Hireling Custom AI Offensive & Defensive, How Does It Work?

[changelingamuck]

So, I'm wondering about the new ability to customize the AI of hirelings, specifically now that there is a list of selectable offensive and defensive actions. I really have no idea what "offensive" and "defensive" mean to a hireling. Do these terms correspond to the "aggressive mode" and "defensive mode" stances on their hotbars? Because a hireling set to "defensive mode" still performs offensive-type actions when the party is attacked... I guess what I'm trying to say is, in which modes (aggressive, defensive, passive) will the hirelings choose to perform the customizable "offensive" list of actions vs. the customizable "defensive" list of actions? Does setting the hireling to defend a particular target have anything to do with the selection of its customizable defensive actions regardless of the "mode" it's in?

Also, right after they introduced the ability to customize hireling AI, messing around with the new customization at all would greatly increase the likelihood of the hireling going completely braindead and doing nothing. So, I stopped touching the customization of actions altogether at that point. Has it been fixed that customizing their actions makes them go braindead?

[changelingamuck]

Still hoping for some clarification on this from someone... Am I the only one confused by these new settings or is everyone confused by them?

[Whitering]

Still hoping for some clarification on this from someone... Am I the only one confused by these new settings or is everyone confused by them?

Well, too many of us can only give anecdotal evidence. Passive and stay, they stay. Defensive and stay, means stay there until I take damage from a mob, and stay and offensive means they will typically move about, coming across the dungeon to assist me in killing a mob, and then go back to where they were told to stay.

Offensive means they will attack things without you initiating combat (I mean getting aggro), and defensive means, despite being beside you in a fight, they won't actually do anything until you take damage.

That's based on my most recent game experience over the last two weeks, with three different melee hirelings, including my panther.

If you want a more technical answer, there are more threads about, one in general about suicidal hirelings, and otherwise you need a dev.

[changelingamuck]

Offensive means they will attack things without you initiating combat (I mean getting aggro), and defensive means, despite being beside you in a fight, they won't actually do anything until you take damage.

Thanks for the reply, Whitering.

You're confusing "offensive" customizable actions with "aggressive" stance mode though. I know what "aggressive", "defensive", and "passive" hireling modes do on their own. I'm just wondering what "offensive" and "defensive" mean when it comes to the two customizable lists of "offensive" and "defensive" actions that are selectable by right-clicking on the hireling's icon. There's no tooltip or release note details on what behavior results from selecting/de-selecting actions in the "offensive" and "defensive" lists when the hireling is in the various aggressive/defensive/passive modes.