How to team with an agent

I'm writing this post because I feel many citizens on Rubi-Ka don't really understand what it's like to be an agent. It's understandable that you don't understand--I'm not ranting. Neither do I think agents are any more "special" than any other profession.

However, there are a few unique aspects to being an agent that I *really* wish my team-mates understood.

First, agents rely on a team to level. Simply put, we are TERRIBLE at soloing. We die quickly because our skinny opifix behinds can't take much damage. Still, I solo all the time because I can really *be* an agent when I solo. I can do missions my own level and almost always survive. (I root and run a lot, but hey, it works!) I get tokens, but very little xp. My choice.

For leveling, I must team. And when I'm teaming, I want to make a contribution to the team. Agents don't have a lot of buffs to offer our team. We aren't a tank, we don't heal. What we DO ... is DAMAGE. And how we do the MOST damage is with aimed shot.

Every agent I know *loves* making an aimed shot. It's usually our only special attack. I can't get off an AS every battle (refresh is a few minutes) but about every other battle I can do an average of 5k per aimed shot (from 1.4k minimum to 10k maximum). When you see the lifebar on a mob drop 50%, it's very satisfying.

And now ... (drumroll) here is the purpose for this post. Our heavenly fathers (funcom) have made it very difficult for us to level without a team, they've ALSO made it difficult for agents to use aimed shot in a team!

Here's why: an agent needs to be concealed to make an aimed shot. We can lag behind the group while we creep up to the battle that's just begun, but if *any* nano enriches our NCU while we are concealed, we stop sneaking. Engineers have some *great* aura nanos that refresh *very* often (less than 20 seconds). This means agents and engineers make *terrible* partners! Capt. Sweetkate is my best friend on Rubi-Ka, so this is upsetting to me. (Still, we managed to team effectively because she has an agent alt and knows how we need to work.) Adventurers have pack fighter nanos that refresh once every 2 minutes, so they are not really a problem (conceal will break only every now and then.) Some doctors chain-cast Team heal nanos. This breaks concealment as well.

Now ... here's the difficult place it puts us agents in. If we complain about any of the above, it makes it seem as if we care more about getting off an aimed shot than we do about the team getting healed, or the team getting a great AC buff from the engineer. <sigh> We do care. We are just hoping that we can contribute to our full potential. Sometimes it is a totally bad idea to turn off these aura nanos as the benefit they offer the team is far greater than the benefit of the agent's occasional aimed shot.

I am going to post this elsewhere too, as a feeble attempt to get Funcom to perhaps fix this aspect of agenthood (I'm betting they won't). But mostly I just want everyone to *understand* that when an agent must sacrifice using aimed shot, it is very discouraging to us. I was just in a team where I brought this up and everyone on my team jumped down my throat because they seemed to think i didn't care about the best interest of the team. On the contrary, I *do* care, and that's why I'm discouraged. I'm not able to contribute my best.

Without aimed shot, I feel like a doc would feel if he couldn't heal. Or how a Trader would feel if she couldn't calm. So ... I shut up and shoot. bang bang bang. <yawn>. But it is best for team and I know it. It just kinda stinks. : )

So when you see "Rickdeckard has vanished". Realize that if you cast a team heal, you just messed me up. (Note: I am not suggesting you let people even come *close* to dying.)

Monolog completed. : )

Colonel Rickdeckard
Mercury Dragons

if the team wants him to go fp.

they are a huge turn down in teams as well which is why most agents try not to use them at all.

(they are also the reason i stopped my agent in her 50ies :()

I feel your pain,a nd I hope your problem gets solved. My very first character was an agent as I thought they would be the most interesting profession to play. After the various nerfs and such because of whiny players, she became less and less fun to play, Now I'm finding there is no justice for us metas either, we can't really do anything in missions as pet pathing is so terrible 0 don't even get me started on brown caves..I once sat in front of a mission terminal for 3 hours trying to toggle mochams mc as a reward, only to find out the mission was a brown cave type. I can solo for the most part, cacodemon is pretty tough, but when it gets caught in an obstruction I'm done for, I am seeing too many metas lately having to use a gun and heavy armors to protect themselves, or support beams if they are ungodly atrox metas. The whole point of being a meta is to rely on our pets to protect us, and if we had to fight a bit, then we'd use our DD nanos (which need to have their damage output increased) In all I'm just tired of seeing various classes having to turn into soldier clones just to get by in a mission.

As far as buffs go, I really don't think mochams is really in demand as far as groups go, not that I've seen, as really only pet classes call for it ( other professions usually get it in the cities before they go out) , but since pets can hardly move in missions when it comes time to make a group we're avoided like the plague. so while funcom is addressing agents, give metas another once over.

Just one of the many reasons I no longer play an agent.. add to that the buff cycles in FP, the frequent death in teams (my agent can solo 60% missions with no risk of death but the xp is pathetic), and the numerous nerfs.. plus all new nanos not being usable in FP.. bleh.

However I have heard FC is addressing the "aura" type nanos which engineers, crats, etc use breaking sneak soon. Hope it's true, for the sake of those of you still playing your agents.

--K (90 fixer, formerly 121 agent)

Sounds like you don't know how to play your agent. Sneaking in for an aimshot has always been bugged to crap. Now you have it better than before, just run in and tap ur aimshot button before it sees you. Basically aimshot is only uber in pvp, In the past 193 lvls with my agent I have basically ignored aimshot as a "always gotta use" feature. I think if i can get one off good, if not, well i can always use my 100% crit and knock down some walls.

As for FP, go with it, not that bad. Higher up FP crat is awesome, extra 9% goes a long way. 50mil till next ding, hmm just saved myself 5mil, w00t.

Thing most people should know of agents, going MP is the worst choice of FP in a team, so stop asking :P

I find your opinion regarding the engineer auras interesting. As an engineer myself I have found that alot of agents insist that I turn it off making me feel less desirable in a team. Of course as time has progressed I've occasionally started running auras again and I find that skilled agents don't really care and are able to work around the issue.

The conclusions I've come to are as follows:

- Aimed Shot is one of the best specials in the game (I'm sure someone will disagree).

- An extra 400 ac (my current aura) doesn't make a significant difference as mobs hit for minimum damage anyway and docs only have a problem healing someone when their evades are low.

- Auras have other disadvantages like causing lag and sometimes interfering with other people's ability to run nanos.

Crat auras are a different story all together. Anybody complaining about a 7% crit aura better get their head examined. :D

Some thoughts from an Enforcer....

I team a lot with an agent that I know for quite some time now and I love having him around!

As the designated Tank in our teams (I play guild teams only) I usually fullfill the role as "Leader" as well.

This means I lead the pack to the next mob, pick targets etc.

When an agent goes "hidden" I can't see him and have no way of telling where he is and what target he picks.

I know this when he runs screaming to us, a RM Enforcer whom he AS'ed for 10k damage on his six and I have no way of getting aggro back.

By the time he sneaked up on that RM I have engaged two Veteran Whatsoevers...

I know that Agents AS is their best way of dealing damage but a contribution to the team does not neccessarily be damage.

As stated by Kenidy, ask your team if they mind when you go FP and either get out some nice crit buffs, XP Buffs, HP buffs, Masteries/Infuses/Mochams or whatever buffs not available through another teammate.

That what "my" agent does all the time, he never is a "real" agent when doing missions and he never sneaks and don't even try to AS anything since he knew he will be toast once he got aggro.

Any good team would appreciate this contribution .

Cheers
Steelbuns

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Originally posted by Blackwing
if the team wants him to go fp.

they are a huge turn down in teams as well which is why most agents try not to use them at all.

(they are also the reason i stopped my agent in her 50ies :()

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I've got a level 134 agent right now and I'm not sure if you guys know this, but our power doesn't lie in our ability to get an aimed shot or do regular damage. Our real abilities lie in the fact that we can turn into any profession in the game if your character is set up properly and fill in the cracks that the team has. I'm working on breaking that -2k init debuff we get and right now and I almost ALWAYS turn to a crat so I can give the team the 6% baton that I have. Being in a false profession isn't a bad thing necessarily, only if you don't have your agent set up properly can it hinder you. With a -1k nano init (which is where I'm at now) it takes me about 11 sec to cast an 8 sec nano. Don't take me as flaming you Blackwing, thats not what I intended to do so please don't read it like that. I'm just merely saying that you shouldn't consider a false profession something bad. I'm a nanomage agent which gives me the edge on nanos way above what the opifex can do. I'm only 10 points short of casting UA right now, and I'm using old implants yet (waiting for the new Jobe implants to come out to upgrade to ql 220). Most of my implants were designed for my character prior to IPR so I'm really at a disadvantage right now. But, that being said.. keep working on your nano skills and increasing your nano init. The power we have is much greater with our abilities to run nanos than to root a monster that can be killed in about 4 seconds with a good group.

Esay solution, just dont sneak. No point in using concealment in PvM anyways, all you gotta do is be fast.

If I as NT dont need to sneak to get an AS off, an Agent shouldnt either. And yes, I get off AS reliably, even 10k selbuffed, not concealed.

Rav

In a group, I can often pull one mob out of a room full. I sneak in and wait until only one mob is near the door, unconceal and run out without the rest seeing me and shoot no one.

I often try to convince a group to let me use this tactic to pull if we are faced with a group of mobs. But the team often ignores the offer or tells me "your not the puller." How many times have I been in groups that have been over powered by adds when we totally depended on the calmers...

Having a high level agent, a high level soldier, and currently levelling a doc I can say one thing.

As a tank, I want to be healed when I am taking damage, my life depends on it in some cases (like the big enforcer that whips out 2 crits.. doesn't happen anymore because i'm no level 172, but has in the past)

As an doc, because of some lag with the game, you may not initially be able to see or know who has aggro and the hp bars may not update fast enough. If there is one or more adds then a team heal is the best solution, regardless of someone trying to fire off one special... remember it is a group effort... However on the flip side I can also say I use individual heals when there is one mob and he is aggroing one person... but the catch is the individual heals take longer to cast... The second the mob starts changing aggro, I start team healing.

As an agent, there are some important things that I learned to realize... a good team doesn't need you as a primary damage dealer. You however are key to adding max damage by a non-enforcer, non-soldier class.... You are also key to adding whatever buff is most needed by the team, which is a HUGE benefit to everyone.... I always welcome agents in my team, heck I played one when they really were undesireable...

You also need to realize that if Aimed shots were made easy to do, then no class other than melee/soldier/trader would have anything but an X-3. It has very few skills required for it and has very high damage to very desireable traits in a weapon. If I were an agent, I'd see that as a bad thing, since suddenly the ability to be best at taking an aimed shot, would no longer be there and an agent would be less desirable...

Finally, I'd suggest listening to Kenidy, he is a very well experienced agent.

strength and powers but APPEARANCES.

you get into teams or not because of what other players THINK you can do.

i guess soldiers and nt and above all engineers are in the same boat - people think they suck because they browsed the official forums and read others post they suck!


of course it is nice to buff something the team does not have and i never rely on the aimed shot - playing without it is just a boring thing to do.

the point is what will the team do and think?

i have found few and i mean FEW pick up teams have the patience to wait for an agent to finish their buff cycle - or have the knowledge or equipment to keep you alive even.

an agent is best teamed with a calmer or doctor who know what they are doing - which can be amazingly rare in pick up teams below lvl 100 trust me on that.

the reason i stopped playing my agent is that the buffing feels cumbersome to me and that i have problems getting a team that fits my play style.

LOL YOU have troubles with buffing? I'm waiting myself to get out of the tedium of buffing.

A typical buffing day in the life of Shizara

Mc expertise, bio met expertise, psy mod expertise, sense imp expertise.

Psymod infuse, bio meta infuse, sense imp infuse, (this mind you is just so I can cast odin's)

Odin's missing eye, mochams mc, ts- for attack pet

then cancel mochams and replace with a bio meta mochams for heal pet. remove a few more buffs so I can have the space to run my nano reduction programs. and now since I can't cancel out my mochams after I make a pet because it will disobey me it leaves no room for other useful team buffs.

agent's have it bad, but MPs are the worst until they can freehand cast mochams.
'

From The Professionals are rolling again! Here are the answers you have been waiting for!:

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And finally, the fixing of Aimed Shot in teams, or rather, sneak mode being broken by team nanos. As I stated earlier in a post here, we have a solution for it, and it is being implemented in one of the coming patches. Cosmik couldnt give me an exact patch, but very soon. "It is being put in the first patch it can be" Cosmik stated.

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Blackwing

Dont worry about what people think.

To be a GOOD teammate isnt damage reliant since no one really looks at damage, they may look at their own but only noobs look at it all.

First FP into a class that the team needs buffs for. Then buff them with whatever they want.

Next NEVER EVER stop for loot/chests. People will put up with the worst damage dealer as long as they run from room to room like a pro missionner. If you need cash buy it off ebay for 20$ for 10m :OP

If you do that then you wont have to worry about what people think because they wont care. All they care about is you HONESTLY try to help. They understand not all people are capable of being tanks. They also understand that Aimedshot is screwed along with other things. So just go in there and do your best to HELP your team and they will overlook little things :OP

the point is that it is hard to get into a team as an agent because people THINK that agents are useless.

as to a mp having such a long buff cycle.

i am so sorry that you still have a positive nano ini. i am talking about a below lvl 100 agent trying to fill for whatever buff the team is lacking - that HURTS.

i do not stop to loot in these missions because i do not need the loot. i only check on the boss loot wether it contains anything i might want apart from that i am an xp whore when in agent mode - if i want items i get them with my bureaucrat.

but there are currently 4 classes out that have trouble getting into a team because they either have no clear cut role to fill in the team or people do not understand the role they fill.

engineer, soldier, agent, trader.

expanding on that - the first 2 only bring damage to the team. that is it. no special abilities just some extra damage (which has to be safe guarded slowing down the team in case of the engineer). soldier has nothing over an enforcer in the levels below whatever is considered high level these days because you cannot count on him to reliably take aggro of somebody not capable of tanking.

agent adds some extra damage and whatever buff is currently missing at the cost of long buff cycles - half the teams i find cannot stand to wait for my leet -1,5k nano ini when i fp yet adamantly want me to masquerade as mp or trader to boost them :(. in addition teams have a hard time keeping an agent alive unless they contain a crowd controller / doc who know what they are doing.

trader is not a bad profession per se in a team even after all the nerfs you can still use emergancy heals to supplement a healer (heck even with a fixer to run hots you can keep the team going unless you get tons of adds at the same time) and you have calms....... BUT alot of folks have trouble understanding your role and what you have to do to fill it.