Loving the companion changes so far

[0_The_F00l]

I am one of those players that like to keep one of everything "just in case",

So I have every single companion and am trying to find a good combination of mods and precepts to work with,

and boy am i having an interesting time lately,

Sure , the companions arent "significantly" stronger than before , but the new mods kinda help bridge the gap between companions quite a bit and the utlity they bring is pretty good too.

Excellent outcome overall i would say.

[(XBOX)Graysmog]

I do enjoy the new Bond mods and what they allow, but man, it's really just pointing out how hard it is to build a Kubrow (Kavats to a lesser degree) when they have so few mod slots that are mostly just for survivability or utility.

 

Either these guys need those extra slots like Necramechs have, or they really need a separate melee weapon like Hounds have that lets you split up their damage, survivability and utility a little bit better. Right now it just feels awful trying to build for elemental mods.

I'm also just kind of surprised the mods are actually ... good, like all around. Granted some aren't useful currently with specific companions, but I can't say once the rework is finished I won't at least try them out.

Edited October 19, 2023 by (XBOX)Graysmog

[0_The_F00l]

20 minutes ago, (XBOX)Graysmog said:

I do enjoy the new Bond mods and what they allow, but man, it's really just pointing out how hard it is to build a Kubrow (Kavats to a lesser degree) when they have so few mod slots that are mostly just for survivability or utility.

 

Either these guys need those extra slots like Necramechs have, or they really need a separate melee weapon like Hounds have that lets you split up their damage, survivability and utility a little bit better. Right now it just feels awful trying to build for elemental mods.

I'm also just kind of surprised the mods are actually ... good, like all around. Granted some aren't useful currently with specific companions, but I can't say once the rework is finished I won't at least try them out.

i woudln't mind some sort of weapon for kubrows ,

hell just let them use any of my single handed weapons to hold in their mouth.

but now that radar is innate i didnt really feel that much of a crunch (needs forma though)

Edited October 19, 2023 by 0_The_F00l

[(PSN)Unstar]

9 minutes ago, 0_The_F00l said:

i woudln't mind some sort of weapon for kubrows ,

hell just let them use any of my single handed weapons to hold in their mouth.

Give 👏 Kubrows 👏 guns! 👏

[ShogunGunshow]

Every single melee companion's basic attacks should do AoE effect just by default, similar to Seismic Bond, and Seismic Bond should just amp that range and damage.

[Yakhul]

38 minutes ago, 0_The_F00l said:

i woudln't mind some sort of weapon for kubrows ,

hell just let them use any of my single handed weapons to hold in their mouth.

but now that radar is innate i didnt really feel that much of a crunch (needs forma though)

That is why i like Hounds. They are basically a Kubrow, but have their own Weapon. Kubrows and kavats should also have, ohh i dont know? some form of Claw or Talon weapon that is either visible or not visible on their paws, that you can mod with your melee mods.

I haven't played much with the new stuff yet, but is it true? Warframes have innate Enemy Radar built in now? If so, ohh boy i can finally use the slot i normally used on my companions for Animal Instinct for other mods!

[(XBOX)Hellsteeth30]

30m free radar now yeah, no inbuilt loot radar though.

[traybong111]

1 hour ago, 0_The_F00l said:

hell just let them use any of my single handed weapons to hold in their mouth.

SWORD DOG SWORD DOG SWORD DOG

[sunderthefirmament]

2 hours ago, 0_The_F00l said:

I am one of those players that like to keep one of everything "just in case",

So I have every single companion and am trying to find a good combination of mods and precepts to work with,

and boy am i having an interesting time lately,

Sure , the companions arent "significantly" stronger than before , but the new mods kinda help bridge the gap between companions quite a bit and the utlity they bring is pretty good too.

Excellent outcome overall i would say.

I’m enjoying the changes so far as well, though nothing in the update has made me want to swap off my charmbot for something else. Pet ability changes are apparently going to be part of phase 2 of the pet rework, whenever that happens.

 

But I haven’t even been tempted to try any bond mods yet. I don’t see my smeeta as an active combatant that I fight alongside.  She’s utility. That’s all I need from her.  It’s also really hard to find mod space on kavats. 

[(XBOX)Graysmog]

1 hour ago, sunderthefirmament said:

I’m enjoying the changes so far as well, though nothing in the update has made me want to swap off my charmbot for something else. Pet ability changes are apparently going to be part of phase 2 of the pet rework, whenever that happens.

 

But I haven’t even been tempted to try any bond mods yet. I don’t see my smeeta as an active combatant that I fight alongside.  She’s utility. That’s all I need from her.  It’s also really hard to find mod space on kavats. 

It is why me and many other Companion users just want Kubrows and Kavats to get their own special melee weapons like Hounds have. 

Just take most of their damage mods and move them into the melee, and I imagine they'll feel a lot better like Robotic companions. Right now I'm pretty sure everyone still just builds them for pure utility like with Smeeta or Sahasa.

[(NSW)Greybones]

32 minutes ago, (XBOX)Graysmog said:

It is why me and many other Companion users just want Kubrows and Kavats to get their own special melee weapons like Hounds have. 

Just take most of their damage mods and move them into the melee, and I imagine they'll feel a lot better like Robotic companions. Right now I'm pretty sure everyone still just builds them for pure utility like with Smeeta or Sahasa.

Hey, I fight alongside my dog (though it’s because she has the breathing room to do anything in the first place), so I try and build her to help with the fighting part too.

That said, I wouldn’t mind more ways to mod her damage though, whether through alternative mods or modable weapons.

Though if we were to get modable weapons, I’d like to see alternative options that can be equipped as alternatives for damage but still influence the gameplay; modding for only damage can get pretty boring if not downright unnecessary, but our companions won’t really make much use of block or combo or whatever, at least not like we can, so alternative mods would have to have different effects. I feel the lack of alternative customisations currently with our Sentinals, though our sentinal weapons kind of just suck from the baseline so modding for pure damage is kind of the only thing to do just to give them a chance at helping in the first place even if we’re not built to hog all the kills

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by (NSW)Greybones
brain was thinking ranged for some reason; switched mod examples to melee-oriented

[(PSN)robotwars7]

it's important to remember that DE stated this was going to be a two-part rework; part 1 was making companions have better overall survivability, the second part will be coming next year and is going to focus on rebalancing abilities (and hopefully companion weapons), so once that goes live, THEN we should see some drastic improvements in companion capabilities across the board.

13 hours ago, 0_The_F00l said:

woudln't mind some sort of weapon for kubrows ,

normally I'd dismiss something like this, but it does genuinely sound like something DE would do.. can't imagine what would happen if you give them one of our modded swords.

and because we're all thinking it, may as well post it:

Kubrow + Ghoulsaw + magic foundry duct tape = F**kYES.jpeg.

[(XBOX)Hellsteeth30]

Carrier now has a career, supplying my Bramma/Zarr.  I rarely run out of ammo now.

[SneakyErvin]

Really enjoying the changes.

Helios (Prime) is amazing right now. Deconstructor has always been a nice weapon, but sadly lacked due to Helios dying. But now with self res, good healing options and reduced self res time from mods like Primed Regen and the new +HP on orb pick up/res time reduction bond mod it is great.

Outside of that I still use my Panzer. Dropped Primed Pack Leader since it doesnt work with most ranged melee. Swapped in +HP per orb/-res time bond and gave him some passive healing and reduced spawn time with Loyal Companion (that is the name right?), so he sits at a natural 15 sec res time thanks to the panzer precept.

Also swapped Primed Animal Instinct for the normal one.

Had to fiddle with some more configs to better cover all different frames now so I could mix regular pet survival mods with link-mods as needed for highest possible armor/HP on the pet with each frame. Actually had to spend 10p to grab a 5th config for my Panzer.

[Aruquae]

17 hours ago, 0_The_F00l said:

I am one of those players that like to keep one of everything "just in case",

So I have every single companion and am trying to find a good combination of mods and precepts to work with,

and boy am i having an interesting time lately,

Sure , the companions arent "significantly" stronger than before , but the new mods kinda help bridge the gap between companions quite a bit and the utlity they bring is pretty good too.

Excellent outcome overall i would say.

Indeed, I can finally have my baby doggos accompany me without fear of perma-death. Though, there’s one thing.
Have you tried the Duplex Bond with the Hound precept (who’s name evades me) that splits them into lil babies?

Don’t have duplex bond yet, so can’t test it myself

[0_The_F00l]

56 minutes ago, Malikili said:

Indeed, I can finally have my baby doggos accompany me without fear of perma-death. Though, there’s one thing.
Have you tried the Duplex Bond with the Hound precept (who’s name evades me) that splits them into lil babies?

Don’t have duplex bond yet, so can’t test it myself

hmm , i will check , i too am curious how it works.

update @Malikili

Diversified denial works with the duplex bond , you can have 3 daddy hounds and 3 baby hounds walking around.

Edited October 20, 2023 by 0_The_F00l

[(PSN)Joylesstuna]

I'm having issues healing pets especially when using heavy attack weapons and glaives. Not sure what the solution is for that. Enjoying the new mods. While utility of the companions have been greatly improved, their survivability has not. 

[0_The_F00l]

2 minutes ago, (PSN)Joylesstuna said:

I'm having issues healing pets especially when using heavy attack weapons and glaives. Not sure what the solution is for that. Enjoying the new mods. While utility of the companions have been greatly improved, their survivability has not. 

yes , it is a bit of challenge to keep them topped up. but they can bounce back faster you can potentially heal them. stack up the various bonds and try to minimize the down times.

[(PSN)Joylesstuna]

10 minutes ago, 0_The_F00l said:

yes , it is a bit of challenge to keep them topped up. but they can bounce back faster you can potentially heal them. stack up the various bonds and try to minimize the down times.

Appreciate the ideas. I still have a lot to try out on my builds but healing seems to have not alot of options. So reducing down timer>healing?

Edited October 20, 2023 by (PSN)Joylesstuna

[0_The_F00l]

4 minutes ago, (PSN)Joylesstuna said:

Appreciate the ideas. I still have a lot to try out on my builds but healing seems to have not alot of options. So reducing down timer>healing?

yes , they also benefit from shield gating and one bond in particular grants them shields on reload , so a rapid reload weapon helps as well. And one that makes them invisible on finishers.

[(PSN)Joylesstuna]

18 minutes ago, 0_The_F00l said:

yes , they also benefit from shield gating and one bond in particular grants them shields on reload , so a rapid reload weapon helps as well. And one that makes them invisible on finishers.

You used to be able to use link shields and condemn to shield gate kavats. Wasn't exactly fun but interesting. Anyways thanks again.

[SneakyErvin]

54 minutes ago, (PSN)Joylesstuna said:

I'm having issues healing pets especially when using heavy attack weapons and glaives. Not sure what the solution is for that. Enjoying the new mods. While utility of the companions have been greatly improved, their survivability has not. 

I'd suggest the +healing from health orb bond. That with synth deconstruct makes it easy to keep pets healed since you will run over healing orbs regularly. Then no matter which pet you use there should be atleast 1 other mod to reduce respawn time if you feel the need. Then depending on the pet you'll also have access to other means of healing if needed.

Hounds = Healing Return mod on melee weapon, plus you can give them disarm, electric CC and combine those 2 precepts with Manifold Bond, which inflicts the statuses from your weapon on any mob the hound uses a precept on. AoE or richochette status application from the two precepts mentioned. Plus aslong as you kill enemies with atleast 3 statuses the CD on those precepts is reduced drastically.

Helios = Healing Return on Deconstructor if you use that, plus you have access to a decent HP reg with Repair-Kit considering how rarely they take damage. Primed Regen for massive res time reduction. Repair-Kit and the +hp from orb bond should be enough for other sentinels, or just one of the two even. The bond is the best option since it reduces res time aswell incase the sentinel does go down.

Vulp = Can make use of Medi-pet kit for minor passive healing and self res reduced to 15 sec (yes 15 sec will be the respawn time for a vulp).

I havent had any of my "living" pets go down since I removed Primed Pack Leader because I no longer really need to monitor the HP, they just heal as I kill if needed thanks to orbs. The one taking most punishment atm is my Panzer since he only spreads viral without any innate CC. My Helios and Hound barely take damage, Helios because he is never really a target due to a silenced weapon and my Hound just steals the weapons from everyone while setting them on fire or electrifying them, plus if needed he has his evasion precept to help him dodge away, which Iconsider removing for another bond in the future.

[(XBOX)Graysmog]

3 hours ago, SneakyErvin said:

I'd suggest the +healing from health orb bond. That with synth deconstruct makes it easy to keep pets healed since you will run over healing orbs regularly. Then no matter which pet you use there should be atleast 1 other mod to reduce respawn time if you feel the need. Then depending on the pet you'll also have access to other means of healing if needed.

Hounds = Healing Return mod on melee weapon, plus you can give them disarm, electric CC and combine those 2 precepts with Manifold Bond, which inflicts the statuses from your weapon on any mob the hound uses a precept on. AoE or richochette status application from the two precepts mentioned. Plus aslong as you kill enemies with atleast 3 statuses the CD on those precepts is reduced drastically.

Helios = Healing Return on Deconstructor if you use that, plus you have access to a decent HP reg with Repair-Kit considering how rarely they take damage. Primed Regen for massive res time reduction. Repair-Kit and the +hp from orb bond should be enough for other sentinels, or just one of the two even. The bond is the best option since it reduces res time aswell incase the sentinel does go down.

Vulp = Can make use of Medi-pet kit for minor passive healing and self res reduced to 15 sec (yes 15 sec will be the respawn time for a vulp).

I havent had any of my "living" pets go down since I removed Primed Pack Leader because I no longer really need to monitor the HP, they just heal as I kill if needed thanks to orbs. The one taking most punishment atm is my Panzer since he only spreads viral without any innate CC. My Helios and Hound barely take damage, Helios because he is never really a target due to a silenced weapon and my Hound just steals the weapons from everyone while setting them on fire or electrifying them, plus if needed he has his evasion precept to help him dodge away, which Iconsider removing for another bond in the future.

Honestly have to agree with this, I do appreciate the CC immunity the pets receive with the Overguard, but it really needs to go a lot higher to justify its use. If it's going to suck at healing, it needs to be a lot better as a preventative option. Either that or grounded Companions really just need a higher flat DR increase, as unlike Sentinels, they get hit by everything. 

I will say though that the Disarm Precept doesn't seem to apply the extra status effects from Manifold, at least in my experience it seemed to only happen with the Electric Precept.

Edited October 20, 2023 by (XBOX)Graysmog

[SneakyErvin]

18 hours ago, (XBOX)Graysmog said:

Honestly have to agree with this, I do appreciate the CC immunity the pets receive with the Overguard, but it really needs to go a lot higher to justify its use. If it's going to suck at healing, it needs to be a lot better as a preventative option. Either that or grounded Companions really just need a higher flat DR increase, as unlike Sentinels, they get hit by everything. 

I will say though that the Disarm Precept doesn't seem to apply the extra status effects from Manifold, at least in my experience it seemed to only happen with the Electric Precept.

I tried Manifold with disarm precept more today. It does work. Tested it on the lotus alert by just standing there and letting my hound kill, the moment the disarm precept hit a group of enemies they were also filled with statuses. No electric sparks close to them. Right now it is probably my favorite pet setup since it has useful precepts that can be used often and also spread status reliably, while I can also pick which statuses I want to add.

Did you test it solo or in group, or in sim? Might be some bug tied to either being client or the sim.

[SneakyErvin]

Just had to pop in and say this.

Manifold Bond is so crazy good with "vortex" precepts like Cordon, Whiplash Mine aswell as damage absorbtion mods like the Stasis Field, which ends up having permanent uptime since the CD reduction seems to apply like how it does on Lavos by reducing the CD before the CD actually starts on skill end. However, Cordon and Whiplash Mine does not inflict the statuses. Seems like in order to have Manifold Bond proc statuses from your weapon, the precept used must either inflict damage or a status on the target.

Nautilus+Sweeper Prime (Gas+Electric), Moas (Whiplash Mine+Stasis Field) + Sweeper Prime (Gas+Electric) and Hounds (Repo Audit, Reflex Denial and Synergized Prospectus) + Akaten (Viral+Heat) are probably my 3 favorite pet options now thanks to Manifold Bond and the rest of the changes. Helios Prime with Deconstructor Prime is a close runner up mostly thanks to Deconstructor Prime since the sentinel itself is just a weapon platform.