Cleric mercs broken since patch

Discussion in 'Bug Reports' started by yepmetoo, May 24, 2020.

  1. yepmetoo Abazzagorath

    From 5/20 patch:


    *** Mercenaries ***

    - Significantly increased the damage of level 111+ Tank mercenaries. This will have the side effect of increasing their aggro.
    - Altered the Melee DPS mercenary as follows:
    - - Decreased the melee damage from level 111 to 115.
    - - Added a new higher effectiveness de-aggro spell at level 106 and 113.
    - - Added a new higher damage poison proc at level 114.
    - Improved the spell selection for healer mercenaries at high levels.

    Didn't pay much attention as the cleric mercs worked fine as far as I was concerned. But since patch I've died to things I don't even need the mercs to heal me on (if I'm paying attention), so started paying attention to what they are doing.

    I am CONTINUOUSLY seeing the following lines:

    "Voshanna tells the group, 'I think I'll start looking for a new employer!'

    and

    "Voshanna tells the group, 'This employer doesn't pay well enough."

    and the merc refusing to heal AT ALL.

    These are lack of confidence things. Let me note, this is me (level 115 in TBL zones against light blue mobs), against no more than 2 mobs at a time. This is the same JT5 merc I've had since after Underfoot beta (Belikos cleric). Those are messages I saw during SoD when mercs first came out before I finished progression, when swarming 30+ mobs. I could swarm with a merc out when I got the first JT5 merc without it running away, and haven't seen that happen in YEARS.

    So now its happening every couple minutes on 1-2 trash mobs that are 4-6 levels lower than me, and the merc stops healing. So much so that as when I died I'm rezzed as the merc has zero aggro (after a minute or two of fighting)

    Suspended and resummoned. Reset from balanced to reactive. No change.

    Also, the AI for spell selection is WORSE than before. Just me and merc in range of the NPCs I'm fighting, and the merc is spamming small heals with cures:

    Word of Greater Replenishment (on cooldown almost, this group heal is its go to, even if I'm the only one taking damage or with a debuff)
    Dire Renewal

    Its also spamming Promised Replenishment and Sincere Elixir, which are both trash.

    Maybe 1 in 10 spells is Sincere Light or Sincere Remedy.

    Now, I don't have merc spells blocked, because 1) I am a raid tank and I don't want to limit tools of clerics healing me, and 2) the merc worked fine for me for the past 12 years without having anything blocked. Maybe it wasn't super optimal, but worked fine.

    Now its terrible.

    Right now its like the AI is forcing it to keep elixir and promised on you at all time, if the merc gets any debuff or takes 1 damage, cast a group heal (though seems to do it even without a debuff or damage taken), and only then will casts lights or remedies.
    Akonite, Mithra, Pawtato and 2 others like this.