Think they were always there. Dont remember which edition it was but the DM guide even had charts for henchmans. You could attract a following starting at level 9, build keeps and promote them to various functions.
Think of it like this. In earlier forms of D&D (3.0 and 3.5) you could take the Leadership feat and gain followers. Essentially, your companions are hirelings that help you in your solo game.
"Death is but a prelude to the true darkness that awaits you!" - Deadman HONOR - ABOVE - ALL - ELSE OVERLORD
BARON QUANTUMN VICE OVERLORD
KNIGHT DEADMAN VICE HERALD
SOLDIER BEE KALIAA
0
silvergryphMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 740Arc User
edited March 2013
I like the companions and never felt forced to use them. I soloed my CW to level 32 with the Dog companion. He was a big help when he was around, but I never waited for him to finish training instead of going out adventuring. Nor did I ever pay AD to rush training. I always trained him for free even when that meant soloing for an hour without him.
I agree with the OP. Making pets something anyone can use kinda trivializes classes/concepts that actually involve a pet vs. those that have one simply because the game allows it and you're better off with the extra help. Though, maybe classes that normally have pets will get some pet-related benefit. That would be cool, but I doubt that it will happen or that the devs have planned it at least.
Still, we'll have to wait and see what exactly pets are like. Its might turn out they aren't very good battle companions regardless and more like an RP/cosmetic thing.
The thing to remember about Companions is that they cannot be control directly. But in defense of Companions, they make the game playing for players that like to solo. And it makes it easier on the developers for ccreating the encounters. They don't have to reduce it to the weakest combat class and a mediocre player. That would make encounters "faceroll on keyboard" easy for experience players.
The game is based on somewhat focused role classes. Companions will in the gaps of classes or weaknesses of the player.So a Companion can be a second second of the holy trinity to allow an average player experience the game and still be challenged. More experience players can try a dual rungs for more of a challence (running a Trickster Rogue with a Striker Companion). Or be really challenged with no Companion at all.
It may be that pet classes may have to forgo Companions They will probably be able control they pets (attack my target, assist, defend my target, stay). And have more then one out at a time.
Since I originally created this thread while back in concern I will be the first to say I am completely fine with the companion system. It's actually better then I even expected. Loved using the Cleric and Ghost on my GWF.
actually as a cleric i can tell you the only companion you can heal is your own, so targeting through a mountain of companions was never an issue for me. the only way I could heal someone elses companion was with aoe heals and putting the debuff on the target they attacked that healed them each time they hit that target.
I see most companions dying in boss fights anyways unless they use ranged companions.
I don't think they would make a pet class in this game considering the current companion system and if they do I'm sure that pet will be much stronger than the companions with more useful skills and can be healed by clerics. you have to think that companions currently are not that strong. My cleric was outdamaging all my companions very easily the only use I got from the companion was to hold arggo for me or to give me extra healing power when I needed it. It was very useful for soloing but in dungeons they didn't really add much since they were low level (23 is the highest i got mine) and I was high level (level 50) not sure how strong they would have gotten if I could have gotten it to 50 but that would take a long time with the training timer considering i was already up to 2 hours and 40 minutes training for level 23.
I really enjoyed the companion system, but I do wish they took up a group slot. To further what Pallier said above, I did not have an issue targeting through companions, but they did benefit from my aoe heals. It wasn't too hard to keep melee companions alive with Forgemaster's Flame and other large aoe Heals. I just do not see the benefit from including everyone with a companion in groups and having everyone with a cleric companion out healing them devalues the role of a healer in the group to begin with.
Since I originally created this post while back in conern I will be the first to say I am completely fine with the companion system. It's actually better then I even expected. Loved using the Cleric and Ghost on my GWF.
Glad to see your concerns alleviated. They appear to have some utility, but are not game breaking in any way.
I like the companions and never felt forced to use them. I soloed my CW to level 32 with the Dog companion. He was a big help when he was around, but I never waited for him to finish training instead of going out adventuring. Nor did I ever pay AD to rush training. I always trained him for free even when that meant soloing for an hour without him.
I used the same combination, this CBWE just passed. My experiences were identical. A companion is useful, but you could roll without, and not feel like you're gimped for doing so, going solo. As far as delves go, I usually wouldn't roll with companion in a delve, as targeting can be tricky enough with 5 PCs in constant motion, without adding companions to the mix, but I'm sure others feel differently. Different strokes, and all that...
0
yggytreeMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Silverstars, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 39
edited March 2013
Companions are there for companionship in your adventures. Feel like having one around? Summon one. Don't feel like having one around? Dismiss them. Having a full party of 5 players, each one has a companion with them? The more the merrier they always say! Don't want the companions around when you're in that party? Dismiss them. The other people don't feel the same way you do?
Get over it and move on.
The Companion System, as it is, works perfectly well. What you are referring to is the players that are playing the game, not the companion system. Don't try to "fix" a system that is working excellently when the "broken" component is the one behind the controls.
Magical Miniature Space Hamster, having it increases your stats passively but doesn't shows up on screen unlike certain other companion.
Go for the eyes, Boo!
(Boo - the miniature giant space hamster)
Oh, as to the topic at hand... I love the companion system. If it is modified in any way, I will drop my subscription. Wait...that won't work...it's free. Well, don't take away my dog! I like him a lot!
I have tried to be as emotional and whiny as I can in this response, but I feel I have fallen short of the companion haters. Oh well, I tried. There are many well thought out and clearly logical posts explaining the merits of choice in an MMO. I will leave it to the devs to decipher the communities true best interests in this area.
Comments
It`s lv 6.
www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Leadership
"Death is but a prelude to the true darkness that awaits you!" - Deadman
HONOR - ABOVE - ALL - ELSE
OVERLORD
BARON QUANTUMN
VICE OVERLORD
KNIGHT DEADMAN
VICE HERALD
SOLDIER BEE KALIAA
Champions Online Advanced Forum Search
The thing to remember about Companions is that they cannot be control directly. But in defense of Companions, they make the game playing for players that like to solo. And it makes it easier on the developers for ccreating the encounters. They don't have to reduce it to the weakest combat class and a mediocre player. That would make encounters "faceroll on keyboard" easy for experience players.
The game is based on somewhat focused role classes. Companions will in the gaps of classes or weaknesses of the player.So a Companion can be a second second of the holy trinity to allow an average player experience the game and still be challenged. More experience players can try a dual rungs for more of a challence (running a Trickster Rogue with a Striker Companion). Or be really challenged with no Companion at all.
It may be that pet classes may have to forgo Companions They will probably be able control they pets (attack my target, assist, defend my target, stay). And have more then one out at a time.
I see most companions dying in boss fights anyways unless they use ranged companions.
I don't think they would make a pet class in this game considering the current companion system and if they do I'm sure that pet will be much stronger than the companions with more useful skills and can be healed by clerics. you have to think that companions currently are not that strong. My cleric was outdamaging all my companions very easily the only use I got from the companion was to hold arggo for me or to give me extra healing power when I needed it. It was very useful for soloing but in dungeons they didn't really add much since they were low level (23 is the highest i got mine) and I was high level (level 50) not sure how strong they would have gotten if I could have gotten it to 50 but that would take a long time with the training timer considering i was already up to 2 hours and 40 minutes training for level 23.
Glad to see your concerns alleviated. They appear to have some utility, but are not game breaking in any way.
I used the same combination, this CBWE just passed. My experiences were identical. A companion is useful, but you could roll without, and not feel like you're gimped for doing so, going solo. As far as delves go, I usually wouldn't roll with companion in a delve, as targeting can be tricky enough with 5 PCs in constant motion, without adding companions to the mix, but I'm sure others feel differently. Different strokes, and all that...
Get over it and move on.
The Companion System, as it is, works perfectly well. What you are referring to is the players that are playing the game, not the companion system. Don't try to "fix" a system that is working excellently when the "broken" component is the one behind the controls.
Go for the eyes, Boo!
(Boo - the miniature giant space hamster)
Oh, as to the topic at hand... I love the companion system. If it is modified in any way, I will drop my subscription. Wait...that won't work...it's free. Well, don't take away my dog! I like him a lot!
I have tried to be as emotional and whiny as I can in this response, but I feel I have fallen short of the companion haters. Oh well, I tried. There are many well thought out and clearly logical posts explaining the merits of choice in an MMO. I will leave it to the devs to decipher the communities true best interests in this area.