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Sorc pets still not very appealing

TheDarkShadow
TheDarkShadow
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Long story short: they are still stupid, and feel like a waste of skill slots.

If ZOS want to encourage pets playstyle, you need to give us more control on the pets.

1. They standing in red and get 1 shot, or almost 1 shot, and then we have to waste magicka to heal them or time AND magicka to resummon them. In pvp the enemy can pull them away from us so we can't heal them and kill the pet within seconds (they are quite squishy). We're force to follow them, which mean we have to play THEIR game, and fight where they want. Why can't we tell the pet to stop attack and come back to us?

2. Their path finder AI is horrible. Instead jumping down with us, they pick a looooong way around, looking for stairs/slope. Pls allow them to follow our move.

3. We can't see their health bar, unless target them. And in dungeon's trash pull mess, or the chaotic of pvp, we can't keep targeting them all the time. And again, they're too squishy, so just a couple seconds without heal/shield, they're dead.

4. You still have to put them in all skill bars to keep them on. This, and the fact that they die too easy and take too long to summon, you would rather have something else on those slots. Suggest: you only need to put them on 1 bar, when you swap bar the pets disappear just like when you swimming and show up again next to you when you swap back. This could also help solving #1 problem.
Edited by TheDarkShadow on March 9, 2016 5:42AM
  • Alsaroth
    Alsaroth
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    I actually find the "pure" summoner build to be more viable now then before.

    The ward is still very much essential to keep them alive and yes, they still die fast, but if one keeps that ward up, they'll survive most encounters (and so will you).

    I had my doubts about the Volatile familiar skill gimping it, but shame on me! My little scamp does a hell of a lot more damage against groups without him even dying (exploding) and putting the stun at the end of the channeling is also prevents my companions from wasting skills stunning things I have already stunned.

    The matriach does more damage then before and works great against bosses. At the end of the bossfights my magicka consumption lessen since I won't activate her skill at that point.

    Now, your points are still valid. The only movement control I can do is halt attack, making them come to me, and activate their attacks and I often find myself having to enter the char. menu and "un-summon" them that way.

    About them taking slots in the skill bar; no problemo. To many other skills would only drain the magicka bar way to fast.

    Now, improving the Necropotence set, that would be the way to go.
    Edited by Alsaroth on March 9, 2016 10:40AM
  • TheDarkShadow
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    Alsaroth wrote: »
    I actually find the "pure" summoner build to be more viable now then before.

    The ward is still very much essential to keep them alive and yes, they still die fast, but if one keeps that ward up, they'll survive most encounters (and so will you).

    Pet build is better than before indeed, but still need more improvement (I'm not talking about damage buffs or make pet stronger, but the AI and control).

    I feel pet, specially the Twilight, is the most squishy in pvp. Most of people in Cyrodiil focus on brust damage build, and even with shield (which is 30% lesser than sorc self-ward), the Twilight, with only 10k heal + about 6k when warded still drop like a rock when being focus. Any player with half a brain would kill it first, from stealth. Its heal is great, but heal doesn't help it from being 1 shot. 1 Focus Aim and it die before we know. And 3 slots in your skill bar become useless because they won't give you 1.5s to breath and resummon it.
  • remilafo
    remilafo
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    Long story short: they are still stupid, and feel like a waste of skill slots.

    If ZOS want to encourage pets playstyle, you need to give us more control on the pets.

    1. They standing in red and get 1 shot, or almost 1 shot, and then we have to waste magicka to heal them or time AND magicka to resummon them. In pvp the enemy can pull them away from us so we can't heal them and kill the pet within seconds (they are quite squishy). We're force to follow them, which mean we have to play THEIR game, and fight where they want. Why can't we tell the pet to stop attack and come back to us?

    Their control is a bit bad yes but they don't die in AOE's, they take 99% dmg reduction from aoe's..

    3. Their path finder AI is horrible. Instead jumping down with us, they pick a looooong way around, looking for stairs/slope. Pls allow them to follow our move.

    really really a minor point, their movement only matters in combat.

    4. We can't see their health bar, unless target them. And in dungeon's trash pull mess, or the chaotic of pvp, we can't keep targeting them all the time. And again, they're too squishy, so just a couple seconds without heal/shield, they're dead.

    I think you are wrong here, they familiar or better yet the clanfear can tank veteran dungeon bosses, not squishy.


    5. You still have to put them in all skill bars to keep them on. This, and the fact that they die too easy and take too long to summon, you would rather have something else on those slots. Suggest: you only need to put them on 1 bar, when you swap bar the pets disappear just like when you swimming and show up again next to you when you swap back. This could also help solving #1 problem.

    I do like this but wouldn't this be a super easy and potentially free way to re-summon the pet, seems exploitable. Refinement is needed.

    SEE bolded responses above..
  • olsborg
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    Long story short: they are still stupid, and feel like a waste of skill slots.

    If ZOS want to encourage pets playstyle, you need to give us more control on the pets.

    1. They standing in red and get 1 shot, or almost 1 shot, and then we have to waste magicka to heal them or time AND magicka to resummon them. In pvp the enemy can pull them away from us so we can't heal them and kill the pet within seconds (they are quite squishy). We're force to follow them, which mean we have to play THEIR game, and fight where they want. Why can't we tell the pet to stop attack and come back to us?

    2. Their path finder AI is horrible. Instead jumping down with us, they pick a looooong way around, looking for stairs/slope. Pls allow them to follow our move.

    3. We can't see their health bar, unless target them. And in dungeon's trash pull mess, or the chaotic of pvp, we can't keep targeting them all the time. And again, they're too squishy, so just a couple seconds without heal/shield, they're dead.

    4. You still have to put them in all skill bars to keep them on. This, and the fact that they die too easy and take too long to summon, you would rather have something else on those slots. Suggest: you only need to put them on 1 bar, when you swap bar the pets disappear just like when you swimming and show up again next to you when you swap back. This could also help solving #1 problem.

    Yes, yes, yes and yes to all the points above. They are effectively still a toggle even if ZOS said they arent anymore. They are still too squishy (see twilight) even if you can now refresh hardened ward on them. They are still stupid, bad AI. They are still too weak offencively.

    PC EU
    PvP only
  • TheDarkShadow
    TheDarkShadow
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    remilafo wrote: »
    Long story short: they are still stupid, and feel like a waste of skill slots.

    If ZOS want to encourage pets playstyle, you need to give us more control on the pets.

    1. They standing in red and get 1 shot, or almost 1 shot, and then we have to waste magicka to heal them or time AND magicka to resummon them. In pvp the enemy can pull them away from us so we can't heal them and kill the pet within seconds (they are quite squishy). We're force to follow them, which mean we have to play THEIR game, and fight where they want. Why can't we tell the pet to stop attack and come back to us?

    Their control is a bit bad yes but they don't die in AOE's, they take 99% dmg reduction from aoe's..

    3. Their path finder AI is horrible. Instead jumping down with us, they pick a looooong way around, looking for stairs/slope. Pls allow them to follow our move.

    really really a minor point, their movement only matters in combat.

    4. We can't see their health bar, unless target them. And in dungeon's trash pull mess, or the chaotic of pvp, we can't keep targeting them all the time. And again, they're too squishy, so just a couple seconds without heal/shield, they're dead.

    I think you are wrong here, they familiar or better yet the clanfear can tank veteran dungeon bosses, not squishy.


    5. You still have to put them in all skill bars to keep them on. This, and the fact that they die too easy and take too long to summon, you would rather have something else on those slots. Suggest: you only need to put them on 1 bar, when you swap bar the pets disappear just like when you swimming and show up again next to you when you swap back. This could also help solving #1 problem.

    I do like this but wouldn't this be a super easy and potentially free way to re-summon the pet, seems exploitable. Refinement is needed.

    SEE bolded responses above..

    See 3rd post. They do work fine in pve, just not pvp. When I said they are squishy, I mean in pvp.
    Edited by TheDarkShadow on March 9, 2016 4:02PM
  • olsborg
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    Pets dont have battlespirit in cyrodiil, forgot to mention that too. Wich is one if not the major issue with them for pvp.

    PC EU
    PvP only
  • TheDarkShadow
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    About the bar swap dismiss/summon pets, after a more thinking, I think if (IF) they fix other things and make pets build more viable, then make them taking skill slots is a fair trade. So to solve #1 problem, we need another solution. Maybe a twist with Deadric Prey. It no longer explode, instead just stick with the target, give it a debuff, minor maim perhaps? And when you active Deadric Prey again, the pet stop attacking and come back to you.
  • Mcwoods55
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    Prior to new DLC I used pets and with my hardened ward (with champ points in right place) they only died in boss fights or PVP.

    I am hoping that they will be even better with the DLC. To me it is not a PVP build but a PVE build. I wish there were some modifications to the mechanics though. Like if you have both slotted on both bars then they add one more skill slot for hardened ward.

    I have always wanted a health bar for each of my pets posted somewhere on my screen so I know if I need to pop ward for them or not but I had a cycle that typically took care of that issue. Yes it may have cost magica but it keep us all up.

    I would really like to see new pet options besides the current ones.
  • Willard
    Willard
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    The main issue I have with my pet (Twilight) is they pull the Boss too far away and the boss resets.

    Pretty annoying when a Boss is almost dead and they decide to target your pet and get pulled so far they reset to full health:(

    Someone already said it, but we need Summoned Pet health bars added --especially when grouped--to know when to heal them.
  • ParaNostram
    ParaNostram
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    Willard wrote: »
    The main issue I have with my pet (Twilight) is they pull the Boss too far away and the boss resets.

    Pretty annoying when a Boss is almost dead and they decide to target your pet and get pulled so far they reset to full health:(

    Someone already said it, but we need Summoned Pet health bars added --especially when grouped--to know when to heal them.

    Dude you performed some major thread necromancy here.

    Edit - you can turn on pet health bars it's in your settings, it's already there
    Edited by ParaNostram on January 3, 2017 7:57PM
    "Your mistake is you begged for your life, not for mercy. I will show you there are many fates worse than death."

    Para Nostram
    Bosmer Sorceress
    Witch of Evermore

    "Death is a privilege that can be denied by it's learned scholars."
    Order of the Black Worm
  • Sumpfheini
    Sumpfheini
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    probably too hard to fix their behaviour, just make them pure active abilities (like a suiciding scamp) that don't waste two slots. Oh and double their movement speed.
  • Mitoice
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    As of now, pets are only useful for soloing, dont see it viable on any other scenario
  • Willard
    Willard
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    Thanks, will check my settings:)
    Mitoice wrote: »
    As of now, pets are only useful for soloing, dont see it viable on any other scenario

    Ever see a pet tank a Boss--frees everyone else up to focus on damage and healing:) Not to mention the Twilight does some pretty substantial burst healing for the group. :)

    I have run with a few groups that have commented that my summoned pet was actually a huge help in completing a vet dungeon, Vet Direfrost Keep being the most recent. :)
  • WillhelmBlack
    WillhelmBlack
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    Yes they are unappealing but god daym... they are very effective! It's one of the builds many of characters struggle to kill.
    PC EU
  • STEVIL
    STEVIL
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    Willard wrote: »
    Thanks, will check my settings:)
    Mitoice wrote: »
    As of now, pets are only useful for soloing, dont see it viable on any other scenario

    Ever see a pet tank a Boss--frees everyone else up to focus on damage and healing:) Not to mention the Twilight does some pretty substantial burst healing for the group. :)

    I have run with a few groups that have commented that my summoned pet was actually a huge help in completing a vet dungeon, Vet Direfrost Keep being the most recent. :)

    Yeah - not sure why one would think pets fine for soloing dungeons but not for grouping them? bosses really seem to hate the scamp and with shields the little suckers can keep coming back for more..

    To the OP i think aiming for "more control" is a failing path. A player needs to spend their time on their character's actions IMo and not micromanaging the pets. Every click i make to get a pet to do something is a click i dont have for my own use. i doubt any amount of pet precise targetting is gonna equal out the loss in my sorcs own contributions.

    So i am more for more pet abilities including passives. i think adding a different group minor passive to each morph in addition to its own attack and the "on-click" abilities is maybe the best way to go. make it so that ignoring them is costly and killing them is tough enough to make it worthwhile.
    Edited by STEVIL on January 3, 2017 10:43PM
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