Hi all, I rarely play a pet class, but when I do, I have to re-learn close to everything about pet gear. When it comes to charmed pets, and assuming I don't have access to pet weapons (with procs): 1. Does weapon DAMAGE affect charmed pet DPS? 2. Does weapon DELAY affect charmed pet DPS or is there some pet delay override? Thanks!
1. For standard pets damage is hardcoded (for tuning). I've seen patch notes where they reduce/increase charm pets damage, so I would assume the same. 2. For standard pets also no. 1a/2a. But, pets will use a weapons stats (at least AC/HEM and heroics, I dont think pets have mod3s or some such), and combat procs if they are at the minimum level (combat abilities are generally not usable by pets). https://everquest.fanra.info/wiki/Talk:Pet_gear
Weapons don't effect any pet's damage or delay but giving a charmed rogue pet a weapon will allow them to backstab from the front (confirmed at least through classic era, seems like at some level beyond that they start doing that innately?).
Just adding a bit. Since the game is primarily leveling now, giving your pet a weapon that processes seems to generate more hate which allows for faster burns, DOTs, Backstabs, etc. It is very easy for a Necromancer to pull aggro by loading up DOTs, so IMHO it helps to give the pet a weapon that has a process on it. I've tested some of this stuff out and for instance you can have a pet dual wield Dagger of Dropping https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=625 and Woe https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=642 and both DOTs will show up on the MOB. There is currently a bug where the first Pet to land a DOT gets credit for all DOTs landed by pets, but it is inconsequencial. i.e. two Pets, each one equipped with Woe, two Affliction DOTs will appear on the MOB, both credited to the first Pet to land. The rest of the rules seem to apply. I mean a low level spell on a low level Pet will almost never land against a high level MOB. Sorry SKs and Boo Boo. If I'm running a Magician or Enchanter in the crew, I almost always stick a Malo or Tash on the MOB: Seems to help with Pet processes sticking *BUT* I haven't parsed it. I don't really trust anything that isn't parsed including my own observations! As code-zero meantions, there are times and places where Pet weapon is important. Just as a for instance, the Gnoll Hide Lariat mentioned, or Blade of Walan, is almost critical for any fleeing MOB type. NPCs stunning, PCs bashing, MOB doesn't get anywhere. It also helps to have SoW on the Pet when you are dealing with fleeing MOBs. They catch up faster and do more damage. Of course if you have a pocket Ranger or Druid doing snares, it isn't as necessary.
you used to be able to give pets HIGH damage weapons and that would increase their damage, you can early on also force them to dual wield where they without weapons don't until a certain level. the pet innate "punch" delay is quite low, I believe you used to be able to give them low delay weapons to make them hit faster, but that was removed. I know they nerfed using certain 2handers that was REALLY good to give pets since it gave them massive damage (the 2handed poleaxe from hmm Dulak comes to mind) you can still give them some 2handers but it is more limited and less "OP" than it used to be. (seeing a skeleton pet with a 2handed poleaxe was awesome back then) it is quite hard to find 1handers with "high enough" damage to go above the pets natural damage when you get to a certain level.... and then they also added the "pet" tag at some point I think... giving them a full set of armor (1 bracer) still works to stack on STR, HP, AC and a haste item. flowing thought items (or just mana regen these days) also work if you use a caster pet (fire elemental) for them to regen mana faster. never EVER give a focused pet a CLOAK... they have a super cloak on innately when you use a focus item.
Unless this is something that changes closer to live, pets will never equip a 2h weapon in modern EQ. Some swarm pets will spawn with a 2h model in their hands but that's purely an aesthetic thing. They got rid of the mana cost on pet nukes a long time ago. Currently the only use that a pet's mana pool has is for damage-to-mana conversion spells like the mage Kindle line or bard Ervaj's Defensive Refrain song.
