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Companions (and mounts)
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Member Posts: 534 Arc User
I don't go to preview because I don't have the disk space, but having read the proposed changes to companions and combat coming I'll share my opinion about companions (and mounts) even though some of it doesn't apply directly to the changes being made at this time.
Removing the need for companions (though I would include mounts also even though this never has been the case) to gain combat or quest experience just seems fake.
Ultimately, having characters, and companions, and mounts sharing the same type of experience to level system would be the most satisfying to me, and that would all be with a level cap of 20. The changes I see being made or proposed to combat and the character sheet make much more sense than previously, and I don't see how any of these changes would have an affect on whatever definition for level cap is used. But being able to acquire or befriend a companion and level it up by feeding it refinement or experience points without it having to "experience" combat removes a useful if not necessary pain point. I didn't agree with tomes of experience either.
From the little I know of D&D, companions can do many things, including dealing damage, healing, controlling, or distracting, and they can provide opportunities for combat advantage but I've never understood why companions in this game, other than perhaps augments, can give ratings to a player. So, while I am glad to see bonding runestones themselves removed from the game, the concept of summoned companions providing a character with ratings unfortunately seems like it will persist for the time being.
The concept of summoning is unclear to me also. How can a character with no magical ability summon a companion whenever out of combat? Also, why not be able to summon in combat? And, why only one companion or augment can be summoned at any time?
And, I also simply don't agree that companions can revive themselves after enduring a prescribed cooldown. Apparently, many mods ago, companions needed to be revived by a player but I wasn't around at that time to experience that. So, if a companion can revive themselves but a player cannot revive themselves unless a scroll, a material resource, is consumed, this leads to the additional question "what is a companion?".
I proposed in a previous post that mounts also behave like companions, in that they have not just the function to ride (or provide stable bonuses), but are persistent summoned things that don't simply disappear when dismounted, and may have a role to play in combat, or not if they are a simple mount like a horse or non-sentient like the war machines in Avernus. Some of the bosses in this game ride drakes (eg. Lair of Lostmauth) which persist in combat when the boss is dismounted. And, using Lair of Lostmauth again as an example, why can characters ride their mount at the start of the dungeon, but then after engaging the first boss, mounts are disabled? The mount powers could be retained as a commanded effect by players.
Implementing mythic tier anything (artifacts, mounts and now companions) before players can upgrade their weapon and armor sets to mythic is awkward (but maybe was necessary due to constraints).
Another thing I've considered is how about having legendary base tier companions with a companion power similar to mounts as a way to distinguish those few companions that ought to stand out. Xuna has been an exceptional damage dealer since release and has a base tier of epic. Companions from common to epic tier act on their own often doing things I didn't want them to do. Legendary base tier companions could be more agreeable and less aggressive is what I mean, additionally providing the player/character to have a greater degree of peace of mind, being able to communicate or command their companion to do something "now!".
Removing the need for companions (though I would include mounts also even though this never has been the case) to gain combat or quest experience just seems fake.
Ultimately, having characters, and companions, and mounts sharing the same type of experience to level system would be the most satisfying to me, and that would all be with a level cap of 20. The changes I see being made or proposed to combat and the character sheet make much more sense than previously, and I don't see how any of these changes would have an affect on whatever definition for level cap is used. But being able to acquire or befriend a companion and level it up by feeding it refinement or experience points without it having to "experience" combat removes a useful if not necessary pain point. I didn't agree with tomes of experience either.
From the little I know of D&D, companions can do many things, including dealing damage, healing, controlling, or distracting, and they can provide opportunities for combat advantage but I've never understood why companions in this game, other than perhaps augments, can give ratings to a player. So, while I am glad to see bonding runestones themselves removed from the game, the concept of summoned companions providing a character with ratings unfortunately seems like it will persist for the time being.
The concept of summoning is unclear to me also. How can a character with no magical ability summon a companion whenever out of combat? Also, why not be able to summon in combat? And, why only one companion or augment can be summoned at any time?
And, I also simply don't agree that companions can revive themselves after enduring a prescribed cooldown. Apparently, many mods ago, companions needed to be revived by a player but I wasn't around at that time to experience that. So, if a companion can revive themselves but a player cannot revive themselves unless a scroll, a material resource, is consumed, this leads to the additional question "what is a companion?".
I proposed in a previous post that mounts also behave like companions, in that they have not just the function to ride (or provide stable bonuses), but are persistent summoned things that don't simply disappear when dismounted, and may have a role to play in combat, or not if they are a simple mount like a horse or non-sentient like the war machines in Avernus. Some of the bosses in this game ride drakes (eg. Lair of Lostmauth) which persist in combat when the boss is dismounted. And, using Lair of Lostmauth again as an example, why can characters ride their mount at the start of the dungeon, but then after engaging the first boss, mounts are disabled? The mount powers could be retained as a commanded effect by players.
Implementing mythic tier anything (artifacts, mounts and now companions) before players can upgrade their weapon and armor sets to mythic is awkward (but maybe was necessary due to constraints).
Another thing I've considered is how about having legendary base tier companions with a companion power similar to mounts as a way to distinguish those few companions that ought to stand out. Xuna has been an exceptional damage dealer since release and has a base tier of epic. Companions from common to epic tier act on their own often doing things I didn't want them to do. Legendary base tier companions could be more agreeable and less aggressive is what I mean, additionally providing the player/character to have a greater degree of peace of mind, being able to communicate or command their companion to do something "now!".
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