Summon Adjustments

[Gibbaddy]

Still here, hoping for some revision.

[Tikin]

Hi!

I'm not sure if bug or intended, as it was not anounced ...

Since today, mass bear endurance doens't work on summons.
Happened a few times, on different servers.

Intended as part of adjustments or I should file bug report?

Thanks!

[Kalthariam]

They made it that all spells that are AoE (Except for the undead buffing spells apparently) no longer effect Conjurations of any kind. That was part of the overhaul.

Then they nerfed the states of all the summons to be wet tissues to be shredded in a moments notice by anything remotely the same level as you.

[Xerah]

Then they nerfed the states of all the summons to be wet tissues to be shredded in a moments notice by anything remotely the same level as you.

I've been playing a level 30 melee bard doing runics using a death slaad. Obviously, I'm not going to the hardest places on the server, but I certainly don't think they are all useless. If you have specific complaints and issues with specific summons, then voice them, don't complain about the whole thing as no one can possibly address your issue.

[Rubricae]

Then they nerfed the states of all the summons to be wet tissues to be shredded in a moments notice by anything remotely the same level as you.

I've been playing a level 30 melee bard doing runics using a death slaad. Obviously, I'm not going to the hardest places on the server, but I certainly don't think they are all useless. If you have specific complaints and issues with specific summons, then voice them, don't complain about the whole thing as no one can possibly address your issue.

Most of the elemental summons, all the way up to meteor feel extremely weak compared to where they were previously. Even in just going around non-runic dungeons keeping them alive has become much more tedious, and it's actually made me reconsider using elemental meteor.

The loss of the mass zoo buff spells on top of the massive gutting of each summon has lead to an overall QoL loss.
Kalthariam's issue can be addressed by either reverting the change entirely, allowing for most if not all buff spells to be used on summons(sequencers don't compare), or choosing the stat reductions / no mass zoo buff - but not both.

This entire thread is full enough with specifics that should provide ample examples from a much wider variety of players, classes, and dungeon run styles - enough to hopefully show that across the board, it's hurt everybody.

[Xerah]

This entire thread is full enough with specifics that should provide ample examples from a much wider variety of players, classes, and dungeon run styles - enough to hopefully show that across the board, it's hurt everybody.[/color]

Yep, lots of good feedback in the thread. However vague posts do not help the developers address it these complaints.

If someone wants to post to complain, then it's better done elsewhere.

[Gerhazo]

Then they nerfed the states of all the summons to be wet tissues to be shredded in a moments notice by anything remotely the same level as you.

I've been playing a level 30 melee bard doing runics using a death slaad. Obviously, I'm not going to the hardest places on the server, but I certainly don't think they are all useless. If you have specific complaints and issues with specific summons, then voice them, don't complain about the whole thing as no one can possibly address your issue.

For a somewhat different perspective to this, playing an utility-oriented caster bard, when gauging the effect of the changes, I watched my greater planar binding summon almost die (from 100% health to 20%) dueling a single archer in the Duergar Stronghold, under the effect of a max level bardsong.

I've become reliant on finding a party or henchmen being available for PVE content (which, in UD for high level content, there's only Matron Bloodbeard that is of any note), with summons just being temporary meatshields for those.

Admittedly, it is somewhat my fault, my build is sub-optimal, having made it PvE and utility (appraise/search/sailing) focused at cost of PVP-viability. With the PVP-oppressive builds also dominating PVE (and not being reliant on summons or otherwise affected), the changes caught me off guard since with how long those builds have been dominant and complained about I was expecting any focus to be on them. Amusingly, they turned out to have been and still remain the safe pick that in hindsight I would've been better off going with from the start.

I have now landed in an awkward spot where I have neither pvp or pve viability, having expected the oppressive classes that dominate both areas to be the focus of any potential changes and wrongly presuming summons to be in a stable spot due to how ineffective they are considered outside of dungeons.

[Xerah]

I definitely was surprised when I found out I could use that death slaad and it did not die instantly in a few high level places I could take it to (I still do take henchmen, but I don't guard the slaad). It felt about the right strength for a 6th level summon spell to me.

That said, I do not see any way that a caster bard could do the same thing (maybe with the Matron?) as you seem to have had experience with. It might be an option that some summons could take buffs from casters depending on their paths (i.e. ones without self melee ability).

I'm also not sure about the Requiem ability (from dirge singer) for instance that is supposed to increase bard song level when applied to undead, I guess that is completely useless now.

[Coolguy McMagic]

I'm sure this has been suggested already, but maybe we can add casting stat scaling to all summons now?
The hybrid caster-martial characters rarely get a higher base score than 18-20 and of course the martials that just used Summon III scrolls to get through early content had even less of that.
Meanwhile, full investment into your casting stat gets less and less appealing for actual casters thanks to DC spells falling further and further off. Casting stat scaling could alleviate that issue and ensure summons are strong for the classes and builds that ACTUALLY need them.