Hirelings

Alodar

Member
I like to solo. Because of that I tend to use a lot of hirelings. The Hirelings used to be mostly difficult because they were just stupid, but now they are difficult because of given crazy logic AI that is just dungeon wrecking. They: (even when binded to a spot)

NEVER WAIT FOR OR OBEY COMMANDS FROM THE GROUP LEADER OR HUMAN IN MY CASE
THEY CLICK EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING IN SIGHT
OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS REPEATEDLY, SOMETIMES LOCKING GROUP INSIDE WITHOUT AN EXIT OR DOOR SWITCH, and have to leave dungeon
ATTACK ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY CAN, CAUSING MUCH AGGRO
SHRINE WHEN THEIR MANA IS NEARLY FULL, JUST BECAUSE A SHRINE IS NEAR, SO THEN CAN'T SHRINE WHEN IT IS NEEDED
TAKE OFF AS A GROUP INTO THE LAST ROOM TO CLICK SOMETHING ABANDONING THE LEADER TO FIGHT ALONE
PICK UP THAT LAST ITEM THUS ENDING THE QUEST BEFORE WE HAVE OUR "EXTRA XP ITEM" PUT ON
And what is with the Free Shield Guardian (construct WIZARD 15/30) that acts like a weak, dismal fighter character that NEVER Blasts anything?

This has all changed in the last few months. I have been VIP for 17 years plus beta, but I just dropped down to FTP because of this . The Hirelings have been given qualities and actions that made me swear off grouping with real people so long ago. If I cannot solo I do not care to play the game any more.
 

Crisom

Member
Alodar, you missed my 2 favorite things hires do. First, don't leave the party when you leave a dungeon, I know this has been a issue for years now. Second, in the quest Best Laid Plans SSG moved the shrines in the basement, now when I tell a hire to rest at that shrine they open the door to go to where the shrine once was.
 

Onyxia2016

Well-known member
I do call hirelings some rather unflattering names from time to time but I can't say I have ever had then go as stupid as the OP is experiencing.
My wife and I run with a few hirelings and for the most part they do pretty well. It also comes down to the individual hireling as they all react a little different. I even go so far as to not use certain one do to how their AI works.

If I may offer some tips that I have found to help keep them somewhat inline.

  1. Do not put them on full auto attack in tight dungeons. They will go crazy running through rooms and stirring up a hornets nest. Set them the defend you. or if one is tanking set the other hirelings to defend the tank. This way you only need to tell the tank who to attack and the others will follow.
  2. Caster hirelings get set to attack from their hotbar but right-click on their hotbar portrait and uncheck the two attack boxes. They will use their spells/wands but not run into melee between spells which gets them dead. This is also true for healers as they will not heal properly is not set to attack from their hotbar
  3. Some hirelings I turn off certain spells they have otherwise they blow through all their SP in the first handful of encounters. Right click the spell in their hotbar and select disable.
  4. Ask large encounters set all hirelings to defend then back to attack. Their AI can get messed up and this seems to reset it.

For the most part you have to take on the roll of general and direct the troops instead of letting them just go nuts.

Hope these tips help reduce the frustration and make running with hirelings a bit more fun.
 

FaceDancer

Olde Wurm
NPC's have their foibles, but a little NPC nanny work can go a long way and they're worth it IMO.
My NPC's really like to take lava baths when I don't have my eyes on them.. Often times I just flag them at the beginning of an adventure and only pull them in as needed.
 

Buddha5440

Well-known member
Maybe allow us to set their hot-bars with skills/feats/spells that they should/would have at that level? Things like all Restoration, Shiled/Nightshield, Deathward, Cure (any available at that level) Wounds, Flame Strike/Wall, Horrid Wilting, etc.

Then we can flag them at the beginning and call them in before/after a fight.
 

Skoltr

Well-known member
I normally leave any hirelings/dog/wolf in passive and they aren't that bad with clicking everything or fighting everything in sight. If I have mine on attack it will go for it, but never opening or pulling levers or clicking anything unless I have told it to do so. I remember a time when they used to just drink, idk if it was heal potions or what but hires wouldn't do anything else for a small time. And you shouldn't 100% depend on a hire, like others have said park at entrance and pull when needed. I play solo a lot as well its what I do.
 

Dragnilar

Dragonborn of Bahamut
I like to solo. Because of that I tend to use a lot of hirelings. The Hirelings used to be mostly difficult because they were just stupid, but now they are difficult because of given crazy logic AI that is just dungeon wrecking. They: (even when binded to a spot)

NEVER WAIT FOR OR OBEY COMMANDS FROM THE GROUP LEADER OR HUMAN IN MY CASE
THEY CLICK EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING IN SIGHT
OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS REPEATEDLY, SOMETIMES LOCKING GROUP INSIDE WITHOUT AN EXIT OR DOOR SWITCH, and have to leave dungeon
ATTACK ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY CAN, CAUSING MUCH AGGRO
SHRINE WHEN THEIR MANA IS NEARLY FULL, JUST BECAUSE A SHRINE IS NEAR, SO THEN CAN'T SHRINE WHEN IT IS NEEDED
TAKE OFF AS A GROUP INTO THE LAST ROOM TO CLICK SOMETHING ABANDONING THE LEADER TO FIGHT ALONE
PICK UP THAT LAST ITEM THUS ENDING THE QUEST BEFORE WE HAVE OUR "EXTRA XP ITEM" PUT ON
And what is with the Free Shield Guardian (construct WIZARD 15/30) that acts like a weak, dismal fighter character that NEVER Blasts anything?

This has all changed in the last few months. I have been VIP for 17 years plus beta, but I just dropped down to FTP because of this . The Hirelings have been given qualities and actions that made me swear off grouping with real people so long ago. If I cannot solo I do not care to play the game any more.
I am going to have to agree on a lot of this. I've given up on groups for my own reasons as well, so I can especially relate on the frustration with the hirlings. Sometimes having Frogo and Teal around feels more like having loony tunes in the party than anything else... but on the bright side, it can make intimidate more useful. 😵‍💫

@Onyxia2016 Thanks for the pointers FWIW - I never thought of turning off the melee attacks. And yes, I agree that minding the attack/defend AI settings helps in dungeons with lots of places that "distract" hirlings.
 
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Buddha5440

Well-known member
I have NEVER seen a hire open/activate something without tageting said object and clicking on their activate tab.

Please show me times when this has happened.

They usualy come up with the response of "A$ is blocked, or That A$ is already in use when you actively instruct them to pull a lever/open a door.
 

Xandrah

Angry Elf
Anyone else have an issue with the lvl 3 cleric hireling from the starting pack expire? My husband reported this happening.
 

Onyxia2016

Well-known member
Anyone else have an issue with the lvl 3 cleric hireling from the starting pack expire? My husband reported this happening.
They will expire is you have used them but have them in your inventory not summoned for other quests.
Seems once the time starts counting down the only time it stops is when in a public area even if they are not summoned.
 

LrdSlvrhnd

Active member
I have NEVER seen a hire open/activate something without tageting said object and clicking on their activate tab.

Please show me times when this has happened.

They usualy come up with the response of "A$ is blocked, or That A$ is already in use when you actively instruct them to pull a lever/open a door.

I know in certain quests especially, my arti dog likes to open doors and run in, usually but not always to smash boxes (most noticeable in the Sahuagin warren quest in Saltmarsh). However, I know to put his leash on (ie, take him off active) when he starts doing that.
 

Misadventure

Killing everybody on Hardcore with pleasure.
Would be nice if you could customise buffs, example heystack dw. Or shield idiot displacement/ blur/ shield.
 

Alodar

Member
I have NEVER seen a hire open/activate something without tageting said object and clicking on their activate tab.

Please show me times when this has happened.

They usualy come up with the response of "A$ is blocked, or That A$ is already in use when you actively instruct them to pull a lever/open a door.
It happens a lot in WaterWorks now. First level, The room where the key is above in the rafters. Frigging hirelings close the door after you enter and there is no switch to re-open it. Worthless to call a DM anymore so you just have to restart the quest. Many other quests happens too.
 

Br4d

Well-known member
It happens a lot in WaterWorks now. First level, The room where the key is above in the rafters. Frigging hirelings close the door after you enter and there is no switch to re-open it. Worthless to call a DM anymore so you just have to restart the quest. Many other quests happens too.

I've never seen this and I run Waterworks every life. I ran it last night on HC with an active hireling and did not see the problem. Do you have additional settings checked from the menu accessible by right-clicking on the hireling icon?

My experience with hirelings set to active is that the only times that they cause problems are when you don't want them to attack a mob or object in an area and they do it because they're both in proximity and set to active. The best example that I easily recall is the Necromancer room in The Cloven-Jaw Scourge: Blockade. To get at him which most players don't want to do you have to break down a wooden door and your hires will break the door if set to active. Also hirelings set to active in the Temple of Elemental Evil are a total disaster.
 

Alodar

Member
If you don't set them to active they won't automatically heal you. Set to active doesn't mean interact with everything in sight, it means a healer heals and a fighter fights.
 

Phoenicis

Savage's Husband
If you don't set them to active they won't automatically heal you. Set to active doesn't mean interact with everything in sight, it means a healer heals and a fighter fights.
when you say active, do you mean offensive or not passive?
 
I have NEVER seen a hire open/activate something without tageting said object and clicking on their activate tab.

Please show me times when this has happened.

They usualy come up with the response of "A$ is blocked, or That A$ is already in use when you actively instruct them to pull a lever/open a door.
Always happens with LVL30 FVS in Danger at Dunwater. If they thief is across the way from the Officer, he will always aggro on said officer and open his door. It's a running gag with our group now.
 

Xgya

Well-known member
Second, in the quest Best Laid Plans SSG moved the shrines in the basement, now when I tell a hire to rest at that shrine they open the door to go to where the shrine once was.

I didn't know that part.
This is hilarious.
Sad, but hilarious.
 
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