Keeping Pets Safe on Bacterium Map

[SellSword]

There have been a number of complaints about pets dying on map -2.2 (bacterium map). To be clear, purposefully dragging mobs to pets to kill them is never ok. Don't anyone assume that I'm condoning that. Players do need to keep their pets safe though. A GM will not replace pets. Players bear the responsibility for their own pets.

Keep in mind that if mobs are attacking only pets a player can log out instantly. If a player is being attacked by mobs (or another player) they will remain in the game for 11 seconds after logging out.

The question is if then, if your pets get completely surrounded while a player is being attacked is it possible to save them? To test this I used common pets available at level 500 and up. Here are my personal results on whether two pets can be saved.

Your opinion may differ, of course.


Ogre halflings: No. They are dumb to grind with here due to low hp.

Doom bats: No. They have the same dex as bacterium and can die quickly in a swarm.

Worms: Yes. They can survive for quite awhile being surrounded. A player has ample time to escape or log.

Assassins: Yes. They can survive for quite awhile being surrounded.

Death: No. Don't make me laugh. On the same level of being dumb as halflings.

Snow Dinos: Yes. They can tank for awhile.

Giant Spiders: Yes. They can tank for awhile.

Minotaurs: No. They have lower dex. I don't think they are too common but they will die quickly.

Blood Fairies: Yes. These are just tanks. You would need to be AFK for these to die on bacterium.

Lightning Blitzbees: Yes. Despite their relatively low hp they can kill a swarm quickly. You wouldn't want to have them tank, but you could easily save them.

Blood Ogres: Yes. Same as the bees.

Devil Imp: Yes: These pets are absolute tanks. Totally your own fault if they die. You'd have to sit there for quite some time.

Red Dinosaur: Yes. These pets can kill mobs rather quickly and provide plenty of time to escape or log.

Black Dragons: Yes. These pets can kill mobs rather quickly and provide plenty of time to escape or log. Plus they just look cool.

Undead Dinosaurs: Yes. These pets can kill mobs rather quickly and provide plenty of time to escape or log.

BlacK Red Devils: Yes. These pets can kill mobs rather quickly and provide plenty of time to escape or log.

[Leone]

A very comprehensive test and wise words.

[justj99]

Just about what common sense would tell you about those pets vs the Bacterium map. Good to have the confirmation out there. For the players with pets more than sturdy enough to tank there a little bit: If your pet died there or became "red", it's more likely due to your inaction than the strength of those mobs. Leave sooner. Yell at and/or report the person being a jerk from somewhere safer than surrounded by mobs with slowly dying pets.

[SellSword]

My testing method was pretty simple too. On the test server I selected each of the pets listed, parked them, then spawned about 10-14 bacteriums so my pets were completely surrounded. Then it was just timing whether they could survive for 11-15 or more seconds.

Keep in mind that the test server allows everyone to test pets on maps and make sure they are safe if something unexpected happens. (Personally I pay attention to the mini map and any players approaching, so "unexpected" is open to interpretation.)

[LostKnight]

Nice test Sell. Good to have a list.
I see my two favourites of the day get a thumbs up: Blood fairies and Devil's Imp

{..snip..} If your pet died there or became "red", it's more likely due to your inaction than the strength of those mobs. Leave sooner. Yell at and/or report the person being a jerk from somewhere safer than surrounded by mobs with slowly dying pets.

Wise word! Chisel them on a monument somewhere near the entrance.

[mYHome]

you just don't know how to play ogre! After level 500 I didn't lose a single ogre! If the monsters attack the pets, throw them all on the pets and then off!
If the monster hits you, the off will take place in 11 seconds! But if you quickly throw all the monsters on the pets, and oops, it happens instantly!!
I always do that and I haven't lost a game yet

[Akkilles]

Different devices react differently.
Different players handle situations differently.
It is best to avoid dangerous places. If you expose your pets in dangerous places, then remember that the primary responsibility lies with the owner.
Secondary is handled after an evaluation of the incident

Pets will not be replaced by the GM team.

.

[Gullander]

you just don't know how to play ogre! After level 500 I didn't lose a single ogre! If the monsters attack the pets, throw them all on the pets and then off!
If the monster hits you, the off will take place in 11 seconds! But if you quickly throw all the monsters on the pets, and oops, it happens instantly!!
I always do that and I haven't lost a game yet

That is good advice. However in the area this post is about often it is crowded. If you are in control of your environment this may be easy to do, if it is busy maybe harder to do. It is counterintuitive as the first inclination is to "save" your pets by attacking or fleeing with the pets. I would practice this way of pet protection first before risking it with bacteriums. Of course this doesn't take into account the travels of other players just passing through or dragging monsters with intention. Of course for every situation we log out with our pets surrounded and find safety ourselves those monsters may swarm towards another player if busy there. I may be in the minority here but for this reason I use monsters with more hp because I try to take care of my own mess with monsters and not leave them for someone else to deal with. That is the only objection I have to run and log as suggested.

[SellSword]

you just don't know how to play ogre! After level 500 I didn't lose a single ogre! If the monsters attack the pets, throw them all on the pets and then off!
If the monster hits you, the off will take place in 11 seconds! But if you quickly throw all the monsters on the pets, and oops, it happens instantly!!
I always do that and I haven't lost a game yet

Don't accuse me of not knowing how to play pets. I stated in the original post that if mobs were only attacking pets and not the player that the player could log out instantly. Of course you can move so that mobs are attacking your pets and you can log out right away. That's been mentioned in a number of other posts (including by me) and is something that players should be aware of as they are the ones responsible for their own pets.

That being said, there are plenty of situations where that is not an option. Maybe a player is completely surrounded by mobs, under attack by another player, or there is some other reason that they can't move.