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Rethinking Henchmen
Archived Post
Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
Short Version:
Make henchmen's abilities dynamic as they level up. Actually LESSEN the amount of damage they do (make it a flat value past a certain level). Instead have them shift towards the role of buffs/debuffs based on their numbers in a fight.
Long Version:
Long while back last year I posted about this. Given the tweaks made recently with the game, I hope Cryptic rethinks the role of henchmen.
With other MMO genres, running against a few regular mobs fits well conceptually. With superheros though, that idea goes against the grain portrayed in most comics. Superheroes should be wiping the floor with minion/henchmen types. It seems CO is leaning towards the 3 henchmen = 1 hero formula at a given level. I hope this does not become the standard.
At a low level, I think the above game concept can work. Sure, tackling 3-5 thugs should be a fair challenge. Eventually though, the idea of getting floored by a villain lackey is a little disheartening. Rather than keeping the concept of the henchman as a damage dealing mob, why not alter the role they have in the game by giving them dynamic buff/debuff abilities?
Level 1-15 in a heroes' career I see henchmen fine as they are. But beyond that, a group of 3 henchmen should be trivial to a hero. So rather than having them continually dish out DPS that constantly scales upwards due to level, taper it off to a maximum value. Have them instead provide buffs and debuffs.
The role of the henchman should shift, so that in groups of 5 or more they grant boons to other villain types (increasing defense and/or damage). The more henchmen in the fight, the larger the buff. This could be altered so that henchmen also grant debuffs to player's defenses (or damage output). A henchman would normally deal a trivial amount of damage, but in enough numbers, they'll slowly scale up to be a threat to a hero.
Now you would have a balancing act in fights. Take out the few special villains quickly and ignore the henchmen, or drop henchmen quickly to even out the fight against tougher villain-types. While a small group of henchmen would be no threat, their numbers would wear down the defenses of a hero. Combined with tougher villains, the group becomes even more dangerous.
So yes, a level 40 hero could easily wipe out several 3 henchmen groups of a similar level without breaking a sweat. But if more jump into the fray, he has to quickly reduce their numbers. If he sits there and does nothing, eventually they are going to whittle down his defenses and start hitting harder and harder.
Make henchmen's abilities dynamic as they level up. Actually LESSEN the amount of damage they do (make it a flat value past a certain level). Instead have them shift towards the role of buffs/debuffs based on their numbers in a fight.
Long Version:
Long while back last year I posted about this. Given the tweaks made recently with the game, I hope Cryptic rethinks the role of henchmen.
With other MMO genres, running against a few regular mobs fits well conceptually. With superheros though, that idea goes against the grain portrayed in most comics. Superheroes should be wiping the floor with minion/henchmen types. It seems CO is leaning towards the 3 henchmen = 1 hero formula at a given level. I hope this does not become the standard.
At a low level, I think the above game concept can work. Sure, tackling 3-5 thugs should be a fair challenge. Eventually though, the idea of getting floored by a villain lackey is a little disheartening. Rather than keeping the concept of the henchman as a damage dealing mob, why not alter the role they have in the game by giving them dynamic buff/debuff abilities?
Level 1-15 in a heroes' career I see henchmen fine as they are. But beyond that, a group of 3 henchmen should be trivial to a hero. So rather than having them continually dish out DPS that constantly scales upwards due to level, taper it off to a maximum value. Have them instead provide buffs and debuffs.
The role of the henchman should shift, so that in groups of 5 or more they grant boons to other villain types (increasing defense and/or damage). The more henchmen in the fight, the larger the buff. This could be altered so that henchmen also grant debuffs to player's defenses (or damage output). A henchman would normally deal a trivial amount of damage, but in enough numbers, they'll slowly scale up to be a threat to a hero.
Now you would have a balancing act in fights. Take out the few special villains quickly and ignore the henchmen, or drop henchmen quickly to even out the fight against tougher villain-types. While a small group of henchmen would be no threat, their numbers would wear down the defenses of a hero. Combined with tougher villains, the group becomes even more dangerous.
So yes, a level 40 hero could easily wipe out several 3 henchmen groups of a similar level without breaking a sweat. But if more jump into the fray, he has to quickly reduce their numbers. If he sits there and does nothing, eventually they are going to whittle down his defenses and start hitting harder and harder.
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