Point to use companions when questing/leveling?

[alex]

Hello.

I recently started playing the game. I love the game. But I have a question.

I just got my own companion and he looks cool and killing everything im pointing on but I wonder if thats actually the point of the SWTOR game to have one companion out all time when playing leveling questing or anything except pvping or raiding? It seems weird that every classes in SWTOR are "hunters" with pets and even it sounds weird on star wars lore (imagine a Khem Val following Darth Vader 24/7 on all of the SW movies).

[Alkestis]

Yes, they'll help you get used to the specific role you'll play in a group. Say, Inquisitor, since you mention Khem Val. If you go Assassin dps you're going to need to maul(backstab) a whole lot. How would that be possible without him tanking the quest mobs for you? It wouldn't.

You'll use them for solo content and they add some flair to the storyline, that's about it. Oh, you can also romance some of them if you want, even eventually get married.

[vizzle]

If you don't like having an NPC helping you kill things, then you can just dismiss him. The point of companions is so that odd specs can still be viable while leveling. If you're a tank, you can have a dps out to help you kill things faster, if you're a dps you can have a healer, and if you're a healer you can have a tank/dps, or any way you want it.

[Littleshashi]

If you don't like having an NPC helping you kill things, then you can just dismiss him.

This rather underpowers the player, and requires you to stay a few levels ahead of your questing content for taking down elites. But this has been hashed over several times on this forum and others.

[alex]

So you mean Im going to have the companion out all time or just when soloing hard part (elites for quests etc)?

I can handle weak and normal mobs pretty fine without companions but im 15level so I dont know about from 15 and up to maxlevel, thats why Im asking here.

Prefer leveling solo without companions.

This rather underpowers the player, and requires you to stay a few levels ahead of your questing content for taking down elites. But this has been hashed over several times on this forum and others.

Thats exactly what i mean, I feel like Im into the story when playing solo (especially as a Sith who is arrogant and selfish that thinks for himself and dislikes grouping with others).

---------- Post added 2012-02-22 at 07:47 AM ----------

If you don't like having an NPC helping you kill things, then you can just dismiss him. The point of companions is so that odd specs can still be viable while leveling. If you're a tank, you can have a dps out to help you kill things faster, if you're a dps you can have a healer, and if you're a healer you can have a tank/dps, or any way you want it.

So you are saying people with available leveling specc will be fine without pet doing all quests except elite quests all way to 50level?

[vizzle]

Yes you can do your quests, but you're gimping yourself for no reason. You will always have to be more careful, you have to make sure you never accidentally overpull, you have to use pots probably. There's no point to gimp yourself.

[Zao]

Depending on your spec you might run into problems past your early 30s where difficulty starts to ramp up. Imagine a warlock/hunter wirhout a pet. It's certainly doable. But you'll run into some problems.

As fir lore concerns: I din't see much problem with Khem since he's basically your slave and can be forced to do your bidding.

[Alkestis]

(especially as a Sith who is arrogant and selfish that thinks for himself and dislikes grouping with others)

From a role play PoV, Khem Val is your slave. It adds to being arrogant and selfish that you have a slave monster that you can treat like crap if you so want to, imho. Above poster beat me to this one

That said, you don't have to use them, but they surely help a lot and you're going to have frustrating quests if you don't use them(keyword being use, you're not really being friendly...Least I wasn't).

[Vulturia]

While leveling, there is no real option to play without them. In endgame, there is no option to play with them. So whether you like them or not, you will get shafted at some point regardless.

[Ifrica]

You'll come to a point where you will be glad you have companions to rely on, the first levels are easy, true, but just try to do the final confrontation in your storyline without a companion, i wish you good luck. also, to use certain spells you need an active companion (--> Call on the force).
Companions aren't only for fighting tho, they level your professions too, they sell your grey items in bags, and give extra story to the game (as said, romances etc).
Now, to go compare it with a certain class from a certain mmo is wrong thinking, this is another game, with other mechanics, different gamestyle in a way, you can't go say everyone is a hunter because he has a pet.. making comparisons with Darth Vader does make sense, Anakin had 2 droids, an alien and a princess following him, Luke Skywalker had a smuggler, his sister and 2 droids following him, etc, so they had 'companions' too. It all depends on how you approach the companion part.

[Koalachan]

Now, to go compare it with a certain class from a certain mmo is wrong thinking, this is another game, with other mechanics, different gamestyle in a way, you can't go say everyone is a hunter because he has a pet.. making comparisons with Darth Vader does make sense, Anakin had 2 droids, an alien and a princess following him, Luke Skywalker had a smuggler, his sister and 2 droids following him, etc, so they had 'companions' too. It all depends on how you approach the companion part.

I like to think of it more as: Luke skywalker, a Jedi Knight, had a droid following him, he teamed up with a smuggler, who had a wookie following him, and later teamed up with the princess, who had a protocall droid (Anything past the first movie, C-3PO follows Leia more, and R2 sticks with Luke, except when they're together of course).

[moff]

you cant use him when pvping and raiding, so I dont really understand the question. you can only use him while leveling/questing or dismiss him.
personally I think its a great way to make leveling as a tank/healer viable and to immerse you more in the game. and I dont think its weird at all, vader is just a bad example. luke/obi wan or han/chewie are often doing their stuff in groups, so I dont see a problem there at all.

[Ifrica]

I like to think of it more as: Luke skywalker, a Jedi Knight, had a droid following him, he teamed up with a smuggler, who had a wookie following him, and later teamed up with the princess, who had a protocall droid (Anything past the first movie, C-3PO follows Leia more, and R2 sticks with Luke, except when they're together of course).

ye ok, true, but i was just pointing out that in the original lore there were already companions, it's all about how you look at it.

[jaakkeli]

Khem Val makes your play feel "hunter"-like because he's a tank. A ranged DPS companion following you and blasting at stuff feels much less like it and running with a healer companion feels basically like solo with someone following and throwing heals at you.

Some very very minor spoilers on how things will work out:

Granted, as a Sith Inquisitor you only get a healer companion pretty late in the game, but you can use the droid that comes with your ship. He has no gear when you get him so he's pretty useless at first but you can buy droid parts from various vendors on the planets and you get them from quests. You get a ranged damage dealer companion pretty early on too and it will feel less like being a hunter.

[Koalachan]

ye ok, true, but i was just pointing out that in the original lore there were already companions, it's all about how you look at it.

Oh, I don't disagree about that. If anything, the companions make it feel more Star Wars. Even in the movies everyone had their own personalities and were driven by different motives to achieve the same goal.

[mickybrighteyes]

Hello.

I recently started playing the game. I love the game. But I have a question.

I just got my own companion and he looks cool and killing everything im pointing on but I wonder if thats actually the point of the SWTOR game to have one companion out all time when playing leveling questing or anything except pvping or raiding? It seems weird that every classes in SWTOR are "hunters" with pets and even it sounds weird on star wars lore (imagine a Khem Val following Darth Vader 24/7 on all of the SW movies).

Darth Vader didn't have a Khem Val... he had a palpatine >.>

[alex]

Yes you can do your quests, but you're gimping yourself for no reason. You will always have to be more careful, you have to make sure you never accidentally overpull, you have to use pots probably. There's no point to gimp yourself.

I can see your point but I play to have fun, no rush here (but I know, dying alot is no fun).





Never thought about the droids following Luke/Darth Vader and Han´s wookie. Now I can see companions from different view.

Im just too scared of my Khem Val, he have been threating me 24/7 to cut off my throat if he get a chance, I dont dare go afk with him. Hes double so big as me, maybe its good time to give him some gifts to make more love?

jaakkeli: You´re so right it felt too boring when the companion tanks everything so you dont need use stuns,avoids or defensive cds and other fun stuff, I ill get one of these ranged companions.

[Stormcall]

jaakkeli: You´re so right it felt too boring when the companion tanks everything so you dont need use stuns,avoids or defensive cds and other fun stuff,

Yes you will, unless you want your tank to die and have the mob turn it's attention to you. Tank companions are useful, but they are not invincible. Defensive stuff and stuns are also supremely useful if a mob aggros on you(as you level you will often find groups of mobs spread far enough apart that your tank won't pick them all up right away...)

[barkong]

the starting levels are easy, but around alderan and above the mobs get harder and harder, unless of course you vastly outlevel the content.

[Eldanir]

The error you're making is trying to compare it to other MMO, while you should compare SWTOR to other Bioware games. Your companions are an integral part of YOUR story.

They sometimes intervene in your dialogue choices, and try to influence it.
I was chatting with a friend who is playing a bounty hunter and his companion is more on the shady / crook side of things and he always try to make the most money out of any situation. In one of the class quest he had a choice of sparing the life of an opponent and the companion told him "why did you do that? You should have killed her, your decision's gonna come back to kick us in the butt". Then later in the story indeed the opponent returned to fight him again, and the companion said "see? I told you she would come back!". While I'm levelling with Mako as a bounty hunter, and as she highly disapproves of unneeded bloodshed so the dialogue would have been much different I assume (I've not reached that part of the story yet myself)

Instead of making a parallel between Khem Val following Darth Vader, you should think Chewbacca and Han Solo, Darth Sidious and Darth Maul, or Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Stop thinking about game mechanics and hunter's "pet", and view your companion as part of YOUR story. Who would you like at your side or watching your back when you're taking on the galaxy?

And sometimes Destiny put on some little twist to who she sends your way to aid you....