Companion Rework Part 2 Wishlist

[N0MC4T]

Hey all! Since it's been a few months and we've had time to really feel the companion rework's changes, I thought I would make a list of companions I thought could use some extra love and some ways I would change them:

Djinn

Djinn could really use some love. It's expensive to make, and right now I would say it's the weakest sentinel. Stinger is somehow worse than the laser rifle, and it's precepts leave a LOT to be desired. 

Stinger- Garunteed toxin procs are cool but worthless. If the weapon was silent and could sleep enemies on hit, it could see some use alongside thumper. It just sucks.

Fatal Attraction- You don't notice this because it affects very few enemies and the ones it does die before you see it happen. If Djinn were invulnerable during the cast and the attraction had an aoe, it might see play as a defensive combat sentinel. 

Reawaken- Feels like a bandaid for how often djinn dies. Providing an aoe knockdown or some other, more noticeable benefit other than shields when it awakens could make this feel better.

Wyrm

Wyrm is nice and tanky, but it's precepts feel weak. Don't even get me started on laser rifle. 

Crowd dispersion- Honestly not that bad. Damage isn't that important outside of the new bond mods (namely manifold). Rather than knock down enemies, pushing them away (including eximus) would be more useful.

Negate- taking away one status effect is barely noticeable, even on lower level maps with half decent enemy count. It should have charges like Mesmer or Disoguard in exchange for a longer cooldown. 

Laser rifle- No damage. No crit. No status. No fire rate. No *@##$es. This weapon needs a boost to pretty much every stat, but if I had to choose: base damage. This should hit alot harder than it does.

Shade

Outside of stealth missions and even then, shade feels lackluster. The stealth breaks easily and it won't instantly refresh between pods of enemies, even when you're not attacking.  

Prisma skin should be available for prime owners if both are mastered. 

Ghost-  great when it works, but makes shade feel very niche. A small speed boost that lasts a few seconds after stealth would feel really nice. Stealth should break AFTER ability casts so that caster frames can utilize this sentinel more. No cooldown if player doesn't attack/cast could help shade not feel so clunky.

Ambush- Fire rate/attack speed would be a good addition. Both shade and its owner should get the bonuses, with shade attacking the first enemy you hit after breaking.

Revenge- should be opened up like assault mode.

Kubrows

Kubrows are at least not dying every two seconds. They still feel as though they need more love and a niche to carve out for themselves. Perhaps they could be one of the few companion types that actually do meaningful damage across the board?

Savagery/Ferocity- Give these the assault mode treatment. Each kubrow should be able to equip this mod, and it should do more damage. 330% finisher or something. 

Hunt- More damage. kubrow should look for a knocked down enemy to preform a finisher on after charging.

Howl- should give an armor strip to make it more in line with nekros terrify. Cooldown also feels very long.

Unleashed- If this could work on eximus or nullifiers (temporarily taking away their aura), this ability could maybe be useful. As it stands, very niche, and you'll probably end up taking down the target just flying through the map as it is.

Neutralize- I have no ideas on how to fix this. Maybe replace it with status negation or something. 

Proboscis-  this should target the strongest possible enemy, and maybe even give them 1-5 viral procs and/or disarm them. Right now it's only 1 enemy, and it doesn't really do much other than look kinda funny.

Helminth Trample- feels underwhelming given a regular kubrow does the same thing. A damage type change or maybe leaving behind a few maggots that panic enemies then explode would be cool.

Strain mods- interaction with Nidus they should still proc their corrosive status.

Kavats

Reflect- No need of fixing, but adding a chance for the enemy to be opened up to finishers would be funny :)

Draining Bite- Feels unnoticed. 15% up from 10%. Overheal provides over guard or something. 

MOAs

Whiplash mine- I'd be happy if it was 15m instead and it activated in 1s rather than 3s, as enemies tend to die before it goes off.

Anti-grav grenade- Lifted status instead would be appreciated, the anti grav is meh.

Predasites

Acidic spittle- A small aoe (like 2m) on impact would be greatly appreciated. More base status chance on the ability would be awesome as well.

Endoparasitic Vector- Right now this sucks and is alot worse than it sounds. Remove heat damage. It should work much closer to a corpus tether mine where it doesn't pull enemies in, but rather keeps them in a small aoe zone.

Infectious bite- Counter intuitive to want an enemy to live after a finisher. More finisher damage (400% maybe). Instead of pustules or whatever, prime the enemy to explode with viral and toxin procs when they die. Much less confusing and instantly works on a finisher kill.

Paralytic Spores- The spores are bad. 16m is nice, but a 3s finisher window is terrible. Increasing the duration and having the spores disarm could provide beneficial.

Vulpaphyla

Sly- Decent, but lacking especially compared to the Panzer and Crescent. adding a sprint and parkour buff after killing an enemy could increase the use of this one. 25% instead of 20% on the  deevolution would be nice as well.

Crescent Deevolution- Opening enemies within 5m to finishers could double down this vulpa as the melee one.

 

Overall I think the companion rework was a great success! I'm exited to see more companion updates in the future.

 

 

Edited January 15 by N0MC4T
Grammar/Spelling/Formatting

[SpicyDinosaur]

I just want them to divorce pets from the incubator. I breed them for plat and I have to use a loadout to start the process and make imprints and then I can't change the beast pet any other loadout has. I don't think I am even supposed to be able to have an equipped pet during that time, the loadouts just work that way if the pet is equipped on it.

 

I want to use beast pets, it's weird breeding all these pretty pets and then having to use a sentinel because my incubator is perpetually tied up.

[N0MC4T]

9 hours ago, SpicyDinosaur said:

I just want them to divorce pets from the incubator. I breed them for plat and I have to use a loadout to start the process and make imprints and then I can't change the beast pet any other loadout has. I don't think I am even supposed to be able to have an equipped pet during that time, the loadouts just work that way if the pet is equipped on it.

 

I want to use beast pets, it's weird breeding all these pretty pets and then having to use a sentinel because my incubator is perpetually tied up.

Being able to use another beast while one is incubated sounds amazing. Being able to change it also sounds like something we should be able to do, given the pets are fully grown and wouldn't need the incubator. 

[(PSN)phux0v]

That is 100% a bug. The incubator clearly states when you start incubating that you aren't able to use living companions until incubation has finished. Breedig for plat is a lot of why. You can use your pets in combat or you can use your pets to make plat, but you aren't intended to be able to do both at the same time

[Venefik]

 More modding slots for beast pets in a similar fashion to necramechs is pretty up there in my wishlist.