Enemy Pets

[drdread]

Admittedly, this is a small peeve. Some enemy pets are unbalanced.

• They do not despawn when the summoner is defeated
• They do not grant any experience
• They are tougher than regular minions

 

The pets should either give experience, prestige and drops; or they should despawn when the summoner is defeated.  Frostfire, if I recall, has his fire imps despawn when he is defeated. The force field generators of the Sky Raiders give experience and are weaker than regular minions.

 

Portals that summon minions. I don't think these need to change. The demonic portal give XP equivalent to approximately 10 minions. If you can defeat it before 10 minions come out, you are ahead.

• Communications Officer (Rikti) - summon Conscripts
• Demonic Portals (CoT) - summon demons

 

The pets I am thinking of are related to (but not limited to):

• Bres (Tuatha de Dannan) - summon stone pets
• Master Illusionists (Carnival of Shadows) - summons phantasms
• Operation Engineer (Malta) - summon Auto Turrets
• LampLighter (Drudges) - Summon Shades (Suggested by Coyotedancer)
• Death Shaman (Banished Pantheon) - Summon husks (suggested by 0th Power)

 

 

Anyone think of any other unbalanced enemy pets?

 

Edited May 24, 2020 by drdread
modified table

[Snowdaze]

I agree with the first 2, I dont really have much problem with the auto turrets yes they are a bucket of health but they dont particularly hurt or have any major resistances that I have noticed.

 

In the case of the first 2 they should defiantly despawn, in the case of the case of the auto turret, a case could be made that since it's a machine and not psychic energy or magic, that it should stick around after it's "master" is defeated.

 

As to the reward for defeating... well thats a really deep topic that depends on how often they would be skipped and force despawned yadda yadda yadda...

[drdread]

  On 5/19/2020 at 6:29 PM, Snowdaze said:

I dont really have much problem with the auto turrets yes they are a bucket of health but they dont particularly hurt or have any major resistances that I have noticed.

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The auto-turrets are very frustrating with my Illusion/Dark controller and Mind/Psionic Dominator. Being machines, they are resistant against psychic damage.

[Snowdaze]

  On 5/19/2020 at 6:55 PM, drdread said:

 

The auto-turrets are very frustrating with my Illusion/Dark controller and Mind/Psionic Dominator. Being machines, they are resistant against psychic damage.

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I understand I have trouble with robots on my dual blades, but thematically I'm still inclined to allow the turrets to remain after spawner death.

[Menelruin]

If my Earth Dominator's EQ and Animate Stone can't stick around after I go squish, and my Mastermind has to resume his bots from square one any time he dies, why should mobs get to keep their pets? *grumps*

Edited May 20, 2020 by Menelruin

[Snowdaze]

  On 5/20/2020 at 4:03 AM, Menelruin said:

If my Earth Dominator's EQ and Animate Stone can't stick around after I go squish, and my Mastermind has to resume his bots from square one any time he dies, why should mobs get to keep there pets? *grumps*

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I think a Masterminds pets should "desummon" and run away, since their master isnt there to tell them what to do. I don't feel they should just die.

[Coyotedancer]

It happens with some of the Night Ward Drudge's pets, too... 'Annoying as hell, though. If player character's pets go poof when we check the carpet, so should the goons'. 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Coyotedancer

[0th Power]

Death shamans will have husk pets. The pets xp was removed way back when do to afk farming. 

Edited May 20, 2020 by 0th Power

[MTeague]

  On 5/19/2020 at 6:55 PM, drdread said:

 

The auto-turrets are very frustrating with my Illusion/Dark controller and Mind/Psionic Dominator. Being machines, they are resistant against psychic damage.

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Hm.  For my Mind/Kin, I just confuse non-robotic targets and let them kill the bots for me. 

 

If for some reason a few bots outlive the rest, Levitate is smashing damage, very handy for bots.  Not sure whether you maybe skipped that power though.  Pretty sure TK Thrust in Psi Assault is also Smashing dmg.

Edited May 20, 2020 by MTeague

[drdread]

  On 5/20/2020 at 7:11 PM, 0th Power said:

Death shamans will have husk pets. The pets xp was removed way back when do to afk farming. 

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Thanks, I forgot about those guys. I added to the list above.

[Greycat]

Just having them not count for "rescue the hostage" and "defeat all" would make them far less frustrating.

 

And for me it's not the phantasms that Master Illudionists spawn, it's the decoys that *they* spawn, since you have to sit there and wait for *both* to despawn to have the defeat finally "count" for a defeat all or hostage rescue.

[drdread]

  On 5/21/2020 at 1:11 PM, Greycat said:

you have to sit there and wait for *both* to despawn to have the defeat finally "count" for a defeat all or hostage rescue.

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Yes, that also happens with the buffing pets of Devouring Earth. One of them put down a Fungi pet somewhere in the cave. Good luck finding it!

[drdread]

I forgot to add the Communications officers for the Rikti.

[Greycat]

Hmm. If you're going for that (which I don't really see as pets, actually...) are you counting the demons from the portals in Orenbanga? Theyv'e been doing that for ages.

[drdread]

  On 5/22/2020 at 12:38 PM, Greycat said:

are you counting the demons from the portals in Orenbanga?

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Hmmm. good question. Those portals have special attributes compared to some other mobs. They are immobile, and I think their perception is lower than most mobs.

 

What do other think?

[drdread]

After a review, I don't think the portals qualify. They have special mechanisms that are pretty balanced.

[srmalloy]

  On 5/19/2020 at 3:51 PM, drdread said:

Frostfire, if I recall, has his fire imps despawn when he is defeated.

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All of the Outcasts' summoned fire imps, whether Frostfire or the Lead Scorchers, properly 'die' when the summoner is defeated. I think the reasoning behind why some pets do and some pets don't is that for the various controller/dominator pets, they're summoned and empowered by the will of the summoner; when the summoner goes down, the force holding the pet(s) together dissipates. For the critters summoned by the CoT or Rikti portals, they're self-contained entities; once they appear, they're there until defeated. For the husks summoned by the BP Death Shamans, you can make an argument both ways -- they could be fully empowered when summoned, and independent from that point, or maintained by the shaman, and should go down when he does.

[Snowdaze]

  On 5/24/2020 at 10:42 PM, drdread said:

After a review, I don't think the portals qualify. They have special mechanisms that are pretty balanced.

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those Orenbanga portals give large xp amounts to balance out the summons, since they are non farmable.

  On 5/22/2020 at 12:30 PM, drdread said:

I forgot to add the Communications officers for the Rikti.

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do not bring back xp from rikti portals, we dont need rikti farms again.

 

and for death shamans I just want those pets to con at the proper level not +1

[drdread]

  On 5/25/2020 at 3:02 PM, Snowdaze said:

death shamans I just want those pets to con at the proper level not +1

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Excellent point.