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ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:55 am
by EXoCiDe
I have no friends.

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 am
by Wytchee
I will be your friend sir or madam.

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:04 am
by PeterRasta
My character would even -guard you instead

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 5:21 am
by WanderingPoet
I don't think -guard will ever see it work on summons/npcs (it's been in place for years without it happening afterall) - however if you pick up PDK you can use the Heroic Shield on NPCs/summons to essentially -guard them. It isn't -guard but it gives the same taunt ability (plus damage resistance!)

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:14 pm
by Alox
A side effect of guard is that it also work as a "taunt" on the targets that attacks the person you are guarding.

This side effect should arguably be available to pet owners, to increase viability of damage pets over tank pets, in a mechanical perspective.

BUT, having motivations to group is always good too...

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:06 pm
by Baron Saturday
Alox wrote:
Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:14 pm
A side effect of guard is that it also work as a "taunt" on the targets that attacks the person you are guarding.

This side effect should arguably be available to pet owners, to increase viability of damage pets over tank pets, in a mechanical perspective.

BUT, having motivations to group is always good too...
Pulling the aggro of a -guarded ally is the ONLY effect of -guard, not a side effect. For damage-heavy summons, I can certainly see the appeal of being able to -guard them, but that doesn't mesh terribly well with how -guard functions right now, as something that has to be targeted via tell or the target's name.

There are a number ways you could incorporate PDK into a powerful summoning build in order to guard a summon, such as by combining it with 16+ levels of pale master or blackguard. You could, I suppose, even take a 3 level PDK dip, but that seems like a bit of a waste.

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:47 pm
by EXoCiDe
Or a town guard, the mayor, your favorite shopkeep that you've grown attached to etc.

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:09 pm
by Peppermint
FWIW, I developed the fire elemental and vampire stream under the assumption that NPCs could not be -guarded. Having to manage them more carefully was intended as part of the tradeoff.

DPS-oriented summons are already very strong. In fact, I daresay they're more popular among more experienced* players.

(* I don't mean this as a jab. Just as an observation.)

Re: ETA on bein' able to -guard allied NPCs & summons?

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2018 1:18 pm
by Alox
Peppermint wrote:
Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:09 pm
FWIW, I developed the fire elemental and vampire stream under the assumption that NPCs could not be -guarded. Having to manage them more carefully was intended as part of the tradeoff.

DPS-oriented summons are already very strong. In fact, I daresay they're more popular among more experienced* players.

(* I don't mean this as a jab. Just as an observation.)
Agree, the DPS summons are beefy enough to survive most things. And with points into heal skill and willingness to spend some gold on bandages you can often progress at a faster rate using DPS summons. Experienced players would think this is a good investment I believe.