How would you make combat companions useful?

arontimes

There are lots of problems with combat companions right now, including how they deal negligible damage and how they don't try to dodge enemy attacks at all. Basically, non-augment companions are simply worse than augment companions. As someone who likes having minions at his beck and call, I want them to actually be viable in the late game, so I'd like to ask, how would you make combat companions more useful?

Personally, I want an increase in damage and HP, but more importantly, improved AI that makes them dodge enemy attacks. They already avoid traps in dungeons, so it should be possible to program them to dodge red circles. And maybe melee companions will try to flank with allies, similar to how imps automatically try to flank PCs, and ranged companions would automatically keep their distance instead of regularly charging into melee range. Many monsters are already capable of these, so maybe the devs can recycle some of that code?

farfig1337

Easy solution, When pets "die" they are down for only 5 seconds then get back up with full health.

nailli

I would get rid of them since they annoy the hell out of me when everybody has their tanks out and I'm trying to position mobs for maximum damage...Use your dpsers in dungeons!

yokihiro

in eq2 the pets some classes had had aoe immunity because once they were in the middle of the fights they would just die by aoes because normally no one would directly target them (in pvp at least, pve is another thing). main source of companions dying is when they stand around on red areas.

fact is, companions in dungeons just die when you fight bosses anway. they get hit by the aoe and just don't move. also what i miss is a "send to attack" button. I cannot send my pet to attack target 1 while I fight target 2. It will run soon to the target I aim for anyway. Also you can't use your companions to taunt. They attack some seconds later than you. Often, when fighting trash mobs, you have killed the mobs before the companion even started ranning towards them.

ranncore

I wouldn't, and thinking that anyone ever will is asking to be disappointed. I've never seen good companion AI in any MMO, ever. It's just not a problem Cryptic is suddenly going to solve overnight.

All we can really hope is that they start making more options for and more interesting passive companions.

bubba1966

and an option to make all pets invisible except your own. they clutter the battlefield and it's quite annoying.

Unknown

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abell39

My doggy and sometimes my phoera actually will flank enemies with me, but I'm not sure if they do it intentionally or if it just happens.

anixianmachine

A hotkey that tells them to move to where my reticle is pointing and attacking an enemy if the reticle is highlighting one.

saerrael

Could just make them immune to all damage and only die when their player dies.

Giving a command bar (attack/ switch enemy target, flank selected enemy target, move to their player, use taunt/ certain spell or attack) would greatly improve combat pets usefulness, as well.