I agree! Especially with the changes to the attribute system bringing players up a notch. I like it!
Yup, that’s why I basically made OP a mini-series here lol (should release it as a DVD)
It seems to both me and a lot of others that OP might be mislead by the plain healthbar you get in an unmodded game thinking they do way less damage than their thralls, so I made a bunch of clips with various scenarios of the player and thrall side-by-side killing the same boss with actual visible healthbar and damage numbers. Hopefully that’s going to help them decide whether thralls are truly that much stronger than the player
I really think it is about right. I have to save my companion thrall in any difficult fight and I CAN!!! Something I could never do before 3.0. Before 3.0 if my thrall got into trouble it was just dead, no way I could get into a fight that difficult and not be instantly slaughtered by whatever it was.
At the same time you can’t put 20 points into Authority and still have a decent fighting build. One of your other stats would have to be trimmed down. As a builder I have no stat points left for Strength as it is. I can spare 10 points for Followers and no more.
Players may Max-Min, but they always do. The game should not be built for them alone.
This part isn’t entirely true
You actually can have 2 aspects of that… So… builder… fighter… thrall master… you CAN pick two not just one which is a kinda nice change from pre-3.0 where if you went with a farmer build then you really sucked in combat. Now you can have a builder / farmer build and still be more than competent of a fighter. In turn you could also dump those expertise points in authority should you wish to so you can become a fighter / thrall master with a limited inventory capacity
I do similar
My build is farmer/thrallmaster hybrid
Got my authority maxed out and corrupted for max thrall damage then alot in expertise so I can gather like a beast with 0 in agility or str
I can see how someone would possibly reverse it and go fighter/thrallmaster with more in str or agi instead of my pick in expertise or even farmer/fighter
ALOT of possible combos with this system and I spent the entire first few days of 3.0 resetting and testing builds before settling on the one I have
Yep that’s my current load out, combine with some encumberance-boosting armor for farming/building/‘normal’ adventuring, and switch to specialist armor for ‘serious’ fighting (the latter is rarely necessary).
All in all the new system is way better than the old one, even - or perhaps especially - for an army-of-one, jack-of-all-trades solo like me.
Yup, I’m really liking it I went with the farmer / fighter combo, kinda fell in love with it as it wasn’t possible in the past to this degree. Got a decent thrall with no authority support, but we manage
Maces are top tier thrall weapons for the same reason mace NPCs are so dangerous, they can’t be staggered during the attack as easily as they can be with other weapons.
So I agree, if you haven’t tossed a mace on your thrall, give it a go.
Have you tried the infinite stamina Void Forged Gladius combo? It’s pretty strong, and as the thralls is too addled to use most agility weapons, a Player Character exclusive.
Alternatively, the Sword of ne-Crom-ancer build is good for thralls as support (zombie shamble only).
There are other combos of specific feats, gear, and sometimes sorcery that put the spotlight firmly on the PC. However, this cheese does take a little work to culture.
This one personally likes the current balance. Thralls are useful, but simplistic and their capabilities are eclipsed by a well bit PC in the hands of a skilled player.
In a straight up zerg rush button mash, the thrall is generally best.
