Companions after the patch

valeriob80 · August 2013

I'm using a basic lvl15 cleric companion atm, and was wondering if it could be Worth upgrading it. Which are best companions at higher levels for Trickster Rogue after the patch? Should I save for a passive companion (cat) or there are active useful companions (heal/buff)?

setherio · August 2013

valeriob80 wrote: »

I'm using a basic lvl15 cleric companion atm, and was wondering if it could be Worth upgrading it. Which are best companions at higher levels for Trickster Rogue after the patch? Should I save for a passive companion (cat) or there are active useful companions (heal/buff)?

I have the Ioun Stone of Might and my friend has the Ioun Stone of Allure. We talked about the Stones and I purchased mine just prior to the update. He said that I made a good choice in doing so because, even though the upgrade cost from 20->25 for Might is 300k AD, you get a +10% bonus which the Allure doesn't get since it already is a Rare (default max rank 25). The cost to upgrade from 25 to 30 is 750k AD (IIRC).

Comparisons between the two:
Stone of Might:
3x Offensive Runestone Slots
2x Ring Slots (1 not available unless upgraded).
1x Waist Slot

Stone of Allure
2x Offensive Runestone Slots
1x Ring
1x Icon
1x Neck

Cat:
Bonus: Increases Crit and Recovery
2x Offense
1x Defense
1 Ring
1 Waist
1 Neck

I am not aware at how the Cat's +Crit/Recovery bonus works. But that +10% when upgrading from 20->25 for 300k AD and 3x Offensive Slots with 2 Rings and Waist does make the Stone of Might (upgraded) pretty attractive in my eyes.

As a rule of thumb for TR, it's usually best to go for augmented companions. If you stack up on *a little* regeneration and a bunch of Life Steal (whether on the companion or yourself) you should have no problem with health.

*This is just my 2 cents. I'm still checking out various companions and leveling them but so far, the Stone of Might is by far my pick of the litter (no pun intended though I wish it was...)

valeriob80 · August 2013

Thanks for the answer! I didn't understand well the thing of the upgrade... could you write me the bonuses the 2 stones gives at lv25? From the link you posted I see they are:

MIGHT
Slots: 3 x Offense
Items: 2 x Ring, 1 x Waist
Stats: Power 7, Recovery 7, Deflection 7, ArmorPen 7 (total 28)

ALLURE
Slots: 2 x Offense, 1 x Defense
Item: 1 x Ring, 1 x Neck, 1 x Icon
Stats: Power 11, Crit 11, Regen 11 (total 33)

About that +10%, you mean on the Stats bonuses? So they became equivalent to the Allure one? Those stats are added to owner ones right, as for the equip/slots bonuses? How much they cost in Zen/AD at start?

Thanks and sorry for my noobness ;-)

munkey81 · August 2013

setherio wrote: »

I have the Ioun Stone of Might and my friend has the Ioun Stone of Allure. We talked about the Stones and I purchased mine just prior to the update. He said that I made a good choice in doing so because, even though the upgrade cost from 20->25 for Might is 300k AD, you get a +10% bonus which the Allure doesn't get since it already is a Rare (default max rank 25). The cost to upgrade from 25 to 30 is 750k AD (IIRC).

Comparisons between the two:
Stone of Might:
3x Offensive Runestone Slots
2x Ring Slots (1 not available unless upgraded).
1x Waist Slot

Stone of Allure
2x Offensive Runestone Slots
1x Ring
1x Icon
1x Neck

Cat:
Bonus: Increases Crit and Recovery
2x Offense
1x Defense
1 Ring
1 Waist
1 Neck

I am not aware at how the Cat's +Crit/Recovery bonus works. But that +10% when upgrading from 20->25 for 300k AD and 3x Offensive Slots with 2 Rings and Waist does make the Stone of Might (upgraded) pretty attractive in my eyes.

As a rule of thumb for TR, it's usually best to go for augmented companions. If you stack up on *a little* regeneration and a bunch of Life Steal (whether on the companion or yourself) you should have no problem with health.

*This is just my 2 cents. I'm still checking out various companions and leveling them but so far, the Stone of Might is by far my pick of the litter (no pun intended though I wish it was...)

Upgrading the Ioun Stone from 25-30 will give you an increase of 25%.

4% initially, 25% at 30.

I just upgraded mine and that's what the tooltip said. So with that, the Allure is by far the better choice.

rabbinicus · August 2013

munkey81 wrote: »

Upgrading the Ioun Stone from 25-30 will give you an increase of 25%.

4% initially, 25% at 30.

I just upgraded mine and that's what the tooltip said. So with that, the Allure is by far the better choice.

I think I am missing something here. 25% of what?

valeriob80 · August 2013

Also, the might doesn't get that +25% from the 25-30 upgrade?

setherio · August 2013

munkey81 wrote: »

Upgrading the Ioun Stone from 25-30 will give you an increase of 25%.
4% initially, 25% at 30.

Then wouldn't upgrading Might from 35->30 give you that 25% bonus as well as the 10% bonus from 20->25?
I'm going to be upgrading mine soon and confirm once I get it leveled but that may take some time. Anyone have Might already at lvl 25?

[edit] didn't see post above for some reason -_- so.. what he said...

setherio · August 2013

valeriob80 wrote: »

Also, the might doesn't get that +25% from the 25-30 upgrade?

I would assume it does. I haven't gotten that far yet myself... I don't see why it wouldn't...

As for "4% to what?" - to stats!

The stones give the player 100% of their stats.
Stone

> Player
100 Power -> +100 Power
400 Armor Pen -> +400 Armor Pen
300 Crit -> + 300 Crit

Now, the 4% comes in just like the 10% would...
So at lvl 25 for the Might and Allure... if they both have same stats...
Stone ----> Player Receives w/ Might

Player Receives w/ Allure
100 Power --> +110 Power

+104 Power
400 A.Pen --> +440 A.Pen

+416 Power
300 Crit ----> +330 Crit

+312 Crit

Now, if the Might does get the +25% bonus when upgrading from 25 to 30 like the Allure does (which, I don't see why it wouldn't...) then it would be as follows (if it is cumulative)

Stone ----> Player Receives w/ Might

Player Receives with Allure
100 Power --> +135 Power

+129 Power
400 A.Pen --> +540 A.Pen

+516 Power
300 Crit ----> +405 Crit

+ 387 Crit

munkey81 · August 2013

I guess the way I understood it from the tool tip

It meant by upgrading from 25-30. You gain 4% initial bonus to stats, which accumulate to 25% total once you reach lvl 30.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the tool tip is kinda vague..thats what I got out of it. So I definitely spent the 750k for it. 25% additional stat increase is huge imo.

munkey81 · August 2013

setherio wrote: »

Then wouldn't upgrading Might from 35->30 give you that 25% bonus as well as the 10% bonus from 20->25?
I'm going to be upgrading mine soon and confirm once I get it leveled but that may take some time. Anyone have Might already at lvl 25?

[edit] didn't see post above for some reason -_- so.. what he said...

I don't believe that you can upgrade twice.

White to Green

Green to Blue

Blue to Purple

So with that....its doubtful you will get a 25% bonus on the Stone of Might...because it is lower lvl? Just guessing here, but makes sense..

beckylunatic · August 2013

munkey81 wrote: »

I don't believe that you can upgrade twice.

No, the intent is that any companion can be upgraded to purple if the player wants to throw enough ADs at it.

munkey81 · August 2013

beckylunatic wrote: »

No, the intent is that any companion can be upgraded to purple if the player wants to throw enough ADs at it.

Ahh thx.

Then for the guy who asked about getting the 10% bonus as well as the 25%....I'm not sure...I'd like to say no? Possibly just the 25%? Who knows =P

setherio · August 2013

munkey81 wrote: »

I don't believe that you can upgrade twice.

White to Green

Green to Blue

Blue to Purple

So with that....its doubtful you will get a 25% bonus on the Stone of Might...because it is lower lvl? Just guessing here, but makes sense..

beckylunatic wrote: »

No, the intent is that any companion can be upgraded to purple if the player wants to throw enough ADs at it.

Not that I'm questioning either of you two (well, I sort of guess I am...) but can you verify that or is that an assumption? (ie: have you upgraded and reached max level of upgrade?)

What makes me think it can be upgraded again is because of the Mount Training Book II and III - which, sort of falls in line with the whole:
Common -> Uncommon
Uncommon -> Rare
Rare -> Epic

However, with mounts, there's only 3 ranks which results are based on run speed 50%, 80%, and 110%.
I'm not asking for screenshot proof or anything, just curious if it's a theory or fact. (No offensive indented, if in someway, this seemed offensive o.<)

[edit]
Just realized "Mount Training III" would only mean (Common -> Uncommon -> Rare) or (Uncommon -> Rare -> Epic) however, the run speed would be upgraded each time...

[edit #2]
Also, what makes me think that it can be upgraded twice *and* receive full bonuses is that the cost of putting in the item. The Stone of Might costs T-Bars, only obtainable (afaik) through opening Lockboxes. Lockboxes can give anywhere between (0?) and (100?) T-Bars, usually giving 10 however I have gotten as little as 3 and as much as 78 from a single Lockbox though the mean I receive is between 7 and 12. So let's say you get 15 on average per Lockbox (yes, you can re-sell items received to purchase another Lockbox if the item is valuable enough, but let's ignore that for now..).

Averaging 15 T-Bars per box, a key costing 125 Zen, that's roughly (not exactly, simplifying this..) 65 Keys purchased which is either 8125 Zen if single purchase or 6625 if purchased in 6 stacks of 10 keys plus 5 individual. While the Stone of Allure costs (IIRC) 2000 Zen.

With that said, it can be argued both ways whether they should or shouldn't be able/allowed to upgrade a second time. The only reason I was able to get a stone was because I resold the items from Lockboxes (when anything of value I did not need came from it). Personally, I think I'd be a bit disappointed if I couldn't upgrade from 25->30, though at this moment, I have absolutely no plans to due to the cost but maybe at some later time I might when I don't find AD so hard to obtain.

beckylunatic · August 2013

Somebody on preview upgraded their Man-at-Arms to purple to see how he'd tank (answer: not great but not terrible).

setherio · August 2013

beckylunatic wrote: »

Somebody on preview upgraded their Man-at-Arms to purple to see how he'd tank (answer: not great but not terrible).

Oh, gives me hope on the Stone of Might! Thank you for that info!
Now I'm curious...
1) If that you receive a bonus per upgrade
2) If bonuses are cumulative:
2a) Stone Allure base bonus: 4% + 25%
2b) Stone of Might bonus 2x upgrades: 10% + 25%
3) Or if they are final bonuses
2a) Stone of Allure: 25% bonus when upgraded
2b) Stone of Might: 25% bonus when fully upgraded

beckylunatic · August 2013

Someone who has the resources can always go on preview and check, or rather one person with trade bars and one who already has the Allure stone could each do it and compare, as I believe you can't make Zen shop purchases directly on Mimic.

valeriob80 · August 2013

Question: CHA gives a bonus % to companion stats, with a passive companion like Stone does this mean more bonus stats for you?

setherio · August 2013

valeriob80 wrote: »

Question: CHA gives a bonus % to companion stats, with a passive companion like Stone does this mean more bonus stats for you?

I was actually thinking it did so I put a couple extra points into CHA... But as far as I can tell, CHR in no way affects the stats of an Augmented Companion*. With my Stone of Might, everything appears to be a pure 1:1 ratio.

*Unsure about whether it reflects the Cat's native bonuses (such as Critical Strike...)

valeriob80 · August 2013

Does your CHA affects the Ioun Stone stats but not the bonus stats you get or it didn't affects stone stats at all? If it's the 2nd one it could be a bug, we could ask devs sending a ticket just to know if it's something that will be fixed or if it works as intended.

EDIT: I have a lv16 char with 19 CAR, when I put a +24 power icon on my cleric its stat goes up of +24, so no bonus, since it's an active companion it should be either a bug or the bonuses are not show on the character sheet or they just apply to base stats (not on items bonuses)...

banterbane · August 2013

valeriob80 wrote: »

Does your CHA affects the Ioun Stone stats but not the bonus stats you get or it didn't affects stone stats at all? If it's the 2nd one it could be a bug, we could ask devs sending a ticket just to know if it's something that will be fixed or if it works as intended.

EDIT: I have a lv16 char with 19 CAR, when I put a +24 power icon on my cleric its stat goes up of +24, so no bonus, since it's an active companion it should be either a bug or the bonuses are not show on the character sheet or they just apply to base stats (not on items bonuses)...

I have seen some say they get the bonus and others say they don't. Similarly with the eldritch runestone in the defensive slot. I for one know that I do not get anything from an eldritch runestone in the defensive slot and I have done a bug report on this. I know that others say they have but I was meticulous and recorded all of my stats as well as the indicated pet stats prior to enchanting with the runestone and there was absolutely no gain from it (even did the dismiss/summon again and log off and back as others suggested may be necessary).

valetudo78 · August 2013

You can upgrade more than once.

setherio · August 2013

valetudo78 wrote: »

You can upgrade more than once.

But the question remains, are the bonuses from upgrading a static or cumulative?
The +4% bonus on Allure, if upgraded (which states +25% bonus), will it become +4%+25% (29%) or +25%?
As for Might, first upgrade is +10% bonus, assuming the second upgrade is equal to Allure's, will it +10%+25% (+35%) or +25%?

bubba1966 · September 2013

allure blue to purple gives an extra 4% (once at 30). this is the equivalent of less than a rank 5 enchant. i'll let you decide if thats worth 750K

banaman3 · September 2013

bubba1966 wrote: »

allure blue to purple gives an extra 4% (once at 30). this is the equivalent of less than a rank 5 enchant. i'll let you decide if thats worth 750K

No - I think 25% bonus at lvl 30 is accurate. The 4% is the starting bonus u get, but once upgraded to 30 it should be an extra 25%. This is confirmed by this guy http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?415781-Companion-Upgrade-Costs&p=5891081&highlight=ioun#post5891081

bubba1966 · September 2013

i didnt realize you were talking about just the stone base benefit %'s . In any case the effect is still the same: the benefit is less than the equivalent of a rank 5 enchant: 34 points benefit each to three stats - 102 total stat point benefit for 750k. Unless you have rank 10 enchants in every slot, including stone.. this is hardly worth it. Even then it would not be worth it, as your stats are well beyond diminishing returns and the bonus would equate to essentially nothing.

noxisst · September 2013

Well there is no comparison as far as the two stones go. You guys do realize that the deffensive runestone should have an Eldritch Runestone which will increase the stat percentage you receive by up to 10%, 9% for 8, and thats way cheaper than the upgrade.

The stone of might has no defensive runestone slot, so you are going to lose 10% right there.

valeriob80 · September 2013

So defensive slots are better than offensive one for an augment pet? I don't know much about enchantements, what would you put in the offensive slot instead?

Companions after the patch

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