Explaining the Viscous Shield Bug - Spiritborn is getting a 90-95% Damage Fix in the Near Future

I've noticed a lot of focus around Shielding a'la Soulbrand and other mechanics relating to Barrier Generation lately in discussions about Viscous Shield.

This is technically an incorrect take on how the bug is operating and it's actually much worse than most think.

All of us Spiritborn are in for a rude awakening soon. When this bug is fixed, we'll be doing anywhere from 1/5th to 1/10th to even 1/20th or more of our current damage. It's going to hurt.