Companion Change Feedback

[Sarfux]

I have a feeling they are going to put the numbers back up due to people not liking this. They are going to adjust numbers said they made mistake and adjusted the numbers too much.

 

BioWare, you know the right thing to do

[Rouncer]

Lovin the changes.

 

Took my 65 vengeance jugg to Nar Shadda's Heroic Star Fortress earlier today with his Influence level 23 Pierce. Soloed the whole thing using Unity and Heroic moment for one part of the exarch fight. Not sure I needed to use them but Pierce was looking a bit low and was easier then trying to taunt all the little adds. Also was curious about how the new buttons worked with heroic moment, like the implementation a lot.

 

Anyway, found the challenge perfectly appropriate for my gear and influence levels. Thanks for making those changes as the game had gotten very boring being able to steamroll through content like that with barely any concerns about dying as companion healing was massively OP.

 

Also tried to run the heroic star fortress with my PvP geared dps specced merc (and influence 21 akk doggie set up as tank) and couldn't get past the first paladin I ran across (didn't try heroic moment for that as it was obviously too much of a stretch with her gear). Which feels perfectly in tune with what I am looking for in terms of content challenge. Wouldn't have been a problem with a friend which is how it should be for challenging content.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Rouncer

[xeriphim]

running a mix of 208/216 fully augmented gear with companions at rank 21. level 65. I've found the nerf'd companions to be about the same as they were in pre 4.0 . Content wise kotfe chapters I saw no difference content very easy. for planetary heroic +2's , even with level synch didn't notice any troubles doing them. Solo star fortress again nothing hard here either. Heroic Star Fortress was unable to finish hit a hard wall of endless wipe at final boss before exarch. When grouped up with a friend. Was able to complete the star fortress.

 

I've enjoyed the changes it's felt like a more balanced game. Only thing that's changed for my gaming experience is like 3.0 I just have to actually use ALL the abilites the character's class gives you. No more two button spam mash and easy mode god healing from OP companions . This is a good thing.

[Skauron]

Actually on reflection, this post hits the nail right square on the head. Especially with the suggestion.

 

I'm angry that they did a 75% nerf and now we have to fight and justify ourselves to get at least some of that back. Which could take a month, with holidays coming when people have more time off to play they took away my fun and now I would rather be on the forums fighting for my companions than playing the game.

 

Why didn't they do like a 20% nerf, re-asses. Check up feel things out, decide if they should go another 10%, repeat. Why blow everything up and make them worse than what they did for us in 3.0 with Yavin 4 192 companion gear? I just don't get it.[/QUOT

[Costello]

While this has come to light because of the companion Nerf the issue isn't with companions. Its that some parts of the game are unbalanced and without the OP companion they are either not fun or so difficult as to make a couple of crystals poor reward.

 

The other problems that people have had since 4.0 are that Flashpoints and Ops are too hard, even the trash mobs in them can be too much for a pug to complete. Perhaps this is learn to play issue but equally if the end game requires an Overpowered companions maybe its the end game and class balance that needs to be addressed not if companions are too powerful or too weak.

 

PvP is full of bads, Part of this is that people are being forced to compete, but equally it is because some classes are worse than others. If you are a fotm class you will have an easier time and if your not you will have a harder time and even if you know how to play you will appear bad.

 

A lack of new end game content has meant old content has been rehashed with mobs being scaled up. This leads to little new, resulting in completing it being more of a chore. Most of it is over a year old some 4 years, so when its considered overly difficult there is little appeal to do it. Which frustrates the issue when solable with a companion end game content is no longer available or also overly difficult.

 

It can't be the game design that your character is so pathetic that he needs a companion (who is better than him) to carry him through all the content. Companions should add to the experience not be the most vital part to your characters survival. If they are needed and needed to be over powered there is something wrong with the design of the classes.

[bluroq]

Hey Eric,

 

I dont give a ****

[Maullum]

Let's just mention an issue here, the Alliance system is unfriendly to alts. Considering the renewed focus on alts, this is a serious problem. I'm not going to bother getting the valor requirement for EVERY.SINGLE.ALT. for M1-4X/Pierce. It just feels grindy to the max.

 

Why am I bringing this up? Star Fortress. That storyline is aggravating, due to it's forced Heroics. Heroics, that are meant for multiple people. So, if we don't like grouping or Odessen is filled with people who don't want to do a particular instance of the darn thing, it sits, in our Alerts, taunting us until we rage quit. That little flashing fist has become the bane of my existence. This is further made obvious by the face EVERY OTHER FLASHPOINT MISSION SERIES GIVES YOU THE OPTION TO DO THEM SOLO. EVERY DARN ONE.

 

As for how the companions are doing? DPS is ok, healing is just sad and tanking.... has never and never will be good. Plus the AI still stinks. I refuse to QA for you further, want me to test things? Put it on the PTS where it belongs.

[TX_Angel]

No they haven't, people have been screaming 'IMPOSSIBIBBLE!!" without giving ANY data.

 

I'll give you some data.

 

I'm not having any fun with the new nerfs in place.

 

That is all the data that is required. I shouldn't have to justify my reasons to anyone, not even Bioware. I'm a paying customer, if I'm not enjoying myself, I can take my ball and go play something else.

 

Since Bioware is a business and cares about money, that should matter to them more than what their devs think I should want or what they personally want the game to be.

[Avicii]

I'm angry that they .. took away my fun.

 

About sums up most of the comments in this thread.

 

Thank you to those that took Eric seriously and provided the asked for feedback hopefully this helps them decided what to do. I will add feedback later once I'm home and can provide accurate results.

 

One thing is very clear you cant balance for player skill and due to that there is always going to be an issue with this, its up to BW to decide what their design goal is.

 

They (the PM, Devs, QA ect whoever decided comp power was all good) really failed by pushing out comps as strong as they were. They had months or a year to tune them. If they hadn't pushed them out in that state we wouldn't be here right now. It's a shame they keep repeating this mistake. Whomever is calling the shots there really needs to review their processes and figure out how to correct it and prevent this from continually occurring.

[Drudenfusz]

I have a feeling they are going to put the numbers back up due to people not liking this. They are going to adjust numbers said they made mistake and adjusted the numbers too much.

 

BioWare, you know the right thing to do

I hope you are right, but somehow I think they could be too proud to admit that they did a mistake with how much they nerfed the companions.

[TUXs]

I have a feeling they are going to put the numbers back up due to people not liking this. They are going to adjust numbers said they made mistake and adjusted the numbers too much.

 

BioWare, you know the right thing to do

I hope it's REALLY soon Sarfux...the damage this is doing is real.

[tmwfte]

I hope you are right, but somehow I think they could be too proud to admit that they did a mistake with how much they nerfed the companions.

 

The way that Eric has worded the "Request for Feedback" is such that basically anything wrong that occurs is our fault, not theirs.

[MeNaCe-NZ]

Level 65 with a max influence companion ( Lana )

Using level 208-216 gear.

Assassin Deception discipline.

Comp role: Various, change to suit the situation.

 

Content well I thought I would go over your goals as you perceive them and how I personally find the content now in relation to those goals:

 

Leveling content: Spot on. Pretty hard to die when you are an experienced player but I can see new players dieing a bit as they learn ( as we all did ). Easier and more streamlined than it was prior to 4.0 as intended.

 

KoTFE: Thankfully not as easy as it was from before the nerf. That was so stupidly easy the game basically played on auto with companions even against multiple elites.

If I try do this now my comp dies and then I did as I'm not they aren't there to support me. It seems it's more in line with the goals now and more what I expect from levelling content. Thanks for making this less stupidly easy.

 

Heroics: Again seems about spot on with your goals. Yes they can get be challenging and time consuming and you can die if you just run in undergeared expecting to beat everything first try but I feel they are about spot on now.

Also it is group content so if I want to quickly sweep through it I can group up to achieve this.

 

SF: Same as heroics if not a wee bit easier than some.

 

Heroic SF: Time consuming, very challenging but pretty much in line with goals and I enjoy it like this. Again if I want to speed things up I just group, if I'm happy to spend the time and the challenge I attempt it solo.

[Neoforcer]

I hope you are right, but somehow I think they could be too proud to admit that they did a mistake with how much they nerfed the companions.

 

They did make a mistake not putting this on pts first

[damonskye]

The way that Eric has worded the "Request for Feedback" is such that basically anything wrong that occurs is our fault, not theirs.

 

And that's really the most shameful thing about this, considering that none of this is the fault of any of us posting here, supporters and detractors.

 

It's entirely the fault of a development team who released this last month, let it continue for weeks without comment, and went almost completely radio silent in the meanwhile (with the only major posts in the past month prior to the patch being about their financial source, i.e. the Cartel Market.) It's a shameful and truly reprehensible way to run a game so many of us love.

 

(I say this as both a subscriber who has removed my auto-renew *and* someone who has bought lots of coin on the Cartel Market. I can tell you right now that even if they change things back again, I won't spend one more dime on the Cartel Market. Ever. Not after the past month of being treated this way.)

Edited November 19, 2015 by damonskye

[todestrieb]

Your level - 32 - 65

Roughly Average Item Rating - lowlevel characters heroic quest rewards/ class quest rewards. 208-216 items on 65s

Discipline - Jedi sage 32, Sith Sorc 65, Sith Juggernaut

Companion - Qyzen fess, Lana Beniko, Vette

Companion role - Dps on every comp

Companion Influence level - 13 on Fess, 30 on Lana, 25 on Vette

Which Mission or Star Fortress are you playing (Solo Mode? Heroic Mode?) - Class story/heroic 2 for Jedi Sage, Heroic 2+ planetary for Sorc and Jugg,

 

Your personal experience while playing this content

Founder, legacy 50 yada yada

 

Pre-nerf leveling was super fun and both classquests and heroic 2+ for gear went smooth and fast. Post-nerf its slower combat and too many mobs result in death since using a healing companion now is just utter useless. My own self-heals on my Sage heal around 5 times as much as the strongest heal my companion have. Dps stance is the only useable thing as mobs atleast go down a little quicker that way. Heroic 2 quest for gear is doable since Sage is a pretty strong class.

 

I tried using both dps stance and healing stance for my sorcs companions in heroic2+ planetary quests and star fortress heroic. Planetary quests healing companion was yet again useless and dps is the only valid option for me. My gosh darn sorc bubble heals more than Lana does now. Quests take a little longer now but sorc dmg is pretty damn good so speed is still OK even tho downtime is higher now and more tedious than pre-nerf which was much more fun. Star Fortress heroic is just plain annoyance now so i dont bother with it since im already done with all of them.

 

On my Juggernaut Vettes healing is also here pretty useless. Dps stance only useful since she does ok dmg. Plantary heroics same as sorc, Decent speed but more tedious and not as enjoyable as pre-nerf. Star fortress same as sorc. Tedious and boring wont bother with it at all.

 

I did not find raising Lanas influence from 25-30 make any difference whatsoever at all. Her healing sucks and dps is still sub-par.

 

All in all, over nerf and could have been handled a lot better.

[Robocles]

How about you use your "metrics" and figure it out?

[Kazanth]

216/220 DPS Sage with 208 augments and level 30 influence companion. H2 weeklies/Star Fortress are still doable but I can't stomach the thought of doing them anymore, they were already tedious enough before the nerf.

[Eranna]

My Level: 65 -- Husband's Level: 65

Item Rating: 208 (almost anyway) --- Husband's Item Rating: Same

Discipline: Jedi Sentinel - Combat -- Husband's Class: Smuggler - Scoundrel - Scrapper

Companion: Koth (The highest influence character I have). -- Husband's - Lana (Same)

Companion Role: Healer -- Husband's Companion: Healer

Companion Influence Level: 16 -- Husband's Companion Influence -- 15

Which Mission or Star Fortress are you playing (Solo Mode? Heroic Mode?) Star Fortress Heroic Mode

 

Your personal experience while playing this content:

 

Last night my husband and I attempted to do the Nar Shaddaa Star Fortress Heroic Mission. The content going through was difficult, as to be expected, but doable, even up to nearly the end where we could have wiped a few times, but managed to pull it out. It was frustrating, it was hair pulling, and stressful, but through a bit of luck, and a bit of skill - we shut down the 3 stabilizers.

 

The same can not, however, be said of the very final Exarch boss battle. With the companions we had, and the builds we had, we were unable -together- to complete the final battle. To say it was frustrating is an understatement. It was aggravating. It was impossible. We should not have to spec our characters to builds we do not enjoy playing just to complete a heroic two. The knocks backs alone were intolerable. It's still pending, and will be for some time, it's frustrating enough to cause a doubt in our subscriptions. If we are unable to complete this mission together, how on earth could someone do it solo?

 

I wish I could have something more positive to add here, but as it stands my husband and I are very frustrated, annoyed, and feel let down by Bioware. It's bad enough the black bar conversations continue, but now we are unable to complete missions that are designed for soloists? Really? We're not beginners, we're founders. We know how to play our characters, and we enjoy certain game play with them. When content becomes impossible, there is no other choice but to walk away and find something else to do.

[Quraswren]

The way that Eric has worded the "Request for Feedback" is such that basically anything wrong that occurs is our fault, not theirs.

 

Pretty much. What I find funny is they nerfed the hell out of companions based on their metrics. Wont share those metrics but now requests gamers present something to make them change their minds.

 

I got something. The game was fun and entertaining even though there was this new crazy grind.

 

After the companion nerf. It's no longer fun or entertaining doing that grind. The solo experience is turned to crap and the influence system seems like a poor joke with just how bad it scale.

 

Grind that system to level 50 for a what? A mediocre companion. A companion that was better if you geared them before 4.0 than a level 50 companion is now.

 

BW is just slowing sabotaging this game with poor decisions. No Q&A or testing before implementing massive changes and clearly having a hard time reading their own metrics so we have to provide them some.

[Infernixx]

Here's some feedback for you: There's too many good games out there right now for you to be making the game less fun. Especially since the majority of FE content is Star Fortress solo runs, and recycled Flashpoints, Operations and planetary Heroics.

 

Personally, I haven't logged in since I found out about the Companion nerfing. In any case, yall have fun. I'm gonna go find me some more mini-nukes and see if there's any new mods for FO4.

[DakhathKilrathi]

They did make a mistake not putting this on pts first

 

This. So much this. A change like this should have been tested on the PTS first, and there's precedent for that. Class balancing was tested, so why not companion balancing? Bioware dropped the ball here big time.

[TUXs]

Here's some feedback for you: There's too many good games out there right now for you to be making the game less fun. Especially since the majority of FE content is Star Fortress solo runs, and recycled Flashpoints, Operations and planetary Heroics.

 

Personally, I haven't logged in since I found out about the Companion nerfing. In any case, yall have fun. I'm gonna go find me some more mini-nukes and see if there's any new mods for FO4.

 

Wow...I actually agree with you...that's when you know ****'s bad!

[Neoforcer]

To many people are saying they will find other games to play if Bioware does not get off the behinds and do some thing about it.

[TX_Angel]

Here's some feedback for you: There's too many good games out there right now for you to be making the game less fun. Especially since the majority of FE content is Star Fortress solo runs, and recycled Flashpoints, Operations and planetary Heroics.

 

Personally, I haven't logged in since I found out about the Companion nerfing. In any case, yall have fun. I'm gonna go find me some more mini-nukes and see if there's any new mods for FO4.

 

Infernixx nailed it. This is correct.