Why Force Me To Use Companions I Hate!?

[TheJediCouncil]

Tank companions are completely worthless after they nerfed them in beta.

 

 

Tank companions used to be good enough to tank stuff. They used to be just below player tanks. However, healers would use a tank companion and were soloing heroic content. So they nerfed tank companions to the point of worthlessness. They're now so bad, they don't have that great of threat, they don't live that much longer at all, and do half the damage.

 

 

 

I'd be happy if companions just moved a bit in combat, like out of AoE Seriously once combat starts they freeze and never move till it ends. They're turrets and require way too much micromanagement.

 

I dont think we are playing the same game. I play a Sage (lvl 50) and use Qyzen Fess (tank) companion exclusively. He taunts, holds aggro, and actually dynamically switches target based on threat to me. He doesnt EVER break CC, unlike most players, and with a level 50 Techblade his BASE damage is 440-750ish. He is a fantastic tank, and holds aggro better than most players I PUG with.

[Ghaiana]

I have no dislikes about any of my companions and I have played with all of them (except for the ship robot). I'm a consular as well. You do have to change your playstyle though with a different companion and not forget to gear them. For dislikes of how they look, use customizations. There are plenty ingame.

[Mephane]

Dismissing and then resummoning your companion should put them at full health, and takes about 4 seconds. It's not ideal, but it is faster than the regen abilities.

 

As does getting on your speeder bike and hopping off again. Hilariously stupid but it works.

[Jeia]

This isn't a single player game, and shouldn't work like it is. There is no good reason why a Powertech should have a healing companion at level 10 but a Jedi Guardian won't get theirs until their mid 30's when they're both tanking classes. That's a real gameplay problem created by forcing certain specs and companions throughout the leveling process.

 

"That's how it is" is an excuse, and not a very good one when there were ways to work around it being the way it is.

 

I agree with this wholeheartedly, as Gunslinger, when I hit 30 I was really struggling with the game. I still die a lot and the repair bills are certainly an effective money sink.

 

If I hadn't had advice and an improved template from guild members, I'd have given up in frustration.

[Zeral_storm]

A lot more freedom with companions would have been sweet, Talos Drelik is my all time favourite companion (Seriously! Who can not love an almost harmless excentric "british" gentleman officer?!), but as a fully healing specced sorc using him was really not an option.

 

I ran around doing some weak pewpew from time to time just to use him.

 

Also:

I dont think we are playing the same game. I play a Sage (lvl 50) and use Qyzen Fess (tank) companion exclusively. He taunts, holds aggro, and actually dynamically switches target based on threat to me. He doesnt EVER break CC, unlike most players, and with a level 50 Techblade his BASE damage is 440-750ish. He is a fantastic tank, and holds aggro better than most players I PUG with.

 

I agree, no idea what game he is playing, Khem Val is an awesome tank for a sorc, and as you pointed out, better then most pug tanks.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Zeral_storm

[ladybastilla]

Just dropping in to say: I love Khem! He is awesome!

 

I can understand if someone has issues since he speaks an alien language and the player has trouble reading the text. But when I play with him tanking on my Inq alt he does a great job. And my bf's main is a sorc and he reads anything Khem says since I can't really see it, so on my own character I already have the gist of the companion anyway.

 

I will say that I do find it strange that some classes don't get their romancable characters until really late. I also think that in some way being able to choose your companion to begin, at least, would have been awesome. I was also surprised at how much later you actually get additional characters, and that this varies by class. (My main is an Imperial Agent...)

 

Anyway, these are just my thoughts. Great topic!

[NVZIM]

Tank companions are completely worthless after they nerfed them in beta.

 

 

Tank companions used to be good enough to tank stuff. They used to be just below player tanks. However, healers would use a tank companion and were soloing heroic content. So they nerfed tank companions to the point of worthlessness. They're now so bad, they don't have that great of threat, they don't live that much longer at all, and do half the damage.

 

 

 

I'd be happy if companions just moved a bit in combat, like out of AoE Seriously once combat starts they freeze and never move till it ends. They're turrets and require way too much micromanagement.

That's funny, because I've used Qyzen the entire time as a tank with a Shadow full Infiltration spec. Yeah, sometimes I'll pull threat from him, just as I pull threat from player tanks because I'm critting like crazy. I've had zero problems taken on most of the heroic 2's by myself up through Belsavis already.

 

Heroic 2's can still be completed, but I think the point was that tank companions aren't as viable as they should be. Brokentelevision may be exaggerating just a little, but still has a valid point. I found myself overcompensating for the weaknesses of tank companions, but healer companions allowed everything to flow more smoothly, even the ship droid proved to be superior when well-geared.

[zumbledum]

too late now but imo what they should of done is give us option of a selection of companions and then have a mission to go and recruit that one. each companion could of had its own little mini quest and we could of mixed and matched. sure it might not of made as much sense in some story arcs, ie trooper goes and recruits a little jawa furball but meh fun should trump story imo.

[Frostbird]

Another 'hater' post couched in a misleading post title. And yet another subversive post cluttering up GENERAL FORUM.

 

Post SUGGESTIONS on the SUGGESTIONS forum!

 

Just stop, already!

 

Cal

 

No, it's a discussion thread. If suggestions come out of it, so be it. And I think that going to the trouble of typing that up reveals that I certainly enjoy this game enough to invest some time in talking about it.

 

How about you actually point out the part you have a problem with rather than playing wannabe forum cop?

[jontyld]

I agree a second or third companion should come pretty early on in the game, But I don't feel bad if someone happens to level in a way that doesn't mesh well with their companions. The world isn't perfect.

[Fiachsidhe]

I find your complaint about tank companions very odd. I play healer spec Inqis she loves having Khem as her tank and she can solo heroics with out any trouble. He is great at holdign agro on multiple targets. Constantly pulls mobs off of her even when she is standign off at range distance. She has used Khen to tank in FP up to boarding party. However, she does keep him nicely geared. She is able to heal him and through in spot dps. She is now lvl 47 and still using him as her tank. Yes he does stand in aoe but then i just hit passive to pull him back then attack to send him right in again all is well.

 

THAT'S why. As a healer you pretty much have to use a tank companion. If you're any other role, forget it. You can't heal a companion as other roles, so tanking companions, no matter how well geared, are near death after every pull (if not dead).

[MrTijger]

I've found the companions pretty solid provided you equip them properly, with some this absolutely critical, some are better/more useful than others obviously but I dont feel there's a problem there. The only thing I would like to see changed is the order in which they come for some classes.

 

Examples would be Gunslinger not having a healer (besides annoying bot) until late in the game and likewise for Guardian. On the Republic side I think Troopers and Consulars get the best deal generally speaking.

 

Of course, one could treat this as an MMO and pair up with another human...or is that too crazy?

Edited February 2, 2012 by MrTijger

[Frostbird]

I agree a second or third companion should come pretty early on in the game, But I don't feel bad if someone happens to level in a way that doesn't mesh well with their companions. The world isn't perfect.

 

I wouldn't either, if we had more of a choice of which companions to level with. Those first 25-30 levels are a *huge* stretch and I have no idea why they thought it would be smart to give some classes only a single companion choice for this.

 

Again, standard RPG practice is to introduce companion NPCs at a fair clip early on and then taper it off towards the end. Not give you one choice early on (which for many classes is the least interesting/useful one for their spec) and then start dropping them on you late game when it's almost too late to enjoy them.

 

Very odd from a company like Bioware who has a ton of RPG experience. All I can think was they did this to force players to at least take the time to grind to the end of their class story.

 

[Kabjat]

 

- Why are there so few female companions? Your playerbase is likely mostly male, mostly between 13 and 33.

 

Pure conjecture. That assumption cracks me up.

 

And besides, who says YOU can't think outside the box a little? If you don't like it when Mako give you -1 or -30 affection every time your character does something, then make *GASP* Light side choices. Or give presents if you MUST be Dark.

 

Or roll a female toon and romance your male companions.

 

You are only limited by yourself.

 

I'm female and play toons of both sexes. It's fun.

[Lukeia]

I haven't played every class but my Jedi Knight and my Trooper seem to have had plenty of companions...and I"m not a high level yet. My Jedi Knight has 2 at level 25...one every 10 levels seems about right...and my Trooper has 3 at level 32. If you're going to complain about not enough female chars then I get to complain about not enough male chars. I'm a female and I think it should be balanced. They're never going to pull more female players in if they only cater to the male population. I wouldn't mind having some choice in the order you get your companions though...but I know that would take a lot more voice over work. As to the complaint about your companions "role" playing a tank and getting a tanking companion etc. It's an mmo...I call on my friends or my guildies to help me with the difficult stuff. My companion is for fun. That being said. My dps Jedi Knight has done just fine having Kira Carson as another dps along. We've been able to do 2 man heroics without outside help (I should note that she has biotech though, so she uses the reusable medpacks as a helper heal), and I usually have the dps Jorgan along with my tanking trooper. I know Elara would make more sense as a healer...but I like to take out the mobs quickly so I'd rather deal with the heat and manage my character well and let Jorgan beat down the mobs. As to their actual characters...ya, some of them are annoying...just don't bring that one along. Or if they all annoy you, send them crafting and don't use them at all. Grab a friend instead.

[Kabjat]

They should should put Wayne Newton's head on a hutt and make him a companion, try dragging that around for 20 levels, then you'le appreciate Qyzen.

 

The nightmares will now haunt me. Thanks for that visual.

[DeathDiciple]

Actually contrary to popular choices, I switched Mako out for dps as soon as I could, for Gault and eventually Torian (having a melee somehow worked better on my merc and he has higher survivability while still maintaining decent dps). Keeping a healer is nice... when you have to watch LOS and avoid AOE all the time but thats just a couple of boss fights. And tbh her character annoyed me all the time. 'Healer' companion slows you down for the most part. Did not even think of trying to use a healer on a tank (short of one annoying heroic boss), it would take me ages to kill anything.

 

Now tanks, I don't know. I tried blizz, it really did not work. Switching aggro back and forth between companion and me worked better and lead to faster killing than trying to keep a tank that aggros everything alive. If I were healing specced might work better, but it really does not look like they are worth much, the survivability of tanks vs dps companions just makes no sense anymore.

 

But back to original point, I really think they should've sped up the process of getting new companions. Having to go through most of Alderaan to get agent 2nd one is the worst I saw so far... really? Should've moved stuff around a bit so they give us 2 different ones soonish too, running with Khem on a tanksin for a while is not all that fun...

[noctivagus]

Every character has a weird mix of companions. Your alignment, AC, or spec might not mesh with certain companions, but think about other people and how they might not ever use the companions you use. The only problems really are the lack of "turnable" characters like Jaesa, and the uneven rate followers are obtained (which is due to the main quests being written before the planet order was finalized). Edited February 2, 2012 by noctivagus

[Frostbird]

Pure conjecture. That assumption cracks me up.

 

And besides, who says YOU can't think outside the box a little? If you don't like it when Mako give you -1 or -30 affection every time your character does something, then make *GASP* Light side choices. Or give presents if you MUST be Dark.

 

Or roll a female toon and romance your male companions.

 

You are only limited by yourself.

 

I'm female and play toons of both sexes. It's fun.

 

You are not female. There are no females on the internet. Do make us think anything else is just...cruel. .

 

That said, I must disagree *strongly* with your post.

 

 

 

Firstly, in terms of demographics - of course it's conjecture, but I think it's pretty solid conjecture. Fans of the original Star Wars are primarily males in their 30s (seems logical). Not all fans, but most of them. As far as MMOs go - again, I'd say mostly males of mixed ages. The game's subject matter seems tuned around a slightly more mature audience than WoW though (since it involves topics like sex, torture, murder, corruption of the innocent, brainwashing, slavery and other stuff) and thus I'd say your average target player is

- Male.

- In at least mid teens to early 30s.

- Straight (since there are no SS romance options).

 

As for rolling an alternate gender character and romancing guys...well, I am as open minded as the next person but that seems neither interesting or fun to me (actually it's a little icky).

 

I get your point regarding Mako, but I was not saying that it's game breaking mechanically. I was saying that in terms of immersion and enjoyment, it's bizarre to drag around a companion that is totally unsuited to you and dislikes you intensely, as well as being virtually useless to your character due to spec. Why can my BH who is both moderately well known and wealthy recruit, say, someone like Kaliya?

 

Finally - you are fine with playing for both teams. While I am not against this in theory, I don't think that it's everyones cup of tea (I'd actually say you are in the minority). Plus, if there were more options, you would still be free to do it - but a lot of other people would suddenly be free to play *their* way too. Why are you against this?

[Frostbird]

I haven't played every class but my Jedi Knight and my Trooper seem to have had plenty of companions...and I"m not a high level yet. My Jedi Knight has 2 at level 25...one every 10 levels seems about right...and my Trooper has 3 at level 32. If you're going to complain about not enough female chars then I get to complain about not enough male chars. I'm a female and I think it should be balanced. They're never going to pull more female players in if they only cater to the male population. I wouldn't mind having some choice in the order you get your companions though...but I know that would take a lot more voice over work. As to the complaint about your companions "role" playing a tank and getting a tanking companion etc. It's an mmo...I call on my friends or my guildies to help me with the difficult stuff. My companion is for fun. That being said. My dps Jedi Knight has done just fine having Kira Carson as another dps along. We've been able to do 2 man heroics without outside help (I should note that she has biotech though, so she uses the reusable medpacks as a helper heal), and I usually have the dps Jorgan along with my tanking trooper. I know Elara would make more sense as a healer...but I like to take out the mobs quickly so I'd rather deal with the heat and manage my character well and let Jorgan beat down the mobs. As to their actual characters...ya, some of them are annoying...just don't bring that one along. Or if they all annoy you, send them crafting and don't use them at all. Grab a friend instead.

 

Holy wall of text!

 

I was not complaining about a total lack of female characters (except on certain classes). I was complaining at the lack of choice and I was mostly annoyed at the treacle-slow rate they are dripped out to you and how for the first 20+ hours of our gaming experience we are tied to a single companion.

 

Yes - some classes get them a little earlier. Some don't. And again, standard (good) rpg practice is to not only give a player a *choice* from a wide pool of companions, but also to give you plenty of choices early in the game.

 

From a mechanical perspective, it's obnoxious to be tied to a certain spec until level 30 due to my companion being a tank/healer.

 

From an immersion perspective, characters develop in conjunction with each other. It's totally immersion breaking for my BH to keep Mako around, or for my Assasin to keep Khem around.

[RayearthIX]

While I agree that some companions are horrible (Qyzen, Qyzen, Qyzen), I don't begrudge Bioware's choice. By giving each character a completely different story, they also gave them different and unique characters and companions. While I suffered through 40+ levels with Qyzen (as a Sage healer, no other companion until Nadia is truly viable), now that I have Nadia, I'm supremely happy since I think she's awesome. Some classes get awesome companions relatively early (like the Smuggler's wookie or Kira Carson for the Jedi Knight). The only thing that really doesn't make sense to me, is that since you can persue relationships with your companions, in the case of the Councilor, why do they not give you a female companion until so late in the story? And why do so many classes only have one female companion?

[RowanThursday]

I kind of see the little... foibles of companions as an interesting part of the storyline.

 

I mean... my smuggler, she's a gunslinger. Specialises in *ranged* damage. So... works best if she drops into cover as far from the target as possible, lands a couple of hits to stun or immobilise it, before pumping it full of DPS, and hoping her stuns have cooled down again before it runs into melee range.

 

So... what does my friend and future first mate (when we get my gorram ship back [playing Smugglers makes you lapse into Firefly-and-Farscape-speak, it's a new well known fact]), lovable dumbo Corso Riggs do, right after I've rolled into cover and thrown a flash grenade their way?

 

He stands behind me, fires off a harpoon shot, and reels in the mob I've just carefully targeted at long range, so said mob is standing right behind me. *Just* as my high dps attack goes off, so the mob starts attacking me. [sarc]Thanks, Corso, sweety![/sarc]

 

But... then... Corso Riggs is an enthusiastic, well-meaning, adorkably dense, naive farmboy-with-a-heart-of-gold. It's in character for him to make a total pig's ear out of a good, well-planned assault because he wants to beat up the bad guys for his Captain.

 

So... yeah, it's been a liability in a few fights... but story-and-characterisation-wise it's kind of worth it for the mental image of Captain January, after the fight, burying her head in her hands and trying to find a *polite* and not-discouraging way of saying "Great job, honey, don't know where I'd be without ya... only... next time... could you lose the frellin' harpoon shot!"

 

I know the boy's the only romancable companion option for a female smuggler... but really, I'm starting to think my Captain feels more like an adoptive mother to him than anything. She'll be telling him to do his shoelaces up and not to forget his gun and lunchbox soon.

Edited February 2, 2012 by RowanThursday

[Gorklaw]

I agree with the OP here.

 

AT MINIMUM, Companions should have the ability to switch out "specs", using a feature much like the Customizations you can buy, these could be an item equipped to the companion that changes them to a Tank/Heal/DPS oriented series of abilities.

 

I leveled a Commando, got Aric Jorgan as my first companion until about level 20 when I got Elara. Those first twenty levels consisted of me just letting him attack first so he gets the aggro while I AoE/Single target pulls down. Most of the time he died, in fact, he probably spent more time kissing the ground than he did actually firing because I used him has a literal meatshield. And later I found out that Elara Dorne actually has different conversation options, being an actual medic, you have options for you to tell her to heal people or whatever, and it actually prevented a lot of Story NPCs from dying.

 

Example: Commando squad Banana got attacked! Go save them HAVOC SQUAD!

TRAVEL TIME

"Oh look! A single dude left in a huge battlefield"

THE CUTSCENE

"Oh no you are dying! Aric Jorgan, can we do anything?"

"NOPE"

"Oh okay, so uh, where'd they go?

HE POINTS, THEN DIES

 

With Elara?

"Oh no! You are dying! Elara, heal him!"

"Can do!"

LATER

"Nice job saving his life HAVOC SQUAD!"

 

While it really does not matter for the story, I felt cheated that without Elara, I could not save people. Even though I am carrying around two-dozen medpacs at any one time because they won't stop dropping. Why can't I just give a bunch to Jorgan and go "Hey, hey buddy, when I start to bleed a lot, stab me with this needle?"

[AquaSky]

As a lady gamer, I'm glad to have male companion options. On my IA, I wanted to jettison Kaliyo from the airlock about 10 levels in. Hated waiting until Alderaan to get another companion. My major beef is with the Trooper class, though - BW only gives ladies one option, and that's a Cathar ? No thanks. I'd rather romance Gault than the furry catperson.

[Delekii]

Wait, companions say stuff?

 

I just use (insert first available healy companion here), couldn't give a stuff what they say. Rep can be bought.