Welcome to the Wizard101 Message Boards


Player Guide
Fansites
News
Game Updates
Help

Follow important game updates on Twitter @Wizard101 and @KI_Alerts, and Facebook!

For all account questions and concerns, contact Customer Support.

By posting on the Wizard101 Message Boards you agree to the Code of Conduct.

Spectral Minion Problem...

AuthorMessage
Explorer
Jan 04, 2011
73
Allow me to begin with a small example...

How would the players like this following spell:

2 Pips to cast
33% chance of Healing for 300 Health
33% chance of Dealing 200 Balance Damage
33% chance of Dealing 160 Damage and then healing 80 Health

Would this spell pass the test for an useful spell?

Probably not... Why? Because it's random and it has no set ROLE. When I need a heal, I have a chance of getting a heal... But I also have a chance of getting myself killed by using this instead of a more reliable heal. If I need to finish an opponent off, I would probably opt for another spell because I don't want to give it one extra turn to live by randomly healing myself.

Spells like Wild Bolt or Spectral Blast works; because even thought its effects are "random", its purpose/goal/role remains the same. It's much easier to use a spell when it has a purpose.

Spectral Minion lack that very purpose. You may get an attacking Minion or a defending Minion or an in-between Minion. You can never cast it and not risk wasting 4 pips.

There are three ways to fix this...

1) Remake the spell to make all 3 Elementals attack (because Balance Wizard need an attacking Minion)

2) Remake the spell so it summons 1 Minion but it will be a combined Storm/Fire/Ice Minion. It can use Elemental Blade/Trap and use 1/2 Pips Spells of the 3 Elemental Schools

3) The easiest way... Simply boost the Minions to a point that the risk is worth the reward. Example:

- Ice Minion even more HP and more focused skills like IceBlade + IceTrap + 3/4 Pips Attack Spell.
- Fire Minion with more DoT, FireBlade + FireElf/Link over and over.
- Storm Minion with more HP and Pixie spell (castable on others); give it the AI to use it on you when you are low on health instead of wasting it on himself over and over.

Defender
Aug 15, 2009
164
there is nothing wrong with the spectral minion, at least in game. Now if you are complaining about its use for pvp, then idk. I guess if your complaint is about its use in pvp then KI will probably change that before we know it and then people will have to either complain on its shallow grave, or they will adapt and get used to it.
At least it doesnt cast doom and gloom which the pve crowd highly dislikes but nothing will be done about that because the pvp crowd loves it.
Seems like the game is more pvp centric than i had thought or imagined at least up to a year or so ago then it all started with something about frost giant was not fair in pvp, then they got their way and now a mediocre spell for a then ultimate spell became worthless and all but useless when stun does not stun celestian bosses.
then the same people complain that bosses are "nerfed" when they get their pvp way and the whole dementions and designs of the game are accomodated to fix whatever ill fits pvp.
I am going to stop short and say there is nothing inherently wrong with the spectral minion as it stands, or stood, or had stood, whatever. and leaving the other to a new post which does not really concern here.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
f1ng3br1ts0n wrote:
there is nothing wrong with the spectral minion, at least in game. Now if you are complaining about its use for pvp, then idk. I guess if your complaint is about its use in pvp then KI will probably change that before we know it and then people will have to either complain on its shallow grave, or they will adapt and get used to it.
At least it doesnt cast doom and gloom which the pve crowd highly dislikes but nothing will be done about that because the pvp crowd loves it.
Seems like the game is more pvp centric than i had thought or imagined at least up to a year or so ago then it all started with something about frost giant was not fair in pvp, then they got their way and now a mediocre spell for a then ultimate spell became worthless and all but useless when stun does not stun celestian bosses.
then the same people complain that bosses are "nerfed" when they get their pvp way and the whole dementions and designs of the game are accomodated to fix whatever ill fits pvp.

I am going to stop short and say there is nothing inherently wrong with the spectral minion as it stands, or stood, or had stood, whatever. and leaving the other to a new post which does not really concern here.


There is a problem with Spectral Minion. It is USELESS. I do not PvP, so don't place this issue in that category. This minion is of no use in battle outside of PvP.

The few times that I used Spectral Minion, my wizard dies every time. All the minion did was taunt and shield itself. So I don't use it. Instead I use Helpful Mander and have not died once.

I would suggest getting rid of Spectral Minion completely and strengthening Helpful Mander some with maybe the ability to cast 1 or 2 higher rank spells.


Survivor
Nov 19, 2010
49
I personally have found spectral minion to be helpful on a number of occasions. I will admit that it is most useful if you can cast it in the first few rounds. The reason for this is that if you get a storm minion, it is only useful before you have attacked. As soon as you actually attack, you become a greater threat than the minion. The more powerful your attack, the more useless storm minion is.

Now if you get a Fire or Ice minion, then it doesn't matter when you cast it. Their attacks are always useful even if they don't do a whole lot of damage.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
I have had spectral minion for a few months now and I have never gotten anything but the water elemental. And as I said before, everytime I used it, my wizard has died.

So Is it Bugged?

It is of no use to me in battle.

Champion
Apr 18, 2010
407
I must agree COMPLETELY. I dislike how spec minion is now, I liked the older one better. I think the problem is the minions aren't based around the balance school, but just a weakened version of the elemental school minions. Our minions need to be more about attacking since are school has a lower damage per pip (about 95.)
I find all my minions useless since the helpful mander has too low health for pvp 9I still use it in pve), and the spectral minion is just pure luck. (which can cost you the duel for 4 pips.)

Defender
Aug 15, 2009
164
sry about assuming it pvp, was due to being to used to seeing issues like these come from pvpers.

It would be a good idea to eliminate the spectral minion if it gives the mander extra pwer. Like ability to cast helpful hands (healing hands? sry forgot exact name of spell right now) and power play ( since the death minion can cast global enchantment too), Oh and let the mander have a eighty to a hundred points per pip when cast.

spectral minion is good, but the mander is a better minion and would be worth the lack of spectral minion if the mander was made better.

Astrologist
Jun 04, 2010
1008
f1ng3br1ts0n wrote:
sry about assuming it pvp, was due to being to used to seeing issues like these come from pvpers.

It would be a good idea to eliminate the spectral minion if it gives the mander extra pwer. Like ability to cast helpful hands (healing hands? sry forgot exact name of spell right now) and power play ( since the death minion can cast global enchantment too), Oh and let the mander have a eighty to a hundred points per pip when cast.

spectral minion is good, but the mander is a better minion and would be worth the lack of spectral minion if the mander was made better.


Now there's a thought... How about they do away with spectral minion and instead add Oka... the only mander to ever win in the arena. Surely he should do some real damage. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spectral minion, but as another poster said, due to being random, its best cast within the first couple of rounds if you intend to make real use of it.

Explorer
Jan 04, 2011
73
Well, the Minion is weak in both PvP and PvE...

The difference is obviously more pronounced in PvP due to its competitive nature.

Refocus the Minion, make it useful rather than useless; even the Mender Minion isn't that useful. Utility is a good thing but only if you have the intelligence to use it properly; obviously AI lacks that intelligence and should not be given "situational utility spells" like the Mender.

Do you know how often the Mender would give me pips when I am full? Or shield himself with Elemental Shield when the enemy is Death/Myth/Life?

Just let the Minion boost and attack, please... Maybe heal (but only if damaged)... You can't go wrong with boost -> attack

Defender
Aug 08, 2010
134
f1ng3br1ts0n wrote:
sry about assuming it pvp, was due to being to used to seeing issues like these come from pvpers.

It would be a good idea to eliminate the spectral minion if it gives the mander extra pwer. Like ability to cast helpful hands (healing hands? sry forgot exact name of spell right now) and power play ( since the death minion can cast global enchantment too), Oh and let the mander have a eighty to a hundred points per pip when cast.

spectral minion is good, but the mander is a better minion and would be worth the lack of spectral minion if the mander was made better.


I disagree with power play being added to a balance minion. I personally never use that spell (I really don't want to boost my enemies chance of getting power pips). It would probably also strongly resemble the death minion and repeatedly cast it over and over again repeatedly. Definitely not what I would want my minion doing.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
Gelwyn wrote:
f1ng3br1ts0n wrote:
sry about assuming it pvp, was due to being to used to seeing issues like these come from pvpers.

It would be a good idea to eliminate the spectral minion if it gives the mander extra pwer. Like ability to cast helpful hands (healing hands? sry forgot exact name of spell right now) and power play ( since the death minion can cast global enchantment too), Oh and let the mander have a eighty to a hundred points per pip when cast.

spectral minion is good, but the mander is a better minion and would be worth the lack of spectral minion if the mander was made better.


I disagree with power play being added to a balance minion. I personally never use that spell (I really don't want to boost my enemies chance of getting power pips). It would probably also strongly resemble the death minion and repeatedly cast it over and over again repeatedly. Definitely not what I would want my minion doing.


I agree completely with Gelwyn, about the power play, I don't use it and I sure don't want my minion using it. Minions should not have the ability to cast a global enchantment regardless of school. If I want those cast, then my wizard will do it and not my minions. Mander is a much better minion. Just give it a little more health and strength with maybe 1 or 2 higher rank spells and dump Spectral Minion altogether.

Fallon WinterGarden
Grand Master Balance (lvl 52)

Fallon WinterLeaf
Legendary Life
Legendary Pyromancer