Pet class needed....

[Wraithcat]

This game is quite good, but I'm not the button mashing type, and I'm really hoping that they look to introduce a variant of the Druid as a pet class.

That'd be really cool!!

[Angelus_dead]

It is incorrect to assume that a "pet class" would lower the need for the player to make input actions. Quite possibly it would feel like playing two characters at once: the druid caster and also the animal warrior.

[Wraithcat]

Well, that is certainly true, but from my experience with other games, a pet class allows you to be a little bit more relaxed about the gameplay.

[richieelias]

Every class is a pet class.

Buy a hireling :P

[xanvar]

You can play a cleric and have 5 players that are pretty much like a pet.

[Memnir]

Given the utterly feeble Summoned Monster AI - a pet class would be a complete train wreck.

[tfangel]

If you want to see what a pet class might be like, (besides hirelings, which might be different type of "pet") make a character who can summon monster and can get that iron (or other metal) companion. It's interesting to say the least, but they really do have a mind of their own. I think that two is the most you can summon other than hirelings which add to party numbers.

If they did make a pet class, it should have at least the controls of hirelings, as they sometimes get stupid too. ;)

[Symar-FangofLloth]

Play a bard/wizard/sorcerer and charm everything :p

[Lorien_the_First_One]

To make pets useful they would have to fix the AI a bit...

You don't need a druid to have a pet, sorcs and wizards should both have familiars.

[IgorUnchained]

Roll a bard with a level of sorc (high cha).

You will be able to use summon monster spells and scrolls (which are cheap).
That is one pet whenever you want it.....STK has a pet clickie (one scorp per rest) as a random end reward.
Tangleroot has a clickie (3 lvl 3 "fire dogs" per rest)

While you have your monster summoned, pull out a scroll of flaming sphere (also cheap) and cast that. Now you have two pets at the same time. If you have a hireling.....that is 3 "pets" essentially....all on the screen at the same time.

Druids arent coming....the rumor is that they are too hard to implement. That is bad news for a lot of us, but it doesnt mean we are without options!

[toughguyjoe]

So no one has gone there yet?


I'll go there.

Just because WoW Has hunters, which are ridiculously easy to play (trust me i played one for a while)

Does not mean that a class with a pet that does half the work for you is necessary for other games

:P:P:P:P:P

[IgorUnchained]

So no one has gone there yet?


I'll go there.

Just because WoW Has hunters, which are ridiculously easy to play (trust me i played one for a while)

Does not mean that a class with a pet that does half the work for you is necessary for other games

:P:P:P:P:P


Yeah...it is just WoW that has classes that can summon multiple pets. Not every RPG since the dawn of time (including the game that DDO is heavily based on). There is no place for Druids in a D&D game!

Sounds like you are the WoW noob to me! Welcome to the game!

[LordCrovax]

Hmm everquest 2 had a nice pet class that made combat super easy.....warhammer does to...so its not only WoW...

With that being said....would SO SO SO love druids being added...or simply adding animal companions to Rangers :)

[XtremDandD]

... and City of Heroes and several classes in Anarchy Online and Ultima Online of course and AC and EQ and SWG and DAoC of a sort etc etc... It's pretty standard for MMOs to have at least one pet class and often more than one. Many of those games have pet classes that can have several pets at once too.

Some games give you real control over pets though, determining who they attack/heal/CC and when they use their special attacks etc. When that's the case, it certainly isn't an easier type of class to play - usually managing your pets on top of managing your own actions makes it much more complex than other classes. I think most players who are 'real' pet class specialists would say that you have to have control over your pets for it to really be a pet class.

Bards/Sorcs/Wizards are probably the closest thing to pet users in DDO, with summoned monsters, charms, suggestions and create undead etc. In reality, you'd probably only really see wizards trying for this as there are often better choices of spells for the others. But with game AI controlling them pretty much entirely, it's hard to see them as a proper pet class anyway.

X

[sephiroth1084]

To make pets useful they would have to fix the AI a bit...

You don't need a druid to have a pet, sorcs and wizards should both have familiars.
Eh. Without some serious cheese familiars are incredibly weak and not suited to really do anything but scout, grant a small bonus to something, and occasionally deliver the surprise touch attack.

On the topic of "pet classes" in general, I'd really like to see the devs first implement a hireling-style UI panel for summoned monsters.

Since that should be part of a druid's animal companion anyway, they might as well include it for something already existing in game, and which is already weak, so that they really have a chance to test it without sinking quite as many resources into the project as creating a new class would entail.

[Robi3.0]

This game is quite good, but I'm not the button mashing type, and I'm really hoping that they look to introduce a variant of the Druid as a pet class.

That'd be really cool!!
Sorry if is missed it, but I am surprised no one has said this yet:

Or instead of a "new" pet class we could give rangers animal companions per 3.5 rules.

Then of course Druids would get them as well when they are released in 2016.

[LordCrovax]

Sorry if is missed it, but I am surprised no one has said this yet:

Or instead of a "new" pet class we could give rangers animal companions per 3.5 rules.

Then of course Druids would get them as well when they are released in 2016.

Yep, I said it, tho it bears to be repeated a few dozen more times, till it makes it IG....Dire Wolf ftw...

[Samadhi]

Although not for the same reasons as you necessarily, I'm all about amping up pets.

[Nyhm]

Well, that is certainly true, but from my experience with other games, a pet class allows you to be a little bit more relaxed about the gameplay.

Translation: I enjoyed being a hunter and watching movies while my pet leveled me. :)

[Arianrhod]

Druids would be nice to have, as would persistent pets. I agree that it won't likely create a "sit back and relax while the pet does the work" situation, though. DDO's designers don't seem interested in promoting that kind of gameplay :D

However, I hope it won't happen right away. Hirelings are a relatively new addition to the game, and there's still a lot of room for improvement in their AI and the system for controlling them. I'd say leave hirelings as the only "persistent pets" for now, and concentrate on getting them working well. Once that's done, the code can be adapted for druid pets and the like :)

[SolarDawning]

... and City of Heroes and several classes in Anarchy Online and Ultima Online of course and AC and EQ and SWG and DAoC of a sort etc etc... It's pretty standard for MMOs to have at least one pet class and often more than one. Many of those games have pet classes that can have several pets at once too.

Some games give you real control over pets though, determining who they attack/heal/CC and when they use their special attacks etc. When that's the case, it certainly isn't an easier type of class to play - usually managing your pets on top of managing your own actions makes it much more complex than other classes. I think most players who are 'real' pet class specialists would say that you have to have control over your pets for it to really be a pet class.

Bards/Sorcs/Wizards are probably the closest thing to pet users in DDO, with summoned monsters, charms, suggestions and create undead etc. In reality, you'd probably only really see wizards trying for this as there are often better choices of spells for the others. But with game AI controlling them pretty much entirely, it's hard to see them as a proper pet class anyway.

X

I have fond memories of playing a Mastermind villain in City of Heroes.
My mad scientist had a robot army. (At any given time, three "grunt" drone bots with laser guns, two advanced killer bots (lieutenant rank), one giant death machine with missles and a huge laser cannon, and various devices, like remote explosive mines that flew around looking for targets.
And they had good pet AI!

[Elyanna]

Ok I'll bite...

Rangers can Summon Nature Ally and Improved Wild Empathy..TADA! Two pets at once for a time..

[Uskathoth]

Some games give you real control over pets though, determining who they attack/heal/CC and when they use their special attacks etc. When that's the case, it certainly isn't an easier type of class to play - usually managing your pets on top of managing your own actions makes it much more complex than other classes. I think most players who are 'real' pet class specialists would say that you have to have control over your pets for it to really be a pet class...

X

I agree and I think this would be a good basis for a (re-worked) Druid-as-pet-class. Other classes can summon pets but if they gave Druids a better interface for pets than other casters it would make them unique in the game. And the interface would only work on Druidic summons, no splashing just so you can control your Hell Hound better. It would not be a "sit back" kind of class to play if you wanted to be effective. I assume shapeshifting is just a pain in the butt to work into the game so instead the druids could be kind of bard-like i.e. lightly armored casters with some strong suits (pets), some moderate ability in several other spheres (healing, buffing and direct damage) with little or no ability in crowd control (other than redirection via pets).

(To clarify, bards seem like they have very good buffs, good crowd control, moderate healing and little or no direct damage; but I'm basing that more on PnP than DDO since I've not played high-level bards in DDO).

[Aesop]

Given the utterly feeble Summoned Monster AI - a pet class would be a complete train wreck.

I would assume that a Pet Class would use the Hireling Style control Bar and not just the Summoned Monster AI. Though the Hireling AI isn't much better over all. It definately needs to be more reactive to the desires of the controler


So yeah a WF Druid with their Pet, a Summoned Ally and an Adamantine Defender to help out occasionally... could be interesting ... or laggy one of the two or both :D


Aesop

[Gnorbert]

So yeah a WF Druid with their Pet, a Summoned Ally and an Adamantine Defender to help out occasionally... could be interesting ... or laggy one of the two or both :D


I have a vision in my head right now of a party of 6 of these characters.... :)

24 members to your party including the players.... that would be amusing.

[hermespan]

You can play a cleric and have 5 players that are pretty much like a pet.
Often the AI is much worse than npc pets.

[Missing_Minds]

Yep, I said it, tho it bears to be repeated a few dozen more times, till it makes it IG....Dire Wolf ftw...

Have you looked at what wolves do in the game yet?

Give me a dire rat!
I'll summon a dam cat if I want a tripper.

[Atisha]

Sorry if is missed it, but I am surprised no one has said this yet:

Or instead of a "new" pet class we could give rangers animal companions per 3.5 rules.

Then of course Druids would get them as well when they are released in 2016.

I think that's an overly optimistic projection, don't you? :p

[clanqui]

Often the AI is much worse than npc pets.

And tamagotchi's also whine much less.

[Uska]

umm not really we dont pet AI is bugged and this isnt just another mmo and we dont need to be like the others.

[Eladiun]

you Can Play A Cleric And Have 5 Players That Are Pretty Much Like A Pet.

+1 :)

As for the OP, ugg god no. The last thing this game needs is a pet class.

[Havenor]

So yeah a WF Druid with their Pet, a Summoned Ally and an Adamantine Defender to help out occasionally... could be interesting ... or laggy one of the two or both :D


Aesop

I tried making a WF Wiz with the Iron Companion and Summon Monster I. Summoned my Companion, but when I tried to cast Summon Monster, I was given the message that I could only have 1 summons active at a time. Now, this was prior to Pale Master released, so I don't know if those work on a different mechanic, and you could have your death scorpion of dewm and your skeleton pet up at the same time.