Lamannia Update 68 Preview 2 - New Hireling

[Cordovan]

Rana Leafheart is a Eladrin Druid Archer who hails from the forests surrounded Myth Drannor.

Features

1. A level 13 and level 34 version.
2. Free and steady ranged damage via her Bow
3. Druid heal, regeneration and reincarnation spells on demand.
4. Uses Season Herald defensive abilities to improve her survivability (like Winter's Heart)
5. Legendary version adds some passive Shiradi abilities to the mix (Mantle)

 

[I dont Like gimps]

Rana is extremely troubled by melee combat she sorta just gives up
also had a funny sight when a ghost circled her and she also started to spin trying to follow the ghost circling her was a brilliant sight

She also Just fires into breakable doors for no reason but cant open em maybe this old Haunt isnt the best quest to test her Out Lmao

The shiradi proc works unfortunately half her shots graze in EE

 

[AMess]

If I play a melee character and summon Rana, will Rana attempt to fire bow from where I'm standing (putting them in greater danger of a melee death)?

Would be great if they tried to follow just outside of melee range. It'd also be cool if Rana attempted to sneak while not engaged in combat, though they'd need the improved speed while sneaking enhancements.

 

[Sylvado]

Rana Leafheart is a Eladrin Druid Archer who hails from the forests surrounded Myth Drannor.

Features

1. A level 13 and level 34 version.
2. Free and steady ranged damage via her Bow
3. Druid heal, regeneration and reincarnation spells on demand.
4. Uses Season Herald defensive abilities to improve her survivability (like Winter's Heart)
5. Legendary version adds some passive Shiradi abilities to the mix (Mantle)

Nice, I was hoping for a rogue around 11 or so but this could be interesting.

 

[VoodooMike]

I'm pretty enthused about Rana, but yes... she's about as intelligent an archer as enemy archers are. You learn early on in DDO that if you're facing archers and think you can reposition them by removing line of sight.... no, they're happy to keep firing arrows into the wall. Rana lives her best life with this philosophy.

 

[FaceDancer]

Neat looking buildup for an NPC. I just wish the legendary level wasn't 34 for this NPC. I'm not sure how many people use NPC's @ higher levels (I do), but they would be much more usable if they were below the max level (just my perspective). Having to wait till you hit 34th level to use this new one makes it less useful to me.

 

[Striga]

Rana Leafheart is a Eladrin Druid Archer who hails from the forests surrounded Myth Drannor.

Features

1. A level 13 and level 34 version.

I tried the heroic version. It says it's ML14. And when summoned, Aerin Leafheart appears instead of Rana.

 

[Mindos]

1. Free and steady ranged damage via her Bow

How much damage? Does it scale based on my character level or anything about me?

Legendary version adds some passive Shiradi abilities to the mix (Mantle)

Can we turn this off? Maybe I don't want some AOE from Shiradi at random times?

 

[Elves United]

Rana Leafheart is a Eladrin Druid Archer who hails from the forests surrounded Myth Drannor.

Features

1. A level 13 and level 34 version.
2. Free and steady ranged damage via her Bow
3. Druid heal, regeneration and reincarnation spells on demand.
4. Uses Season Herald defensive abilities to improve her survivability (like Winter's Heart)
5. Legendary version adds some passive Shiradi abilities to the mix (Mantle)

Druid eh?

Any chance of being able to cast Body of the Sun, Enveloping Swarm, or Creeping Doom to kill the rats in Tomb of the Tormented?

 

[HighLordPudding]

I am excited about the hireling and the mount.

 

[Ahpuch]

A new hireling, I assume that this will be a part of the Expansion pre-purchase. Since it is paid content, can I assume that there will be a number of bug fixes to make hirelings actually operate correctly?? Were those fixes forgotten in the notes above?

Some of the issues can be found in this thread https://forums.ddo.com/index.php?th...code-hirelings-to-behave-as-instructed.10625/ but there are others and likely quite a lot of bug reports. If you are not addressing any of the long standing issues with hirelings, is it really appropriate to ask for $ for them?

 

[VoodooMike]

I brought out Heroic Rana with a level 20 character and she showed up as a level 20 druid and had the Shiradi mantle. I'm assuming that's not supposed to happen.

 

[azrael4h]

I am excited about the hireling and the mount.

I'm more happy about the level range; it's right near where some new content has been needed for awhile.

 

[Purr]

Neat looking buildup for an NPC. I just wish the legendary level wasn't 34 for this NPC. I'm not sure how many people use NPC's @ higher levels (I do), but they would be much more usable if they were below the max level (just my perspective). Having to wait till you hit 34th level to use this new one makes it less useful to me.

Totally agree. Would love a druid buddy for my level 25 owlbear. Level 20 would be better, too.

Right now, my 32s just sit in my bank because I ETR at level 30...

 

[Phoenicis]

*idly wonders if people have forgotten cap will be going to 34 with this expansion*

 

[axel15810]

Tested the hireling a bit, and she doesn't seem to heal party members by herself. You have to manually command her to do it. If the intention is for her to be a party healer helper might want to look into it.

 

[azrael4h]

Tested the hireling a bit, and she doesn't seem to heal party members by herself. You have to manually command her to do it. If the intention is for her to be a party healer helper might want to look into it.

So she acts like 90% of the Cleric/FvS hires do already?

 

[axel15810]

So she acts like 90% of the Cleric/FvS hires do already?

I don't know what the percentage is, but a good number of hirelings I've used in game (though I don't use them often) do have some kind of intelligence when it comes to healing you when your health is low. Even if it isn't perfect. I tested Rana quite a bit by parking her, running away and intentionally getting down to ~20%ish health, running back to her, porting her, etc. etc. and she never healed without manually being commanded to do it. I would hope that for a premium expansion healing hireling they'd make sure it had some kind of functionality to auto target and heal the party.

 

[saekee]

If she is like an enemy archer, does she hamstring on every hit?

Not that I would use her anyway. If she new how to abuse perch locations, it might be more tempting to learn some tricks here and there.

 

[azrael4h]

I don't know what the percentage is, but a good number of hirelings I've used in game (though I don't use them often) do have some kind of intelligence when it comes to healing you when your health is low. Even if it isn't perfect. I tested Rana quite a bit by parking her, running away and intentionally getting down to ~20%ish health, running back to her, porting her, etc. etc. and she never healed without manually being commanded to do it. I would hope that for a premium expansion healing hireling they'd make sure it had some kind of functionality to auto target and heal the party.

In my recent experience, most of them die before healing themselves. I've been making it an extra challenge on my evil ranger to keep hirelings live in my recent epic runs.