Navigation
L60 Rotation Summary | L60 Skills explained | L60+ skills, and rotation effect.

Dancer L60 Rotation Summary

Here we discuss the single target rotation, AoE rotation, and cooldown usage of Dancer. If you need a skill by skill explanation and protips, it’s in the next section.

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DESIGNATE A DANCE PARTNER!!!!

L60 Dancer Single Target Rotation

It would help to imagine Dancer’s L60 rotation as short combos that give you procs. Your skills have a “priority” system to put it SIMPLY.

 Your basic rotation loop looks something like this:

  1. Cascade > Fountain until you get any procs.
  2. Reverse Cascade and Fountainfall used ASAP, hoping for a Fourfold Feather.
  3. Have Feathers? Use Fan Dance in between GCD’s.
  4. Standard Step is up? Use it. It’s a huge nuke +Damage up buff.

But when thinking of it in a priority system it looks like this:

  1. Standard Step
  2. OGCD Fan Dances
  3. Reverse Cascade and Fountainfall procs
  4. Cascade into Fountain basic combo spam.

L60 Dancer AoE Rotation

This is essentially a mirror of the single target rotation, just using different skills.

Your basic AoE rotation loop looks something like this:

  1. Windmill > Bladeshower praying for procs.
  2. Rising Windmill and BLOODshower used ASAP hoping for Fourfold Feather.
  3. Have Feathers? Use Fan Dance II in between GCD’s.
  4. Standard Step is up? Use it. It’s a huge nuke +Damage up buff.

AoE rotation priority thought process:

  1. Standard Step
  2. OGCD Fan Dance II
  3. Rising Windmill & Blood Shower procs
  4. Windmill into Bladeshower basic AoE combo spam.

It all seems a little weird at first but it’s quite intuitive after a little while.

Go to top

Dancer L60 skill by skill explanation and binding tips

Here, we bind your actions and help you understand them
IN THE ORDER THEY APPEAR.

Job ActionsRole Actions

If you need it, we have a skill table at Dancer General Guide.

Cascade – Your basic attack. For all intents and purposes is the “1” binding. You’ll be pressing this a lot. It combos into two possible branches so keep that into consideration. Part of your ‘dance step’ binds too.

Fountain – Your basic combo link from cascade. “2” binding. Part of your ‘dance step’ binds too.

Windmill – An AoE mirror of your basic attack. It’s the first skill in your AoE combo. This also has two possible branches. Part of your ‘dance step’ binds too. While I would usually recommend this to your defaul ‘AoE’ buttons, there are dance steps to consider (read the next skill).

Standard Step (short cooldown) – Heavy single target attack. Transforms your basic combos (Cascade, Fountain, Windmill, and Blade Shower) into “Dance Steps”. Meaning you should be very comfortable pressing any of these 4 skills in any order as your dances will use these skills as “steps” like a rhythm game. Also gives a damage up buff!

Reverse Cascade – a chance to combo from your basic combo Cascade, which has a chance to gain you a Fourfold Feather.

Blood Shower – the continuation of your AoE combo from Windmill. The final part of possible dance step binds.

Fan Dance – Use up a Fourfold Feather to deal single target damage. You can think of it as a “possible endpoint for your chance based combo”.

En Avant (short cooldown) – A dashing movement skill that does no damage. Bind it comfortably!

Curing Waltz (cooldown) – Double AoE cure centered around you and your dance partner. Very useful, and shouldn’t be hard to press.

Shield Samba (long cooldown) – Magic AoE dampening effect for your party. Very useful in raids, but it’s long cooldown suggest a further keybinding.

Closed Position (short cooldown) – designate a party member as your dance partner. You wont change this up very often mid-fight unless you’re a tryhard of the highest level (aligning dance partners to DPS cooldowns). Shouldn’t be too hard to click though, as you should redesignate a dance partner in the untimely death of your current one.

I’ll loosely discuss these Ranged DPS Role Actions in relation to Dancer.

Second Wind (Long cooldown): A heavy self-heal that can literally save your life in raids. I would bind it somewhere in the “6-7” tier. Not pressed too often, but should never be out of reach.

Peloton: A luxury skill that’s useful to walk faster out of combat in dungeons, towns, or the world map. Clicking this is fine.

Arm’s Length (Long cooldown): A very niche skill for Dancer, clicking this should be fine as you will very rarely find Raids wherein this is useful, and even then only a minimal amount of times in a fight.

Head Graze: Can be very useful in dungeons and some raids, tho very rarely still. It’s good to get used to this, and you may need to find space in your binding for it. But, almost every other class can interrupt too… It’s a tough call. Maybe click on it until your group needs it badly.

Leg Graze, Foot Graze: Are barely used outside of soloing. I wouldn’t put a specific Binding to these that you would be hassled for. Clicking would suffice.

Go to top

Dancer L60+ How new skills affect rotation

I’ll add to this very soon.

Go to top

WELL THATS IT FOR NOW. I’ll definitely be adding information. Good luck wrangling your Fresh L60+ Dancer Leveling Rotation!!!!