After 3.0 equipment stopped giving characteristics. Why do we need damage and hp multipliers now? Before 3.0 the same characteristic on equipment was differently effective on different companions (strength was given to Berserkers, vitality to Teimos and so on). But now these hidden multipliers are no longer needed. We can just move all the stats to one multiplier, so that 1 unit of strength on any companion gives the same damage increase and people don’t have questions why a companion with 10 strength hits harder than a companion with 30 strength.
Many of the modifiers exist because they also effect NPCs. Believe me, I’ve been in conversations about this for the better part of two years trying to get the modifiers standardized and normalized across the board so that what makes a good thrall is its stats.
The issue is NPCs do not have stats. Setting their modifiers to 1.0 (effectively getting rid of them) makes them a trivial threat to players in NPC camps.
I’ve asked during Beta whether or not it would be possible to change this around so that this wouldn’t be needed, but got the response it would be a lot of work and likely wouldn’t be seen any time soon. Or pretty much a ‘no’ answer.
In all honesty this isn’t something that would be hard to do. It would be something extremely time consuming and tedious as there is over 1,600 NPCs (for just thralls alone) that would need to be revamped in this way.
But yes, I do agree that at 0 strength/agility a 30 damage weapon on a thrall should do 30 damage. And as Strength/Agility goes up, it goes up at the SAME rate for ALL thralls. Vitality should increase health by the same rate. Grit increases Armor by the same rate.
And what makes thalls different or stronger is their starting stats. And maybe fighter thralls get 3-4 hit combos in melee while archers only get 2 hit combos. Then when bows are used archers fire more often than fighters.
If they buckled down and did this, the thrall system wouldn’t be a mess.
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It’s the same reason with armors’ hidden stats in the benches (I guess).
Once all the stats are revealed, you will go for the optimal and ignore 99% of the others.
That’ll mean 99% of the devs works are in vain, which no devs would want to see.
With hidden multipliers, you perhaps are willing to try catching some brutes or Teimos.
But once they are revealed, it is RHTS only and nobody else matters.
This is why I have been suggesting the changes I have for the last two years.
If you picked up a T4 thrall, it would BE a T4 thrall regardless of the tribe you got it from. The only difference would be the starting stats. So while yes, there would be tribes and thralls that would technically be ‘the best’ at something. The players would have a wider variety for what ‘the best’ is. This would be more true if the stats in question were more equal to one another.
Its a little messed up right now, because you can see a RHTS and Cimmerian Berserker right off the cross, compare their Strength scores… and be like… yeah the RHTS is better with STR weapons… just because.
Where they should be equal but in different ways. So if you have these two thralls you would be able to look at the stats and be like… well the berserker is good with STR weapons, but the treasure seeker is good with AGI weapons. Which weapons do I want to use?
Or perhaps you want to use another type entirely for superior Grit or Vitality. Or feel more comfortable for a mix of the two in case you want something a bit more consistent. Or whatever compliments the build you have for your character.
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What you are suggesting is what most games with companions have. You can have a tank, a warrior, a ranged supporter (that actually works), etc. If you are the tank, you want a guy either cutting them up fast or ranging them hard. If you are the ranged, you want a tank.
Here thralls are quite different. They are all dumb tanks, some sucking at it, some more or less performing. Thralls could be such a more interesting part of the game, since they set it appart from the rest in the genre. But no… now we have it even worse. Mindless zombies that look all alike to me, have 0 interest as npcs or companions of any sort and are way cheaper to get. Cannon fodder, so to speak.
I doubt thralls will ever be significantly improved after this last tweak. I count myself lucky by still being able to get some decent ones. I prefer how perks work now, though. That was an improvement. But the path of the game doesn’t seem to run favourably for thralls, IMO. I just hope they don’t become obsolete, like legendaries.
Thralls were kinda just stuffed in. Originally they were worse than fodder. Like the best thrall Dalinsia Snowhunter only had 750 health. You didn’t really use fighter thralls to follow you around as they would get killed quite easily. You dressed them up in the armor you could craft easily and used them as speed bumps during raids. But most simply used them as a bit of decoration.
Then they got their stats and levels, and the expectations for them rose faster than their usefulness.
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Yes, that was before I even heard about Conan, @Taemien .
I was spoiled. But now they are okish. What annoys me is their poor AI, not being able to assign them patrol routes, them repeating always the same two or three lines, etc. I don’t really need them for combat, but I loved knowing they could handle themselves. They became weaker, but more interesting to level and equip. Even so, they fall short of what they could be. They are props, basically. Some are not completely useless because they help a little in purges and surges, but if you play online with friends, you barely need them, if at all. So I think they could explore other dimensions. I would prefer having a limit of 5 placeable thralls with top notch AI and cool functions, than having 100 mindless drones. I don’t know if that’s even possible, since it seems their AI is as good as it’s gonna get.
Thralls have come along way since EA day 1 believe me.
You used to toss them on the wheel, take them off and just place them. They had to use whatever they were wearing and whatever weapons they had when you captured them. They stood there in combat mode, like freak statues.
They were basically decoration back then.
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If in the future they are improved as much as they already were, they’ll be awesome! 
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