[Suggestion] Squadron revamp

[Kytrin]

I know Squadrons are old content, and a mostly forgotten prelude to Trusts, but I was thinking about them recently and it occurred to me that we could revitalize Squadron use and use them in conjunction with the current Trust system.

To explain:

Trusts primarily work with MSQ characters who accompany us on our various adventures and fight with us, but they don't work for every scenario. Specifically, they don't work for those situations where we are without our friends and need to use Azem's crystal to summon help.

What if we had the option of summoning our squadrons to help us in those moments?

Such a thing would not only give us a way to bypass the pain of party/duty finder (DPS queues, dead data centers, etc.) if we wanted, but it would breathe new life into the squadrons themselves. We could level them up beyond 50, assign them jobs, etc. We could even give them special assignments connected to the various expansions if they're leveled up enough. Perhaps even little story arcs of their own if we were feeling ambitious enough.

They're supposed to be our own special forces team, so let's make them one!

[Doomed_Raven]

In the Hallatali dungeon for instance, the squadron NPCs won't attack the flame adds at the boss causing a wipe (this happened when I was a healer). Anything they do with the squadrons, I hope they give them smarter AI! I think a lot of NPC problems may come down to giving them new coding to perform actions a player would at certain times. But it would be nice to use squadrons in other content, maybe even in the over world somehow (there's a lot of grand company promotions/titles not yet used so would, think it locks us to captain)

[oreorion]

In the Hallatali dungeon for instance, the squadron NPCs won't attack the flame adds at the boss causing a wipe (this happened when I was a healer). Anything they do with the squadrons, I hope they give them smarter AI! I think a lot of NPC problems may come down to giving them new coding to perform actions a player would at certain times. But it would be nice to use squadrons in other content, maybe even in the over world somehow (there's a lot of grand company promotions/titles not yet used so would, think it locks us to captain)

I started getting into the squadron stuff again for the fun of it and MAN these are some of the worst NPCs ever. That boss in Halatali suuucks with having to go back and forth between sending them over to fight the adds instead of the invincible boss and actually doing damage... and I've sworn off ever taking them into dzaemel darkhold again lol. That was the longest few minutes of my life. Even without those, they stand in AOEs constantly, tanks take their sweet time pulling aggro off you (or the healer...) I'd love a rework of their AI!

[oreorion]

The trick I find to using squardrons effectively is being mindful of what DPS classes I use relative to what I'm playing.

Am I tanking? Take 2 Arcanists because squad healers suck at keeping me alive and the extra Physicks are make or break.

Am I healing? Take 2 Rogues because squad tanks (Gladiator or Marauder) suck at peeling to keep mobs off of ranged squadmates (unless you order them to) so its better to keep the squad bunched together in melee range.

Am I DPS? If melee, I take 1 Arcanist because I can peel/stun something long enough to direct the squad tank. If ranged, I take 1 Rogue and then just fight up close to the rest of the pack.

Ohhh that's smart, I've just been taking whoever's high enough leveled for what I'm putting them into and fits the party comp lol. I'll have to try this out later