Companions After Mod 2

xcessiveforce40

Now that mod 2 has been here for almost 2 weeks, I wanted to ask for your feedback concerning companions, stats and genuine usefulness.

I've noticed companions like the Vicious Dire Wolf and Cleric are actually decent now. The wolf interrupts the bosses in all of the new Dread Ring instances and the healer kites melee adds which is fun to watch.

Has anyone tried Recovery enchants post mod 2? We know that before Recovery did very little to increase the number
of casts per minute. (less than 1 extra cast or feat per minute).

The Storm Rider companion is also a great addition with decent dps for a companion. I will use ACT later on to get some actual DPS numbers. Pre Mod 2 the ViciousDireWolf was my favorite with an Average of 180-200 dps most fights. Not bad if it stayed alive and out of the red.

Cheers,

StevenX

rapticor

xcessiveforce40 wrote: »

Now that mod 2 has been here for almost 2 weeks, I wanted to ask for your feedback concerning companions, stats and genuine usefulness.

I've noticed companions like the Vicious Dire Wolf and Cleric are actually decent now. The wolf interrupts the bosses in all of the new Dread Ring instances and the healer kites melee adds which is fun to watch.

This is actually pretty annoying for melee characters. Especially on my TR since it seems every time Duelist Flurry triggers on the third hit the mob has been trained away and I'm left attacking air.

bendalek

rapticor wrote: »

This is actually pretty annoying for melee characters. Especially on my TR since it seems every time Duelist Flurry triggers on the third hit the mob has been trained away and I'm left attacking air.

I think this is what Cryptic actually planned ... The Dire Wolf for instance, though it was released way before the HR, is **** near the perfect companion for a HR, keeping enemies at a distance so you can use the extra DPS from the Archery tree to full advantage, and also keep the HR from being squished. ('cause HR's are veeerryy squishy)

Though the humble CD nursemaid is handy, saving you a small fortune on pots, she doesn't really add anything to the HR's battles ...
Like a DC using one of the "tank' pets or a GF using a ranged de-buff pet, it's a matter of finding the right companion to suit your class AND most importantly your playstyle.

tornnomar

As a TR, I have learned to use the magnetic generic cleric to some advantage when in certain situations. I do find myself not rushing to defend her, or get things off of her anymore because she can evade now. I have ditched Duelist Flurry entirely in favor of tossing a few daggers. I've found that I can regain the attention of an enemy if they turn away by tossing a few daggers at it. Its actually comical in some respects, because it will turn towards her, I toss a dagger, it turns back to me, then to her, dagger toss, back to me before it finally makes a decision as to who its going to attack.
Zombie Hulks seem immune to this though. No matter what I do, they seem just seem hell-bent on destroying clerics. So I usually have to chase them around.

Its like they used the same programming for all the companions, regardless of type/class. I don't mind my man-at-arms flying into battle. he can take a beating and deal some at-times useful damage. That's his job. My cleric, who can do an amazing 2 points of damage every 4 hours, has no business flying into battle often times ahead of me!
But I've learned to deal with it, because there are times where she's sent me a bit of love that has saved my bacon on a few occasions.

bendalek

Zombie Hulks and Cleric Disciples ... hmmm, there's something going on there o.0 ...

Although when I ran the new Stormrider (archer) pet with my GF she got good numbers and rarely stole aggro, the ZH's still seemed to prefer her though ... Must be something about those Hulks, It's a bit ... ewww ... really.

drakefriend

I really like the changes to the companions they did with Mod2.

I'm not talking numbers. I'm a PVE player whose CW has much too high a GS to be called reasonable. I don't care about fine tuning my companions to get that + 0.0005% of DPS that will improve the damage I make.
I just like the fact that my toon has a companion, and I prefer a pretty and/or fun one over an ugly bonus bringer.

Many many thanks to the people who fixed the Kelemnvor Acolyte. She's my favourite by far : she's pretty, she heals me, she takes aggro from some mobs and she has stopped spamming her ZING thing every 7 seconds. Many many thanks for that, for I can now use again my favourite companion.
She also is much more cautious and does her best to avoid enemies' red zones. Of course, she then steps often into other mobs' aggro zone, and it's not a rare occurence when I have to fight several mobs at once. I love that. First because it brings some impredictability to the otherwise repetitive grinding, and then because it forces me to think about my tactics and plan precisely how to clean a zone where I'll be able to teleport at will outside of red zones while minimizing the risk of attracting other mobs, even before I attack my target.

The same goes for my other favourite, the little fairy I bought with the Feywild pack. She's much more agressive and efficient than before. And she also often attacks nearby mobs. I know many would not find this desirable, but I love it.
Plus I love the fact that she seems to be able to actually do some damage in a fight.

Thanks also for fixing somewhat the Neverember's gard's shield. It still doesn't change as the guard progresses, which is a pity given the great shields that exist in the game, but the new texture is still an improvement over the past one.

The Arachnea, could still use some fine tuning : her habit of speaking one of her 3 sentences each and every time she shape changes (which she does several times in a single fight) gets on my nerves real fast. After 15 minutes, I just can't stand it anymore.

Now, will I buy more companions ?
I don't know. I like sexy girls running around my toon (yeah, yeah, I know...), and the rust monster is anything but sexy.
Besides, my 5 active slots are full, so I don't see the point of buying one more companion to let it take dust in my inventory, I already have 4 companions there.
So, may be I'll get more if more active slots are added, or if the collection ratings finally get used for something useful, or if they come up with some really sexy one. ^^

Ok, this post is finished, so you can call me a perv. May the guy who never played a female toon just to watch her shapely forms move in the center of his screen throw me the first stone. ^^

ranncore

Zombie hulks ignore threat and aggro generation.

vasdamas

I definitely like what they did to companions AI in this module. I have 30 lvl renegade envoker with 1k crit. 800 regen and 450 life steal. I toss him at solo dungeon bosses in Dead Ring sometimes lol

I just wish they had a little higher damage. Even with Boar, Jagged blade, Ghost and Cold Iron warrior in the active slots, the damage my Invoker dealt wasn't as high as I really wanted

terhikki

Tbh I would like to use different companions in different places but like before, all solo content is made so easy that it doesn't really matter with what you run.

Though I just keep my pig sometimes around because he is such a sweetie.

But I was hoping new content to have really some challenge but no. Usually I just run with stone/cat because there is no point changing to anything.

mehguy138

New companion AI sucks: when they are trying to kite, they gather mobs from the entire location.

yokihiro

New AI is much better, but still some extra work is needed. For example in one of the mini-dungeons in Dread Ring one boss places a red area on the ground that burns you over a very long time. The cleric disciple doesn't move out of the circle and you can see him slowly dying by the DoT. They always die there and the only thing they needed to do is walk 2 meters to left or right. They don't have to make companions dodge kings that can predict red areas and dodge them, but it would be good if a companion, that stands in a red zone for 2 seconds starts to move.

vortix44

Even carbon-based entities have a hard time with red zones.
The ground becomes red under you feet, you want to go away but you have to wait for the animation of your current action, then you have to choose where to go. And maybe two seconds later the red paint on your crrent location will have disappeared, while the safe place where you were intending to go to will be a crossroad of red cones. And then maybe it was better to stay where you were after all.

rapticor

Nah, that's not the issue with the Jawbone encounter. The red circle is there like 30 seconds and acts like a DoT and the companion just sits there flailing her arms taking damage, which I admit does look pretty funny, until she finally ends up dying.

drakefriend

Well, she'll follow you if you run away, I guess. So you, as the hero, have to give direction to your companions.