My protector joined the union!

[4enzix]

And certain things he used to do before seem not to be in his new union contract!

1. Protecting me
2. Climbing Stares
3. Doing things with any sort of haste.

Let me clarify.

1. My protector used to ALWAYS position himself in front of me after moving to a new location. This has changed in the last while, he now gets all lazy and positions himself beside or behind me, this is rather annoying. (he doesnt have one maternal protective instinct in him.... i always thought he was a female dwarf, guess i was wrong.)

2. I hate this new contract. I did the assault against the ringwraiths lair yesterday and was straight up bitter the rest of the day. he REFUSES! REFUSES! to climb stairs at all... said something about cruel and unusual punishment for short dwarf legs! Id have to resumon him even going up ramps that also happened to be around a corner. /cry

3. Id go running down a hallway to smite the next group of mobs. and like any good self absorbed teenage he yelled "be there in a minute" and sometimes it was over a minute before he decided to move, and by that time he usually had lost my trial and gave up moving anyways...


Can anyone shed light and this new contract? Why has my Protector suddenly joined the union?

[Boraxxe]

Sometimes ya hafta turn and face him....start walking toward him with a disciplinary slip in your hand. This will usually get them moving.

[Turimbar]

There should be leashes available from the SM barterers for our soldiers.

[Boraxxe]

There should be leashes available from the SM barterers for our soldiers.

S&M barterers: do they have whips and chains?

[4enzix]

S&M barterers: do they have whips and chains?

lmao! plus rep!


and yes they do...

[STR26]

I've noticed the same problem with my Protector since Vol 3 Book 1. Previously, I had no major complaints about his positioning. He was almost always meters in front of me/ready to taunt-which makes perfect sense for his role. As a hunter, I want him engaging the enemy well before they come within melee range. However, now I am constantly having him behind me (regardless whether I look at him or not) or next to me. I know someone else who also has noticed the same problem lately. Before the Book, I was glad I chose a Protector. Now I'm wishing I went with something else-- too bad I have no desire to grind and level another soldier.


Does anyone know for sure if the Protector's positioning/pathing was altered with the new book?

[TsarithArcher]

I got tired of my Warriors acting like Leeroy Jenkins, so I changed them to Protectors, which was a wise decision that I do not regret for a moment.

The Protector stayed in front of me, but only by a little bit, not enough to gain unnecessary aggro, but always certain to be the first to land a hit on a mob so that they get the aggro and not me. Life was good.

But something has indeed changed and my Protectors are far more lax in their duties. I'm always waiting for them to catch up. They stay behind me now, usually only entering battle after the battle is almost over. When one mob is killed they'll stand there like an ID-10T twiddling their thumbs even though there are four more mobs to fight. My Protectors have become so worthless as a Skirmish Soldier that I've found myself running Skirmishes without even summoning them anymore as they just slow my time down too much having them along.

It does sound like we need to renegotiate their Union Contracts.

[Trilwych]

I've noticed the same problem with my Protector since Vol 3 Book 1. Previously, I had no major complaints about his positioning. He was almost always meters in front of me/ready to taunt-which makes perfect sense for his role. As a hunter, I want him engaging the enemy well before they come within melee range. However, now I am constantly having him behind me (regardless whether I look at him or not) or next to me. I know someone else who also has noticed the same problem lately. Before the Book, I was glad I chose a Protector. Now I'm wishing I went with something else-- too bad I have no desire to grind and level another soldier.


Does anyone know for sure if the Protector's positioning/pathing was altered with the new book?

Yes. I noticed the Protector positioning issue immediately after the Book update and /bugged it, because mine had NEVER done that before. I was doing the Prancing Pony and had a solid routine down based on positioning.

Now I reposition her by running up to where I want her to be, turning 90 degrees (usually to the right), and then side-running back to where I want to be. This for some reason leaves her parked there.

Stairs: As a captain, I can afford to get beaten up, so I always get myself into combat first--without fail (okay, just once she got stuck behind a railing, the idiot), this forces the protector to run up/down the stairs to me. You have to get hit first, that is. For example, if she's stuck at the bottom, I'll run up and engage at the top. If she's stuck at the top, I'll keep mobs occupied at the bottom.

Hills/slopes: I discovered this by accident, and I'm sure others have as well--just walk backwards down slopes and your soldier should follow you. This has never failed me in horrible pathing places like Tuck.

[KristTsirk]

I think people had a problem with the classes that went ahead of you accidentally pulling mobs they didn't want pulled.

But I think it made sense for the protector. Now I have to run up and agro the mobs and bring them back and hope he pulls them off of me. Not a fan of this new positioning.

Mine was already lazy about doors and stairs. I think people don't do skirmishes with me anymore becayse I spend half the time yelling "No Kenny! Over here Kenny! What are you doing Kenny? HIT SOMETHING KENNY! Stupid Kenny..."

[floundericiousWA]

S&M barterers: do they have whips and chains?

In Aughaire, at least, they do! ;-)

Fell Merrevail Vendors

[Naso24]

The problems I have with the herbalist and sage are the exact opposite. They stand too close. As a warden, my instinct is to circle around a mob so its back is facing the ally I am protecting, but they constantly want to reposition near me, which is a pain if the mob I am fighting has a frontal AOE. A simple solution that is obvious to me would be to include a few commands from the pet list, or to adopt some of the control mechanics from DDO for soldiers, also made by turbine.

[Vilost]

S&M barterers: do they have whips and chains?

I thought those were only for the upcoming creep only skirmishes? For use with the goblin soldiers?















(joking :P)

[Maxal]

Great post by the OP. I think your Protector has been talking to my Herbalist! She really hates steps also.

Thansk for the funny post with good information in it.

[Cecelia]

I believe their demands are a more fair share of bounties. And they have a point. I mean we take all the silver for ourselves, and leave these poor folks who are risking their lives to help us with nothing but training chores!

The adventurers of middle earth are cruel, heartless people.

[Vilost]

I believe their demands are a more fair share of bounties. And they have a point. I mean we take all the silver for ourselves, and leave these poor folks who are risking their lives to help us with nothing but training chores!

The adventurers of middle earth are cruel, heartless people.

Oh come on now... I buy mine pretty new outfits... she gets a new hairstyle... the ungrateful wretch :P

[4enzix]

Oh come on now... I buy mine pretty new outfits... she gets a new hairstyle... the ungrateful wretch :P

Mine can have all the bounties and ill pay for them to get their hair did if they just do their stinkin job

[Gildonel]

I also have noticed this. I took some time away from skirmishing, and worked on other things on my RK, and then went to the moors for a while (creepin) and now am back on my rk and started skriming...and boy, my protector is now what he used to be.

I logged in, and he gave me a copy of his new contract....ok....well, I had no input into this contract, but it is in place, and I dont see how I can fire him now that I taught him the job...but man, he really is not very aggressive anymore, and the only thing he seems to protect are his own interests!

Seriously, I have noticed a change in this as well - has anything come of this thread?

[4enzix]

I also have noticed this. I took some time away from skirmishing, and worked on other things on my RK, and then went to the moors for a while (creepin) and now am back on my rk and started skriming...and boy, my protector is now what he used to be.

I logged in, and he gave me a copy of his new contract....ok....well, I had no input into this contract, but it is in place, and I dont see how I can fire him now that I taught him the job...but man, he really is not very aggressive anymore, and the only thing he seems to protect are his own interests!

Seriously, I have noticed a change in this as well - has anything come of this thread?

not that I've seen.


btw, i tried to decon my solider, that didnt work either.

[Gildonel]

not that I've seen.


btw, i tried to decon my solider, that didnt work either.

EEEeewwwwww - I am not sure I want the parts that would come out of that!

[Macgregor1821]

I also noticed that too. On my minnie the protector doesn't do anything, and usually sits there until I use the direct soldier command. Stupid union contracts. Where's Marlon Brando when you need him?

P.S. My archer on my captain doesn't seem to work either... I saw him literally standing next to me while a bunch of mobs where wailing on me.

[KristTsirk]

Today Kenny warned me 'Enemies ahead!' But then he didn't attack any of them.


I know you saw them Kenny you jerk.

[Feycat]

Having a real problem with this, can we get some input here from someone?

My protector used to be quite good at his job, would position himself ahead of me and grab the aggro as I pulled (usually with a blinding flash to get rid of one mob.) Now he's completely on passive/guard mode. He refuses to engage unless I get hit or unless I direct him. This usually means he's way ahead smacking an archer mob with his ineffective DPS because the archer plinked me first, while 3-4 melee mobs are smacking away at me. Since most squishies choose a protector because we really DO NOT want mobs smacking away at us, this makes him worse than useless.

I wouldn't mind him needing so much direction if the ridiculous cooldown on directing him were drastically shortened or removed (why is that even needed?)

As it is, I guess I need to swap to a warrior or archer, because Protector is completely useless as of this change. Nice waste of skirmish marks leveling him up, just to have an undocumented change like this go through and ruin him.

[shadowviolet]

Having a real problem with this, can we get some input here from someone?

My protector used to be quite good at his job, would position himself ahead of me and grab the aggro as I pulled (usually with a blinding flash to get rid of one mob.) Now he's completely on passive/guard mode. He refuses to engage unless I get hit or unless I direct him. This usually means he's way ahead smacking an archer mob with his ineffective DPS because the archer plinked me first, while 3-4 melee mobs are smacking away at me. Since most squishies choose a protector because we really DO NOT want mobs smacking away at us, this makes him worse than useless.

I wouldn't mind him needing so much direction if the ridiculous cooldown on directing him were drastically shortened or removed (why is that even needed?)

As it is, I guess I need to swap to a warrior or archer, because Protector is completely useless as of this change. Nice waste of skirmish marks leveling him up, just to have an undocumented change like this go through and ruin him.

My hunter has a protector; she is worthless as well. Tried to change her to a sage but that was even more worthless, so I guess the protector is staying. She does taunt things off of me occasionally, so I guess that's better than nothing.

May I suggest a bannerguard? My RK has a bannerguard and she seems to be the most intelligent of the skirmish soldiers I've tried. Maybe mine never got her union contract, or maybe she just likes me. Either way, Brunhilda fights and buffs/heals me and is actually quite helpful and decent at holding aggro. Maybe give that a try.

[Eliel]

I've also noticed this on my Burg with his Protector. I don't have nearly as many issues with position as you Hunters (often I'm stealthing behind the enemy just as my protector reaches their aggro radius), but I've seen the same behavior. And yes, I wish he would stay ahead of me.

I've noticed my wife's (Hunter's) Protector is bad about running into battle in group Skirms. Mostly because my wife likes to stand at maximum possible range (seriously, someday a mob is going to path between us completely unaggroed), and she's not getting hit, so her Protector just stands by, saying things like "The Battle is Joined! (But not by me!)".