Dual Pistol Gunslinger Build Is Extremely Underpowered After Patch Update

[karmic coral]

I have two perfect high-quality weapons. Apart from boss exclusive equipment and gems, my current gear setup can already be regarded as top-end endgame equipment. All my attributes are stacked towards attack: over 600 ATK, 96% critical rate, 194% critical damage, 260 mul, 188 ASPD, 30% ranged damage bonus, and 92% skill damage bonus.😎 However, my DPS on the training dummy is only 181k. 😭 Compared with other builds, other classes, as well as my own 310k DPS before the update, isn’t my build far too underpowered now?

I understand that to deal high damage as Gunslinger nowadays, players have to switch weapon builds rapidly during skill cooldowns to cast various skills continuously, then switch back once cooldowns reset. The problem is that Dual Pistol build cannot gain any bonus effects from weapon switching at all. Weapon switching provides 20% critical rate, which I already have enough of. The 20% Panic Burst bonus is far too insignificant. I have to rely on skills from other builds to output damage, so what value does the Dual Pistol build even have left?😂

Besides, the biggest advantage of Dual Pistol Gunslinger used to be fast map clearing with mobility, being able to cast area damage skills while moving. Now this only advantage has disappeared. Panic Burst has slower casting speed and fewer uses. In high-level maps, I can only eliminate monsters one by one using Fan Fire and normal attacks. Meanwhile Fan Fire receives no additional bonuses from any other skills, plus monsters now have defense stats, making my map clearing efficiency drop severely.😭

Most importantly, I don’t want to tap my keyboard frantically like a pianist just to restore my original DPS. 🙁 What’s worse, even if I keep switching weapons and casting skills non-stop like an octopus, my DPS is merely over 300k. It is unbelievably much weaker than before. Meanwhile my defensive and survival abilities are still as lacking as before.

I have some suggestions, same as what others have mentioned before. How about auto-switching weapons when using skills of other gun types? Players don’t need to press an extra button, and it can also encourage players to use the weapon-switch skill which is core to Gunslinger.Also please raise the skill multipliers a little. Current Dual Pistol DPS can hardly go over 200k.Gunslingers have to develop other weapons for weapon swapping, which brings high progression difficulty. Its DPS shouldn’t be on par with other classes, should it?

The official update announcement clearly stated the damage ranking: Shinobi/Gunslinger > Berserker/Wizard/Necro > Priest/Weaver > Paladin
I sincerely hope you can keep your original balance commitment.🙏

[sand canopy]

@rotund notch

[alpine basin]

have you tried using different artifacts? and making use of elemental cards?

[karmic coral]

I've tried elemental artifacts and cards, but without elemental gems, the improvement isn't significant, and versatility and survivability are even worse. 🥲 Before the update, my 310k DPS didn't use anything elemental either. The Dual Pistol build is genuinely much weaker now.

[rotund notch]

Heya, yes everyone (besides Weaver) pretty much has lower dps with the stat squish/rebalance. The gear meta also shifted in some cases and builds will have to adapt. However no one is relatively weak, as everyone is closer in balance now.

In your case I can suggest a few things to work on to optimize: 188 aspd is a bit low for an AA based build that has a significant +agi amp in kit with Inner Focus, you will want to go for higher with +1 aspd cap in shoes and/or Sting Card to get to at least 191 (192 is also a good option with agi gear). You also have a relatively weak mainhand for atk value (which is used to determine skill damage) - something like a Whisper of Thorns will improve damage output (and gives you venom coating for extra poison damage).

Make sure you're using slow trap - it now has a vulnerability debuff which greatly increases damage output. You also may not want to purely stack crit with Furybrand, elemental artifacts are worth more damage value especially since you already can hit everything (the main value of crit previously was that it covered hit requirements).

[karmic coral]

Alright, I'll give it a try. Right now about 80% of my damage comes from skills. The reason my attack is low is mainly that I use the Flintlock Pistol for high mul and crit, as well as the bonus to Fan Fire which accounts for the largest portion of my damage. The reason I don't use elemental gems is that I don't have any 😂. Maybe it would be better for me to switch to an auto-attack focused build? Anyway, I'll test it out.
I also hope you can improve build balance as soon as possible. Keep it up, I support you (please consider adding auto weapon swap).❤️

[hybrid vapor]

you should update your gear this is only pistol with shotgun its 500k

[humble bluff]

Wouldn't it be better instead of the attack skills have buffs on them you get a buff based on your last weapon? Pistol gives Crit Chance, Shotgun Damage or spread, Rifle Crit Damage and Gatling ATSPD and Launcher Status Damage

[abstract bough]

All of those amount to attack skills getting a buff except for spread

[quartz tapir]

Would pressing the skill for a specifc weapon type auto-switch to that weapon be considered? Currently if you get the wrong-weapon type message during farming would equal instant death where healing / survivability mostly comes from leeching hp. (basically dual loadout would be a passive instead?)

biggest example would be the jump shot to a mob pack > point black > (fail to swap due to lag / whatever) > incorrect weapon type == dead

[abstract bough]

In that scenario you should be swapped to shotgun already and use shotguns jump skill

If lag prevented you from casting swap skill, auto swap would be the same result. You'd be dead before the switch happened

[quartz tapir]

i'm talking about the swap back to pistols, for shotgun buff to panic burst

[quartz tapir]

there would be no extra step in between point blank damage and panic burst

[unreal ether]

@abstract bough say “not ganna happen(auto swap)” still sad 😢