Companions of the Hall

malekith

On each of the companions is the following bonus:

"Each equipped Companion of the Hall player bonus increases the non combined rating bonuses by 25% of their own bonus"

Can someone put this in plain English for me? Mathematically would it be: .25x + y, where x = their own player bonus | y = the non combined rating bonus (not sure what this refers to)?

What are people seeing especially if the comps are different upgrade levels (purple/ orange/ teal)?

pitshade

Each slotted one increases the ACB of the others by 25% So with 5 slotted, each is getting 100% boost, or doubled. (not 125% as they don't affect themselves) It looks pretty good until you factor in that no role needs everything offered and you have to take stuff you don't need to get a real benefit. With just 2 slotted, useful for tank (Bruenor and Regis) or DPS (Drizzle and Wulfgar) you get a small 25% boost. That may be useful but the exact stats may not be optimal (Accuracy for instance) More than that and you are definitely dipping into suboptimal territory.

There may be other reasons to buy these, Salvatore fans, Regis seems good on AOE damage summoned, but the bonus is kind of deceptive.

pherrow

Although not an answer to the question, why worry about what those comps do? If they are good, they'll get a nerf... but only after enough people have purchased them. Then they could get a buff and then a little nerf action again.

Cryptic has no problem letting items out the door which preform nicely at first. Not saying these comps will perform nicely but everything is subject to bait and switch around here. Doesn't matter once they have your money ( or time invested).

So maybe the question should be: if what the comps do is a good thing for your respective class or playstyle, are they worth the risk of purchase?

Apologies for the high jack. Just my thoughts on the matter.

wilbur626

I had high hopes when I saw this pack, but as @pitshade pointed out, there is no reason for anyone to slot all 5 of them due to the horrible stat distribution on two of the companions :

Regis :
Deflect/Deflect Severity is extremely good for tanks. The fact that this is a bundle exclusive forces all tanks to buy all five companions to get the 2 that I would consider useable in current form. These stats are “wasted” on a DPS/Healer.

Bruenor Battlehammer :
Defense/Awareness is even better than Regis for tanks.
Both stats are good for DPS/Healers.

Catti-brie:
Both stats wasted for all paragons. Should have had stats that would benefit all classes/paragons. Changing to single stat Forte would make this very good for all roles/paragons.

Wulfgar :
Combat Advantage is awesome for DPS, OK for tanks and not needed for healers. The stat distribution could be nice if paired with a stat that all paragons need (Power for example).

Drizzt:
Critical Strike/Critical Severity. Awesome for both DPS and healers, wasted for tanks.

As I see it, the only way to make the Companions of the Hall even worth considering is by replacing accuracy on Wulfgar (Power instead?) and giving Catti-brie stats that make sense for all roles (Forte/?). This would make the set have 1 “wasted” companion , 2 OK companions and 2 extremely good companions for all roles.

@cryptic39#8917

malekith

pherrow said:

Although not an answer to the question, why worry about what those comps do?

@pherrow it's not a worry at all. My original question was posed out of simple curiousity because of the initial incomprehensibility of that bonus description. Whomever wrote that bit of text could have, should have done a better job expressing themselves as clearly/ succintly as @pitshade accomplished below

pitshade said:

Each slotted one increases the ACB of the others by 25% So with 5 slotted, each is getting 100% boost, or doubled. (not 125% as they don't affect themselves)

So at teal, the split is +3.8% for each attribute & each hero gives 2 attributes.

2 heroes equipped gives (x1.25) 4.75% to each
3 heroes equipped gives (x1.50) 5.7%...
4 heroes equipped gives (x1.75) 6.65%...
5 heroes equipped gives (x2.00) 7.5% ...

And as @pitshade pointed out most people won't be using more than 2 because of the odd stat pairings.

Thanks all for your contributions and help in clearing up my confusion!

malekith

pitshade said:

There may be other reasons to buy these, Salvatore fans, Regis seems good on AOE damage summoned, but the bonus is kind of deceptive.

Regarding other reasons, IIRC as summoned companions each offers a different bonus to their allies:

1. Regis is +3% Recharge
   
2. Bruenor is +3% DR
   
3. Wulfgar is +3% AP Gain
   
4. Drizzt is
   
5. Kattie is
   

I'll ammend this once I'm back in game...

rjc9000

wilbur626 said:

I had high hopes when I saw this pack, but as @pitshade pointed out, there is no reason for anyone to slot all 5 of them due to the horrible stat distribution on two of the companions :

Regis :
Deflect/Deflect Severity is extremely good for tanks. The fact that this is a bundle exclusive forces all tanks to buy all five companions to get the 2 that I would consider useable in current form. These stats are “wasted” on a DPS/Healer.

Bruenor Battlehammer :
Defense/Awareness is even better than Regis for tanks.
Both stats are good for DPS/Healers.

Catti-brie:
Both stats wasted for all paragons. Should have had stats that would benefit all classes/paragons. Changing to single stat Forte would make this very good for all roles/paragons.

Wulfgar :
Combat Advantage is awesome for DPS, OK for tanks and not needed for healers. The stat distribution could be nice if paired with a stat that all paragons need (Power for example).

Drizzt:
Critical Strike/Critical Severity. Awesome for both DPS and healers, wasted for tanks.

As I see it, the only way to make the Companions of the Hall even worth considering is by replacing accuracy on Wulfgar (Power instead?) and giving Catti-brie stats that make sense for all roles (Forte/?). This would make the set have 1 “wasted” companion , 2 OK companions and 2 extremely good companions for all roles.

@cryptic39#8917

I would agree with changing Cattie to single stat Forte from Movespeed/Control Bonus.

Control bonus as it is is not very useful (in PvE) due to mobs dying quickly/most bosses being CC immune and movement speed is already more than covered by various sources such as insignias, DEX, and/or passives.

Single stat Forte would be a decent jack of all trades to any setup, while also being a unique bonus in general, since Forte sources are basically nonexistent.

If Cattie is forced to have two stats, I'd change her bonus to Power/Forte, such that it is generically okay for all roles, but not particularly specialized for any specific role.

mrpeggle

Has anyone already tested the companions of the hall as active companions? Drizzt seems to offer quit good damage to large groups of enemys, but thats it, isn't it?
Do you have further / other experience, yet?

xenocide

Aargon has a video posted on you tube. Very informative

mrpeggle

Thanks, just found it...

boxcarr

:#

admiralwarlord

The pack was probably created with 2 goals, boosting new players, since with the 5 companions it looks like you're at 10 bonuses and for a group specialized in group buffs. So I think it's very well balanced.

wilbur626

admiralwarlord#3792 said:

The pack was probably created with 2 goals, boosting new players, since with the 5 companions it looks like you're at 10 bonuses and for a group specialized in group buffs. So I think it's very well balanced.

"Boosting" new players with expensive companions providing stats they will be told to ditch when they start building for endgame content is not what i would call very well balanced.

sagakaiyume

Its also not a good buy simply because there will likely come more "sets" of companions. One more gearing towards dps, another towards tanks and another towards support/buffs, completely making this outdated.

That being said, I still picked up 4 sets since I had zen sitting. Bound one, gave away 2, sold 1 and placed the zen orders back up.

admiralwarlord

wilbur626 said:

admiralwarlord#3792 said:

The pack was probably created with 2 goals, boosting new players, since with the 5 companions it looks like you're at 10 bonuses and for a group specialized in group buffs. So I think it's very well balanced.

"Boosting" new players with expensive companions providing stats they will be told to ditch when they start building for endgame content is not what i would call very well balanced.

So from your perspective because they are expensive they should be BIS? Not everyone could buy them and this would look like a big P2W in their face. And yes, I still think balanced and usable as I mentioned, much more than the 4 archons were for example.

wilbur626

> @admiralwarlord#3792 said:
> So from your perspective because they are expensive they should be BIS? Not everyone could buy them and this would look like a big P2W in their face. And yes, I still think balanced and usable as I mentioned, much more than the 4 archons were for example.

I never said they should be best in slot. There is a difference between absolutely useless and useable. Slotting 5 of the Companions of the Hall for the maximum potential of the set bonus is wasting companion slots for all roles.

sagakaiyume

I did slot in 2 defensive ones and offensive ones. 89% def, 89% awareness, 80% crit avoid, 60% deflect/deflect sev on tank with procs. 85% power, 60% acc, 88% CA, 85% crit strike, 90% sev on dps. The stuff can be somewhat useful, but its mostly because I'm wearing same stuff since before rework that it probably can even be slotted to begin with.

armadeonx

I don't think they're bad but I do think they are overpriced. 1k Zen would be more appropriate and would probably encourage more take-up.

Cryptic haven't mastered the art of balancing price vs volume.

wilbur626

> @armadeonx said:
> I don't think they're bad but I do think they are overpriced. 1k Zen would be more appropriate and would probably encourage more take-up.
>
> Cryptic haven't mastered the art of balancing price vs volume.

Can you give 1 example where slotting all 5 companions for the maximum boost is good?

armadeonx

wilbur626 said:

> @armadeonx said:
> I don't think they're bad but I do think they are overpriced. 1k Zen would be more appropriate and would probably encourage more take-up.
>
> Cryptic haven't mastered the art of balancing price vs volume.

Can you give 1 example where slotting all 5 companions for the maximum boost is good?

Noooo... but having 1 ranked to mythic with stats that work for you then having those stats boosted by having a couple of the others in the stable but not ranking them up should boost that 1 companion to a more useful 5.5%'ish? Or if anyone is feeling rich enough to have all 5 just to slot the useful one to 7.5% per stat should be the stat equivalent of having an extra companion slot (two stats at 7.5% instead of one). Unless I'm not understanding how they work?

Am I right in thinking that they just need to be in your stable to receive the bonus boost?

sagakaiyume

They would all need to be equipped. In both my dps and tank spec I have 2 equipped giving 4,7% in each stat. The set has its uses overall, but still not amazing. I was easily able to afford equipping them since I near cap in my stats so it let me spread the bonuses out further (where for example I wouldn't have worn an deflect chance comp before on tank spec). As for all 5, only time I can imagine anyone doing so is solo pally/pally looking to buff their companion and still be tanky. Would have 4 invested in both dps and tank stats, allowing solo play a bit more. Having 4 equipped and one off set also doesn't lose too many stats in your respective role, just may not be exactly what you want.

wilbur626

> @armadeonx said:
> Noooo... but having 1 ranked to mythic with stats that work for you then having those stats boosted by having a couple of the others in the stable but not ranking them up should boost that 1 companion to a more useful 5.5%'ish? Or if anyone is feeling rich enough to have all 5 just to slot the useful one to 7.5% per stat should be the stat equivalent of having an extra companion slot (two stats at 7.5% instead of one). Unless I'm not understanding how they work?
>
> Am I right in thinking that they just need to be in your stable to receive the bonus boost?

You have to have all 5 equipped for the max bonus.

armadeonx

wilbur626 said:

> @armadeonx said:
> Noooo... but having 1 ranked to mythic with stats that work for you then having those stats boosted by having a couple of the others in the stable but not ranking them up should boost that 1 companion to a more useful 5.5%'ish? Or if anyone is feeling rich enough to have all 5 just to slot the useful one to 7.5% per stat should be the stat equivalent of having an extra companion slot (two stats at 7.5% instead of one). Unless I'm not understanding how they work?
>
> Am I right in thinking that they just need to be in your stable to receive the bonus boost?

You have to have all 5 equipped for the max bonus.

Equipped as in having their bonuses slotted? Ah well in that case, yeah totally not worth it!

wilbur626

> @armadeonx said:
> Equipped as in having their bonuses slotted? Ah well in that case, yeah totally not worth it!

Exactly. As it is now it may be worth slotting 1 or 2 of them, but the full set is just wasted companion slots.

As I see it, the only fix would be to change stats on Catti-Brie and maybe Wulfgar or by adding Guenhwyvar to provide alternative stats.

rikitaki

wilbur626 said:

Regis :
Deflect/Deflect Severity is extremely good for tanks.

This is true only if you look just on the tooltip. But the actual formula has been altered (- the max chance to deflect is 50%,) so while critical strike/crit severity needs double the %investment to be on par with the best of other offensive stats, deflection and its severity needs double the stat% to give a questionable yield.
This exact companion bonus makes the whole set undesirable for tanks who cannot cap other def stats without companions... which is roughly all of them.

Otherwise, I see the week point of this set in having the stats spread into all directions. For dps, it is surely nice to have 3 of them (crit/crit sev, accu/CA, defence/awe) as in summary those 3 slots give you equivalent of 3 offensive companions and as a bonus 1,5 with defensive characteristic. The downside is you most likely do not need to invest stats in accuracy or crit/crit severity if you have forte boosting it already - so it usually does not lead to the most effective stat distribution.
On the other hand, I would not fight against the Catti-Brie... for dps chars. If you slot all 5 from the set, you get equivalent of 4 offensive comp, 4 def and 2 funny ones. It is not that bad kind of a deal. Surely not the best, as it surely does not boost exactly what you want - and you are sacrificing type bonuses (for example Cold Iron Warrior or Batiri), but you get an universally versatile char.

For the tanks and healers any part of the set does not bring any benefit though. It is just not for them at all.

wilbur626

@rikitaki

I know exactly how deflect/deflect severity works, and at what point they surpass critical avoidance in usefulness for tanks. Paladin (deflect severity forte) should always prioritize deflect/deflect severity as they easily can surpass the “breakpoint” where deflect/deflect severity becomes better than critical avoidance. On Fighter and Barbarian it requires a bit of thinking when allocating stats, but is perfectly doable.

snowolfe

.

plasticbat

snowolfe#3564 said:

Account is supposed to be account wide, yes? or am i missing something? I have Soradiel - Account and she shows Free in Xen store for all chars now. These don't? What gives?

Did you check claim agent? You bought a "companion bundle" from Zen store which is not the same as buying a companion from Zen store. You can trade the Zen store "companion bundle". You cannot trade Zen store companion. Hence, they are treated differently.

snowolfe

I just actually checked talking to a guildie - THEN checked again after seeing your response. NO - nothing under claims (like, for instance Brown Siege Bear)... and go to xen store - NOT free like Soradieal

Maybe *I* have a bug? Else I must be blind, so please help :P

I changed that comment to "." (because I could not find delete) - but read the fine print... unlike the others - can not be claimed by every char

sagakaiyume

Have you equipped the companions on one char already? You have to bind it first before they get added to the claims.

snowolfe

i have not - I WANTED to try and verify on preview; but - ooops - can not copy char since the 4th - otherwise holding till 21 drops for my bard; then i will see (unless someone can ss and verify)