DNA Degridation and Pet decorations/toys

[Oreades]

These things for me feel mutually exclusive. 

I've touched in the past how the whole degradation thing really stops being a meaningful aspect of the whole pet system in very short order. Eventually becoming little more than a general inconvenience that makes it far more continent to run Sentinels than it does Kavats/Kubrows.

Now with Pet decorations and toys I want to be able to leave my Kavat out and let her run around the Orbiter but I really don't feel like I can. Which kinda puts Pet decorations and toys on the back burner. 

DNA degradation is the thing that even more than Universal Vacuum keeps me form using my Kavat on a regular basis. Instead my (5 Forma*) Kavat gets tossed into cold storage because micromanaging DNA degradation just isn't fun and it really isn't even a resource sink past maybe like MR5(?). 

I implore you remove the DNA Degradation and set the Kubrows and Kavats free. Let their Tenno allow them to roam the orbiter without fear of getting an angry email telling them their companion is either dead or was auto stasised (I personally didn't even bother with companions till I had crafted the advanced incubation module).

I genuinely feel people will be far more likely to embrace companions if they have fewer things looming over them that make Sentinels that much more convenient in the long run. Especially when those shortcomings stop really having any weight much past the very early game.

At the very least you will probably sell more pet decorations/toys maybe?

*More than I've ever bothered investing into a sentinel.  

[Sajochi]

I think it's supposed to be a credit sink, but it isn't a good one anymore. The companion system is showing its age more and more each day. I'm all for getting rid of degrdation or replacing it with a food system that gives your pet a different buff once a day. I'm on my phone and tired so I don't have the thinking power for a food system. 

[MageSkeleton]

I have a thread about the companions and ideas people would want to be companions but sometimes it feels like i'm talking to a wall more than people willing to read ideas for improvement or additional pets that would be cool to have. And it's sad that DE were honestly contemplating adding moa sentinals. yuck.

I do feel DE should make a food system where your pet is improved by "food" you make but limit one food effect a day and have it so it's not completely detrimental to the pet overall. The companions are a hassle and especially when the sentinals have a mod called SACRIFICE which literally revives you and then you can use it in conjunction with Primed Regen and it's not even this combination working together that makes it so overpowered. The companions do NOTHING similar. I had an idea for a special mod or a whole new kubrow that would pause your bleedout time while it was alive and it drags you toward the nearest other player on the map, OR if soloing and extraction was open the kubrow drag you to extraction pausing your bleedout, and while being dragged the kubrow takes 75% less damage. And the idea is that if the kubrow manages to drag you to extraction you EXTRACT. And to prevent this from being abused along the way you have to press a button like left click or something to encourage the kubrow to keep dragging you, and an option to heal your kubrow like pressing R while stopped.

But no, let's plan to impliment MOA SENTINALS......

Currently, the ONLY companions worth having are as follows: Smeeta Kavat, Hemlith Charger (which i'm sure you can't link yet) and Huras Kubrow. The Adarza kavat is optionally really nice to have as it can buff your overall damage if your looking to do more damage, effectively the only buff pet in the game.

The companions are a major expense to keep around. And the Chesa is worthless. I do understand the degradation thing but i feel like it should replenish by just having the kubrow/kavat during missions. Like each mission you run with it replenishes 5% integrity. But what do i know, i only have over 4k hours into this game.

[Mirianda]

I have one Adzara Kavat that I absolutely love.  But the constant DNA degradation is annoying.

It'd be nice if Cetus had recipes you could buy to make food to either combat the degradation or give a buff or something.  Or make it so only if they die on a mission do they have some DNA degradation - that would make sense.

[Oreades]

I don't know how I feel about a buff system either. Part of me likes the idea but another part kinda feels like it would just be shifting one problem into another slightly less problematic problem. At the very least it would be shifting what currently really only serves as a punishment (yeah I think it comes with "bonus health" or something but eh) more into something that serves as a reward. Which might shift the "Ugh I have got to" or "Ugh I forgot to" into a "Hey I want to".

I'm definitely not apposed to a buff system in the long run, tho once you get companions modded out they really don't feel like they really need any outright buffs. Maybe something that makes them immune to status effects? That would be super awesome because the Companion AI can be derpy at times and just stand in a poison cloud for reasons unknown to all but the AI. 

Either way Degradation really just needs to go, regardless of it being replaced by something positive or not. Just not having it around would make people feel they could freely let their companions roam the orbiter without fear of anything negative happening. Which would clear up a lot of the out of sight out of mind issue that also plagues the Companions as they are now. 

Again if I felt my companion was free to roam the Orbiter, I would definitely pick up a pet bed and a Cephalon chew toy, just sayin' Tho the Grineer toy looks pretty cool too. 

[Oreades]

Actually just went to make breakfast and thought about how something like that might work as well as fit into the game progression and lore. 

So when you go to Cetus and talk to the pet dude if you have a companion equipped it will bring up an extra prompt. 

If you only have the first Incubation Module he will comment on how your pet doesn't look so good, maybe cover the fact that they don't have any problem with Degradation and tell you that he wishes he could help but they currently don't have any of their incubation modules available. Then he will tell you about the Advanced Incubation modules. Cueing the player to go buy/build one of those.

If/When you have the Advanced Incubation module and you talk to him with your companion equipped he will let you know that he thinks your pet looks better than it did before, still not great and that thankfully they just finished making some of the new modules. At which point you are given the option to buy the Tier 3 Module with plat or a blueprint with credits. 

Build that, plug it in and boom your Degradation magics away and now instead of a punishment you can use the stabilizer as a treat that gives your pets temporary immunity to status effects(?). Which isn't something people would "need" to do but it would supplement the AI being a derp in poison clouds. Which would be really really nice :) 

Maybe after that open the pet guy up to sell other treatsblueprints for standing in the future?

Batta Bing Batta Boom, worked into progression and worked into lore. Also the bacon and Eggtoast was delicious in case anyone was wondering :D

So in quick summation 

Tier 1 incubation module (Quest) - Degradation/death 

Tier 2 incubation module (Plat/Tenno Lab) - reduced degradation/auto stasis

Tier 3 incubation module (Plat/Osteron Pet dude) - no degradation/Stabilizer (treats) give temporary immunity to Status.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Oreades

[DroopingPuppy]

The more problem is moral issue. Why we have to create a lifeform with defective by birth? If I just need to feed them it is fully acceptable to pay for some foods, but not like this, EVER.