Guild Wars 2

When lumbered with a companion NPC in personal stories, I am finding that, though they fight alongside you, they more often than not deal 0 damage, or 0 healing and have 0 threat generation. Is this the way it’s supposed to be, or a bug?

I could understand it if the NPC was only there for story reasons and was supposed to be of no help, but more often than not, in these story missions I’m facing more enemies at once than should be intended for one squishy Elementalist. Sometimes, 5 at a time.

And no, I’m not talking about me accidentally drawing more agro than I should, I’m talking about the times when they spawn at, or run to, your position and attack.

Also, the enemies in story missions seem tougher than out in the open world, presumably to compensate for the extra help, but if the help you’re getting is 0, then this seems another challenge stacked against you.

Is this by design or bugged? If it’s designed that way, why is it designed for frustration when the game is intended for fun factor?