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Adjust Bed rest

AuthorMessage
Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
anecorbie on Jul 26, 2016 wrote:
I think your point of having Advanced tutorials on the Companion Management is an excellent one.
As those of us who have been playing this game from the beginning or in beta know, we have the choice of more than 3 or 4 companions - for a very good reason!
We're able to put companions on task as soon as that companion is at level 8+. This should be the time to cover companion management with a tutorial. How many times have we seen someone asking how to raise their nautical level "the easiest way"? How many time have I seen a post asking for experience for companions? Or pet snacks, or gold?
Advanced Companions is more than a device to "punish" or "force" a player to explore the options of companion choice.
Yes, we all have our favorites, there isn't a buck I know who would want to do without Peter Quint, a buckler without Fan Flanders, a musket without Chantal, or a witch without Scratch - about the only class that doesn't have a "locked" companion is the privateer class and this is because they have so may buffs that any companion they use becomes "excellent".
But despite how wonderful these companions are; they all have a weakness - Quint hasn't a shield, Fan is squishy, get a melee enemy in Chantal's space and she's toast, Scratch is the same.
That is why you must look at your other companions. What do they bring? Do you know? Have you refused to look at them after they have been surpassed in levels by others?
Train, level and promote all companions ( especially the main quest line companions ) and you'll have many choices when your favorites "fail".
Depending on three hinders your game play, you know this. Otherwise there wouldn't be these kinds of posts.
Buccaneers, which I have a max of, get the least amount of companions in the game. Forgive me, but if you're in Valencia Part Two and the absurdly powerful swashbuckler mobs there obliterate your Peter, one-shot your Hawkules, and destroy Barnabus and yourself, you're left with... well, 2nd rate companions. Say you go back in to retry with your Presidio companion, Kobe, and a revived Hawkules. The absurdly powerful swashbuckler mobs pick apart your team.

So what are you left with? Thunder Hoof? The laughable Lone Ranger? The useless and non-viable Monkey King? A Cool Ranch horse comp? You may not agree with lowering bed rest, but even you MUST admit that 9 hours is much too much time to wait for your companions to revive. And training Scrapper 4 in place of USEFUL talents? Possibly the worst comp idea I've heard yet. Even if you do make the incredible decision to do that, 5 hours? 5 hours? I could clean my entire house in 4 and still have to suffer through another agonizing hour watching bosses and mobs wipe the floor with my 3rd tier companion's heads.

At the very least, they should decrease the cost to "Mitch" a companion. 72,000 gold to revive a companion is extreme, especially for pirates who are spenders. This game shouldn't force you to learn how to balance a bank account just so you can revive a companion instead of waiting 5-9 hours.

Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
Silver Angel on Jul 28, 2016 wrote:
Before I get assaulted, let me say I dont have much problem with bed rest, my main pirate has 2 pages of decent to good companions.

However, its only because I bought many companions, I have 4 pages total... my witch who barely bought any only has a handful of decent to good companions, so its more of a problem for him.

That said, I dont agree when people say low tier companions can do good in battle or that we dont make effort to learn what they can do.

I mean, when you see the epics/talents they can learn after several resets, what else is there to learn? I dont need to put them in battle.

And a companion doing a chain of criticals isnt a proof they "do well" because any companion can do that with the right buffs, and we pirates have the right buffs most of the time. Sure they are able to kill an opponent with some luck, but they are still lacking. Where they can kill one opponent, a top tier can kill 2.

So please, stop saying things like you can use Rooster Cogburn in place of Bonnie Anne when she got put to bed, because there is a huge difference between them. That's just an example.

Playing with low tier companions is underwhelming and boring, and we certainly dont need that in VA2.

In short, I can handle myself most of the time, but when I have a really good and useful companion on bed rest it annoys me... if I get several I just get angry and log off for a while. And I'm talking about VA2-like difficulty of course, the rest of the game barely put anyone to bed.

And please dont tell me to revise strategy or companion building, I've been playing long enough and did dozens of resets.
Exactly. I have almost 3 max leveled pirates and believe me when I say that Fan Flanders is NOT replaceable by the likes of Froggo Villa or Tricky Vinny. Chantal Livingstone is NOT replaceable by Hidenari Kuga or the Chicken Ranger.

Some old timers may think that variety is good, but they don't understand that some people already tried that and it didn't work.

Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
BionicMyth on Jul 29, 2016 wrote:
Exactly. I have almost 3 max leveled pirates and believe me when I say that Fan Flanders is NOT replaceable by the likes of Froggo Villa or Tricky Vinny. Chantal Livingstone is NOT replaceable by Hidenari Kuga or the Chicken Ranger.

Some old timers may think that variety is good, but they don't understand that some people already tried that and it didn't work.
That example is NOT what we "old-timers" (and I'm getting pretty tired of that becoming a derogatory term here) are saying at all. Replacing an unsuccessful musketeer with another "lesser" musketeer would not necessarily be a good move for anyone. However, if your "best" musketeer is defeated multiple times -- DON'T use another musketeer -- try a Buccaneer? Or Swashbuckler? If the enemies are getting through to your pirate's team and defeating them, perhaps using Gracie's golem to hold them back a turn could be a good move? Oh wait - you don't use Gracie...

What we mean by variety is actual changed thinking. Being a one-trick-pony isn't what a pirate crew is about.

Gunner's Mate
Dec 26, 2013
214
I get the distinct impression that sneaky KI has released two totally different versions of this game. Otherwise, how is it possible that some people are successful and others aren't when we're all using the same tools!? So many defeatist attitudes. The last time I remember quitting a game, the game came on a 5 1/2" floppy disk. (some of you don't even know what that is lol) And that was just because it was so terrible it was impossible to play.
But if we all have basically the same set of tools, and we're facing the same set of enemies, then success would have to be linked to the lowest common denominator which in this case would be "user proficiency".
Definition: STRATEGY!
As much as a lot of folks choose not to admit it, strategy is key. Luck plays a part too but consistent strategy is the cornerstone. With the correct strategy it's possible to win most fights with unlimited combinations of companions. It's also possible to lose all of those fights just as easily. We simply have to accept the fact that things aren't going to go our way 100% of the time. One ill-timed fizzle or unfortunate block can lead to disaster but the thing is, it works both ways. We tend to dwell on the times it didn't go well for us... forgetting the previous 5 battles where we mowed down the enemies like they were standing still. That's human nature. If the NPCs in this game had a forum where they could voice their complaints I bet it would be very busy! There are so many things (our advantages) they have to complain about. And yes, we get advantages which is another thing a lot of folks tend to forget. The game leans in our favor most of the time. For as long as I've played this game I think I remember one occasion where my team did not go first in battle. Huge advantage!
OK, I've gotten way off subject for this thread so on the bed rest issue, if it ain't broke don't fix it. And it ain't broke.

Petty Officer
Dec 31, 2009
61
Willowydream on Jul 28, 2016 wrote:
If we "old-timers" are "so stubborn" how is it that we have been successful, steady players where you have not been? We have seen that other point of view from the beginning, when our fun randomized crew was belittled and derided by many players who did not understand why there is a variety to choose from, and changed up again and again. We saw the changes, we adapted and we learned.

For your information, I start new pirates ALL THE TIME. I have gone back with new pirates, through the Tutorial and early content with every update over the past four years, and I believe I notice quite a bit that you possibly have not. I have the benefit of all my years of experience telling me what works within the parameters of the game, while you are saying - "I don't like this, change it."

No, Bed Rest doesn't FORCE anyone to learn anything. Nothing can FORCE anyone to learn. They either will learn (old-timers) or they won't (they give up). Bed Rest is a tool used by the game designers to discourage using the same companion who is being defeated over and over again. Bed Rest benefits the game by existing. You are correct, all companions are NOT created equally, which is what WE have been saying all along. Rooster Cogburn can be an asset to your Buccaneer, but not if you are unwilling to learn what Rooster Cogburn is capable of.

Changing Bed Rest to make it easier to revive unsuccessful companions will only allow lazy players to make it farther into the game before they complain about how difficult it is to keep their favorite team alive through a difficult battle.

Advanced Companions does need a better tutorial, though.
I happen to be very successful at this game, I am advocating for those that are not, as opposed to sitting here and saying, well I am a great player, what in the world is wrong with the rest of you? My opinions are based on various encounters of new pirates out there in the spiral begging for help, some on their 3rd failed crew (right who has that much gold?).

Bed rest has absolutely no benefit to the game, at all, period end of story. If KI wants us to use other companions they should give them more power/epics/talents or what have you. Every one of my guys has maybe 8-10 companions that I would even deem usable, the rest are assigned to endless tasking.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
BionicMyth on Jul 29, 2016 wrote:
Buccaneers, which I have a max of, get the least amount of companions in the game. Forgive me, but if you're in Valencia Part Two and the absurdly powerful swashbuckler mobs there obliterate your Peter, one-shot your Hawkules, and destroy Barnabus and yourself, you're left with... well, 2nd rate companions. Say you go back in to retry with your Presidio companion, Kobe, and a revived Hawkules. The absurdly powerful swashbuckler mobs pick apart your team.

So what are you left with? Thunder Hoof? The laughable Lone Ranger? The useless and non-viable Monkey King? A Cool Ranch horse comp? You may not agree with lowering bed rest, but even you MUST admit that 9 hours is much too much time to wait for your companions to revive. And training Scrapper 4 in place of USEFUL talents? Possibly the worst comp idea I've heard yet. Even if you do make the incredible decision to do that, 5 hours? 5 hours? I could clean my entire house in 4 and still have to suffer through another agonizing hour watching bosses and mobs wipe the floor with my 3rd tier companion's heads.

At the very least, they should decrease the cost to "Mitch" a companion. 72,000 gold to revive a companion is extreme, especially for pirates who are spenders. This game shouldn't force you to learn how to balance a bank account just so you can revive a companion instead of waiting 5-9 hours.
I don't mean to be disrespectful or sound condescending but I'll say this. I only have a max Buccaneer & throughout the entirety of Valencia 2, I only lost 5-6 crew members combined (until trying to solo Kane). And I never really felt the constraints of having to wait out bed rest for my top dogs (or pelican..or rat..or sloth..or fox..) Perhaps instead of looking at what "they" can do to make things easier, maybe first look at what you may be able to do to make things easier.

Granted I did have the advantage of having Baar, Holkun, Temujin & Goronado...but I went out & earned them & their services. I've been working since pre-middle school, so the whole "I can't make money thing" doesn't always fly (in most cases). I also have Captain Blood's Jacket which made many battles, a breeze. That too I earned, & every player out there has the opportunity to go after it, if they need a bloody boost. I also have a super helpful pet with 7 grants, that my Buccaneer can benefit from...& yes-- I put in a ton of work in order to "produce" it. A mega-ton! I "farmed" for Goronado & worked to get him & the other Crown shop companions.

But even with what crew members the game freely gives you-- with better strategies, it's not overly difficult if you take time to put in the effort. I'd be willing to say that with decent strategy one could get by with a 3 man/woman crew (2 at times) in Valencia 2, & a 2 person crew throughout much of Aquila-- yes, just pirate & 1st mate.

The difference maker is the gear & strategy...both of which are obtainable regardless of class &/or class companions. Sure certain companions trump others ("You're fired!!), but taking the time to obtain better gear, pets, strategy & occasionally crew will most certainly produce better & easier results.

Side note-- If one wishes to, one can make 40,000+ gold in 10-15 minutes. So the whole wait 5-8 hours thingy, is more of a "choosing to" than a "being forced to".

Good luck, I know you will prevail!

Ensign
Mar 09, 2014
19
I'm thinking the Bed Rest function was put in place in the first place, just because of the companions selection before the major update with order came in. Really Bed Rest is a consequence for not playing your own cards right. I've been going through the story doing side quests, and still haven't needed Best rest. It is a strategic response from when it took percentages and killing companions instantly.

I like Bed Rest. I do not think it should be changed when you should have over 20 other companions. At least 10 that are main quest ones that have a decent epics.

Level 70
Level 52

First Mate
Dec 24, 2009
413
BionicMyth on Jul 29, 2016 wrote:
Exactly. I have almost 3 max leveled pirates and believe me when I say that Fan Flanders is NOT replaceable by the likes of Froggo Villa or Tricky Vinny. Chantal Livingstone is NOT replaceable by Hidenari Kuga or the Chicken Ranger.

Some old timers may think that variety is good, but they don't understand that some people already tried that and it didn't work.
Is that so? I can't speak for the musketeer side of things, but Froggo Villa is actually really good. I'd bring him to a run through the Machine without much second thought. Froggo starts with First Strike 1 and can get Blade Storm if you give him that epic. You can also combo this with Vengeance Strike or Riposte for another hit. Maybe Froggo isn't on the same level as Flanders, but Froggo is still quite viable.

Also, I wonder why you don't mention Sarah Steele. Is Sarah not viable? She gets a crit boost, a hide, Swashbuckler's Strike, and a guaranteed super when she's fully promoted at level 37.

Tricky Vinny, same argument as Froggo. You can get Double Tap plus a guaranteed Epic Hit plus either True Grit or Quick Draw which can make him a viable companion so long as he's trained. Maybe he's no Bonnie, but he's still a capable companion in a fight. It's just knowing what works.

This isn't meant to be an attack, I'm just curious.

UPDATE: I just realized that Froggo doesn't get a guarantied Epic Hit. I feel like he used to, but now he doesn't. So that's one on me.

Bosun
Apr 28, 2014
398
anecorbie on Jul 29, 2016 wrote:
Replacing Bonnie Anne: Zeena, Wild Bill, even Rooster. Gosh, I remember when players were thrilled that they recruited him! How did he become low-tiered, "chopped liver"?
I should think a string of criticals is exactly the kind of criteria for doing well. Besides, my point was that you don't have to have a hissy-fit and log off when your "perfect team" goes on bedrest. That you can, in fact, use the second or third stringers effectively IF you've taken the time to level and promote them.
Just like those old sports movies, when the "no hope" kid is thrown into the game because the star is injured.
"Put me in, coach, let me show you what I can do!"
If you want to use just those three, fine. Let them be defeated over and over again; and just come here and complain because you have to wait 8 hrs to play again.
OR you try to use other companions, OR even train your favorites in Scrapper and get them back quicker.
Don't give me that baloney that Scrapper makes them "less effective", a few of mine have 3 - 4 ranks in this talent; they're just as effective as those companions without it.
Ehh... count how many epics/powers Bonnie has and count the ones you mentioned. Not quite the same right?

A string of critical isnt a strategy, its pure luck. So doing well is quite random as opposed to superior companions with more epics/talents. If you win and enjoy playing with low tier companions then good for you, I'm sure I can win too, but I wont enjoy it... simply because I dont like those companions.

What I see is this thread is basically "in order" users vs "random" users. Random obviously dont care much about bed rest because they'll play whatever companion shows up. It's different for the others because their favorites are down. And as Bionic said there are companions that are simply not replaceable, because no one else has the same combination of epics/powers/talents.

And again I'm not complaining, I said I'm using 2 pages of companions, it's just frustrating to lose favorites for difficult fights.

Uhh and yeah, Scrapper is a joke. How can a companion with that be as good as another with talents actually useful in battle? Yeah yeah I know, they "do well" but fact is their stats are diminished whether you like it or not.

Lieutenant
Dec 30, 2012
157
I joined in late 2012 when the old combat system was still in place and sure it was easy to revive companions but have you forgotten that for normal battles ( as in everything other than boss fights) except for your firstmate it was never guaranteed who would show up. I still remember the feeling of utter disappointment when those "third rate companions" showed up in battle. Surely the new system can't be worse than that. And just because one of your favorite three companions is on bed rest doesn't mean that your stuck with froggo villa or the crab hermit of something. Just try to broaden your horizons and instead of paying 72,000 gold to revive a companion at miracle mitch you could spend a couple thousand to buy a few training tomes and train some of your "second rate companions." Just make sure to keep a few extra high level companions on hand and you should be fine.

Captain
Mar 24, 2013
732
Valencia part 2 have thought me the hard way, in companion management. Don't just use the top companion, as your main companion.Use the dozens one that are eager to battle, I was surprise how strong some those way at the bottom have performed.The Bison Braves are the one that caught me by surpirse, they did extremely well in Valencia part 2. The other sumoori guy also did well.

Feel free to use those companions, that are rarely used in battle who knows what potential power they got.
I was also shocked how easily El Toro and Goronado were defeated in Valencia 2, they were strong companions. Lesson learned,never under estimate the " 3rd class " companions. That saves alot of time ( and headaches ), for the final stage of the first arc.

In other words no need to adjust bed rest, just the right build and adjustment of each companions, like talent wise ( and the occasional miracle Mitch treatment, when gold is nearing max ).

I guess El Toro and Bonnie Anne do need a break, in between battles after all lol.

Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
Monkrinx2024 on Jul 30, 2016 wrote:
Valencia part 2 have thought me the hard way, in companion management. Don't just use the top companion, as your main companion.Use the dozens one that are eager to battle, I was surprise how strong some those way at the bottom have performed.The Bison Braves are the one that caught me by surpirse, they did extremely well in Valencia part 2. The other sumoori guy also did well.

Feel free to use those companions, that are rarely used in battle who knows what potential power they got.
I was also shocked how easily El Toro and Goronado were defeated in Valencia 2, they were strong companions. Lesson learned,never under estimate the " 3rd class " companions. That saves alot of time ( and headaches ), for the final stage of the first arc.

In other words no need to adjust bed rest, just the right build and adjustment of each companions, like talent wise ( and the occasional miracle Mitch treatment, when gold is nearing max ).

I guess El Toro and Bonnie Anne do need a break, in between battles after all lol.
But what does bedrest DO for the game? Maybe instead of FORCING people to use companions they don't like, they should improve the companions and make them worth using.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
BionicMyth on Jul 31, 2016 wrote:
But what does bedrest DO for the game? Maybe instead of FORCING people to use companions they don't like, they should improve the companions and make them worth using.
You truly aren't being "forced" to use any "lesser" companions. If you really want those "better" companions back off of bedrest, there are ways to get enough gold to revive them, in a mere 10-20 minutes or so (sometimes less)....I've done it many, maaaaannyyy times. I can get about 30-40k in 10 minutes of waiting out a morphing timer. So those that wait out the bedrest timers and are "forced" to use "lesser" comps are those that are choosing to do so or are at least not choosing to spend a little extra time to get the gold to wake them up.

There's absolutely no forcing to wait out 5-7+ hours to get a "preferred" companion back-- when it can be done in 10-20 minutes, if you choose to do so.

Buuuut I do agree that many of those "lesser" companions could use a little help to improve their combat effectiveness. I also tend to agree that there is really no point in training the Scrapper talent. Again, this being because you can get that companion, on bedrest, back in merely 10-20 minutes, if you choose and take the time to do so. I would much rather take up to 20 minutes to get enough gold to wake up a napping companion, than use a talent point on Scrapper-- that could be used on something else more useful. But again, the option is there for those that choose to not take advantage of the other options out there.

There are so many ways to gain extra gold to wake up companions in less than 20 minutes, keep those comps off of bedrest, and to avoid "having to" wait out 5-7+ hours of bedrest.

Admiral
May 30, 2010
1221
BionicMyth on Jul 31, 2016 wrote:
But what does bedrest DO for the game? Maybe instead of FORCING people to use companions they don't like, they should improve the companions and make them worth using.
How will you know they're worth using (or not worth using) if you never use anyone but your three favorites? And you can't really use them in one fight and then say, "Nope, not good enough." They need to have honest effort from you, the captain, to determine how good they are.

Perhaps it's your strategy. Maybe not getting to use your favorites will make you rethink the tactics you take to battle. By taking out your cherished companions (for a few hours, not permanently) you are forced to use different tactics. Old Scratch is useless as a meat shield. Temujin (or Subadai) is not the guy you want in a battle with choke points and ranged attackers. With different crew coming out, you can discover new techniques to dealing with the battle at hand. I know I feel much better about a fight with my "C" team members who fought hard to win vs my "A" teamers who might have taken it in a cake walk. That's why I go full random, even though I do have some favorite crew members.

Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
Fiorenza Rosanante... on Aug 2, 2016 wrote:
How will you know they're worth using (or not worth using) if you never use anyone but your three favorites? And you can't really use them in one fight and then say, "Nope, not good enough." They need to have honest effort from you, the captain, to determine how good they are.

Perhaps it's your strategy. Maybe not getting to use your favorites will make you rethink the tactics you take to battle. By taking out your cherished companions (for a few hours, not permanently) you are forced to use different tactics. Old Scratch is useless as a meat shield. Temujin (or Subadai) is not the guy you want in a battle with choke points and ranged attackers. With different crew coming out, you can discover new techniques to dealing with the battle at hand. I know I feel much better about a fight with my "C" team members who fought hard to win vs my "A" teamers who might have taken it in a cake walk. That's why I go full random, even though I do have some favorite crew members.
If they have no guaranteed hits, less than 2 epics learned from recruiting to max level, and die in every trial battle I use them in, they are worthless.

Bedrest basically determines somebody's playstyle, whether they like it or not. If they want to use certain companions, why can't they? Sure, they can gold farm and wake them up, but what battles can you possibly think of can give you nearly 120k+ gold without using your top companions?

Take a musketeer. He loves using Chantal, for her agility buff, Bonnie for her Scatterblast, and Louis le Bisque for his bombs and trap. Say Chantal dies. No problem, right? Just one companion. Wrong. Without Chantal putting up her buff the first round, the Captain then has to waste THEIR round doing it when they could be trapping and sniping. Then, say Bonnie dies. What other companion can you replace Bonnie Anne with who has her powers? And then the final straw; Louis dies. Now Scatterblast, Second Wind, Cloud Spirit, Mortarshells, Bear Trap, and 3 super hits are out of the question for the next 7-9 hours if they can't accumulate enough gold. That's 8 extremely useful powers you can't find on another musketeer companion. Now the captain either has to get off the game for 7-9 hours, gold farm with bad companions, or USE the 3rd rate companions. The game is literally forcing people to use companions they do not want to use; if they WANTED to use the 3rd raters, then they wouldn't be in the 4th row of companions.

If they're going to keep this awful bedrest system that does diddly squat for the game, at least make companions like Monkey King and the Lone Ranger worth something.

Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
I've noticed lately that my companions seem to be dying more and more and more (yes, @anecorbie, not just my top 3). Prime example is earlier, when my game lost connection and I re-entered, only to find that Chantal, Louis, and Bonnie were dead, adding to Ridolfo Capoferro, Duck Holliday, and El Toro, all of whom died during Khotan, and Hidenari Kuga, who was beset upon by Dr. Noh.

With all of my companions who are useful dead and gone, I go to Mitch to revive Chantal, Louis, and Duck (Bonnie needs a break once in a while!), and yet... out of my pirating plunder of 19,567 gold, it costs 11,000 of that to revive a single companion. So you can imagine how irritated I got when I realized I would need upwards of 80,000 gold to revive all of them, a number simply not attainable by a level 43 without spending 2 hours farming Khotan, and by then they would all be revived.

So I left the game and started up Overwatch, and played it from 10:00 to 12:00, at which time my companions revived. So, certain forumers who support using other companions, what do you suggest when you DO use others and they die, too? Train 'Scrapper' on all of them? Terrible idea; most people would rather have attack talents like Tough or Accurate than waste a slot on Scrapper.

So I have a couple suggestions on how to solve this issue that is the constant death of my crew;

1. Eliminate bedrest completely, as it does nothing for the game other than "encourage" (see: force) people to use companions that they obviously don't like.

2. Shorten bedrest time. There's no method to the madness of waiting 9 hours for your companions to revive, which leads me to my next one;

3. Lower the cost of Mitch revivals, because I simply don't have 13,000 gold available to me (on my newest project) on a regular basis, between gear and ships and ship gear.

4. Introduce a new way to revive companions. Some people don't have crowns, nor gold, nor want to train Scrapper (5 hours is still not much more preferable than 8 or 9), and sitting around for 9 hours is ridiculous.

5. Bring back the old system. I understand Miracle Mitch can be a source of revenue for crowns players, but it's not convenient for members in Valencia II, Aquila, and Marleybone to have to pass on valuable gear just because they know they're gonna need upwards of 20,000 gold per companion to revive them when they die. Reviving companions with mojo potions and life fountains is much better.

Finally, making people use companions they don't want to use in the first place is not a good way to generate revenue. If people WANTED to use Monkey King, they wouldn't need "encouragement" from the game to do so.

Bedrest is ultimately a useless system that does nothing but frustrate players.

Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
Fiorenza Rosanante... on Aug 2, 2016 wrote:
How will you know they're worth using (or not worth using) if you never use anyone but your three favorites? And you can't really use them in one fight and then say, "Nope, not good enough." They need to have honest effort from you, the captain, to determine how good they are.

Perhaps it's your strategy. Maybe not getting to use your favorites will make you rethink the tactics you take to battle. By taking out your cherished companions (for a few hours, not permanently) you are forced to use different tactics. Old Scratch is useless as a meat shield. Temujin (or Subadai) is not the guy you want in a battle with choke points and ranged attackers. With different crew coming out, you can discover new techniques to dealing with the battle at hand. I know I feel much better about a fight with my "C" team members who fought hard to win vs my "A" teamers who might have taken it in a cake walk. That's why I go full random, even though I do have some favorite crew members.
What about speedrunners, who have multiple maxed pirates and don't want to go through the hassle of watching their best companions die and being FORCED to use bad companions with no powers or epics?

Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
anecorbie on Jul 22, 2016 wrote:
At the most its 8 hours, with 3 ranks of Scrapper its 5. Keep as many companions at least one to two levels below you and ready to step in when your "favorites" go for a nap. Or use some that gold ( and there's plenty ) to heal them.
One hour will not deter players from using the same companions over and over again, with the same results. Not all companions are suited for all battles.
Going back to this earlier 'point', how exactly is a companion with NO powers, 2 epics, and no promotion preferable to a companion with 4 powers, 6 epics, and 2 promotions?

Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
BionicMyth on Aug 6, 2016 wrote:
Going back to this earlier 'point', how exactly is a companion with NO powers, 2 epics, and no promotion preferable to a companion with 4 powers, 6 epics, and 2 promotions?
If that companion has higher armor or dodge (or whatever) but his lack of epcis will not trigger three Ripostes that kill him outright, so that he can survive to attack again, perhaps he is preferable.

Apparently there is a certain trail of thought that only leads certain players in one direction. That direction appears more direct, but ends up going uphill and now is starting to get rocky. If you continue along this path, you're going to come to a dead-end. Do you plow along angrily, cursing the rocks in your path?

Considering about alternate routes when you've already come so far along your misguided direction can be pretty daunting, and you may have to relearn some tactics and strategy. Sometimes you have to turn around and go back to where you could have taken what appeared to be the longer road, but which will lead to greater rewards.

There are none so blind as those who will not see...

Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
BionicMyth on Aug 6, 2016 wrote:
Going back to this earlier 'point', how exactly is a companion with NO powers, 2 epics, and no promotion preferable to a companion with 4 powers, 6 epics, and 2 promotions?
All it took was ONE jackrabbit juju doubloon and my Crown Shop Sky Snake, Side Quest Inoshishi Chief Ju Hao and Code Reward Ninja Pig Shinobi decimated the Stilleto Fish that have been wreaking havoc on my musketeer when he used Bonnie Anne, Chantal and Louis. We lost Ju Hao, but everyone else survived and it was amazingly quick. Now Ju Hao can go Brawlin' instead of Bed Rest and gain some experience for himself while I move on in Valencia.


Ensign
Feb 08, 2012
18
Willowydream on Aug 7, 2016 wrote:
All it took was ONE jackrabbit juju doubloon and my Crown Shop Sky Snake, Side Quest Inoshishi Chief Ju Hao and Code Reward Ninja Pig Shinobi decimated the Stilleto Fish that have been wreaking havoc on my musketeer when he used Bonnie Anne, Chantal and Louis. We lost Ju Hao, but everyone else survived and it was amazingly quick. Now Ju Hao can go Brawlin' instead of Bed Rest and gain some experience for himself while I move on in Valencia.

You know, you wouldn't have to add epics to your companions if you used companions who could learn said epics without doubloons.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
BionicMyth on Aug 8, 2016 wrote:
You know, you wouldn't have to add epics to your companions if you used companions who could learn said epics without doubloons.
The point Willow is making (& others have made, as well) is that there are many other ways to overcome Bed Rest. Yes, other companions may need boost, we all know that. But in regards to Bed Rest...if you don't like the system, you are not forced to use it.

Forcing means there is no other alternatives, no other path, no other options & that you must succumb & adhere to the conditions placed in front of you.

  • If you want your 1st mate & top tier companions back- you are not forced to wait 5, 7, 8+ hours
  • If you don't want to spend the 30,000+ gold you already have to get a companion back- spend 10 minutes to go get another 30,000+ gold to revive that companion.
  • If you don't want to wait out the 5, 7, 8+ hours- spend 10 minutes instead.
  • If you're companions are being "forced" into bed rest- work on different strategies to help prevent it.
  • If you're not satisfied with having to use lower-tiered companions- spend 10 minutes to get top-tier companions back.
  • If the lower-tiered companions don't pack as much of a wallop- create some oomph via doubloons & other companions that can bolster their combat effectiveness.


I do understand what you're getting at, in regards to bringing those non-first page companions up to par with the rest of the crew. Oh how that would be ideal, but I believe certain companions need to stand out & above the rest of our crew. They drive the story, become our most trusted allies & most powerful comrades. They should pack more punch. KI implemented Bed Rest to serve multiple purposes (perhaps even to serve the greater good & growth of the game). But the good news is there are many ways to completely avoid having to use Bed Rest. Some of us "old timers" have figured that out, improvised, & therefore are basically unaffected by Bed Rest.

I personally wouldn't mind seeing some of the lower-tier crew get a boost, but I still want my beloved first-raters to be superior. And if I lose one or two in battle, I'll get them back in 10-20 minutes...because we can.

Gunner's Mate
Dec 26, 2013
214
If we look at companions in the same way we regard pirates, we'd see that all things are not created equal. I'm not a PvPer but I'd wager to say that in a one-on-one match between different classes of pirate... no companions involved, just pirate on pirate... there would be a definite swing in favor of a single class that outperforms the others. I won't even hazard a guess as to which class it would be but I'm sure one specific class would be the ultimate winner in the majority of cases.
So hypothetically assuming that to be true, should pirates be modified to make things easier (more equal) for everyone? I vote no. The same arguments took (are taking?) place in Wizard101 regarding the strengths of the different schools. But it always came down to one defining factor... Balance. It works the same way in P101 with our companions. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses (yes, some have fewer strengths) and it comes down to balancing the choices for combat. It's not always easy to choose the correct combination of companions for a new fight so I'm sure most seasoned pirates jump in with their "favored" crew... sometimes it works out OK, other times not so much... the important thing is learning from those failures.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
BionicMyth on Aug 6, 2016 wrote:
Going back to this earlier 'point', how exactly is a companion with NO powers, 2 epics, and no promotion preferable to a companion with 4 powers, 6 epics, and 2 promotions?
The basic difference between many of the 'anti' bed rest group and the 'pro' bed rest group is this - we know we can have a very good chance of winning a battle even if we don't have our top tier available to us.
And you choose to believe that this isn't possible.
'Old Timer's' advice is sound and comes from extensive experience, maybe you should listen.
As to the Scrapper talent ( which players hoot at whenever I mention it ) there are times when a certain talent isn't available for training ( example: Tough or Dodge ) this is the time I tend to give Scrapper - and only on those companions that are essential because they give a buff.
Have you considered that the times for bed rest will eventually stabilize? Then having that Scrapper Talent may become the most desirable talent to have? I'm trying to anticipate the devs at KI in this mechanic.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
BionicMyth on Aug 6, 2016 wrote:
Going back to this earlier 'point', how exactly is a companion with NO powers, 2 epics, and no promotion preferable to a companion with 4 powers, 6 epics, and 2 promotions?
I never claimed that they were preferable, if you read carefully, I said that they could be used just as effectively in a battle.