Spectres - rework needed - "anti-poofing"

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Pizzarugi#6258 wrote:

I would rather pay 1000c for a minion I can resummon if killed or lost by any means then pay 100c 10 times, because it only gets more expensive in the long-term if they keep dying.

This 100%. Obviously they'd become more rare and more valuable....but that cost is well worth it.

Again....anyone that actually knows spectre-using builds would say the same in a heart beat.

I would pay 10 or even 20x, perhaps more, if the minion didn't permanently poof on me. That's how absolutely awful it is currently.

Losing them in combat is one issue. Not sure where I land on it. But I can absolutely agree that the interface regarding minions in general and specters specifically needs a pass-bye. It is way too easy to lose them to gear swaps or gem repositioning. Even pressing weapon swap by mistake can lead to disaster.

Here is what I would do:

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- An Unsummon skill should be a skill built in to every character as a baseline ability like walk and attack. It literally dismisses the targeted minion and can innately target minions. (When you mouse over them so they highlight - a nice vibrant outline would be helpful). When cast, this skill dismisses the minion, the same as removing the virtue gem. This is useful for getting rid of accidental specter summons, saving a valuable minion in danger (if you are fast), and for golem balancing for Golem-of-hordes builds. The "unsummon" will NOT count as a minion death for any on death effects that might be turned into damage automation or kamikaze minion attacks.

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- There should be a small UI window for your corpses, only accessible in town or your hideout - a second skill given to you on right click with summon specter. Divide the window into three parts horizontally - Top: Active Specters; Middle: Graveyard; and Bottom: Ritual Corpse Buffer.

On the top slots - the number being equal to the maximum possible specters in the game - you have the active summoned specters. The don't need images - they can be simple text boxes displaying the mounter name. Drag a corpse onto the slot from your inventory or graveyard to change. That specter is then summoned in that slot, replacing whatever is there. This is not replacing the standard method of specter corpse summoning, it is in addition to the original mechanics.

The middle half is your graveyard - which stores the "regular" monsters you've programmed into your Specter gem. You can pull these into active slots at will while in town or your hideout. The maximum number bankable is the same as now.

The bottom half is your Ritual Corpse buffer. This is normally empty and you cannot actively drag anything into it. This is where your Ritual corpses go if they are unsummoned by your unsummon skill, drop due to low stats, a weapon swap, gems swaps, are replaced by another corpse, respecing, etc. They will NOT go into the buffer if they die or are eaten by a reaper. Limit your buffer to six ritual specters, any beyond that overwrite the oldest - left to right. It's here to save your Perfect Blood Demon from accidents, not be free inventory space.

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- Animate guardian should have a similar second skill that opens a basic inventory window. You view the items it's wearing, and add items to it. This is a one-way trip - anything you drag from your inventory to the Animate Guardian replaces what's there - the replaced item vanishing into the void. Include a checkbox in the UI that you can toggle on and off. If the box is checked, (default) it will pop up a warning with a yes/no prompt explaining that anything you give the animate guardian is gone for good. If unchecked, it won't bother you with the prompt.

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- This system of minion windows could be expanded in cool ways to make Animate Weapon more practical. I could imagine a one-way equipment screen with up to 10 different Animated weapons that you place in the window inventory from your backpack. (The behavior will match animate guardian - one way trip) The animated weapons you summon copy a random weapon in the slots you've filled. The weapons in the animated weapon slots would be permanent unless replaced.

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And once you've done that, add a new Transfigured Gem - Animate Guardian of Opulence. Same base stats as a regular animate guardian - but instead of armor and weapons, it can only wear jewelry weapons.

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Sabranic_SilverDeth#2793 wrote:

It is way too easy to lose them to gear swaps or gem repositioning. Even pressing weapon swap by mistake can lead to disaster.

That's exactly the point I am trying to make. Thank you.