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Faction Pets?
Jakf00
Member Posts: 8
Haven't played since pre NGE so was wondering how pets work now. Can you still get faction pets like stormtroopers and such or is it all just replaced by Beast Master expertise pets.
And do you get multiple pets at once or just one?
Same question about droids.
Pre-CU as a Creature Handler you could have 4 Rancors (3 + 1 from a skill tape), 3 faction pets like AT - STs, and at least one droid. Good times.
Tanks
Comments
Other than Beast Master pets, the Officer profession get a factional trooper to help them in combat. You can only have one pet out at a time now. Droids can be crafted up to level 90 now, with Super Battle Droids and other fun droids available for players to customise and control. Again, you can only have one droid out at a time.
Here's an example of a player controlled SBD:
And an uber pet:
I'd hope to see factional pets for all professions return in the "GCW2" update that is on the Dev Roadmap for next year. If you do have old factional pets, DO NOT CALL THEM if other players are around, they can be attacked by combatant opposing faction players and will suffer perma-death.
Combatant classes can access many different droids, but tthe newer combatant droids only cap out at level 60. Still, these droids add a little DPS which is welcomed while they are 'alive'.
Traders can have droids that cap at level 90, which helps in clearing lairs and protecting themselves from aggressive critters (maybe even particpating in some content).
Pets can level to 90, but their combatant abilities depend on how much a player has invested in Beast Mastery expertise (which in turn will weaken potential combatant abilities for balance) , the crafted quality of the pet and the pet's particular set of skills that can be utilized. Unless there has been a change I am unaware of, a Beast Master cannot have a beast and a droid out at the same time. While pets are great for PvE, they are not often desired for PvP gameplay.
Only one companion (including vehicles/pet mounts) is allowed out at a time is the NGE rule set now. I remember the days of a non-CH player being allowed a low-level pet companion. I recall when pet mounts acted like a true pet (follow, tricks) which did not require CH/espertise points, but they are now autostored when dismounted (like vehicles) in the NGE version of the game.
Pets can be great in PvP too, with some really nasty attacks that you won't find in any professions abilities. In mass PvP your pets tend to get lost in the crowd and chewed up if you aren't careful about what you tell them to attack.
Quite often as a Medic I find myself at the back of my factions pack and the oppossing factions Beast Masters all send their pets to gank me. This keeps me busy defending myself against the pets while their group chew up my groupmates, so pets can be effective in mass PvP too.
lol, you don't PvP much do you Badger?
Kazara is correct. "IF" you PvP often or in small groups, your pet is a liability. Every PvPer gets to know who's pet is who's and the pet controller, NOT the pet, become the focus of attacks. The points you waste on your pet, make you weaker as a player. The only way a pet isn't a liability is if the guy you're attacking is stupid enough to kill your pet instead of you.
If a Beast Master combatant was truly a boon in PvP gameplay, there would certainly be a significant amount more of them wouldn't there?
TUX is spot on - Beast Mastery costs too many vital combatant expertise points that are needed for truly competetive and viable PvP. Sure, a player can PvP with a BM pet, but that doesn't mean he will be effective or desirable in a group (thank gawd there is no decay, he-he). This doesn't even take into consideration that few of the professions truly work well with Beast Mastery (medic is the best IMHO). Beast Mastery is for those who enjoy pet companions in PvE foremost.
I can be seen PvPing almost every day, although I dont use a pet in PvP myself I do come across them in mass PvP, so there are people that enjoy using them.