Duty Support needs some work

[AngelCheese77]

It’s slow because they don’t use AoEs like players do. Nor can the NPC healers handle if you pull two groups at a time

[Absurdity]

It’s slow because they don’t use AoEs like players do. Nor can the NPC healers handle if you pull two groups at a time

They can but it's a risk because their scripting, or whatever else controls NPC behaviour, is slow to react to any changes.

So you can do wall-to-wall pulls even with trusts but be ready to sprint back to the healer NPC that is gleefully spamming Dosis/Malefic/Glare or run circles around the tank NPC until it manages to pick them up.

[Mesarthim]

Nor can the NPC healers handle if you pull two groups at a time

I have done so successfully many, many times. It carries a small amount of risk getting the two packs together but generally once the tank has the mobs it's fine. Though I will mention in my earlier example if I was the tank, like my 14 min haukke manor with npcs, one time I had the 7+ mobs and almost died. The reason was the handmaidens doing dark mist. If the healer is inside the radius they will, due to being an npc, move to dodge the aoe. It does not matter if you interrupt it they will NOT do anything until the aoe would have naturally ended THEN they will heal you. This happened once or twice when I was the tank so I was left to kite silently screaming for my life until the npc healer remembered they existed.

Also npc tanks are very bulky. Double pulls wouldn't kill them majority of the time. A triple would, but most dungeons cap at 2 pulls these days unless you're Mt gulg.

[Hasrat]

Not only that , they had to make one of the DPS npc a Thaumaturge , and one that does the worst rotation it could possibly do.

All it casts is fire 1 , then pauses for a moment, then blizzard 1 , pauses , maybe a thunder 1/2 , pauses, repeat - its so bad it may as well not be in there it does such slow and weak damage . Why did they have to make it a THM. Why cant we choose the team make up? Give us a choice SQE, let us have a ninja , or bard . something better.

Its so painful to experience the horrendous damage they do I cant be bothered with Trust AI . The only upgrade any of the AI got is now the tank will charge in even at low levels with that level 62 ability and land overpower better than the squadron counter part that still thinks its got a cone overpower. The CNJ is a bit better at being quick to heal and isnt a dipshit that tries to run away or do nothing once battle commence unlike squadrons where they derp for 3-6 seconds doing nothing whilst you attack the enemies.

Ill happily afk/alt-tab and wait for queues as a dps if I have an MSQ dungeons to do.

Choosing your team would make no difference. The THM isn't even doing actual THM spells. Thunder isn't actually applying any DoT, and there's no MP to manage so no Astral/Umbral balancing.

What you are witnessing is that the NPCs are designed to scale damage based on yours. If you're going all out with your rotation, the NPCs will be doing single-digit damage. If you just press a random attack every few seconds, or even if you go afk, their damage spikes up considerably.

Because, by design, Trusts and Duty Support is entirely intended to take a set minimum amount of time, with some variation depending on how you use them, as demonstrated with big pulls but needing to know the AI to reduce the risk.

This is why you will never be able to use them to "just fill in" when you want to run with a friend or whatever. They are designed to scale damage to a single player to ensure the duty is completed at a certain rate. Adding in even one more player makes it impossible to scale further, and wildly unbalances the intended design.

This is also why Squadrons are better, for having more fixed damage, that you can even tune higher with Orders they learn along the way. Squads go brrrrr if you got 'em set up proper.



Completely unrelated, I managed to get a healer NPC killed in Stone Vigil as I was trying things out, and was quite surprised to see the tank NPC pull out a Phoenix Down to get them back up after we cleared out the mobs. Good show, preparing for that niche situation. On that front, they are better than Squadrons, which won't do anything to help a dead healer. Better be carrying some Company Tonics for that situation.

[WindyGamer]

Choosing your team would make no difference.

What you are witnessing is that the NPCs are designed to scale damage based on yours.

Because, by design, Trusts and Duty Support is entirely intended to take a set minimum amount of time, with some variation depending on how you use them, as demonstrated with big pulls but needing to know the AI to reduce the risk.

This is why you will never be able to use them to "just fill in" when you want to run with a friend or whatever. They are designed to scale damage to a single player to ensure the duty is completed at a certain rate. Adding in even one more player makes it impossible to scale further, and wildly unbalances the intended design.

So, they are not really playing the game. They are cheating. Ok. I get it now.

You know, NPCs "really playing the game" has been a thing for a long time. I recall an "un named here" game that did this quite well and has had a second version where they left that feature out completely. Near the end of popularity of that game they added For purchase means to add trainable NPCs to your party. That game is still up and running for free if you'd like to try it. You know, in your down time when you as Y 'P says, occasionally get bored with FF.