Defiler set broken?

MercTheMage · June 2017

Is it just me or is defiler kinda crap? I love the idea, I wanna use the set, but it's not doing any damage. I don't mean it's weak, it's literally not doing damage.
In dungeons, it seems to run for the farthest mob, defeating the point of the aoe damage cause it's usually just a single archer, but ends up flopping over and dying before it even pukes.
I turned off combat text and only enabled pet damage, it really isn't doing damage. On a training dummy it works, cause it doesn't have to run anywhere, but that's about it. Oddly enough, even on bosses that don't move or have any ads, it still doesn't do damage, so I really don't know. I think it needs to be looked at, maybe turn it into a visual effect like Selene, instead of an actual pet.

BohnT · June 2017

Yep it always seems to target the furthest enemy and dies trying to get there because it's life span looks like this:
1. Spwans and needs 1 second to move
2-4 runs to an enemy
5 charges an attack that has a 2 second cast time and dies before using it

----> spawns again

MarzAttakz · June 2017

You know I've been using it for the last two days and I'm asking myself the same question... when it does proc I'm lucky if it actually hits anything... from observation the following prevents it from hitting:

Any elevation difference
Any slight movement of proc target once the Defiler starts his animation
A range difference of more than 5-8 meters once the Defiler starts his animation

Furthermore the AOE component of the Defiler attack is practically useless, I can't recall seeing more than the proc target stunned on most multi-mob pulls. In addition to the above the spawn/spew animation is way too long as well.

Please speed the animation up, improve the target tracking or turn it into a visual only animation with proper hits.

MercTheMage · June 2017

Plz make it target the mob you landed the crit that summoned it on.

Everstorm · June 2017

MercTheMage wrote: »

Plz make it target the mob you landed the crit that summoned it on.

Yes please, having him run all over the place is pointless.

agingerinohio · June 2017

I spent some time farming this set for my stam sorc (which is a high crit build) and rarely do I see it spawn until everything is already dead. It spawned on a boss fight once and died as soon as it did spawn. I've deemed it just good for deconstructing for mats at this point. Spriggans/Night Mother's combo and TFS are the way to go.

OdinForge · June 2017

Quality assurance.

Shame on you for wanting a set to work properly when it's released. You need to wait 5 months for the set to start working, cmon man.

SugaComa · June 2017

I stopped running g this and went back to baharas curse

I don't know why I love that so much, I have it paid with twice born star on one toon and withered hand on another

Both combos work well for overland exiting and soloing group public dungeons

Some the my defilers set couldn't handle

leepalmer95 · June 2017

Any set that 'summons' anything is a bad set.

Nemesis7884 · July 2017

honestly i think sylvarra's scales is the better defiler set... defiler would only be useful if the animation from spawning to attacking was much faster and if it hit every time

Fur_like_snow · July 2017

Remember finding a sharpened two hander defiler sword in a chest and getting really excited about trying this new set out. In retrospect I wish I would have just sold the sword later realizing how awful the five piece performed in the field. Just like others have said, it spawns and runs across the room and dies before ever doing any damage. Huge disappointment. Just another reason the Morrowind expansion was a flop.

Tasear · July 2017

I happen to see this creepy thing work well. If I was to guess it's that heavy attack thing for pets. It wasn't just sorcerer or warden pets affected by that change. You will notice werewolves sidekicks, monster sets and normal sets are affected.

archon_777 · August 2017

I finally put this set on and I totally agree with the OP. The damn Hunger dies before he pukes on any mid to long-range mob and I've even witnessed the Hunger get confused on which mob to attack and turn like 2-3 times to a different mob and die anyways. The Hunger only has a chance to hit a mob right next to me and even that might fail if it gets confused.

Bottomline, the set is total garbage.

Hope ZOS tweaks it but not holding my breath...

Overall the game is going down-hill....

SirMewser · August 2017

This set needs rework, I would like the Hunger be able to perform different attacks as seen in game;
-Charge and launch forward towards the furthest enemy with a twin/scissor claw motion,
-Teleport behind the furthest enemy and knock them down,
-Grapple distant enemy with tongue,
-Puke on furthest enemy.
All of these attacks could have the stunned condition but suit the Hunger better for different situations and spice up combat.

Daedric pets in this game having 1 animation (besides the Daedroth) in this game is what makes conjuration boring in combat, that aside of the lack of soul magic and necromancy.

Maryal · August 2017

This set is fine ... you need to use it in melee range. Rather than LIMIT the set to melee type of attacks, it can proc from a bow or staff BUT you need to be in melee range for it to complete the spawn --> puke on mob--> de-spawn cycle. Remember, this is considered a PET and as of HofR, pets (including proc set pets) can CRIT. This, in effect, is tantamount to a proc set being able to crit.

In PVE, this set is AWESOME when you are attacking mobs in melee RANGE. Although you need to be in melee range (due to the de-spawn timer), you are NOT require to use a melee weapon, nor are you required to use a melee skill/ability.

The melee range de-spawn timer is the only thing that keeps this set from becoming the pew-pew'ers and zap-zap'ers meta in Cyrodiil. While I understand why some pve'ers would like to have the defiler's range extended or spawn location changed, the problem is that to do so would create an unbalance when it came to the pvp side of things. Why? If either of those changes occurred, it wouldn't take long for this set to become the new meta in Cyrodiil for bow users as well as staff users.

Easy to dodge you say? Sure, IF there were only ONE defiler on the battlefield. THE PROBLEM is that, just like sorc pets, when you have more than a few on the battlefield, pets get in the way of targeting, clutters your vision, AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL FRIEND FROM FOE PETS (that is until you are zapped by one ... or not). The defiler set is easy to proc, and it procs a lot! There is just too much going on in the heat of battle and adding an army of Defilers to the mix is just not reasonable. (Did I mention, these proc pets can crit?)

While I am opposed to changing this set, IF there were to be a change, then ZOS should EITHER:
1. Make it clear in the set description that the defiler can only attack targets in melee range of the player (<-- best option); or
2. If, however, ZOS decides to either change in the defiler's spawn location, OR extend it's despawn timer, then ZOS needs to lower the damage this set can do, because, in essence, this IS a proc set that CAN CRIT; or
3. Make it so that the defiler CANNOT CRIT
4. Make 'enemy' defilers GLOW RED LIKE ENEMY NPCS when these 'pets' proc IN CYRODIIL

Ulo · August 2017

Defiler set looks great in practise and i love the set bonuses it gives, i remember when the Morrowind sets we're first announced everyone in guilds were really excited about it. In practise everything you said is right, its uptime sucks and its targeting decisions are awful and it almost never makes use of it cone attack to damage multiple mobs. Could be a few ways to improve it like give it a gap closer or just a much longer uptime but even then i just don't think the sets that summon friendly mobs are up to the job compared to the alternatives.

Merkabeh · August 2017

I use defiler on my Khajiit StamSorc Archer. It is complete crap (relative to other sets), but I like the way the hunger looks, and it spawns often, so I keep this crappy set (seriously just hoping it gets fixed or reworked some day).

It is inconsistant and broken in my experience.

In consistency comes from the randomness of when an attack actually gets pulled off (yes, even when fighting directly in melee range). Too many times, I've watched it go stand right next to a boss, stand for a bit, then puff up to attack but die before finishing. In melee range.

It is broken because the "aoe" portion is ***. Not once has more than one enemy taken damage for me. I could be fighting 6 melee enemies stacked up on me; defiler gets attack off. Damage pops up for exactly 1 enemy and stuns one enemy.

Once again, this is coming from someone who uses the set nonstop, even though it is trash. So quite a bit of experience with the set.

Thrymbauld · August 2017

This set doesn't work well in PvE, either. As most have already mentioned it doesn't hit with any measure of reliability, and often not at all. I've had it miss a target dummy.

In fact, it misses the target dummy with enough consistency that it does a smaller percentage of my damage to it than other sets that proc on crit with the same percentage of regularity but reliably deliver their effect.

MercTheMage · August 2017

Think selene velidreth hybrid. Seems like the perfect solution to this issue.