My experience with Gunlance in this demo is so up and down, hah. Reminds me a bit of how it felt to use it back in 3U, it's weird how it feels very distinct from the other blademaster weapons, which is expected, but feels just as different to normal Lance. GL now feels like it's far and away the least mobile weapon in the game, at least going by the current skills in the demo. There's almost no way to cover ground without just sheathing, but I'm starting to do better with it once I realize that more. I still feel a little wary of considering it for the main rotation this time around though because the combination of moveset and shelling options always leaves me feeling kind of unsure about what exactly I'm supposed to be targeting for damage at any given time. The demo gunlance has six shells so it seems to be a normal type, meaning it's most effective when using the post-slam burst-fire...but does that really mean I should be focusing on doing that as much as I can? Should I still be putting most of my stock into lance-thrusts and save the shelling bursts for particular opportunities? Since it's a normal shell type, is it even worth it to go for wyrmstake cannon attacks or any non-burst shelling attacks? So much of the kit feels like it goes unused.
In a way I feel similarly about HBG now with the shot-charging. The bonus damage for fully charging shots definitely make it way more shot-efficient, but in terms of damage over time I'm not sure if it is or isn't worth it to focus on charging shots or just getting several shots in when there's an opportunity instead. It leaves me unsure if I do or don't like the charging as a mechanic, there's a lot of fear of extremely unoptimized play.