NPCs..leveling up!

[Ukase]

Sort of a tie in to that Dark Astoria arc with Tub Ci, where as you fight him, he gets stronger, increases his incarnate level by one for some unit of time or dps dealt to him - not really sure how it works, only the longer the fight, the stronger he gets. 

But...just suppose, you're zipping down the street in Steel Canyon, en route to a Positron TF, and a Lead Shocker Outcast Boss defeats you. 

Now, on our side, we know what happens. If over level 10, we get a bit of debt, we rez, or hit the hospital and continue on to our business, or perhaps clobber the NPC for their intrusion. 

But, I had a thought. One tiny thought. Just suppose you weren't the first player this NPC defeated since he spawned. Suppose it got enough XP to level up? 
Suppose further that perhaps this is in a mission, and your team is fighting Frostfire at level 13. Suppose further Frosty gets lucky or you or one of your teammates got careless and got defeated. Then, suddenly, Frostfire levels up to 14! And if he defeats another of you, level 15! 

It's bad enough these poor npcs can't use inspirations, but aside from Tub Ci, I know of no circumstance where they improve, making things a bit harder. 

Whether the mechanic would be utilized within a Task Force, iTrial or mission -or out in the wild, doesn't matter, but I do think it would be interesting. 

[Spaghetti Betty]

Man, imagine a mechanic like this in the pre-IO days.

[Bionic_Flea]

I would make Caustic Flea and send him to the Hellions fighting between the buildings that starts the Matthew Habashy arc with a tray full of revives.  Then I'll feed all those Hellions to level them up and laugh as the new level 1s come by and get slaughtered by the level 10 Damneds I made.  Because I'm a jerk that way.

 

Actually, I'm not.  But I bet other people would do that.

[El D]

This is a pretty interesting concept and I totally support putting it in more places, but I also think it's better saved for task forces or unique mission bosses. Having something like this active in the overworld is just begging for a few particular mobs to end up way over-leveled for the range they're supposed to be in, continually ganking anyone who happens by until someone who's outleveled the zone (or if it gets bad enough, a GM) comes by to take them out.

 

Edit - Aww, @Bionic_Flea beat me to it! xD

Edited June 2, 2022 by El D

[Sovera]

Not sure the concept has been well thought. You're saying if you fight against someone and lose, they get stronger so you get less of a chance of winning?

[Rudra]

Chimera does the same thing in the incarnate Belladonna mission after he clobbers her. As you fight him, he gets stronger. Belladonna tells you he is using his ultimate combat style or some such, but he gets stronger. I would like to point out that both these instances are incarnate content and both Tub Ci and Chimera have a max they level up to. As far as I understand the content, they are not getting stronger because of xp or anything else. They simply are progressively holding back less as the fight wears on.

 

While the idea is interesting, I don't see it working for most mobs. Especially without a set limit to how much they can improve. Or a way to prevent players from doing as @Bionic_Flea described if there is no improvement limit set.

 

I can get behind more specific non-generic bosses using this mechanic, but not random street mobs or other generic mobs. Edit: And by non-generic I mean unique. Not just generic bosses that have names applied to them for a mission.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Rudra

[Grouchybeast]

1 hour ago, El D said:

This is a pretty interesting concept and I totally support putting it in more places, but I also think it's better saved for task forces or unique mission bosses. Having something like this active in the overworld is just begging for a few particular mobs to end up way over-leveled for the range they're supposed to be in, continually ganking anyone who happens by until someone who's outleveled the zone (or if it gets bad enough, a GM) comes by to take them out.

 

Edit - Aww, @Bionic_Flea beat me to it! xD

 

That would be kind of cool though.  I'd definitely respond to a broadcast call for help because a wildly over-levelled Hellion was causing chaos in a lowbie zone.  They'd be like DIY Giant Monsters.

 

Badges.  There should definitely be lots of badges for this.

[Herotu]

3 hours ago, El D said:

Having something like this active in the overworld is just begging for a few particular mobs to end up way over-leveled for the range they're supposed to be in, continually ganking anyone who happens by until someone who's outleveled the zone

That's WHY it would be awesome! Actual threats! You know, ones that need heroes to defeat?

Best of all, it's the ORGANIC content that every game developer and his grandma would kill for!

[Ukase]

@Bionic_Flea raises a good point. But I still think it could work with proper implementation - whatever that might be. Who knows, could even be a badge or a reward merit tied to defeating a level 10 hellion boss in Atlas, lol. (assuming you were between levels 1 and 5, of course. Can't have your incarnate self laying waste to these NPCs just cuz you can. ) 

 

 

[Luminara]

10 hours ago, Ukase said:

Who knows, could even be a badge or a reward merit tied to defeating a level 10 hellion boss in Atlas

 

If a Hogger raid is added to this game, I'm setting the servers on fire.  With plutonium.

[Uun]

17 hours ago, Ukase said:

Sort of a tie in to that Dark Astoria arc with Tub Ci, where as you fight him, he gets stronger, increases his incarnate level by one for some unit of time or dps dealt to him - not really sure how it works, only the longer the fight, the stronger he gets. 

I never noticed this.

[Ukase]

On 6/3/2022 at 7:49 AM, Luminara said:

 

If a Hogger raid is added to this game, I'm setting the servers on fire.  With plutonium.

I have no idea what a hogger raid is, but it made me laugh.