Guild Wars 2

I there are times where find myself attacking while my minions don’t attack or don’t move with me. I am talking about Shadow Fiend, Bone Fiend, Blood Fiend, and Bone Minions.

Is there a user-end behavior which promotes minions to idle that I could stop doing to fix this? Is there an action that could force them to attack when my own attacks fail to do so?

Dont use them, that was my solution.

If you make the shadow fiend use his blind as your first attack, it usually makes all the minions attack that target.

It also helps if you attack the enemy from <600 range.

Using your skills on the targeted enemy will make them attack that target. This however can have a bad effect if you are pure minion as most of the minion skills involve their destruction. Ohhh and your silly little golem with run right through the target and aggro everything behind them >.<

I’ve noticed that my Bone Minions seem to be reluctant to charge into battle (“What do you mean you don’t want to be blown up? GET IN THERE!”), but if you run into melee range yourself and start attacking the target, they will follow your lead. It seems that being too far away from enemies confuses their little rotting brains.

gamefreak.5673:

Dont use them, that was my solution.

I’m with this guy…

Though, I still tend to use flesh golem often. No real good elite skill to use on a casual basis. Using skill sometimes helps, but not always.

Use shadow fiends blind. That tends to be most effective way of getting them riled up.

Let me preface by saying I’d really rather not play a class almost entirely defined by it’s summoning & minions without said minions.
Mind you, I’ve just hit 40th with my Norn necro babe & still loving it. I hear what you guys say about the mins being a little ‘unpredictable’ at times, but in actual fact, after a while you get a feel for what stoopid thing they will pull next & just go with the flow. After all, are they meant to be brainless automatons responding only to precise commands, or have some degree of intelligence & autonomy…? Given they freely aggro mobs when within range & the fact that ANet in all their wisdom didn’t see fit to provide micro controls (ala ranger) for them…I’d say that the intention was to instil them with a little bit of random chaos. If nothing else, I never feel lonely with my full army of 6 knuckleheads in tow!

As far as the charge on the golem goes, easy fix – don’t send him in if there is an open space or mobs behind the targeted mob! I try to change approach vectors so he hits a tree or wall behind the mob is possible. Usually results in the knockback putting him over the mob so he can pound away immediately after the alpha strike, instead of having to run back, or worse, deal with adds from further behind, bleh.

Having also played a mesmer to 20th it is a bit…sad(?)… that the mesmer’s clones seem more useful & controllable than the necro’s mins, accepting that you are only summoning short-range pew-pews which can be detonated for larger effects. Mind you, having 3 or 4 sets of clones splode all over a mob can wipe off half or more of its life in one group explosion, but it feels like a different type of game playing a mesmer, much more frantic & immediate, whereas with all 6 mins I always have time to bail if things go south (especially with F1 DS always at my fingertips).

Hope they fix the minion bugs soon, as the control freak in me would like to have, well, more control of the situations! But, for PvE, they are eminently playable & enjoyable. If they just added a heal skill or re-summon outside combat with no CD, I’d be happy a happy camper.

As an aside, I’d like to try WvWvW – do I stand a chance of having any fun at 40th, given I’ll get bumped to 80th? Will I need to grind for decent gear in quick hurry, or will something else hold me back?

The only minions I use are the 2 bone minions and flesh golem. Flesh golem just because all the elite skills aren’t that useful, and golem is the one with lowest CD. Then the bone minions are for combo on my wells.

I love my necro, but I’ll be happier if golem doesn’t wonder off to fight random mobs, and JH actually viable.

Nostromo.4126:

If they just added a heal skill or re-summon outside combat with no CD, I’d be happy a happy camper.

I have recently discovered (recently because I’ve only recently started using minions) that Well of Blood heals your minions and is, generally, rather more useful (not to mention reliable) than the Blood Fiend.

binidj.5734:

Nostromo.4126:

If they just added a heal skill or re-summon outside combat with no CD, I’d be happy a happy camper.

I have recently discovered (recently because I’ve only recently started using minions) that Well of Blood heals your minions and is, generally, rather more useful (not to mention reliable) than the Blood Fiend.

Wells are more bugged than Windows Vista… Blood one not only heals you and your minions, also heals the mobs. Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H92jXPlA0mU

Andele.1306:

binidj.5734:

Nostromo.4126:

If they just added a heal skill or re-summon outside combat with no CD, I’d be happy a happy camper.

I have recently discovered (recently because I’ve only recently started using minions) that Well of Blood heals your minions and is, generally, rather more useful (not to mention reliable) than the Blood Fiend.

SOMEONE USES BLOOD FIEND AS A HEAL???

Blood fiend needs to be destroyed, how was it even allowed out of betas with all the bugs and suggestions saying it needed major improvements I am not sure.

Tschuss.8462:

binidj.5734:

Nostromo.4126:

If they just added a heal skill or re-summon outside combat with no CD, I’d be happy a happy camper.

I have recently discovered (recently because I’ve only recently started using minions) that Well of Blood heals your minions and is, generally, rather more useful (not to mention reliable) than the Blood Fiend.

Wells are more bugged than Windows Vista… Blood one not only heals you and your minions, also heals the mobs. Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H92jXPlA0mU

That isn’t a bug with wells in general but with Vampiric Rituals.

I don’t have much work around this, except using my minion skill to make them attack.

Also, in WvW, I don’t “presummon” my bone minion. If you pre-summon them, most of the time they won’t attack.

So I target the ennemy, I summon them, and they charge right away. BOOM BOOM 6k burst in their face.

But it’s not practical, as something you will lose some precious fight time summonning them.

Please repair that Anet, my new MM build suffer from it! And I also use the Axe, I’m kittening myself twice!

Arvid.3829:

Tschuss.8462:

binidj.5734:

Nostromo.4126:

If they just added a heal skill or re-summon outside combat with no CD, I’d be happy a happy camper.

I have recently discovered (recently because I’ve only recently started using minions) that Well of Blood heals your minions and is, generally, rather more useful (not to mention reliable) than the Blood Fiend.

Wells are more bugged than Windows Vista… Blood one not only heals you and your minions, also heals the mobs. Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H92jXPlA0mU

That isn’t a bug with wells in general but with Vampiric Rituals.

Vampiric traits in general actually, but only really a issue when being a high level toon in a low level zone.

Cheers guys, off to try Well of Blood right away! Even if I can just use it out of combat to top up the pets, or away from mobs to heal myself, should be better than Blood Fiend I guess.

Btw, is Lich form worth saving up/using up 30 points for a MM, given you lose all pets when you cast it? Does it offer a 3rd form for hard fights (blow minions, use up DS, then Lich…?), or is that not workable for some reason?

What traits would ppl recommend with a full compliment of pets…? DM is obvious – which other branches might have the best synergies? I use staff & daggers btw.

Pls keep in mind, my love of pets is a roleplaying thing, so I don’t expect to be competitive or uber in any way, just to have fun & have some mostly usable pet companions, even if they are as dumb as dogkitten on occasion!

Not using them, or at least summoning flesh golem until needed. Hes the annoying one that decides to attack anything that moves and the other minions are just like, “maybe we should go help him?”

You can fix that by clicking on the small triangel above the minion symbol and choose a skill that works…

Fixed

Fiesbert.9816:

You can fix that by clicking on the small triangel above the minion symbol and choose a skill that sort of works…

Necromancer has been my all-time favorite roll since Diablo 2 because if the minions. GW1 allowed you to (almost…) make an army like that, and I was pretty disappointed that GW2 didn’t live up to this legacy. That said I think I’ll still enjoy being a minion master if/when they work out the bugs. For now I’m thoroughly enjoying well-bomb and corruption builds.

For serious, just aggro everything, drop some spectral wall, grasping dead, enfeebling blood, blood is power, epidemic, watch the numbers fly, then collect the loot.

striker.3704:

If you make the shadow fiend use his blind as your first attack, it usually makes all the minions attack that target.

It also helps if you attack the enemy from <600 range.

Second what he said. It works very well for me.

So it could be a issue of minion aggro range? Do not explain golem rage tho…

Could be why there was some reports that weapon switching helped. Initiate a fight using staff at max range, then swap to dagger once the enemy is up close?

Nah, I don’t see it working.

I use axe then dagger at melee, and most of the time my minion are just chilling around watching the horizon.

I use staff then close with daggers. Pets always seem to attack at range or close if melee, then I get in the mix. I rarely notice them standing back or doing nothing. And I use a full comp of pets: BloodF, 2XBMs, BoneF, SF, FG (some times I swap out 2XBMs for a wurm).
I really don’t see what all the fuss is about minions in PvE – they don’t always do what you want, but then again, they are constructs of dead, rotting bits, most with no heads/brains. Ahem.

Nostromo.4126:

Cheers guys, off to try Well of Blood right away! Even if I can just use it out of combat to top up the pets, or away from mobs to heal myself, should be better than Blood Fiend I guess.

Btw, is Lich form worth saving up/using up 30 points for a MM, given you lose all pets when you cast it? Does it offer a 3rd form for hard fights (blow minions, use up DS, then Lich…?), or is that not workable for some reason?

What traits would ppl recommend with a full compliment of pets…? DM is obvious – which other branches might have the best synergies? I use staff & daggers btw.

Pls keep in mind, my love of pets is a roleplaying thing, so I don’t expect to be competitive or uber in any way, just to have fun & have some mostly usable pet companions, even if they are as dumb as dogkitten on occasion!

As of right now lich kills all pets, however iirc an Anet dev stated this is only due to the changes they made to going in water killing minions and they plan on fixing it at some point. While you wait for the patch that fixes it yes, the golem is probably better.

In dungeons lich form is by far the best for bosses. Most bosses will kill most of your minions in one AOE, so lich form gives you good DPS and utility while you wait for them all to come off of cooldown.

Outside of death magic for a full pet build you want 20 into spite (for +30% minion damage) and 20 into blood magic (for minions siphoning health).

I play Daggerx2/staff and when i have pets out i’ve found that adjusting my position on the target (melee) usually snaps the golem out of his funk.

From range it all seems to work better if i use staff#1 before mark of blood, but switching to daggers and closing in will usually fix any lack of inititive in my minions.

gamefreak.5673:

Dont use them, that was my solution.

thread should have ended after this response.

Yep, don’t use them. ANET could have a simple answer like “working as intended” but they choose to be like the ostrich. Ignore the problem and maybe it will go away. Better to work on temporary content no one really cares about because that’s more important than class bugs that have gone on for months now.