Are NPC "helpers" useless?

Liekos

So I just reached level 30, and tried to do the new leg of the main quest (rescuing Sai Sahan). I chose Lyris (sp?) to come with me, because I figured she could tank a little so I could DD as DK.

Lyris helps dispatch the grunts on the way to the 1st boss, as you would expect.

We get to the 1st boss (Tharn), and lo and behold - she will not even unsheathe her axe, and I'm left to get my ass kicked by Tharn and 2-3 skeletons that he spawns. This happens over and over, dying 5-6 times and every time she refuses to engage - just watching me die.

Somehow, I end up using my bow and notice than Tharn and my useless "helper" just stand next to eachother..so I am able to work on Tharn with my bow from a distance and they both just stand there together 10 yards away. Neither are damaging each other, and still Lyris doesn't even take out her weapon.

With my bow, I am able to bring down Tharn.

Then we move to the next section, again Lyris helps me with the grunts on the way to the boss as you would expect. We get to the next boss (Lyris doppleganger), and again she does the same thing - doesn't engage, no help whatsoever - just watches me die over and over.

And I realize I've seen this before, where quest NPCs along for the ride don't really "help", most often they just stand there disengaged while I solo everything.

Is anyone else having similar experiences? What the hell is this?

Arsenic_Touch

Yes they're helpless. They just stand there when it matters (during boss fights)

hukaka

they can fight?

Jitaki

It get's worse - wait until you have three of them standing around watching you die.

Liekos

Well great. So I guess my only option is to warp out, and come back when I'm strong enough to solo everything (and/or have better potions) because they're bad.

Kadigan

I've noticed that sometimes NPC followers will attack with you but more often they seem to glitch out and watch from the sidelines instead. Once it happens I can't usually get them to engage the enemy again, even if I draw them right up next to each other. Should be looked into.

epoling

I noticed that today. I did the quest to free Lyris and even after she was armed and armored she just stood there watching during every fight. I thought it was weird but figured it was supposed to be that way.

Jake71887

You're lucky Lyris from day one refused to fight for me... Every main quest I had with her, even tutorial... All she does is stand around being attacked.

nanaki90

just for information, she is supposed to fight. At least she does in my game, most of the time that is.

But i have also seen other NPC's bug out, even enemies. In tempest island we had a party whipe against a boss, who on the second attack sheathed his weapon mid fight. He then just stood there while we beat him to death

Allumis

Got this same problem with the fighters guild quest, Merric is stood their watching me get my arse kicked no even helping.

Sakiri

Yes. Theyll stop attacking and stand around with their thumbs up their arses.

Ive learned to shoot with a ranged attack and it makes the npcs charge in like pets do. Doesnt stop them from standing around stupid once they leave combat though.

TheBloodartist

I had exact same experience as the OT. I would love to hear Zenimax comment on this issue. Can't be that hard to reproduce since it is now happening 100% of the time.

Spawnsplitter

From what ive seen this often happens if you engage a fight to fast after the last one, leaving the npc in a passive state... If you let them sheate their weapon and all that stuff when the first bunch is killed before engaging the others it normally works fine.

It could indicate that the problem arises when two seperate fights happen (like aggro one set, while fighting them you suddenly aggro a secondary set that is not included in the first fight...

But well in essence companion AI has never been good in any game so never rely on them

destructor646646b14_ESO

TheBloodartist wrote: »

I had exact same experience as the OT. I would love to hear Zenimax comment on this issue. Can't be that hard to reproduce since it is now happening 100% of the time.

Zenimax comment? On a very obvious bug? You're funny.

But yes, this is happening to just about everybody. The AI 'pets' you get not only in missions but the summons as well are as dumb as rocks.

At least the summons (generally) fight back for you. The AI mission helpers rarely do.

Jaffar_AlKhazzir

noticed that too, would guess it's a buggy AI/aggro thingy

Miezi

Confirmed, companions of all types that I faced yet were mainly dummies. The only good news is that you can lured them into absorbing damage while dealing damage from afar since they seem to aggro the mobs more than player does unless you attack with full force.

Such needs a bit of practice to achieve though, but if it works you can e.g. let Lyris take the hits of the boss while you clear up the adds around it first and then go for the boss yourself.

A truly pityful sight this follower is - even mobs perform better !

Hestia

This happens to any follower in the game. Quite frustrating to see them just stand there and do nothing in the middle of a fight.

AngryNord

Same is the case with Queen Ayrenn in Tanzelwil (AD questline)

Crassius

TheBloodartist wrote: »

I had exact same experience as the OT. I would love to hear Zenimax comment on this issue. Can't be that hard to reproduce since it is now happening 100% of the time.

Junipus

I had the same issue with the final boss of the Fighters guild quest line, but after I wiped and respawned it just stood there letting me kill it.

Helped a great deal, but was really annoying not to have the challenge or help I'd expect from NPCs

mjharper

Had the same problem with Lyris and Sai Sahan, now having the same problem with Merric in the last Fighter's Guild quest. He does nothing, not even defend himself against enemies who run up to him and attack directly.

Coupled with the fact that I can defeat the one mini-boss (the eye) without taking damage, but can barely put a scratch on the other (snake woman) before dying, and the quest is essentially uncompletable.

Solo instance only, unbalanced bosses, useless companions. I made the terrible mistake of speccing as a healer, so obviously it's my own fault (sarcasm).

Come on, make the game actually work properly and completable by something other than cookie-cutter builds.

starkerealm

mjharper wrote: »

...but can barely put a scratch on the other (snake woman) before dying...

The Snake Girls are a fantastic boss for a full party. I mean, I've said this before, and I'm not about to stop now. Their hold and generate spheres attacks, their cone attack, and their pulse attack are all fantastic for a full party...

...and have absolutely no place in single player content.

SunfireKnight86

They are actually bosses in some dungeons.

gunplummer

At least the NPCs don't try to talk to you while your getting your butt kicked. My problem is their too stupid to get out of their own and my way. I don't know how many times I was killed because the "companion" would not get out of my way trying to roll or dodge a full swing.

Eyil

Zenimax really needs to pull their finger out with companion NPCs. They've been useless since beta and they're still useless. It makes me think that they're that way by design, to be honest. They need to either buff companions or remove them completely and adjust encounters so that they're reasonable for a one-on-one fight.

That, or let us bring our freaking friends to the main questline quests. Not ideal given the idea behind the story but for goodness' sake, it'd be a lifesaver to have someone actually competent helping out.

Maestro_Sartori

Arsenic_Touch wrote: »

Yes they're helpless. They just stand there when it matters (during boss fights)

Yes any "helper" npc has pretty much been helpless...

Koltiros1005b14a_ESO

Cadwell wrecks faces with his short sword and goatee, don't know what you're talking about.

Eyil

Koltiros1005b14a_ESO wrote: »

Cadwell wrecks faces with his short sword and goatee, don't know what you're talking about.

Cadwell for permanent main quest companion

the_falcorrwb17_ESO

I couldn't agree more.
My Clanfear did the exact same thing. Sat there blinking whilst I got pounded.
For both it and Lyris it was a blast whilst I tried to take down Sai.
There were both about as useful as two bags of .......

eobethb14_ESO

Maestro_Sartori wrote: »

Arsenic_Touch wrote: »

Yes they're helpless. They just stand there when it matters (during boss fights)

Yes any "helper" npc has pretty much been helpless...

I have noticed that during the trash packs, they will, without any hesitancy, run up and break the mob I have rooted. With a companion, I cannot root pull. Sort of sucks.

Darzil

Yeah, companion AI is terrible. I've never played an MMO where companions needed to be immortal because they were so bad, but clearly they are so bad they also need to not initiate combat with monster the character isn't fighting and also the fights need to be balanced assuming they don't exist. It's bizarre, some fights they trivialise, others the fights are massively hard because they don't help. And fighting alongside one is in our first experience of the game! (A game where dev's have talked up the AI as a feature!)