Druid Class Hall Followers Optimization

[Onikaroshi]

For Argus content or just pre-7.3 stuff? Also if you're referring to 3-slotter missions, even i950 missions, they're a joke to 200%, like an absolute joke. The whole purpose of optimization now is trying to find the most efficient way at dealing with both AE and Boss 2-slotters.


Anyways, I've got a new build I'm trying out on some followers:
- Meatball and Sylendra running 47.5% Reduction and 50% <8h.
- 3 followers, one of each type of counter (I'm choosing Remulos since Sylendra can't be for Spells, Thisalee since she's my only Hazard, and Brightwing for Minions because her trait will be invaluable on AE missions), and giving them the following setup: 30% Reduction, 50% of their counter, and 50% <8h
- The other remaining followers (Hamuul, and Mylune when I'm not running a CA) running 30% Reduction and 90% <8h.

The 50% Counter/<8h is what's letting me now 200% (with Meatball's balls) the long-duration AE missions. The 47.5% Reduction champs let me do the 2-slotter Boss missions that are at the ~19h range (a 47.5% champ and a 30% champ pushes them to the <8h range), and the others are just for general mission efficiency.

175%'s a hell of a lot better than 125% (195% because the troop has a ball on him), and I can't bring myself to just flat out ignore this mission since it's a nice pile of Argunite (read: chance at a 50+ iLvl upgrade to my Arcanocrystal)

I'm full 950 and I 200% everything, 3 slotters, 2 slotters, all of it, only run into a couple i did less on, and they were 175%+. I also never bothered with meatball on more then one character, my current main doesn't have him.

[Corroc]

I... don't see how you're 200%ing most things with that setup. Any 2-slotter non-AE mission is next to impossible if the spec-countering champion doesn't also counter the threat, on top of which you'd have to double-stack the threat, meaning your overall efficiency is really poor if you get a lot of the same type of threat.

I didn't really do any calculations for it, when I saw the equipment before the patch I decided to go for it because it would make most of the missions under 4h and alot of them under 2. When the missions are under 4 hours you get to use meatball on two elite missions before they expire. And normal missions are breeze.

Edit. I also tried putting shorter than 8 on followers but it didnt' work out on 2 slot missions with argus troop. Argus troop would counter "boss" and follower would counter threat. But some of the mission were over 12 hours even with double reduction equipments. But swap the 8 hour to trait counter and it would go 200.

[Lyvar]

I've just been following the 7.2 guides online, throwing +% on when i can get them (been getting a decent amount of +30%) and >8h +% and usually have around 6 200% missions going at a time /shrug, works for me.

That's not a good indication. If I have 6 missions rolling that take 24h each I'm still inefficient.

- - - Updated - - -

Anyways, I've got a new build I'm trying out on some followers:
- Meatball and Sylendra running 47.5% Reduction and 50% <8h.
- 3 followers, one of each type of counter (I'm choosing Remulos since Sylendra can't be for Spells, Thisalee since she's my only Hazard, and Brightwing for Minions because her trait will be invaluable on AE missions), and giving them the following setup: 30% Reduction, 50% of their counter, and 50% <8h
- The other remaining followers (Hamuul, and Mylune when I'm not running a CA) running 30% Reduction and 90% <8h.

Makes sense and the split between Reduction and Success champions seems to be what I suggested some pages ago. Do you need the 40% <8h on Mylune and Hamuul though? Haven't done the maths but I guess reduction might be more helpful here as you still have success champions of any counter.

What about giving Remulos/Thisalee/Brightwing Memento instead of Armaments? As soon as the mission drops under 8h it'll be a piece of cake anyway as the Armaments of everyone will start working.

[Onikaroshi]

That's not a good indication. If I have 6 missions rolling that take 24h each I'm still inefficient.

Usually no more then 16, only start missions once a day anyway, got better things to do then watch mission boards :P

[Lyvar]

Usually no more then 16, only start missions once a day anyway, got better things to do then watch mission boards :P

You see, I have a smartphone I tend to check more than once daily. That's why you follow a completely different approach than most people here - and optimization is nothing you need to aim for.

[Lunnar]

Remember to get your free Legendary Follower Equipment from Broken Shore over the next three days. I don't think it can have Argus Legendaries inside but my CA still needed the best ones for World Questing so it's something.

[david0925]

Usually no more then 16, only start missions once a day anyway, got better things to do then watch mission boards :P

That's fine. So you're not really optimized for mission boards because there are many missions that only show up for 6 hours before expiring. It is actually extremely easy to 200% if you're not trying to reduce the duration of missions or even flat out ignoring some of the threats that prolong your missions.

Remember to get your free Legendary Follower Equipment from Broken Shore over the next three days. I don't think it can have Argus Legendaries inside but my CA still needed the best ones for World Questing so it's something.

Thanks for reminder. Hopefully I can get another 2 order hall for WQ completion legendaries so I can turn my Thistalee into a regular follower.

[Marrilaife]

That's fine. So you're not really optimized for mission boards because there are many missions that only show up for 6 hours before expiring.

Well the current idea if I get it correctly is that you get missions that have 6h expiration clock if your previous missions expired - but if you don't log in, they don't refresh until you actually do, so if you only log once per day for less than 6h played, you won't get a second batch of missions until next day. I don't have a smartphone, but I do log at least twice per day so I do get second round of missions, but some other players with different schedules might not.

[david0925]

Well the current idea if I get it correctly is that you get missions that have 6h expiration clock if your previous missions expired - but if you don't log in, they don't refresh until you actually do, so if you only log once per day for less than 6h played, you won't get a second batch of missions until next day. I don't have a smartphone, but I do log at least twice per day so I do get second round of missions, but some other players with different schedules might not.

I actually don't know if that is what triggers the second set of missions, but the point stands that you -can- have more frequent spawns if you log in every X hours (6-8), and this is what the current optimization is built around and what the discussion is. If you only check your mission board once or twice a day, or don't even bother to look, then a different set of criteria will apply to you. In addition you will not be getting the most out of your mission boards, which is fine for some people.

I just wanted to make that clear to the poster that "only checks once a day and can 200% with 6 missions running at same time". When you don't care about finishing most, if not all your missions, in 8 hours. It becomes extremely easy to 200% with even just 1 champion because you don't need to "waste" 1-2 champion equipment to reduce duration and can just use flat success chance or >8 hours success items.

[Marrilaife]

Yep, few pages ago Polar had a long post with 3-4 builds and I think the non-reduction more success items build was presented for people who only log once per day.

I really don't get it why did they turn this into another garrison, I hated the fact I had to visit my garrison literally every 4h to not lose gold, and now we're back to checking every 6h. I'm gonna invest in some speed items anyway because these 18h+ missions (or sometimes even longer than 1 day) piss me off, I like to send missions once in the morning, once in the evening and logging second time and seeing your followers are still out makes me opt for a speed build.

[Polarthief]

Remember to get your free Legendary Follower Equipment from Broken Shore over the next three days. I don't think it can have Argus Legendaries inside but my CA still needed the best ones for World Questing so it's something.

^ 100 times this ^. I had a warning regarding the next NA CC would be a freebie legendary on the 7.3 tab and it will remain there until the CC inevitably burns down.

Also unless it has a horrendous drop rate, I'm unofficially confirming that 7.3 leggos are NOT in the crate. A sample size of 12 for an item list that is heavily in favor of 7.3 is pretty decent I must say.

You can still get CA leggos for your main(s) and 7.2 leggos for your non-Argus alts, and I encourage everyone to get their freebie oranges, regardless of how deep or not you are into Argus.

You see, I have a smartphone I tend to check more than once daily. That's why you follow a completely different approach than most people here - and optimization is nothing you need to aim for.

Everyone optimizes differently and everyone plays the game differently. Telling someone they "don't need to aim for optimization" is a poor way of going at it. If Onikaroshi wants to do the best they can given they only check the board once a day, that's totally fine (hell it's what I do on my 11 alts; I only check them once per daily reset now due to how long it takes pre-7.3 missions to expire).

That said, it's by no means optimal in terms of total gold/other stuff (argunite, bloods, sargerite, AP, etc) gain, but optimal in a different sense. Provided people don't claim their way is superior for literally everyone, people should be encouraged to optimize based on their own playstyle and time.



I'll also state once more that if you only log on once a day, Reduction is one of, if not, the worst item you could possibly use (though you might want a 30% on one or two champions just for the 24h missions so they'll for sure be done by the time you log in for the day). A build for you guys would definitely not include <8h items either, and would definitely go for raw success, Counter items, and maybe even >8h items. People who are willing to use their app or stay at home a lot will really take advantage of Reduction, possibly even shying away from the high duration missions even if they don't use a <8h build.

TL;DR: Optimization is completely dependent on how you play. While it may seem like I tend to heavily optimize for tons of Reduction and most gold/value-items per hour, that's because I stay at home all day and when I actually do go out, I have my phone on me. When home, I probably check WoW every 3-4 hours or so, sometimes logging in more often because guildies want to do something (M+ and whatnot) or I have a ton of really good WQs/emissaries that are expiring that I need to do for about an hour. People not in this boat should not be going for massive amounts of Reduction.

All of this said though, if you run pre-7.3 missions on a character, optimization hardly means much since the missions don't expire so quickly and checking once a day is probably the most optimal route anyway. Piss easy missions to 200% (hell I just throw champions on missions, usually followed by Meatball and I check back in ~24 hours), don't even need the troops, etc etc. When you only go for the gold and maybe rep and pet charm missions, you really don't even need to think anymore.

[Lyvar]

Telling someone they "don't need to aim for optimization" is a poor way of going at it. If Onikaroshi wants to do the best they can given they only check the board once a day, that's totally fine (hell it's what I do on my 11 alts; I only check them once per daily reset now due to how long it takes pre-7.3 missions to expire).

When you only go for the gold and maybe rep and pet charm missions, you really don't even need to think anymore.

You're criticizing what I said just in order to say basically the same thing some lines below. I was not judging Onikaroshi, it just isn't hard to determine that you don't have success chance issues if you renounce on reduction (and thus gain 1-2 equipment slots per champion). The approach is different and that's basically what I said.

[Lunnar]

Also unless it has a horrendous drop rate, I'm unofficially confirming that 7.3 leggos are NOT in the crate. A sample size of 12 for an item list that is heavily in favor of 7.3 is pretty decent I must say.

I done my 12 Characters yesterday and just got old (Patch 7.2) Legendaries. I would assume not any new Argus Legendaries or it'd be a tad overpowered for something created during older content.

[Tiberria]

I done my 12 Characters yesterday and just got old (Patch 7.2) Legendaries. I would assume not any new Argus Legendaries or it'd be a tad overpowered for something created during older content.

Possibly, but they really need to add some way of getting the new legendaries outside of praying for RNG procs. Especially because, outside of the remote chance of a legendary popping from the chest, there is next to no real reason to continue doing the equipment missions once you have full epic gear for all followers. The AP, gold, rep token missions all give tangible rewards, so it feels bad to even send gear missions any more.

[Lyvar]

Possibly, but they really need to add some way of getting the new legendaries outside of praying for RNG procs. Especially because, outside of the remote chance of a legendary popping from the chest, there is next to no real reason to continue doing the equipment missions once you have full epic gear for all followers. The AP, gold, rep token missions all give tangible rewards, so it feels bad to even send gear missions any more.

What about ignoring gear missions entirely and just relying on your T3 Order Hall option?

If there was a chance to get a follower legendary like in 7.2, what would change concerning gear missions?

[vorchun]

What about ignoring gear missions entirely and just relying on your T3 Order Hall option?

If there was a chance to get a follower legendary like in 7.2, what would change concerning gear missions?

Did you get much legendary gear from that OH trait? I got exactly 0 on my drood since Legion release, and I've completed hundreds, if not thousands of missions. It seems chance to get anything useful from it is abysmal at best.

[Williee]

Anyone here with CA equipment Pouch of wonder + share of twisting nether, 50g + ap token and 100 resource + ap token?
As of the most recent patch, I noticed I do not get 2x humming shards (the ap token) when it procs for a wq. I wanted to know if anyone else running this combo ran into this issue as well.

[Lyvar]

Did you get much legendary gear from that OH trait? I got exactly 0 on my drood since Legion release, and I've completed hundreds, if not thousands of missions. It seems chance to get anything useful from it is abysmal at best.

One Harpy Feather, one Imp Tooth, one Praetorium Tome *shrug*

Anyone here with CA equipment Pouch of wonder + share of twisting nether, 50g + ap token and 100 resource + ap token?
As of the most recent patch, I noticed I do not get 2x humming shards (the ap token) when it procs for a wq. I wanted to know if anyone else running this combo ran into this issue as well.

I don't have both on a single toon but as far as I understand the proc you have two individual chances.

[Williee]

Sorry, what I meant was prior to the patch, I would receive 2 humming shards as you suggested. However, with this patch, I only notice one humming shard dropping when it procs.

[Polarthief]

Sorry, what I meant was prior to the patch, I would receive 2 humming shards as you suggested. However, with this patch, I only notice one humming shard dropping when it procs.

Every time? I feel like it would give you two different running ~1-in-5 chances, meaning ~1-in-25 WQs would yield 2 Humming Shards. Are you at least noticing around double the proc rate?

I don't have both; I only have Pouch and Ward so I can't really help test it.