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Companions 201

AuthorMessage
Geographer
Mar 12, 2013
923
I noticed the companions we get in Mirage seem not only weaker, but less tactically creative than ones we've gotten in past worlds.

It's like each world has a companion or two that give something really unique: KR's Old Cob gave us an extra starting power pip, Velma von Venkman gave us a huge shadow pip boost, etc.

Mirage hasn't shown us anything creative - one gives us smidgen of pierce, one gives us a modest (very helpful!) bit of accuracy boost but nothing else. Their storyline and dialog is amazing, but the delivery on the quantitative side is lacking.

This is a world where the hp and damage capacity of mobs almost doubles compared to the final areas of Polaris that had free roaming mobs.

This is also a world where no new tools are offered players who wish to improve their viability. Therefore, in the absence of crafted support gear or dropped upgrades, players are left to their own devices. Hiring henchmen, using their level 75 minion, even using Brandon TC to buy time for them to heal...all of these are clunky, awkward crutches that prolong battle duration and actually increase the chance a player will not finish an instance.

This is where companions come in, and where they should be fine-tuned to the instances they follow the wizard into. They should grant a much broader variety of boosts to your wizard, not only quantitatively in stats, but also qualitatively in other ways. They should not overlap with pets, gear, or minions, but should have a unique flavor contribution.

Current companions are focused on boosting a wizard's conventional battle stats, in some way. Damage, resist, accuracy, pierce, critical, block, healing, and pip chances. In future though, I can see companions having a personality and area of expertise all their own.

Example: in an area filled with rank 15 elite balance and ice mobs, who excel at shutting down storm and fire wizards, you pick up your old nemesis the Great Troll as a companion. He's still a big, dumb, green slackjaw with a club. "Come look. I show you something. No, it not come from inside nose. Trust me!" And he teaches you the ways of trolling. As he joins you as a companion, you get a notification that you have Myth mastery because of the Great Troll. Which lets you do something about those awful shields.

Other companions could include
  • You can see the spell your enemy has chosen (not a beguile effect)
  • You can see 2 lines of 7 cards each from your deck, instead of only 1 line (increase maximum hand size)
  • A big health boost
  • Moon school mastery against a boss who caps your pips at 4 (use shift spells to good effect)
  • "I promise I won't get involved" but then after 4 or 5 rounds they will sneak up behind the boss and pop a paper bag over his ears, stunning him for a round.
  • Pip conversion boost
  • A global Simplify or Elucidate effect.
  • A companion that switches sides mid battle!