Alphonse Knox companion

darksilent15

as i am sure most of you have seen this companion and most of you have looked to see it already be 35 million in the AH, granted it comes with a lot of goodies but i would rather buy this guy off the zen store even without the extras. Come on already and put him in the zen store

jganth

How is this even fair? Looks more like a 1%'er game to me.

kreatyve

It's an AD sink. It's doing what it was meant to do.

pitshade

Apart from AC clerics and Paladins, it isn't that good of a pet. No debuff that I know of and no +% Damage Active or equivalent. Basically it is a vanity item for people that want to impress the sort of people that are impressed by such things.

noworries

pitshade said:

Apart from AC clerics and Paladins, it isn't that good of a pet. No debuff that I know of and no +% Damage Active or equivalent. Basically it is a vanity item for people that want to impress the sort of people that are impressed by such things.

One of the attacks has the debuff the dancing shield companion has, but without the taunt.

shadoewrayth

You're joking, right? He has multiple AoE attacks, is a defender, and if he has the debuff too? He becomes a BiS tank companion for anyone that wants to use a defender tank companion! I'd use him without even a thought, and have played this game since it came out, with a few breaks here and there... only, I never exploited the AD stuff, played reasonable amounts, etc, so I don't have a ton of AD, and don't have a bunch of real cash, either. So, no matter how much I want this companion, or anything, I will still not have him. Wonder if anyone else feels a bit uncomfortable about how the only people who will be able to get him will be people who abused/took advantage of the system and are now the actual problem? They are being rewarded for having stockpiled such ridiculous wealth through exploiting and abusing the system. That is just awesome.

cdnbison

He's also listed as having Wicked Strike, which is the debuff the SwordTrio have, isn't it?

Regardless, to the OP - at the *current* price of 35M AD, that's 70,000 Zen. Or $700. And it's only day 1 of 5. This way, they'll skim a bit of AD out of the system, someone gets a cool toy, and we all go home happy.

I *do* hope his stats are a sign of companion stats being reworked, though. 2k at Legendary, 1k at epic, 500 at rare, 250 at uncommon? That's not terrible...

shadoewrayth

cdnbison said:

we all go home happy.

Not all of us. I've wanted him for years, hoped he would pop back up in the store for a reasonable amount, or start dropping, or something. Instead, let's throw together the insane price of the Hunter's Pack 10K Zen ($100), and now Knox 35M (or $700)... wondering if perhaps for the foreseeable future PWE is trying to push the costs of items to the insane levels (possible since mobile games often have packages priced at $100+). At the very least, these items are giving real benefit to those with cash/AD to blow, which is a very disturbing trend... worst case is that this shows they have no idea how to fix the system without alienating those 1%ers, so, instead, they put out packages that actually reward the ones who are the problem, those that exploited the broken system.

If any proof is needed, look and see this is a PC only thing, why? Because the random stuff has been completely broken/nonexistent on console since console launched, and only recently got fixed. This has caused the console Zen Exchange to have such a complete demand for AD, that it is instant to put AD in and buy Zen, literally INSTANT, and at a price of 460'ish, not 500 and trying to go higher than that! They have no truly wealthy people on console, because the broken system never existed.

But, on PC, it did, and players abused it, and are now being rewarded for doing so, while those who did not, are effectively punished (since they have played just as long, and did everything above board, but aren't able to enjoy these things). So, no, not happy.

kreatyve

shadoewrayth said:

You're joking, right? He has multiple AoE attacks, is a defender, and if he has the debuff too? He becomes a BiS tank companion for anyone that wants to use a defender tank companion! I'd use him without even a thought, and have played this game since it came out, with a few breaks here and there... only, I never exploited the AD stuff, played reasonable amounts, etc, so I don't have a ton of AD, and don't have a bunch of real cash, either. So, no matter how much I want this companion, or anything, I will still not have him. Wonder if anyone else feels a bit uncomfortable about how the only people who will be able to get him will be people who abused/took advantage of the system and are now the actual problem? They are being rewarded for having stockpiled such ridiculous wealth through exploiting and abusing the system. That is just awesome.

Not all the super-rich in game have abused the system to get that way. While yes, I believe there are quite a few that have, I know a lot of people who are super rich in the game and have earned their AD legit.

shadoewrayth said:

cdnbison said:

we all go home happy.

Not all of us. I've wanted him for years, hoped he would pop back up in the store for a reasonable amount, or start dropping, or something. Instead, let's throw together the insane price of the Hunter's Pack 10K Zen ($100), and now Knox 35M (or $700)... wondering if perhaps for the foreseeable future PWE is trying to push the costs of items to the insane levels (possible since mobile games often have packages priced at $100+). At the very least, these items are giving real benefit to those with cash/AD to blow, which is a very disturbing trend... worst case is that this shows they have no idea how to fix the system without alienating those 1%ers, so, instead, they put out packages that actually reward the ones who are the problem, those that exploited the broken system.

If any proof is needed, look and see this is a PC only thing, why? Because the random stuff has been completely broken/nonexistent on console since console launched, and only recently got fixed. This has caused the console Zen Exchange to have such a complete demand for AD, that it is instant to put AD in and buy Zen, literally INSTANT, and at a price of 460'ish, not 500 and trying to go higher than that! They have no truly wealthy people on console, because the broken system never existed.

But, on PC, it did, and players abused it, and are now being rewarded for doing so, while those who did not, are effectively punished (since they have played just as long, and did everything above board, but aren't able to enjoy these things). So, no, not happy.

The epic version of Sgt Knox has been dropping from dungeons ever since keygate. They were quite cheap for a while too.

As for the "PC only thing", I suspect that this is just "for now" and will be hitting consoles at some point in the future.

pitshade

noworries#8859 said:

pitshade said:

Apart from AC clerics and Paladins, it isn't that good of a pet. No debuff that I know of and no +% Damage Active or equivalent. Basically it is a vanity item for people that want to impress the sort of people that are impressed by such things.

One of the attacks has the debuff the dancing shield companion has, but without the taunt.

That's good since at least whoever buys it can show it off without having to run a non debuff pet.

shadoewrayth

pitshade said:

noworries#8859 said:

pitshade said:

Apart from AC clerics and Paladins, it isn't that good of a pet. No debuff that I know of and no +% Damage Active or equivalent. Basically it is a vanity item for people that want to impress the sort of people that are impressed by such things.

One of the attacks has the debuff the dancing shield companion has, but without the taunt.

That's good since at least whoever buys it can show it off without having to run a non debuff pet.

Kind of the problem... he's the only tank companion that pretty much has everything a DPS/Healer could want. He has AoE attacks (multiple), he has the debuff, he has damage resistances and tons of HP. The only thing he needs is to be backed up by prospector/duergar to give him +50% taunt on all of his attacks (yet again, AoE, so he effectively tanks and debuffs all enemies??) What is there to not want?

cdnbison

jganth said:

How is this even fair? Looks more like a 1%'er game to me.

When you log in, start looking up the prices of that stuff on the AH:
3x r14 Bondings - let's say 6M each (18M)
3x +4 IG gear - 2M each (6M)
Desired Epic companion - 1M
- who is then upgraded to legendary - 1M
- and has a nifty skin - 1M+

Total: 27M AD. Currently, bidding was last mentioned to be at 35M, and it's only day one. The gear is all obtainable with some work (and RNG luck), ditto the stone. The debuff on this Knox isn't anything new. The only new thing is the look. And people are willing to pay for that. Fine by me. It'll shave some AD from the system, and be something to watch for while out questing.

If someone has put that kind of cash aside, good on them. they've obviously been busy doing *something* (whether it's grinding dungeons, playing the AH, or Mastercrafting).

cdnbison

shadoewrayth said:

cdnbison said:

we all go home happy.

Not all of us. I've wanted him for years, hoped he would pop back up in the store for a reasonable amount, .

I think the price has shot up with this event, but he was routinely available on the AH for quite some time, at a semi-reasonable price, given the rarity (~500k, last time I looked, and not this skin, mind you, but the old epic version, as he now occasionally drops in dungeons).

geno82

Have the epic Knox the debuff to? I test my Knox but I see nothing debuff but the attacks the same... Can u say me what wrong?

kemnimtarkas

I'm all for it. I think it's a much more positive way to try and drain some excess AD out of the system than some of the more draconian efforts attempted in the past (see Leadership and RAD nerfs).

I'm sure a big part of this is to address the stubborn ZAX, still sitting at over 7 million Zen orders at the max rate. Remember when we occasionally saw an exchange rate BELOW the max rate on PC?

If your life revolves around always being top Paingiver in a dungeon or skirmish - maybe this will be a source of heartburn. But for me it's - meh - no big deal.

plasticbat

It is an AD sink.
If one considers certain players have too much AD, this helps to reduce their "too much" AD.
If one considers he himself cannot get it and jelly about it, consider this as lucky draw and you did not win.
If one considers this is Bis and cannot get it, there are many things that are BiS that you want but cannot get it at the moment of the hype. Get used to it.

qexotic

I think a few people need to read the blog post about this NEW companion. He's a bit different to the Sgt Knox companion that you can pick up as an Epic Companion on the AH. For starters, he has three offense slots instead of two defense and one offense. You can provide him with two rings and a neck piece instead of a waist and two sword knots. Oh and he has 1k Power and 1k Armour Penetration as his active bonus. Read all about him here:

https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/neverwinter/news/detail/10951333-alphonse-knox-in-auction-house!

hustin1

I can't speak for the new one but the older Sergeant Knox one is a pretty good defender companion. One of my squishy CW's uses him to keep enemies off her.

vorphied

shadoewrayth said:

Kind of the problem... he's the only tank companion that pretty much has everything a DPS/Healer could want. He has AoE attacks (multiple), he has the debuff, he has damage resistances and tons of HP. The only thing he needs is to be backed up by prospector/duergar to give him +50% taunt on all of his attacks (yet again, AoE, so he effectively tanks and debuffs all enemies??) What is there to not want?

Tank companions have limited use in the early game and none in the late game, so many players do not want or need anything from this particular companion that others don't already do; he's primarily a collectible (and arguably a BiS power share companion, but not remotely practical for the investment currently required).

That being said, a less restrictive companion system that allowed for mixing and matching of bonuses could be a fun way to satisfy players who like collecting and displaying unique companion skins but are at least somewhat concerned with effective gameplay.

thefiresidecat

for those who say there are no mega wealthy on console they're wrong. there are. there are plenty of ways to be mega wealthy without exploit. I also have no problem with this. they've flat out given away really rare items in the past. what's wrong with having some really rare things sold. really rare things will always be the realm of the 1 percent.

BOOM

life lesson.

callumf

Wow. Just. WOW.

So this companion was put there by the developers as a one-off?

That's close to being genius - not saying its good or bad, just I haven't come across this type of thing in an MMO before.

wilbur626

noworries#8859 said:

pitshade said:

Apart from AC clerics and Paladins, it isn't that good of a pet. No debuff that I know of and no +% Damage Active or equivalent. Basically it is a vanity item for people that want to impress the sort of people that are impressed by such things.

One of the attacks has the debuff the dancing shield companion has, but without the taunt.

Is the debuff attack special for this super-rare Sgt Knox ?

natethedragon

I here declare my options, of the certificate that Lord Neverember handed me upon saving his lands and recovering the treasures of the River District, entitlement to the partnership of Knox and the released treasury.

cerberusxll

callumf#9018 said:

Wow. Just. WOW.

So this companion was put there by the developers as a one-off?

That's close to being genius - not saying its good or bad, just I haven't come across this type of thing in an MMO before.

close to being genius isn't really what they should have been aiming for. what's better than being close to being genius, is actually being genius.

make this pack THE must have pack for all players, incentivise players to WANT to own it, but make everything in it account-bound.

they could have taken tons more AD out of circulation if they had put it on the bazaar for a fraction of the price and offer more players the chance to buy it.

the fact that the current buyout bid for this item sits at 35m tells me that to someone somewhere, 35m AD is loose change, and whoever currently holds the highest bid, he's not alone. the most they can take out of circulation with this is 100m, which might seem a lot, but it's really not.

once again, cryptic decides to go fishing with the smallest sized, widest meshed net they could give themselves.

silence1x

cerberusxll said:

the fact that the current buyout bid for this item sits at 35m tells me that to someone somewhere, 35m AD is loose change, and whoever currently holds the highest bid, he's not alone.

If I remember correctly, the last time it was offered, it sold for around 35M AD so that's probably where they got that number.

kreatyve

silence1x said:

cerberusxll said:

the fact that the current buyout bid for this item sits at 35m tells me that to someone somewhere, 35m AD is loose change, and whoever currently holds the highest bid, he's not alone.

If I remember correctly, the last time it was offered, it sold for around 35M AD so that's probably where they got that number.

You are misremembering just a little. When they had the old Sgt Knox companion as "exclusive" on the AH, they listed 5 of them. One went for 30 million, and the other 4 went for 12.3 million to 15 million. This is not the same companion though. It's much better.

The bid on this one started at just 1 AD. I was winning it for a few seconds for 3900 AD. It's been at 35 million for a while now, so I'm not sure if someone is going to outbid that or not.

eodharbinger

Fromt the news post:
" The auction will be posted by Dagult Neverember@LordDagultNeverember and only 1 Companion will be available on the AH at any given time."

Does this mean they will keep posting it every 5 days, or just some undetermined point in the future?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

thefiresidecat

if they were smart they'd keep doing it every five days til people stop paying for it. maybe give him a fresh color every week to keep it unique and teh money big. then when it stops bringing the money do a new pack. there is no reason they couldnt do this indefinitely bringing a steady stream of money out of the economy. to the person talking about boa doesn't matter. selling them isn't creating NEW ad. it's just giving the person some ad back who bought it. the ad "they" paid for it is out of the system.

putting relevant things in the bazaar would also be smart. they could sell packs of 3 14 bonding stones for a mill less than going rate or something. but they already do quarterly must have bazaar sales with the discounts on wonderous bazaar and ppl buying tons of marks there for resale. those sales are probably really good sinks. but yeah they could do more.

kreatyve

eodharbinger#4185 said:

Fromt the news post:
" The auction will be posted by Dagult Neverember@LordDagultNeverember and only 1 Companion will be available on the AH at any given time."

Does this mean they will keep posting it every 5 days, or just some undetermined point in the future?

They are currently planning on posting a total of 10, every 5 days. But that number may change.

shadoewrayth

Or, they might start offering a different 'better' of other companions every 5 days. THAT would drag more AD out of the system, since even the person bidding on the current companion offered could possibly want to bid on the NEXT one as well! AND, it would keep the bidding extremely competitive, instead of it slowly dropping each time.