Companions’ aberrant behavior

[Vtudor]

Currently companions behave very odd and very aggressive which can cause a lot of problems in pve. They do not perform their functions in favor of acting aggressively. If set to heal companions must stay near owner and heal and not run berserk toward the enemy in order to attract their attention. A companion set to heal is not meant to be aggressive yet it should stay calm, heal, and not attack anyone. A companion set to tank yes it will be more aggressive and attract the attention of the enemies in the area; however, even then it must be a small range and not the unintended enemies. A companion set to dps should just attack the npc’s we attack and no one else. How is it that even after 8 years the developers do not understand this?

[SteveTheCynic]

Healer companions, just like healer player characters, should not just stand around looking derpish if nobody on their side is hurt. They should attack the enemy on the "the sooner the enemy dies, the less damage it can do" basis. (Observation: once the player takes damage, the companions *do* switch to healing, but not until then.)

 

A melee companion who follows this rule has no choice but to go over there where the enemy is and engage it, but they all have ranged heals so they can heal you. (That said, don't expect reliable healing if you engage enemies that place melee companions out of healing range of your character.)

 

DPS companions are over-fond of AoE attacks, which can, indeed, be problematic when there are closely-spaced groups of enemies, but it isn't *more* problematic than if you do it. Be careful about the direction that you approach NPCs from, and it will go better.

 

And of course companions *should* play below human-player standards. When Allods Online's equivalent of Uprisings was actually useful for gearing, almost no player queued as a healer, because hiring mercenaries was free, and the healer mercenary, Matron Lighthand, was better at healing than about 75-90% of player-character healers. (75% if you include the people who didn't bother with the game mode, 90% if you considered only the people who participated).

[JediQuaker]

Currently companions behave very odd and very aggressive which can cause a lot of problems in pve.

Problems for you maybe. For me, they do occasionally require a bit of micro-management, but that just adds a touch of difficulty to an otherwise way too easy (for me) game.

If set to heal, companions must stay near owner and heal and not run berserk toward the enemy in order to attract their attention. A companion set to heal is not meant to be aggressive yet it should stay calm, heal, and not attack anyone.

As Steve points out above, you don't want the healer standing around doing nothing.

It also depends upon the situation, and the companion. Some companions (Risha for example) are "ranged" and they do tend to stand away from the fight (and not rush in) - sometimes too far away and you need to set them on passive so they will run to you - but they are best at healing a group that consists mostly oif ranged DPS.

On the other hand, a melee companion (Lana for example) will rush in and is handy when the group consists of mostly melee DPS who need the healer nearby.

In all cases you sometimes need to micro-manage the companion to keep them from standing in "red circles", etc.

A companion set to tank .....

I never use a tank companion so I can't really comment.

A companion set to dps should just attack the npc’s we attack and no one else.

There is a "skill" on the companion's skillbar that instructs them to attack your target. Otherwise, they do indeed sometimes go off and attack other targets. I'm not sure why they do that, but it isn't usually a problem.

How is it that even after 8 years the developers do not understand this?

Or, perhaps, it's you that doesn't understand.

 

Everyone should have at least 2 "developed" companions (high influence) - one melee and one ranged - to use depending upon the situation. Mostly, though, if you are doing solo content a "ranged" healer seems to work best.

[Vtudor]

Healer companions, just like healer player characters, should not just stand around looking derpish if nobody on their side is hurt. They should attack the enemy on the "the sooner the enemy dies, the less damage it can do" basis. (Observation: once the player takes damage, the companions *do* switch to healing, but not until then.)

 

Sorry I did not reply sooner. Thanks you for the tips. Have you tried playing veteran mode alone just with a companion? That’s when I started to understand better their behavior. The companion healing techniques are: Mending, Enlivening Force, Soothe, Protective barrier and Dark tempest. They are 30 meters range and with the exception of last 2 which add some protection, all are meant to heal. A companion set to heal does not do any damage except for the occasional shot which is insignificant. I would rather have them stand by my side and heal. If the companion runs toward the enemy and gets targeted by all turrets and all npc they die immediately and you get no heals whatsoever. That’s what I was trying to say.

[xordevoreaux]

Me: Nadia, I've noticed lately you're acting a bit... I don't know. Strange.

Nadia: [waving away a cloud of smoke from exhaling a cigarette] What do you mean?

Me: I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but something's different about you.

Nadia: I've no idea what you're talking about. I'm the same little force-wielding girl I've always been.

Me: [coughs from the cigarette smoke] I guess so, but if I figure out what it is—

Nadia: You'll tell me. Great. How about being a nice little alliance commander and pouring me a Scotch.

Edited April 3, 2019 by xordevoreaux

[Unperson]

Healer companions, just like healer player characters, should not just stand around looking derpish if nobody on their side is hurt. They should attack the enemy on the "the sooner the enemy dies, the less damage it can do" basis.

 

There are times (Eternal Championship, some VM/MM bosses) where healer companions should do exactly that, because attacking usually leads to standing in stupid and/or building unwanted threat and that looks even more derpish. The little damage they do with their basic attack doesn't justify the constant need for micromanagement that is required to prevent them from dying.

 

The obvious solution would be to have the "attack" ability be toggleable like the rest, so they stick to following and healing. This is a feature that has been long requested, though, so I'm not holding my breath.

[casirabit]

s. A companion set to dps should just attack the npc’s we attack and no one else. How is it that even after 8 years the developers do not understand this?

 

I prefer my DPS companion to actually attack something else than what I am attacking and I play a healer. I actually tell my companion which mobs to attack.

[JediQuaker]

A companion set to heal does not do any damage except for the occasional shot which is insignificant.

Maybe yours don't, but my Risha (influence 50) often takes out low level foes all by herself. (That's a combo of both her DPS ability and her lack of need to heal me so often.) I've often gone around picking up drops while Risha kills the last few trash.

This, btw, also applies to any other of my level 50 companions, but Gunslinger with Risha is what I play most.

Edited April 4, 2019 by JediQuaker

[JediQuaker]

Nadia: [waving away a cloud of smoke from exhaling a cigarette] What do you mean?

Are you sure that's cigarette smoke/?

[BelorfinSiana]

I've noticed recently that if I'm out of a comp's range, they'll just stand around and wait for me to return to them rather than follow and attack or heal me. Even if I set them to passive, sometimes they still can't catch up to me.

[Vtudor]

There are times (Eternal Championship, some VM/MM bosses) where healer companions should do exactly that, because attacking usually leads to standing in stupid and/or building unwanted threat and that looks even more derpish. The little damage they do with their basic attack doesn't justify the constant need for micromanagement that is required to prevent them from dying.

 

I am glad that at least some players understood what I was trying to say. Yes, any healer knows to attract as little attention as possible. Being attacked means being interrupted and no healer wants that! Companions dont do that, for example Lana runs straight towards the enemy (especially in VM mode; after all story mode does not really matter!)