Was thinking about what the dev's noted and it sounds like having the Bulwark function as a healer in any capacity was never intended (which is ridiculous considering no other class has a heal and no class other than vanguard can recover health). It sounds like they wanted the class to be a tank...but theres no aggression mechanic in the game. Bulwark is easily my favorite class and I think to create a sense of tankiness, heres what I would do:

Upon use of the Banner-

1. Make the banner taunt all area (so larger than the armor restore radius) enemies to go into a MELEE rage against the Bulwark
2. Give all team members instant full armor (4 armor slots) 
3. Make the bulwarks block unbreakable, for the full duration of the banner, from all attacks

To me, this needs to be coupled with a rework of one of the bulwarks perks, so that upon shield bash an enemy is taunted for 10 seconds to the bulwark (see same exact talent in Darktide for Ogryn). 

I think this will give the bulwark that tank feeling without making him weak or easily picked off and will all him to act as a sort of regular interaction starter that allows the team to pick off some baddies while they focus on him.

​Bulwark is a prime candidate for something like Titus' class skill in the campaign. That is if devs want to remove banner entirely. If they want to keep the banner but remove heal-banner then they need to buff it a lot. CDR, massively increase radius, debuff enemies in radius.. etc.. They also need to involve the shield in the Bulwark's weapon combos, maybe buff the shield immensely when the banner is down... send majoris flying with a bash..

I personally think that the banner should provide a slow (like maybe 50% or even just 30% over the course of the entire banner) contested health recovery.

They said they never intended the class to be "the healer" and admit they should never have made the perk in the first place given how "essential" it has become. (due entirely to their complete lack of healing on any class other than vanguard seriously everyone should have 5% heal on majoris execute and vanguard should have the option to double that or use one of the other perks... I mean the grapnel auto-execute 33% is very nice, I already liked it at 25%)

​

These are my suggested changes:

Add an effect to Banner that taunts enemies to attack the Bulwark while active (even if he is not in the area). 

Add a slow and small contested health regen effect to the banner for the duration (30% if you are in it from beginning to end seems like a fair staring point. This means Glory's Shield that extends duration would yield about 36% contested health so not a major reason to take it over something else just for that extra healing)

Change Invigorating Icon to be a pulse on drop and when it expires that boosts the armor of those in the area, same as an armor boost pickup. Due to this, keep the -50% CD penalty as granting instant armor restore and boost warrants a longer CD in my opinion.

Ensure Rapid Regeneration still provides that 30% contested health over the course of the banner otherwise it is a mostly useless perk (frankly it already is mostly useless as the banner restores armor plenty fast) to that end also cause Rapid Regeneration to essentially keep any within it at constantly full armor, it is currently far too slow on Lethal+ (it basically makes it the Ruthless and under normal banner currently since Lethal+ has a nerf to banner's armor restore effect the perk essentially just reverts that which is not worth a shorter duration in comparison to Focused Strength)

Replace Concussive Force with Stalwart Fury (merely a suggested name) which would be: While Banner is active, the Bulwark's Shield Stance becomes Impenetrable (meaning the shield can block anything and the Bulwark will not be staggered or lose control from blocking) and Shield Slam deals 400% more damage (the 200% Concussive Force provides is frankly not enough and I think only having a much larger buff large buff to the shield slam while the banner is up is a fair compromise). This makes it competitive with Rapid Regeneration and Focused Strength, its two competing perks (I am a Focused Strength enjoyer due to the guarantee of causing gunstrikes on minoris and this change would actually cause me to consider swapping off it. Rapid Regeneration is useless currently but with the suggested change to Icon it would make the armor boost pules happen faster which could be a boon to some playstyles)

The 10% HP buff in 6.2 is nice but honestly I think in order for Bulwark to be the tank you (meaning the devs) want him to be he instead should just get a 10% damage reduction. meaning +20% HP and 10% damage reduction. If that is too strong it could always just be ranged damage reduction in which case make it 15%.

I have made an ideas post.

I may be also in the minority, but I also think, that this contested health banner stuff should go away and be replaced with something else

There are good suggestions here as well, how to replace it - being it just slowly regenerating the cont.health or others.

It can even provide for example also:

- ability charge regeration for teammates (every second +5-10%),

- movement speed buff,

- higher fire rate / melee weapon speed (this ability is really neglected in this game. I always thought that the perks should have also this option for some weapons),

- decoy - enemies will be drawn to the banner not attacking the marines for xy seconds,

- combinations of various buffs, etc.

After it, the devs can then introduce the Apothecary class or whatnot for healing (or perks- prestige perks or other).

Don't get rid of it, If people don't like it they simply don't have to use it

​

Shining_Darkness wrote:

I personally think that the banner should provide a slow (like maybe 50% or even just 30% over the course of the entire banner) contested health recovery.

^This. Have the perk give you contested health like it gives you armour, very slowly rising. So you have to keep doing damage in the banner area to make your health go up or you'll just lose the contested health like you normally do. That way you can still go back to full HP but it's not easy mode where you can do it straight away on an execute.

OR

10-15% health recovery for every Majoris or higher enemy you kill in the banner zone. Making it like this will mix well with other perks that make the banner last longer. After all the whole point of the banner is to create an area to stay in, not just to put the banner down, execute and move on leaving the banner behind.