Ancients Idea

[Tyroki]

I have a few ideas to make them more interesting.

 

Firstly, I would like to start by saying that ancients should be less common, but always come with a sizeable horde of enemies. Ancients should be tanky support for their swarm, in my opinion. If ancients come as a group with a major horde, they can really assist each other.

 

With that said, lets get on with this.

 

Toxic Ancients: Right now they're okay, but quite easy to deal with. Give them the ability to infuse nearby infested with toxicity, giving them all mini toxic auras akin to the ancient itself. While the ancient is alive, it will continue to periodically infuse it's allies. Focusing the toxic ancient would be any groups first priority.

 

Disruptor Ancients: As they are right now, these are just downright ugly. While they don't do much for a gun user, any caster hit by these is screwed and has to resort to guns. As such, right now, they just aren't any fun. Instead, I propose that disruptors take half your shields and half your energy. The energy taken is transfered to nearby infested as a boost of some variety, and they are given your shields as either shield or temporary extra health. Basically, they weaken the player to improve the horde.

 

Alternative Disruptor Ancients: I've seen suggested here on the forums that disruptors only disable the players skills for a duration. This is also viable. In this case, the disruptor needs something else going for it.

 

Healer Ancients: Healers... just don't do anything really. I propose that they be allowed to grant nearby infested a Heal over Time, and a buff, turning these otherwise meh ancients in to "KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!" enemies.

 

Alone with their hordes, these would be upgraded to be fairly difficult. However, when they come together for any reason (Hi defense missions), the ancients act like commanders, directing and strengthening the infested hordes.

 

If you guys have any other potential ideas for the ancients, feel free to post and discuss.

[BadAimbot]

Disruptors need to do something else. Right now they're just lesser versions of other Ancients because they don't do anything different, they just punish you more for getting hit, which is something you want to avoid anyway. Perhaps they could drain shields and energy in an area over time, but a much larger area than the Toxics. That way all 3 Ancients are deadly and need to be focused.

[Tyroki]

That would be interesting. Especially if they feed the shields and energy drained in to surrounding infested. A perpetual power up at the cost of the player. Evil, but at least you have a chance to stop it.

Drain over time. Love it!

Edited June 9, 2013 by Tyroki

[Tyroki]

And in case anyone was wondering, this is actually a serious thread.

 

Trying to work out ideas to make the ancients more interesting, and spreading the disruptors overall power around a bit.

[Ornd]

And in case anyone was wondering, this is actually a serious thread.

I knew there was a catch!

[Tyroki]

Unfortunately, the threads can't all be trolling DE over their terrible decisions =P

[Tyroki]

Damn. I was kind of hoping this thread would catch more discussion :(

[Keetsune]

I like idea with "commanders" role, but imagine horde of light infested with toxic buf who died near pod in defence missions. Also i like how "Disrupt" ability work at the moment and dont want it to be weakened. 

 

As for healers at the moment they are just meatbags with no any special abilities, they are problem only for new players who face them for 1st time.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Keetsune

[TheMcDuncan]

You saved me from making a post. I like this idea of Ancients being commanders.I've got some ideas to add.

Disclaimer: never have i actually really thought about changing game mechanics in any game, and these ideas might be 100% terrible. But, they're ideas. also, My numbers may not be the best numbers when im talking figures, but just go with it.

 

Healer ancients - I disagree on the idea that they as of now "dont do anything" My friend and I were running a mission, and we got swarmed by 4 healers and 2 disruptors. We fought for about 10 minutes before we realized they healed everything around them back to full health (also note, this was before update 8, so this may have been changed a bit by now). We had a bit of a panic before we realized we couldnt damage more than they healed.

An idea to have them heal over time without being screwed if more than one show up would be maybe to despite how many are around, have their buff be capped.

For example, lets say they they heal 50% hp per pulse. A second one shows up, they can only heal 25% per pulse. and so on. that way you dont have 4 healers keeping an entire room alive because you cant do damage. (the idea being if you're ill equipped like we were, you'd be able to still kill everything, but it would maybe make people re-think how they go about it next time.)

 

Disruptors - These bastages. Oh these bastages. I like the idea of them feeding shields to themselves when they hit you. But as you said, the your entire supply of shields and energy is way too high. My rhino currently has 980 shields and 250 energy, and some of those moments when you're being swarmed makes it impossible to avoid by dodging, personally I even think half might be a bit pushing it, but thats just me.

Maybe have ranges like, if the energy is 100-200 take maybe 50, if its 50 or less take 20, that sort of thing.

Or combine both ideas, Disable powers for x amount of time and x amount.

 

Toxics - Got nothing there. I haven't played a "squishy" frame yet, I went from Excalibur to Rhino, and I just stay away from them without iron skin because poison bypasses shield. Maybe others who play someone like, loki or nyx (i think they have lower health?) might be afraid of your suggestion, but Meh *shrug*

[DAWGUNITALPHA]

your idea for toxic ancients is awful. Toxic ancients in general are awful because the poison clouds are wonky as F***. The'll hit you even if you aren't actually standing in them and either they don't do enough damage to matter, or they do way too much damage and are death sentences if an ancient walks up behind you.

 

Not to mention how an ancient can kill defense objectives just by being killed next to it.

 

Giving all enemies this ability would render the game borderline unwinnable unless DE actually gave us some means to destroy or remove poison clouds.