• Hail Guest!
    We're looking for Community Content Contribuitors to Stratics. If you would like to write articles, fan fiction, do guild or shard event recaps, it's simple. Find out how in this thread: Community Contributions
  • Greetings Guest, Having Login Issues? Check this thread!
  • Hail Guest!,
    Please take a moment to read this post reminding you all of the importance of Account Security.
  • Hail Guest!
    Please read the new announcement concerning the upcoming addition to Stratics. You can find the announcement Here!

Mana Cost and AOE Specials for Pets

Tyrath

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
It seems like a few very vocal people can influence the direction of this game. Nerf this nerf that and all for their play style.

I think mana regeneration rates on pets should be increased significantly. Make int useful on a pet by making a very large increase in mana generation with increased intelligence.
You ever notice it is always the same very few people that always want something broken.......... even when it has no effect of their game play.
 

Grace of Minoc

Sage
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Been messing with only training up pets that have zero inherent abilities.

Then give them what I want them to do.

Found out don't even need a med or focus scroll let alone any mana regen.

They just do what they are specialized in and always have the mana for it

when they decide to do it that is!
 

MissEcho

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Well no idea about this 'overpowered' crap. I have 'solo'd' a rat spawn, with my new improved pet, which is great! However, having said that it did take me 1.5 HOURS to do it which on siege is a bit dodgy at the best of times. Pretty sure a sampire can do it in about 15 to 20 mins. So who is overpowered?

And yeah I have tested all manner of pets on this particular fight on the test centre at the Ilsh spawn or despise and the fastest I can solo it is about an hour and 20. Maybe there is a pet that can solo it better that I haven't tested yet but so far I have tested lesser hiryu, najassaurus, giant beetles, tzuki wolfs, cu's of various build, serpentine dragon and nightmare. Not counting the old greater dragons etc.
 

MissEcho

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Oh and when I say 'solo' with the pet I dont just mean leave the pet and let it do its stuff. My tamer also has 114 spellweaving on it (not 120 yet) so the first two levels are a lot of essence of wind with a 6 focus rolling and I do a hell of a lot of vet healing later on. Can't generally get off word of death much either due to the mana requirement keeping the pet alive and casting aoe's to get rid of the coon spawn so pretty mana tapped by the end. Overpowered? I think NOT.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
That change to alter that one pet had a significant ripple effect through all pets and is obvious to anyone who spends a lot of time testing and training.
How is capping move speed at 190, or disallowing pet dismounts when the tamer is mounted having a ripple effect? How many pets have >190 dex? 4?
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Well no idea about this 'overpowered' crap. I have 'solo'd' a rat spawn, with my new improved pet, which is great! However, having said that it did take me 1.5 HOURS to do it which on siege is a bit dodgy at the best of times. Pretty sure a sampire can do it in about 15 to 20 mins. So who is overpowered?

And yeah I have tested all manner of pets on this particular fight on the test centre at the Ilsh spawn or despise and the fastest I can solo it is about an hour and 20. Maybe there is a pet that can solo it better that I haven't tested yet but so far I have tested lesser hiryu, najassaurus, giant beetles, tzuki wolfs, cu's of various build, serpentine dragon and nightmare. Not counting the old greater dragons etc.
It's really only OP issues in comparison to other parts of the same system for me. My main problem is that whatever criteria sets the control slots, it's horrible. Power level among different kinds o tames with the same control slot is pretty out of whack. When a lesser H is a one slot and a Dire wolf is a 2 slot... something is wrong.

Then of course there's Rune Corruption, which the best special by light years. You would litterally never pick another ability over it, and that's making beetles OP in comparison to many other pets. In this case I think what they should do is drop RC a little to -20% to all (still very powerful), make the abilities that lower one specific resist drop it by 30%, and make sure each damage type has one, and that all the pets that should have them, do have them. Firesteeds for example should have access to the fire debuff (forget the name), and they don't.
 

Tyrath

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
How is capping move speed at 190, or disallowing pet dismounts when the tamer is mounted having a ripple effect? How many pets have >190 dex? 4?
It created a lot more problems than it fixed. If the Devs want to expand on that they can, but I can't.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
It created a lot more problems than it fixed. If the Devs want to expand on that they can, but I can't.
Those were the only things changed in relation to the phoenix, you can check the release notes.
 

Tyrath

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Those were the only things changed in relation to the phoenix, you can check the release notes.
LOL do you have any clue how many things are and have been changed that are not in any release notes? If you choose not to believe me ask Donavon probably the only person that has done more training and testing than me and can tell you the same thing minus the specifics. But really anyone that spends a significant time training and using a lot of pets has noticed most of the changes that have been creeping in, some intentional others not so much. If you want to believe that the phoenix was the only thing changed feel free to :)
 

MissEcho

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
It's really only OP issues in comparison to other parts of the same system for me. My main problem is that whatever criteria sets the control slots, it's horrible. Power level among different kinds o tames with the same control slot is pretty out of whack. When a lesser H is a one slot and a Dire wolf is a 2 slot... something is wrong.

Then of course there's Rune Corruption, which the best special by light years. You would litterally never pick another ability over it, and that's making beetles OP in comparison to many other pets. In this case I think what they should do is drop RC a little to -20% to all (still very powerful), make the abilities that lower one specific resist drop it by 30%, and make sure each damage type has one, and that all the pets that should have them, do have them. Firesteeds for example should have access to the fire debuff (forget the name), and they don't.
Well it took me an hr 1/2 with a giant beetle with the rune corruption special and AI at that spawn, so I still don't believe it is overpowered. It really is just making the rune beetle special more useable on a variety of beetles other than the rune. I also took it into Melisande, where I would normally take my GD, the giant beetle did OK, but it took a lot longer on her than the GD did even with Rune Corruption. The serpentine dragon I took in actually did better 'damage' although that thing is pretty squishy. It all depends on what you are doing and killing. I would HATE to see rune corruption lessened as I seriously do not belive it is OP'd.

There may be some balancing issues between pets sure, but don't start talking nerfs on rune corruption. AI is a much better special than most, but I don't want to see that powered down either. My tamer now nearly has enough power to compete on bosses WITH those specials, so there is definitely no overpowering especially if you compare them to the damage a Sampire does or a Necro with two Skeltal Dragons in tow. If dire wolfs are 'over stated' at 2 slots then they should be lowered to one, not nerf the lesser to match it.
 

Turbo

Adventurer
I found rune corruption doesnt proc or last long enough to count as a reliable damage boost so it doesnt need nerfing at all
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
LOL do you have any clue how many things are and have been changed that are not in any release notes? If you choose not to believe me ask Donavon probably the only person that has done more training and testing than me and can tell you the same thing minus the specifics. But really anyone that spends a significant time training and using a lot of pets has noticed most of the changes that have been creeping in, some intentional others not so much. If you want to believe that the phoenix was the only thing changed feel free to :)
I don't speculate on changes based on my own potentially flawed observations. That's what lead people to adamantly refuse that eating had no effect (despite devs telling them it didn't) or that they have "cursed" character, or the luck secretly effects things that it doesn't, or any of the littany of imaginary "features" people have cooked up.
Regardless, Whether or not there were other changes made they were not changes made in relation to the Phoenix, or rather there is no reason to draw that connection. The only two changes made expressly to balance the Phoenix were the two noted changes in the mini update.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Well it took me an hr 1/2 with a giant beetle with the rune corruption special and AI at that spawn, so I still don't believe it is overpowered. It really is just making the rune beetle special more useable on a variety of beetles other than the rune. I also took it into Melisande, where I would normally take my GD, the giant beetle did OK, but it took a lot longer on her than the GD did even with Rune Corruption. The serpentine dragon I took in actually did better 'damage' although that thing is pretty squishy. It all depends on what you are doing and killing. I would HATE to see rune corruption lessened as I seriously do not belive it is OP'd.

There may be some balancing issues between pets sure, but don't start talking nerfs on rune corruption. AI is a much better special than most, but I don't want to see that powered down either. My tamer now nearly has enough power to compete on bosses WITH those specials, so there is definitely no overpowering especially if you compare them to the damage a Sampire does or a Necro with two Skeltal Dragons in tow. If dire wolfs are 'over stated' at 2 slots then they should be lowered to one, not nerf the lesser to match it.
I think the main power in pets comes in groups, right now, where they are very potent, but I don't mind powering up or altering anything per say, like I said I'm more concerned about balance between pets rather than compared to other approaches at this point. I'd be fine increasing duration on rc, as long as the impact is slightly lessened. I'd much rather have more impactful single resist debuffs rather than making RC more available. We should want to make many abilities viable rather that open up access to the obviously strongest one.

As for AI it IS Op and has been since it's inception, and that's not a pet issue. So much so that it's an intrinsic part of any melee character, rivaled only by double strike and only in certain situations. But that's another story.
 

Turbo

Adventurer
The thing is there's always going to be something that someone thinks is op or under oowered. If that 1 thing gets changed people will move on to complain about something else until everything is useless and people stop using that template all together.

The truth is the sampires and specific pvp builds have been at the top for so long that anything that even comes close to them is considered op therefore must be nerfed so they stay at the top. I think its a great thing for the game when the balance of power shifts occasionally even if it is very slightly like it is now. Pets could always solo champ spawns and some peerless etc none of that has changed with this revamp its just a bit easier when you build the right pets the right way.
Having to adapt your other templates and play styles every now and then keeps things interesting.
 

Tyrath

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I don't speculate on changes based on my own potentially flawed observations. That's what lead people to adamantly refuse that eating had no effect (despite devs telling them it didn't) or that they have "cursed" character, or the luck secretly effects things that it doesn't, or any of the littany of imaginary "features" people have cooked up.
Regardless, Whether or not there were other changes made they were not changes made in relation to the Phoenix, or rather there is no reason to draw that connection. The only two changes made expressly to balance the Phoenix were the two noted changes in the mini update.
You do know you are dead wrong or beyond naive?
 

Swordsman

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
The thing is there's always going to be something that someone thinks is op or under oowered. If that 1 thing gets changed people will move on to complain about something else until everything is useless and people stop using that template all together.

The truth is the sampires and specific pvp builds have been at the top for so long that anything that even comes close to them is considered op therefore must be nerfed so they stay at the top. I think its a great thing for the game when the balance of power shifts occasionally even if it is very slightly like it is now. Pets could always solo champ spawns and some peerless etc none of that has changed with this revamp its just a bit easier when you build the right pets the right way.
Having to adapt your other templates and play styles every now and then keeps things interesting.
Good points, let’s keep enhancing other templates, like shield Paladins or necromages.
 
Top