Companions should not have an independent aggro radius

Arato

Right now, companions result in having to fight more boring trash in the world because of their own unique aggro radius, you can dodge aggro yourself but your companion will pull, locking you in combat with garbage you don't feel like going through the motions to fight. You can't use invisibility pots to sneak past either because your companion doesn't go invisible with you, and mobs aggro onto them. Resulting in more unsatisfying trash fights.
Companions should be a game enhancement, not a liability.

Amottica

If they can draw agro merely by their presence this could be a big issue due to their design. ranged comps move away a good distance. Of course, if they perform a skill that affects an area where enemy NPCs are then that is not an issue.

phaneub17_ESO

Sometimes its a blessing like if you're fishing, picking a locked chest, or scrying out in the open and a mob moves into aggro range with the intent on eating you, the companion goes to attack that mob without any input from you. There are times though they should go passive like if you're mounted they shouldn't dismount to attack. I don't mind when they attack something chasing me though, it draws attention away from me as I run like a coward and leave the companion to die alone.

Arato

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

Sometimes its a blessing like if you're fishing, picking a locked chest, or scrying out in the open and a mob moves into aggro range with the intent on eating you, the companion goes to attack that mob without any input from you. There are times though they should go passive like if you're mounted they shouldn't dismount to attack. I don't mind when they attack something chasing me though, it draws attention away from me as I run like a coward and leave the companion to die alone.

well, the next cast when you're fishing you can't do until you kill the mob. because in their 'wisdom" zos decided that you can't do ANYTHING but run or fight if one of your companions or pets engages in combat. can't open doors, can't pick up interactables, etc.
really annoying... especially when mobs won't reset and let you out of combat until they've hit you even if you've run all the way to a wayshrine.
the devs REALLY want to force you to do combat a nauseatingly repetitive number of times.

khyrkat

Arato wrote: »

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

Sometimes its a blessing like if you're fishing, picking a locked chest, or scrying out in the open and a mob moves into aggro range with the intent on eating you, the companion goes to attack that mob without any input from you. There are times though they should go passive like if you're mounted they shouldn't dismount to attack. I don't mind when they attack something chasing me though, it draws attention away from me as I run like a coward and leave the companion to die alone.

well, the next cast when you're fishing you can't do until you kill the mob. because in their 'wisdom" zos decided that you can't do ANYTHING but run or fight if one of your companions or pets engages in combat. can't open doors, can't pick up interactables, etc.
really annoying... especially when mobs won't reset and let you out of combat until they've hit you even if you've run all the way to a wayshrine.
the devs REALLY want to force you to do combat a nauseatingly repetitive number of times.

On my sorc, I send pets to play with trash if it's near node I want to harvest, while scamp is dancing around them and flappy takes all aggro, I just harvest everything around. Same on warden, the bear goes killing, I go harvesting. It rarely puts me in combat. Tried this with Bastian going with them, it was like "kids, go play a bit, got stuff to do around here" :P
I don't heavy attack to command pets, though, but use keybinds.
When on mount, Shadow Rider helps but I don't have it yet on all characters, and if Bastian decides to aggro stuff, I just ride ahead, poor chap needs to chase me on foot when I refuse to enter combat.

Nestor

We need a way to tell our Companions to either be aggressive and aggro mobs as they do now, or to only attack if we attack and they should not aggro other mobs.

khyrkat

Nestor wrote: »

We need a way to tell our Companions to either be aggressive and aggro mobs as they do now, or to only attack if we attack and they should not aggro other mobs.

Key (default Y)+left click - you send them to attack target
Key (default Y)+right click - you tell them to retreat.

What you describe is much like pets status in WOW, no thanks, I hate clicking that many buttons. I bought gaming mouse with side buttons to accomodate all my combat skills, I very much like it.

Oh, from my experience only bear aggroes mobs by himself, as is, he randomly attacks mobs willingly without my command but I guess his AI is programmed so that he simply acts as a guard and doesn't let mobs get to me. My sweet Edward (name registered! ^_^).

thorwyn

What you describe is much like pets status in WOW, no thanks, I hate clicking that many buttons. I bought gaming mouse with side buttons to accomodate all my combat skills, I very much like it.

Think of it like it is just another spell. Pets are basically walking DOT's and the ability to switch them on and off is just logical. It does not have to be a complex set of keys like in DAoC (or other games) with different states (passive, aggressive, only attack when I do, go there, stay there etc.etc.). But a simple 1-0 command would be nice.

Amottica

Nestor wrote: »

We need a way to tell our Companions to either be aggressive and aggro mobs as they do now, or to only attack if we attack and they should not aggro other mobs.

The main issue I have found is when mounted and riding if we aggro something they hop off their mount and fight while we ride on. It seems to keep us in combat longer.

My suggestion is they should remain mounted as long as we remain mounted.

Arato

khyrkat wrote: »

Arato wrote: »

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

Sometimes its a blessing like if you're fishing, picking a locked chest, or scrying out in the open and a mob moves into aggro range with the intent on eating you, the companion goes to attack that mob without any input from you. There are times though they should go passive like if you're mounted they shouldn't dismount to attack. I don't mind when they attack something chasing me though, it draws attention away from me as I run like a coward and leave the companion to die alone.

well, the next cast when you're fishing you can't do until you kill the mob. because in their 'wisdom" zos decided that you can't do ANYTHING but run or fight if one of your companions or pets engages in combat. can't open doors, can't pick up interactables, etc.
really annoying... especially when mobs won't reset and let you out of combat until they've hit you even if you've run all the way to a wayshrine.
the devs REALLY want to force you to do combat a nauseatingly repetitive number of times.

On my sorc, I send pets to play with trash if it's near node I want to harvest, while scamp is dancing around them and flappy takes all aggro, I just harvest everything around. Same on warden, the bear goes killing, I go harvesting. It rarely puts me in combat. Tried this with Bastian going with them, it was like "kids, go play a bit, got stuff to do around here" :P
I don't heavy attack to command pets, though, but use keybinds.
When on mount, Shadow Rider helps but I don't have it yet on all characters, and if Bastian decides to aggro stuff, I just ride ahead, poor chap needs to chase me on foot when I refuse to enter combat.

Pets entering combat always puts me in combat, so I can't fish or mine or anything.

colossalvoids

Not sure what the ruleset on those but as far as my exp goes my follower could run through mobs without aggroing them (while I'm cloaked) all the time, one exception when there's already a fight I believe and he steps into an aoe or something.

Arato

colossalvoids wrote: »

Not sure what the ruleset on those but as far as my exp goes my follower could run through mobs without aggroing them (while I'm cloaked) all the time, one exception when there's already a fight I believe and he steps into an aoe or something.

they'll sneak if you sneak but you cannot use invis pots to stealth through parts of dungeons. I can with sorcerer pets, but the companion will just aggro and pop me out of invis, because they have their own aggro radius.

colossalvoids

Arato wrote: »

colossalvoids wrote: »

Not sure what the ruleset on those but as far as my exp goes my follower could run through mobs without aggroing them (while I'm cloaked) all the time, one exception when there's already a fight I believe and he steps into an aoe or something.

they'll sneak if you sneak but you cannot use invis pots to stealth through parts of dungeons. I can with sorcerer pets, but the companion will just aggro and pop me out of invis, because they have their own aggro radius.

It's probably have something to do with how pots affect the follower and you both, as I just replicated it with Bastian, was standing inside mob pack for like 3-4 cloaks duration, mobs were careless about a follower.

Fennwitty

I've been using a bow Mirri.

Currently, she almost always overshoots the player and runs in front and to the right. She seems able to stand really really close to enemies without drawing their aggro. I just harvest nodes while she stands next to overland mobs.

Possibly there's some server position desync and she's not actually that close, I don't know.

I suspect a lot of it is that enemies are aggroing the player, and the pets/companions immediately move to intercept before the player knows it's happening.

Oreyn_Bearclaw

Did my first heavy bit of questing with a companion in tow last night. I agree, something needs to be done. I am really trying to get on board with companions and have fun, but they make traversing Tamriel a giant PITA.

One of the big issues is that they dismount in an instance. So even If it is me that accidentally draws some agro that I would normally just ride passed, Miri jumps off her mount and starts fighting. If you are mounted, your companion should be mounted. (looks like @Amottica got there first, totally agree). It's even more annoying since I dont have a single offensive skill on Miri. She is spec'ed as a full healer. So basically, she just spams LAs from her resto until I can save her.

It also does feel like they tend to draw aggro independently as well. Unlike pets that wont attack first, it sure does feel like companions will. I get it I suppose, unlike pets that are really extensions of the player, companions should be more independent, but I would prefer that they don't ever attack first.