Kubrow Feedback [Megathread]

[Edgarhighman]

My only feedback on the kubrow.

 

1: MAKE THEM ATTACK MORE

2: Make Stasis 1 hour, or 5 plat rush, imprints 45 minutes or 5 plat rush <--- Current rates are scammtastic.

3: DNA Stabilizers should be 50k (this whole pumping ur dog with DNA stabilizers is stupid anyway, anything above 50k is just too much esp for new players.)

4: Let players make more than 2 imprints (maybe 2 tradeable, but let them make more for personal use... I lost imprints being MISLED by players... >.>)

 

Please take notice DE. Check the general consensus.

 

My kubrow is in permanent stasis until things get worked out.  Its kinda useless IMO. Carrier is way better, stronger, and gets items better than kubrow. doing bout 750 dmg PER shot w/ my carrier. It can solo enemies up to lvl 41.

[(PSN)Folkeye]

Okay, after raising my first kubrow and taking her for a spin, here’s my thoughts.

 

Cost:

I’m OK with the initial cost investment, it’s expensive to have a genetically engineered pet. After the initial 100k just for hatching…. it’s the cost after that I have issues with. 100k is an extreme amount of money for those DNA stabilizers and the frequency of spending. I’d be OK with a 50k range.

 

DNA: DO NOT HAVE THEM START LOSING HP BEFORE THEY ARE EVEN USABLE (puppy stage). That's just a bigger rip off.

 

Suggestions:

 

 How about over time, the stabilizers aren’t needed any more. They’re pumped so full of stable-juice that you don’t have to upkeep them. They’re ‘cured’. Maybe you just need to spend some credits for kubrow food after that, just feed them for a nominal fee for upkeep. Or, put them on a time limit. You can run X amount of missions before you need to let them rest and recover for a few missions.

 

Consider lowering the price of the stabilizers to around 50k OR maybe allow them to restore more than 40% health so we can play longer with the kubrow. If the stabilizer could bring the kubrow back to 100% health per shot, that MIGHT justify spending 100k in credits. But 100k for 6 stabilizers at 40%... just too much.

 

Cool Down Time:

 

3 hours for a thaw out time I’m not cool with (ha ha). I work a regular job, come home, eat dinner, do my homework (also taking part time school) then kick back an hour or two to play games before bed. I seriously don’t want to have to pre-plan that far ahead to play with my dog. Just not worth it, bring them out too soon, bye bye health or platinum (which I will not spend to play with an item I worked hard to get).

 

Suggestions:

 

Please bring the wait time down. Maybe an hour at the most. It’s at least doable and you can use it the same evening you play.

 

Or....Get rid of the thaw out time and just let us use the kubrow when we want. It really doesn't make much sense.

 

As long as the kubrows aren't more powerful than the sentinel which we can use 24/7, then there should be no problem of having them as a mostly permanent companion if we wanted. If they were super-dog, then I understand them needing the rest. But on par, or less than....

 

 

Bleed Out Time:

 

2-3 seconds with no mod? Really? Not even enough time to notice them gone.

 

Suggestion:

 

How about they get  a normal bleed out time without using the Loyal Companion Mod, and the mod can increase the seconds. It’s hard enough to know when they’re down. Maybe also add a ‘Player’s Name Kubrow is Down’ and allow others to revive them like a party member.

 

Armor:

Add an armor mod for them, they’re initially quite hard to keep alive. I know you can use Link-armor, but it would be very nice if they could have their own version of armor. Doesn’t have to be insanely strong, but if they’re linked to the warframe armor, that number will vary wildly. A shield mod would be nice too.

 

Fixes Needed:

They get stuck in the scenery a lot and they’re scared of tunnels.

If they end up in an area of the floor (such as the square area of an elevator when it's not there) they get stuck. They can't climb the 2 foot lip to get out.

 

Want to see:

Some more interaction animations would be awesome. Get a little more personality into those kubrows…. Hey, how about an animation set for them. Kind of like the ‘agile’ and ‘noble’ but along the lines of ‘playful’, ‘obedient’, ‘protective’, that’d be fun. Give us a variety of personalities for our kubrows.

 

That’s it for now, will post more if something comes up. They’re a lot of fun and I love the idea. Just needs some fleshing out.

Edited September 5, 2014 by (PS4)Folkeye

[WASPelite]

I'm sure it's been said a few times in this HUGE topic, but I'm not to worried about their abilities or usability as that really is something that could be fixed with mods or a "Kubrow Command" system.

 

My main worry is the look and feel of having a Kubrow off ship and in game play. The walk and run animations are extremely choppy to the point they seem to have no weight or gravitational pull on them. They're very stiff to the point they're like blinking statues beside you when playing. Also the fact they don't wall run or skate down zip lines like shown before the update itself and pretty much... kinda hop half hazzardly onto things to follow you or much more often just kinda poof beside you show's that this game still really isn't ready for the Kubrow.

 

It's kind of like having a beautiful old school animated movie with everything colored and ready while one character is still the animated line drawing against white in the movie and expecting no one to notice it. I hope the next update really puts a finished look to the Kubrow rather than the half hazard "make them look cool in the ship and it'll be ok" that update 14 gave the game player. Now by no means am I saying Kubrows suck. It's a great concept. I just hope they don't leave it half finished like they have.

[Bibliothekar]

Maybe also add a ‘Player’s Name Kubrow is Down’ and allow others to revive them like a party member.

Other players can revive your Kubrow. However, currently only the owner will get a message when it's down, others will only see a red minimap-marker.

[(PSN)FriendSharkey]

Too costly to matain. I bred one and it's on statis. I bred a second one and I'm considering putting it in statis as well. While they are adorable as puppies I can't really form attachment to it to keep shoving credits into a endless pit to keep it alive.

I understand it's an incentive to keep players engaged and returning, yet I'm more annoyed by the DNA stabilizers where I'm ready to disengage on furthering Kubrow use till some major game design happens to them.

I might suggest a mod card that allows you to cloak your Tenno so you tuck yourself away in safety while you can control the Kubrow and use it for recon or simply to attack an group of enemy. Perhaps a Warframe skin for the Kubrow. Turning it into a Tenno based creature. I don't know, I'm sorry guy I'm just not drawn in enough to keep it out of statis for much longer.

[(PSN)Folkeye]

Other players can revive your Kubrow. However, currently only the owner will get a message when it's down, others will only see a red minimap-marker.

 

Ah, did not know that. I guess it's due to them not knowing the kubrow is down. A group message would be useful then.

[Caelum-Warblade]

I personally am really mad with the Kubrow system. Primarily, I'm mad about the fact that my Kubrow died while in stasis because his health degraded to a point where he "took a turn for the worse" and he died prompting ordis to "eject his remains" into space. I have a life, a job, friends and family, all of which I need to maintain outside of warframe causing me to be unable to play. I didn't play warframe for around two weeks and the fact that I lost a kubrow that I spent a good chunck of platinum on makes me infuriated. 

[(PSN)MrNishi]

I liked that glowing Kubrow, but I would love to pay platinum for a Kubrow re-skin.

Like Para-Carrier, Sprite-Shade, Grustrag Deathcube.... I would like a Zanuka/Hyena skin for Kubrow....

[DarknightK]

Kubrows are still in need of attention.

 

1. Acquisition

2. Customization Tweaks

3. Breeding

4. "Stability" and Degradation mechanics

 

 

1. Acquisition

Many players have stated that running a quest (which should be read as: grinding for essentially a resource rarer than Argon) that does not guarantee a reward is not a quest, and shouldn't even be labeled as such. Therefore, how about reworking the quest so that it offers players the chance to take on Four (or more, dependent if DE wishes to add more Kubrow types) subquests that will allow players to pick which Kubrow they want.

 

Players will delve into special nodes called "Superpacks", where they'll have to play a Raid-like mission to retrieve a certain egg among hundreds of Feral [Kubrow Type] Kubrows. Scavenging for a Huras egg will have players fight Feral Huras Kubrows (or otherwise, Feral Kubrows that have lingering traits of Huras Kubrows in them).

 

Once players have acquired thee majestic egg of thou Kubrowth, Feral Pack Leaders (read: Eximuses) will begin to spawn, dogging (hueuahueuh) the players to extraction. These Pack Leaders will be significantly tougher than normal Pack Kubrows, therefore either teamwork or l33t coptering skills are needed.

 

2. Customization Tweaks

Now that color and pattern customization is in, there are a few things need to be altered to give us more control over our Kubrow's appearance. One such thing is the unlocking of Fur Colors and Patterns based on Kubrows you have bred.

 

Basically, when a player tries to go into Kubrow appearance customization for the first time, they will see a myriad of locked, greyed-out customization options that have the tooltip "Unlock by Breeding!". Only the colors and furs that have been purchased and/or unlocked via breeding are available for the player to use.

 

3. Breeding

Breeding still continues to be a horrid feature of Kubrows ever since their release. Players have virtually no way to know what their Kubrow will look like aside from browsing their Genetic Imprints using the viewer and hoping they get what is displayed.

 

Change Genetic Imprints to display EVERY breeding trait when hovered over. This includes, but is not limited to: Sex, Kubrow Type, Height, Weight Class, Fur Colors, Pattern, etc. This is especially imperative in trading, so that breeders know exactly what they're getting.

 

During the breeding process, players must be informed the percentages or likely outcomes of their traits appearing on the newborn Kubrow. For instance, the Lotus Pattern would be labeled "Recessive --> 47%" during the Breeding screen. This doesn't totally solve the issue of RNG breeding, but it should at least give players more insight on to what likely outcomes will result from breeding (having an image of the most likely Kubrow to be obtained during Breeding would be even better).

 

4. Degradation: Stability, Loyalty

Aside from Breeding, these two are still items that need to be heavily readjusted.

 

Genetic Stability should not degrade over time (unless DE prevents Kubrows that are at 0% from dying), and should instead be linked to Imprinting. Creating an imprint will consume 20% of Kubrow stability, each reset will replenish 10% of Stability. This will allow players to create multiple imprints, in the event that breeding does not backfire on them (read: not getting super-awesome-omfg-rare traits from breeding and then turning into a volcano on the forums), however it should (in theory), prevent players from rapidly mass producing Kubrow imprints.

 

Loyalty should definitely be reworked to where Kubrows gain Loyalty by participating in missions with the player. Instead of the current -100% to 100% system, there should be a 0 - 200% system that incrementally increases as players take their Kubrows on missions. Kubrows lose loyalty via the same conditions as now. Therefore, players should take great care not to let their Kubrows die or skip a day, because the reduction will be greater than the build-up of loyalty from missions (and thus, interacting with your Kubrow should be limited to vanity/recreational purposes only).

 

Of course, there is still much more that could be done in terms of Stability and Loyalty, but I feel that these are reasonable midpoints for now until players get to see and test them, before moving onto more ambitious milestones.

[thegamer118]

a quest that desn t garantee a reward is not a quest ? dropping the egg isn t the reward of the quest, it s like a drop needed to continue the quest, like in other games where you need to drop stuff for the quest

 

we can wait for customization 

 

heh i dunno about that one

 

so you want a kubrow to do triple damage ?? plus the damage and crits mod ?? yeah no not gonna happen, and  i don t think changing the stability into what you think is needed

Edited September 6, 2014 by thegamer118

[Frostosti]

with the changes you describe, it will be way too easy to acquire and customise a kubrow, might as well just give a full customised kubrow away in login rewards

[Bibliothekar]

Change Genetic Imprints to display EVERY breeding trait when hovered over. This includes, but is not limited to: Sex, Kubrow Type, Height, Weight Class, Fur Colors, Pattern, etc. This is especially imperative in trading, so that breeders know exactly what they're getting.

Not on hover, please. There is more than enough space on the left side of the display to just write them down there. Displaying that amount of information in a mouse-over is a horrible idea, IMO.

 

so you want a kubrow to do triple damage ?? plus the damage and crits mod ?? yeah no not gonna happen, and  i don t think changing the stability into what you think is needed

No, he just moves the scale so it actually reflects the amount of damage your Kubrow deals and is more appropriate to the actual loyalty (-100% loyalty would mean that your Kubrow stabs you in the back during missions, if you think about it). With the current scale, you Kubrow deals 0 damage at -100% and double damage at +100%.

To be honest, I don't even understand why a Kubrow starts at maximum loyalty when it's just hatched. I'd have it start at 0 (for the current scale) and you'd have to spend some time over the next two days, while it's still growing, to gain maximum loyalty.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Bibliothekar

[-Himari-]

Merged similar threads.

[noveltyhero]

Merged similar threads.

Thanks :)

 

 

 

Content Report (06/09/2014):

The same problems/issues persist as DE is slowly looking at them. Main Thread not updated due to problems and issues reported all the same as before, unfortunately :/

[Metalarcher]

-snip-

 

Ah, so that's where this topic went...

 

On Point 1:

 

I agree that getting Kubrow eggs now is more of a grindfest than Warframe usually is, and that's saying something.  Especially since even when you do get the egg, you only have a 1/4 chance of getting the Kubrow you actually want.  It's like if there were no specific sentinel BPs and you just had one universal BP that had a chance to be a certain sentinel.  Obviously, that's ridiculous.  So why isn't it seen as ridiculous for Kubrows?  A special quest or four would fight right in.  I had an idea for quests that would be different depending on the breed you were trying to get.  So, for example, since Huras is a stealth Kubrow, the mission to get its egg would be largely stealth-based.  More focused on getting there without being seen than slaughtering the ferals for an egg.  Each other breed would have a mission that reflects their traits.  Seems a bit more fun for the player, especially since you'll actually be getting the Kubrow you want at the end of the mission...

 

On Point 2:

 

Not a bad idea, but some new patterns and colors probably need to be added first.  Otherwise, everyone has a Lotus Kubrow with whatever color everyone likes, and that would really just create sameness whenever you see a Kubrow.  Could be wrong, but seems like that's the case.  But limiting creativity through RNG walls is just as bad as limiting it by having only one good option, so why not have more?  The idea is that we have a few good patterns which are interesting and unique.  Even if they're not quite on-par with the Lotus pattern, or if they're slightly better, it will probably even out because people don't want their Kubrow to look like everyone else's, or, even better, because of personal preference.

 

On Point 3:

 

More information for the player is often a good thing.  That's about my only opinion on that...

 

On Point 4:

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Reverse Loyalty and Genetic Stability.  Why on earth should anyone be punished for getting a Kubrow, but not for letting it die?  As we have it now, you must pay for the Kubrow you already got.  Why is that?  Why is there an upkeep cost for simply having a Kubrow?  It's extraordinarily arbitrary and weird.  The devs think it was remedied by lower Stabilizer cost and slower degradation, but I disagree.  It was a band-aid, but it didn't fix the core problem.  If I said you could have a gun that was slightly different from another well-rounded gun, but this one costs 10,000 credits a day to use it?  Of course you wouldn't!  That's absurd!  Just go for the regular gun!  That's what Kubrow are in relation to sentinels.  And the common counterpoint seems to be "well there you go, just use sentinels!"  But what if I want a dog, and it's just this random upkeep cost that's holding me back?  Isn't Warframe supposed to be about playing the way you want to play?  Why should my fun be inhibited because I like dogs more than robots?

 

Really never understood this design choice.  If you want a credit sink, make a lottery machine.

[DarknightK]

Ah! I was just posting a response to my thread when you moved it Himari!

 

/sadfaic

 

Well I guess I'll just post here now :C

 

 

 

a quest that desn t garantee a reward is not a quest ? dropping the egg isn t the reward of the quest, it s like a drop needed to continue the quest, like in other games where you need to drop stuff for the quest

 

we can wait for customization 

 

heh i dunno about that one

 

so you want a kubrow to do triple damage ?? plus the damage and crits mod ?? yeah no not gonna happen, and  i don t think changing the stability into what you think is needed

1. Potentially changing the quest so that you have a greater chance at obtaining an egg (more Kubrow Dens, since the Superpack mission has exclusive Kubrow enemies) could be a step forward. I see where you're coming at this, so I kind of see your point. The only difference would be, is that now you have a choice of which Kubrow you want to try to get.

 

4. No, Loyalty should in this case be reworked to have different scaling (based on the -100% - 100% scale) so that like you said, Kubrows can't potentially one shot Lv 100 enemies (if that's even a thing). Stability is just horrid in its current form. It's literally a credit sink, it should be much more purposeful than by just "lol pay up scrubs".

 

Now for people that have millions of credits like me, its not an issue. For newer players that don't play Warframe a lot (I myself fit into that casual category), credits aren't always easy to come by. Additionally, this would decrease the likelihood of intermittent rage that comes from putting together two imprints, and having your offspring Kubrows not displaying any of the desired traits.

 

with the changes you describe, it will be way too easy to acquire and customise a kubrow, might as well just give a full customised kubrow away in login rewards

Customizing Kubrows should be easy. I mean, customizing sentinels are pretty easy, and that's essentially what Kubrows are, glorified sentinels. But even still, many of the colors and patterns I'm describing to be unlocked still requires tactful breeding on the players part, the only difference is that players now have insight on what their potential outcomes are when breeding, instead of being blindfolded while playing blackjack, which is what current breeding is in a nutshell.

Edited September 6, 2014 by DarknightK

[Kisuno]

I made a comment on /r/warframe about changes I think the kubrow types should get in order to make players want to vary with them so that not any one kubrow type is better than the other. Here's changes I think the kubrow mods should have with some explanations:

 

Sunika: Replace Unleashed with Huras's Hunt.

 

As of now, Unleashed is a waste of a slot unless you're running capture missions. Even then, since speed and zorencoptering etc. is so prevalent, capture missions are somewhat trivial to begin with. I think that Sunika does not suit its role as an Offensive type kubrow that well as of the time being, Sahasa is a complete upgrade over it. Not only that, but Huras, being the Stealth type, has arguably the best offensive precept in Hunt, so I think Sunika would benefit greatly if Unleashed was just taken out and replaced with Hunt.

 

Huras: New attack precept that lets it takedown enemies while stealthed.

Add a period of time after stealth activation where player's attacks won't dispel invisibility.

 

Huras is actually one of the more useful kubrow types, as its periods of stealth and the surprising amount of power behind Hunt makes it versatile. Since Sunika is given hunt, Huras would need an attack precept that would suit its typing while still making it very versatile. Huras should be given a new attack precept that functions identically with Savagery or Ferocity, except that in addition Huras can use the ability while stealthed.

 

Only being able to use the new precept while stealthed might gimp the type a bit, but I think another good change to compliment it would be to allow a period after stealth where players and the kubrow can attack while keeping invisibility. Maybe five seconds at max level? 

 

Sahasa: Half cast time on Dig and make it usable despite enemy map presence.

Give Ferocity a secondary "scavenge" effect on killed targets that works like desecrate.

 

The main problem with Dig is that the Sahasa will not use it as long as there are alert enemies anywhere on the map. This means that Dig only really shines as an ability during Defense or at the start of missions, where Dig can activate. I think that Dig should be allowed for use regardless of alert enemies that are on the map. In addition, the cast time of Dig should be halved so that players won't yell at their Kubrow for digging for five seconds while they're getting mauled by enemies.

 

Ferocity is identical to Sunika's Savagery, but why not add a small difference to suit Sahasa's role as a Scavenger? Giving Ferocity a "scavenge" effect on killed targets that mimics desecrate would give Sahasa more utility as a support role.

 

Raksa: Give Raksa's Howl a slow effect.

 

The only real problem is that Howl is like Terrify, and no one really likes Terrify. However, one tiny change that would make it much more suitable would be for Howl to apply a slow effect on targets in addition to a terrify effect. This way, Howl won't inconvenience players as much when enemies run away.

 

 

As of now, even if the kubrows were intended to serve niche roles, the amount of recovery time from stasis still makes it frustrating to switch between them. Sorry if this is a bit much, but I really want to see all the kubrow types being useful in their own way so players can make the choice of what kubrow type they'd really want.

Edited September 6, 2014 by KSNO

[noveltyhero]

 

I made a comment on /r/warframe about changes I think the kubrow types should get in order to make players want to vary with them so that not any one kubrow type is better than the other. Here's changes I think the kubrow mods should have with some explanations:

 

Sunika: Replace Unleashed with Huras's Hunt.

 

As of now, Unleashed is a waste of a slot unless you're running capture missions. Even then, since speed and zorencoptering etc. is so prevalent, capture missions are somewhat trivial to begin with. I think that Sunika does not suit its role as an Offensive type kubrow that well as of the time being, Sahasa is a complete upgrade over it. Not only that, but Huras, being the Stealth type, has arguably the best offensive precept in Hunt, so I think Sunika would benefit greatly if Unleashed was just taken out and replaced with Hunt.

 

Huras: New attack precept that lets it takedown enemies while stealthed.

Add a period of time after stealth activation where player's attacks won't dispel invisibility.

 

Huras is actually one of the more useful kubrow types, as its periods of stealth and the surprising amount of power behind Hunt makes it versatile. Since Sunika is given hunt, Huras would need an attack precept that would suit its typing while still making it very versatile. Huras should be given a new attack precept that functions identically with Savagery or Ferocity, except that in addition Huras can use the ability while stealthed.

 

Only being able to use the new precept while stealthed might gimp the type a bit, but I think another good change to compliment it would be to allow a period after stealth where players and the kubrow can attack while keeping invisibility. Maybe five seconds at max level? 

 

Sahasa: Half cast time on Dig and make it usable despite enemy map presence.

Give Ferocity a secondary "scavenge" effect on killed targets that works like desecrate.

 

The main problem with Dig is that the Sahasa will not use it as long as there are alert enemies anywhere on the map. This means that Dig only really shines as an ability during Defense or at the start of missions, where Dig can activate. I think that Dig should be allowed for use regardless of alert enemies that are on the map. In addition, the cast time of Dig should be halved so that players won't yell at their Kubrow for digging for five seconds while they're getting mauled by enemies.

 

Ferocity is identical to Sunika's Savagery, but why not add a small difference to suit Sahasa's role as a Scavenger? Giving Ferocity a "scavenge" effect on killed targets that mimics desecrate would give Sunika more utility as a support role.

 

Raksa: Give Raksa's Howl a slow effect.

 

The only real problem is that Howl is like Terrify, and no one really likes Terrify. However, one tiny change that would make it much more suitable would be for Howl to apply a slow effect on targets in addition to a terrify effect. This way, Howl won't inconvenience players as much when enemies run away.

 

 

As of now, even if the kubrows were intended to serve niche roles, the amount of recovery time from stasis still makes it frustrating to switch between them. Sorry if this is a bit much, but I really want to see all the kubrow types being useful in their own way so players can make the choice of what kubrow type they'd really want.

 

I very much like those changes, also I think you meant "Sahasa* more utility as a support role".

 

If we allow Sahasa to dig with enemies around, it should be percentaged based on what player needs. i.e 40% off ammo gone, or energy. But choosable by the player.

 

Personally I think Skill trees would be the best thing to happen to Kubrows. Each type to have 3 different branches so 12 branches in total not completely stepping one over another. Giving you more incentive to have more than one of the same type.

[Kisuno]

I very much like those changes, also I think you meant "Sahasa* more utility as a support role".

 

If we allow Sahasa to dig with enemies around, it should be percentaged based on what player needs. i.e 40% off ammo gone, or energy. But choosable by the player.

 

Personally I think Skill trees would be the best thing to happen to Kubrows. Each type to have 3 different branches so 12 branches in total not completely stepping one over another. Giving you more incentive to have more than one of the same type.

 

Oops, fixed, thanks. :D

 

It'd be neat if Dig could be sort of manipulated like that. Skill trees on kubrows sound amazing as a way for players to customize their own kubrows further :D Maybe if they had branches revolving around like, Offense, Defense, Utility? Relative to their type, of course, but that'd probably be a lot of work.

[Bibliothekar]

If we allow Sahasa to dig with enemies around, it should be percentaged based on what player needs. i.e 40% off ammo gone, or energy.

Isn't it already supposed to do that?

Generally, it would be nice if Dig worked regardless of enemy alertness. So if you put it as first precept, you might have to face the consequences if your Sahasa decides to dig up some stuff although there is an enemy standing right next to it.

[(XBOX)LoneFish331]

So is the wait time for sure 24-48 hours or is it less or longer?

[motorfirebox]

Man, this stuff right here has really got to stop happening:

 

 

It's not "playing fetch" when I shoot you in the goddamn head, Lisa Valerie Kubrow.

[(PSN)Folkeye]

Man, this stuff right here has really got to stop happening:

 

 

It's not "playing fetch" when I shoot you in the goddamn head, Lisa Valerie Kubrow.

 

Yup, bullets/arrows to the brain isn't fetch. And hey, I feel so un-original.... my first kubrow is also Lisa. LOL.

Edited September 8, 2014 by (PS4)Folkeye

[fadeinlight]

<p>After getting each of the four breeds and reading various forum responses (although I haven't bothered to pore through the 17 pages here), I can say that the biggest problems that I've seen lie with the Sunika and Sahasa breeds--largely because of their lack of utility in various mission types.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'd read somewhere that there was this impression that  DE was trying to tie Kubrow breeds to mission types, and that is certainly true of the forementioned two:  "Dig" is useless in survival, and "Unleashed" is useless <em>everywhere</em> except for capture missions and boss fights--the latter being up for argument.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>In my opinion, tying kubrows to mission types is a huge mistake, as the three hour cooldown essentially makes it so that nobody is going to bother switching out (although I did hear that they were considering having a cooldown reduction tool using Cryotic and Argon in the last devstream).  Instead, I'd suggest giving them value in various loadouts instead--adding great value to some, nothing to others.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>This is already working to a certain extent:  "Howl" is great for glass cannon-type warframes, but can be frustrating for melee..."Stalk" is great, unless you already have a cloaking ability.  "Protect" is nice, unless your build doesn't depend on shields...etc., etc., etc..</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I wanted to offer up a couple of suggestions that largely use existing in-game mechanics and would do a better job of giving Sunikas and Sahasas greater value throughout missions, while fleshing out their breed identity and making them more complementary in nature:</p>

<p> </p>

<p><u><em>Sunika</em></u><em>:  </em>Boost their armor a bit in relation to the other breeds, and make it so that "Unleashed" works on Eximuses.  At lower levels this will come in handy maybe twice per mission--enough to give you that "wow" factor we so desperately needed with them, while little enough that it isn't going to let players stand on a rock while their kubrow massacres everything in sight. </p>

<p> </p>

<p><em><u>Sahasa</u>:</em>  Increase their speed, possibly scaling it with their level.  Get rid of "Dig," and call it something like "Forage" instead.  Make it so that the Sahas will, in combat, grab a corpse, shake it, and possibly make it drop another item a la "Desecrate."  As this ability is ranked up, the cooldown time lowers and the success rate increases--maybe to the point that they might be able to loot two corpses in fifteen seconds or so.  Keep the existing dig mechanic for when things are calm, but (perhaps) make it so that they can carry items to the owner--both in and out of combat.  This would be similar to what the feral kubrows do right now.</p>

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<p>In addition, I think it would be a good idea to make it so that "Link xxx" worked both ways, but not equally.  For instance--Sahasas have 375 shields at level 30.  What if Link Shields made it so that they got 10% of your shields per rank and you got, say, 3% of theirs?  So at rank 10, they would be getting 110% of your shields added, while you got 33% of theirs added.  "Link Armor" and "Link Health" could work in a similar manner, as could a newly-created "Link Speed," which would work best with the Sahasa breed.</p>

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<p>Obviously this suggestion creates the greatest risk of imbalance, so here's an alternate solution:  make the backwards-linking ability breed specific.  Sahasas give a speed boost, Huras give shields, etc.</p>

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<p>The kubrows came in when I came in, and I simply love this aspect of the game.  With a little bit of attention, it could be made pretty much perfect without throwing everything out of whack.  It's time the Sunikas and Sahasas were given a place at the table :)</p>

Edited September 8, 2014 by fadeinlight

[Bibliothekar]

and "Unleashed" is useless everywhere except for capture missions and boss fights--the latter being up for argument.

At least with the new/reworked bosses, Kubrows in general are pretty close to useless. Sargas Ruk burns them to ashes, they can't reach Raptor, same with Vay Hek, Corrupted Vor pulverises them with his key, and the Hyena Pack is just the worst of all.

Since most reworked bosses are focused on us dodging their attacks until they show a weak spot that we can hit, Kubrows as pure melee units and with the rather dumb current AI are dead before they even have a chance to deal some damage. Unleashed might have some use against "older" bosses like Ambulas, Nef Anyo and Kela (who can be stun-locked with Energy Vampire, as I noticed today) - but the reworked ones? Leave them at home, certain death lies ahead.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Bibliothekar