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Neverember or Man-At-Arms?

seneca671seneca671 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
edited September 2013 in PvE Discussion
I just started a CW, and I'm waffling - I don't want the little clay guy (I don't like the way he looks). Which does a better job of taking the pressure off of a PVE Control Wizard: The Neverember Guard or the simple, Man-At-Arms (assuming both are upgraded as required to be able to hit max level).

Alternately, what's the best CW pet for straight up, solo PVE?
Post edited by seneca671 on

Comments

  • inthefade462inthefade462 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    If you are buying a zen pet get a stone. Otherwise the 2g cleric is the best pet for solo leveling.
  • slayorianslayorian Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    inthefade462 wrote: »
    If you are buying a zen pet get a stone. Otherwise the 2g cleric is the best pet for solo leveling.

    Seconded. Stone is by far the best. Otherwise grab the cleric for a little bit of heals. If enemies get more than one or two swings off on ya then you're doing it wrong.
  • seneca671seneca671 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Huh. Very interesting - thanks for the responses. Just to make sure - I've a PVE guy, not an instance or PVP guy, still the stone? I worry that everyone responds to these questions with how to be the toughest in PVP or survive epic instances, which means little to me.
  • slayorianslayorian Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    You can't use stone/companions in pvp, so it's not even a question for that at all.

    In end game situations, your non augment companions will be dead most of the time - so mostly worthless. Stone will add a ton of stats to yourself, which always helps in a big way. Also, you may one day want to do epic dungeons and this will be the best investment.

    Though, if you really never never want to do epic dungeons then you don't even need a companion at all. Just grab the cleric for heals in between fights (she'll be dead during fights at higher levels).
  • seneca671seneca671 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    slayorian wrote: »
    You can't use stone/companions in pvp, so it's not even a question for that at all.

    In end game situations, your non augment companions will be dead most of the time - so mostly worthless. Stone will add a ton of stats to yourself, which always helps in a big way. Also, you may one day want to do epic dungeons and this will be the best investment.

    Though, if you really never never want to do epic dungeons then you don't even need a companion at all. Just grab the cleric for heals in between fights (she'll be dead during fights at higher levels).

    Okay, you've pretty much convinced me - stone it is! I have a level 60 GWF and his Lillend survives all right, but she's not the focus the way a tank would be.
  • beckylunaticbeckylunatic Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 14,231 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    My CW is only a baby herself and was getting mostly not-slaughtered by Midsummer kobolds by having a cleric. She's got the dire wolf and a skelly dog as well, neither of which is really able to hold aggro sufficiently to protect her, though their knockdown (which you can get with the common dog)/knockback can help a little... it's just extremely reliant on luck. I haven't actually tried her with a man-at-arms, on the assumption that her control powers will improve as she levels and she should be able to keep the monsters off herself.

    I have a DC that did select the man-at-arms as her free companion, and I've been happy with his performance. He is able to get and hold aggro. Give him some recovery/defense/hitpoints and he holds up pretty reasonably. I've heard lifesteal works great on companions as well, but haven't experimented with it. I've also heard the the man-at-arms is the only common companion where you can see a difference in his survivability from upgrading him, but I still wouldn't rush to do it (waiting to see if prices are reduced, at least).

    As far as endgame goes, tons of people are running around solo in Feywild with non-augment pets. My stealth TR doesn't have that option because any other companion will draw all the aggro, die very quickly, and get him burned out of stealth with AoE damage. He has a cat. But my GWF is using a cleric in there with great success. She doesn't die in boss fights unless I've screwed up, and the only basic mobs that seem to hurt her much are spiders, where they still end up hitting her even if they're attacking the GWF. She'll drop pretty fast to the spiders. Redcaps, trolls, and cyclopses, she stands up just fine and does her job.

    My advice would be to try the man-at-arms and see how he does. If you're unhappy with your reliance on healing potions, get a cleric too. 2 gold apiece is pretty affordable, moreso if you mail the companions from an older, richer character.
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  • seneca671seneca671 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Yeah, Becky, I agree - there are tons of people with various pets running around solo in Feywild. One of my issues is that augments are... dull. I like my GWF's Lilend a good deal - she rarely dies and she's incredibly useful. I don't know if she's the "best" and don't really care.

    I think what I'll do with my baby CW is play with the Man-At-Arms into the teens, so I can get a feel for whether it works and how. The CW is an alt, and I want to take it slow with her, so I don't mind if there's strategy required and potion use. I'm looking for a different dynamic than the GWF who just runs in there, swinging the big sword.

    Thanks for the advice!
  • inthefade462inthefade462 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Odd that you dont consider dungeons to be pve... its basically the only pve that exists in this game. If you are not doing pve dungeons then it doesn't matter what companion you get, you dont even need any companion go truly solo.
  • seneca671seneca671 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    inthefade462 wrote: »
    Odd that you dont consider dungeons to be pve... its basically the only pve that exists in this game. If you are not doing pve dungeons then it doesn't matter what companion you get, you dont even need any companion go truly solo.

    It's a time thing, itf - dungeons are PVE, but I have limited play time, little patience for queues and PUGs, and am rarely available for instance runs with my guilds.

    I may not need a companion, but I'm pretty addicted to healers - that's why I'm a little unsure of tank viability.
  • fondlezfondlez Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    A lot depends on your playstyle. If you are a "backseat" CW, then any combat pet, including a healer, is better than none and in some of the later instances, e.g. in one of the Hotenow instances and the final Whispering Cavern one, a tank pet may even be particularly useful, if you manage it so that it does not die.

    However, I prefer an aggressive (not tanky, just "show me the adds") playstyle when I quested on my CW. I found 10% Regen with high level blue items on my Ioun Stone of Allure plus upgrading "Of the Youth" armor every 6 levels and 3x purchased weapons ahead was more than enough to ensure all my survival needs in any solo instance or Foundry in the game.

    Whenever I did skirmishes or dungeons, which naturally contained healers, I would switch out the regen items on the Stone to offensive items,i.e. Crit and ArP and top damage meters.

    The advantage of my setup is that I did not have to worry about my pet ever dying nor ever drinking potions (except for rare emergency in-fight use) and, I believe it made me much better prepared CW for the endgame because I would throw myself into as much trouble as possible just to push my control and damage limits!
  • seneca671seneca671 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    fondlez wrote: »
    A lot depends on your playstyle. If you are a "backseat" CW, then any combat pet, including a healer, is better than none and in some of the later instances, e.g. in one of the Hotenow instances and the final Whispering Cavern one, a tank pet may even be particularly useful, if you manage it so that it does not die.

    However, I prefer an aggressive (not tanky, just "show me the adds") playstyle when I quested on my CW. I found 10% Regen with high level blue items on my Ioun Stone of Allure plus upgrading "Of the Youth" armor every 6 levels and 3x purchased weapons ahead was more than enough to ensure all my survival needs in any solo instance or Foundry in the game.

    Whenever I did skirmishes or dungeons, which naturally contained healers, I would switch out the regen items on the Stone to offensive items,i.e. Crit and ArP and top damage meters.

    The advantage of my setup is that I did not have to worry about my pet ever dying nor ever drinking potions (except for rare emergency in-fight use) and, I believe it made me much better prepared CW for the endgame because I would throw myself into as much trouble as possible just to push my control and damage limits!

    Thanks for the input. You know it's funny - I suspect that the stone is probably stronger, but like you said, it's a playstyle thing. I'm looking to slowly walk through the PVE content again, probably over a few months. I suspect I'd have more fun with the MAA, even though it might not be easier.
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