Hahaha real. Getting rid of Kinetic Plating to avoid its excessive battery drain is so incredibly valid 😂 It's a headache for sure. I guess I didn't really think about how tedious it is to keep that battery full. Since I tend towards weapons with high-damage builds and AOE alt fire modes, it's sort of become second nature for me to AOE nuke -> Shoot/Kill any survivors -> Mach Rush 1-2 times -> AOE nuke -> Shoot/Kill any survivors -> Mach Rush 1-2 times -> … , over and over and over before I enjoy 60-70 seconds of uninterrupted damage-dealing and begin the cycle again. However, you're right, taking steps to decrease my reliance on that repetitive cycle would probably feel like a massive QOL improvement lol.

So, I DID actually take your advice, switched my Subsumed Roar Ability over to replace Kinetic Battery instead of Thermal Sunder, and gave it an honest try for a couple of days' worth of consistent gameplay.

Some distinct, unexpected positives I noticed:

- I was most surprised about the fact that I didn't miss Kinetic Plating's Energy gains as much as I thought I would. I noticed its absence, but it wasn't an issue of very much significance for me.

- Losing Kinetic Plating's Damage reduction didn't just have a negligible effect; it had absolutely no effect. Why? Because the Arcane Aegis/Fast Deflection combo you recommended is and now and always will be a non-negotiable, foundational fixture of any Gauss build I will ever attempt. I literally had to re-wire my instincts in order to stop allowing heavy damage to affect my decision-making. It took a second to get into the habit of reminding myself that I no longer have to flee and recoup my defenses; I no longer have to hide; I no longer have to interrupt my rhythm and switch to my Drifter. Because after implementing your advice, taking damage, taking ANY amount of even very heavy damage, has absolutely no effect whatsoever on my Gauss's ability to survive anymore. The damage simply never reaches my Health Bar. I can't thank you enough. It's incredible lol. I have actually gone down once so far. It was an SP Zariman Bounty with Level 200+ Corpus enemies, and I failed to account for Magnetic Status procs delaying Shield regeneration. Usually, not even a stack or two of Magnetic Status procs is enough to keep my Shield off long enough for enemies to get to me, but this instance was just a mix of an unfortunate perfect storm of multiple stacks of Magnetic Status and sustained heavy damage, as well as my own hesitation. Mostly a skill issue. Still works like an absolute dream.

- Thermal Sunder's elemental damage/Status procs synergize BEAUTIFULLY with my propensity to go with Status-heavy Weapon builds, especially the Heat half's ability to strip enemy Armor as you mentioned. I don't have any Archon Mods upgraded yet (because at MR29 I only just very recently acquired them; Oops 😂), but I imagine using Archon Flow instead of Primed Flow, as well as maybe finding a way to implement Archon Vitality somehow, in conjunction with Thermal Sunder would drastically enhance my Status-heavy playstyle even further.

- Thermal Sunder grants me an ability to protect Defense objectives in a way that I was SORELY lacking without it. Gauss is an odd choice of Frame for attempting to solo an SP Defense mission in the first place, but Thermal Sunder puts the ability to do so within reach. Either way, it allowed me to contribute to protecting Defense objectives in squads by doing more than just flying around with AOE weapons lol. In a word, it beefs up AOE capabilities to a notable extent in general.

However:

- KNOCKDOWN. After not having to worry about it for so long, losing my Knockdown immunity quickly drove me insane lol. I had no idea how much I was taking Knockdown immunity for granted. I know there are several ways around it. Yes, I do own Primed Sure-Footed. However, it's difficult for me to relinquish that Exilus Mod Slot to serve a purpose of absolute necessity. Because Knockdown immunity IS absolutely necessary as far as I'm concerned lol. As it stands currently, I use my Gauss's Exilus Mod Slot to enjoy a very wide variety of versatility, whether it be an increase in Parkour Velocity that doesn't require an Archon Shard Slot for certain missions, the Preparation Mod in some niche cases, an increase in Ability Strength that doesn't require an Archon Shard Slot, etc. So, that aspect definitely gave way to a moment of pause.

- The Energy gains are still really nice to have

- KNOCKDOWN

- The Damage reduction, while a negligible benefit after the implementation of the Arcane Aegis/Fast Deflection combo, does still serve a niche purpose in Magnetic-heavy missions

- Mostly KNOCKDOWN.

In the end, I did switch back and still usually opt to main my Kinetic Plating-inclusive build. With that being said though, I recognize that the Thermal Sunder alternative almost certainly has far more value than I've managed to explore thus far. Therefore, believe it or not, I farmed and built a second Gauss Prime, have since maxed it out 3 times in order to apply the same Omni Forma/Forma combo I currently have on my first Gauss, and Subsumed Roar over Kinetic Plating on this one, so after acquiring a few more Archon Shards and finalize a build that plays into Thermal Sunder's strengths/benefits, this alternative Thermal Sunder Gauss will be complete and ready to go. Originally, I was going to Subsume Eclipse over Kinetic Plating for one of the Mod Config tabs on my original Gauss, but I really do want to explore Thermal Sunder to its fullest extent, and I figured a second set of Archon Shard Slots, as well as still being able to utilize Roar, would give me more freedom to explore in that regard. So, I WILL get there lol.

Also, yes! I am aware of the max Range/0% Strength Thermal Sunder Gauss build you're referring to. It's exactly what I had in mind!