Ranger and Druid Pets

[Ungtar]

Do pets contribute to your xp or do they take it from you when they get the kill?

I've noticed that it pleases the patron when a pet kills something, so I'm assuming that the pets are passing the xp on to the player but wanted to be sure.

[Dranso]

So my understanding is that you get exp from damage caused and is collected throughout the kill. Working as a group Increases the amount of exp for the amount of damage that you do. So if you are grouped with someone who is a lot higher level than you and causes more damage, you may not get that much exp unless you are fighting something way above your character's level. (I think) As for pets, I'm not sure if the same grouping rules apply.

[Ungtar]

I've heard that as well, but if you type "lev" just before you kill a mob and just after, you'll notice the change after the death. I've never seen the change during a fight.

But specifically curious about pets. I seem to do fine with them, but I don't know if I'm only getting xp on the kills that I get the finishing blow or not.

[Harroghty]

You receive experience upon the death of your opponent. Pets and minions do not confer experience upon their master.

[Ungtar]

You receive experience upon the death of your opponent. Pets and minions do not confer experience upon their master.

Thanks for the clarity. I'll leave them at home when hunting for xp from now on and bring them with me when I want some roleplay.

[Ungtar]

As a side note, for anyone who is as fond of their pets as I am and including them in their gameplay, it looks like you can use them to fight with and not lose xp if you set them to killmode stun and then make sure you get the finishing blow.

[Gwain]

As a side note, for anyone who is as fond of their pets as I am and including them in their gameplay, it looks like you can use them to fight with and not lose xp if you set them to killmode stun and then make sure you get the finishing blow.

I don't know how ic this might be. Maybe if you had a trained at attack dog or a hired mercenary you could order them to fight your battles to a degree but most other pets like horses or other mounts really should not be used like this.

[Ungtar]

As a side note, for anyone who is as fond of their pets as I am and including them in their gameplay, it looks like you can use them to fight with and not lose xp if you set them to killmode stun and then make sure you get the finishing blow.

I don't know how ic this might be. Maybe if you had a trained at attack dog or a hired mercenary you could order them to fight your battles to a degree but most other pets like horses or other mounts really should not be used like this.

Yeah, you'd have to figure out your own IC for it. Maybe a knight's horse or something is fine.

But as for the pets I've used ... dogs and wolves ... people use them all the time to bring down prey and then the person goes in and and does the finishing kill. I've hunted that way myself IRL. If you're using a hawk or something then it would make sense that the bird would mostly be a distraction with you doing the actual killing.

The animal companion is a large part of the ranger's actual power, unless you're dual wielding magic bastard swords or something. This concept would be meant for the more robust pets, not someone's orange tabby cat or something.

[Ungtar]

Oh, also, most pets I've found so far are simply not robust enough to stand up to conflict. I've ended up with a lot of three-legged (and even two-legged) wolves before I finally gave up and just tanked myself and let them add in some extra damage.

Eventually you'd end up dragging a no-legged wolf on a leash and that doesn't sound very good.

[Ungtar]

Heh. Sorry, Gwain, I misunderstood what you were saying. I thought you were saying that having pets fighting at all was bad IC.

The general rule I've found is that "if it's worth killing, it's too strong for your pet to tank", with the possible exception of griffons or elementals or something that I just don't have any experience with.

Rangers are weaker than fighters and druids are weaker than clerics (up for debate on that part) and in the traditional game their animal companions make up the difference.

There's a lot of built in tools to FK that seem to support this, such as greater magic fang, animal empathy, etc. The pets don't do a lot of damage ... they won't turn you into an uber-killing machine ... but they're fun to roleplay for us nature lovers, add a tactical element to our combat, and they add a little bit of damage to the fight.

If you don't like pets already, I wouldn't advise rushing out to get one, but if you do like them then it's nice to be able to use them without gimping yourself.

[Harroghty]

Some pets are meant for show and some for use. Consider though, that if your bear (for example) is no trouble for you then it may not be anything more than a living shield against something from which you would gain experience.

[Ungtar]

Some pets are meant for show and some for use. Consider though, that if your bear (for example) is no trouble for you then it may not be anything more than a living shield against something from which you would gain experience.

That's what I've found. I don't think the engine really supports standing behind a pet and fighting mobs risk-free. Not sure how anyone who plays a necromancer would feel about that.

Consider that something like a hill giant or whatnot is no real hassle for me but if I fail more than 3 rounds of rescue it's going to kill or badly maim my pet.

You really got to treat them like you love them or you won't have them for long. But having them beside me adds maybe the equivalent of one extra attack per round and they are certainly +2 style.

[Tyeslan]

Some pets are meant for show and some for use. Consider though, that if your bear (for example) is no trouble for you then it may not be anything more than a living shield against something from which you would gain experience.

That's what I've found. I don't think the engine really supports standing behind a pet and fighting mobs risk-free. Not sure how anyone who plays a necromancer would feel about that.

Consider that something like a hill giant or whatnot is no real hassle for me but if I fail more than 3 rounds of rescue it's going to kill or badly maim my pet.

You really got to treat them like you love them or you won't have them for long. But having them beside me adds maybe the equivalent of one extra attack per round and they are certainly +2 style.

As I play a necromancer, you learn to use spells, and rely on magic instead of pets I don't really use mobs, or other items to fight for me, and instead use those in RP.

[Ungtar]

Oh cool. I'd never actually seen a player necromancer and wasn't sure how it worked.