I never paid much attention to this one-point skill in the past because your shield recharges anyway while piloting Iron Bear, and a few people might not want their shields recharged (looking at you, melee Amara) in coop games.
But just moments ago on Sanctuary, I briefly tested a theory that crossed my mind and it looks as though it could actually work, with FCoWA being the star of the show believe it or not! If I get time to record a demonstration later on, I’ll do so. But for now, I’ll explain step-by-step how this theory works out:
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Equip a Stop Gap (level doesn’t matter, mine is 50 with a base capacity of 9k) and go in fighting or hurt yourself until your shield breaks. Make sure you also have Tenacious Defense, it’s a must!
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Enter Iron Bear to trigger Full Can of Whoop-Ass and give it anywhere between 2-5 seconds before you exit (or longer depending on your max shield capacity.)
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If you time it correctly, your Stop Gap will be back to full by the time you exit IB.
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Use Vampyr (or another form of health restoration if you have it) to top off your health before your Stop Gap breaks again.
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For extra synergy and effectiveness, use Auto Bear; for extra DPS and extra cover if you need to hide somewhere for the shield to fully replenish. Dakka Bear also works for this!
Pros of this method:
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Nowhere near as gear-dependent as the Immortal Moze build - you can do this without a Bloodletter COM and without a Loaded Dice relic (I conducted my test with a Blast Master COM and a Victory Rush relic!) You just need a Stop Gap shield so it might as well be a lvl 50 version, but it’s best to get one that doesn’t have bonus max capacity in the stats.
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This alternative method of immortality involves more of Moze’s skills and their synergy than it does specific gear (Full Can of Whoop-Ass, Tenacious Defense, Vampyr, Auto Bear) and can potentially fit in seamlessly with any build that treats Iron Bear like a pet with a brief cooldown.
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You can make this method even more effective either with Behind the Iron Curtain or extra shield recharge rate from your COM and/or relic.
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You can also make this method more effective with Grizzled or extra cooldown rate from your COM and/or relic. Or if you want your CD to go into hyperdrive, the GR perk Topped Off makes this ludicrously easy to pull off!
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This is a huge bonus I didn’t even know was a thing - when you exit Iron Bear as early as possible, FCoWA not only keeps on going for a few seconds, but it STILL RECHARGES DESPITE SUSTAINING DAMAGE! At least on Sanctuary when testing it out, I was damaging myself but the skill was active and was constantly recharging the shield!
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Even if you exit Iron Bear too early, FCoWA will still be active to recharge your shield despite sustaining damage and you can hop on Iron Bear’s back with Dakka Bear to enjoy more immunity and make sure the shield is recharged for definite!
Cons of this method:
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If your timing with Iron Bear entry and exit is off, there’s a small % chance that you won’t be immortal.
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Not automated or fluid like the Immortal Moze build; you have to keep an eye on your shields and your cooldown.
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Because Tenacious Defense is required, you also have to be careful about how you progress down the SoR tree; I only had 2 points each in Thin Red Line and Vladof Ingenuity when conducting this test.
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Phalanx Doctrine is a question mark - as long as your shield is full before you start gaining stacks, the Stop Gap shield will still save you when it breaks. However, the more stacks you have, the longer it takes for FCoWA to do its job. You invest in PD at your own peril!