Pets 102/Basic Vampire tank pet build

DISCLAIMER: all things referenced here about stats, weapons, etc that have similarities are all reffered to pets and pets only(unless noted of course) this is to ensure that what i am reffering to have no relation to your in-game characters/toons/loons/avatars. Also you must have basic knowledge on pet system and pet fusion in general. With that out of the way, let's begin!

WHAT PET TO BUILD!?
As we all know, the most neglected/underrated system is the pet system. At best, it is the most mis-understood. First question best asked is what role i need the pet do in my gameplay? Well, all Tamer's pet support skills can be used by all, but with players using a bow or staves have perks like reduced cast times and added pet heal bonuses. Hence the main reason that most common pets fill up is the TANK role. Of course tanking jobs is not all a pet can do. They can also fill up party support role with individual and/or party heal along with some key party buffs, it keeps the ball rolling even when hit, unlike the player's aura skills that gets wiped if the caster got hit.

OK, I HAVE DECIDED. HOW DO I DO IT?
First, you need to make a pedigree. This will be your roadmap, your guide post, etc. Because, even if you are capable of catching your own pets, RNG poops out a crap load of combinations of stats, weapons and natures. You need a set of acceptable parameters of pet attributes that you need and/or willing to accept and work with. Specially if you are shopping for pets in CB. A million spina worth pet is useless if you can't make it work in a heat of battle (afterall i am discussing pet's utility and not just as decorative purpose).

In building a pedigree you have to start looking at pet's nature. This is the a core behavior of what a pet's gonna do on what role you have given it. Regard to @Alzarith in making the thread that helped me a lot. Here is the link:
http://toramonline.com/index.php?threads/pet-natures-chart.36499/

Next up on the pedigree list is skills! This alone is a big brick wall you have to climb because your pet needs one sole LEGACY SKILL. Because even if you are able to get 3 skills for your pet, only one of them can be passed on in every fusion generation. This skill is the main arsenal of your pet, and its future decendants. It will also identify your pet as physical based or magic based(depending on what skill you have chosen). So it is the outmost importance in grinding it to perfection and attaining a level 10 of the pet skill you have chosen as the LEGACY.

The next things on the list need to comply with your skill. Or else it will mess up the pedigree.the weapon needed have to be compatible, or else it wont work. Only thing that makes you disregard this is if you have decided to make a full-on non-combatant support pet. Since it only affect damage output of attack skills, and support skills of pets are only affected by its skill level and the compatability to the pet's app. Since the issue is noted, let's move on.

Weapon: as i have mentioned it relies on the legacy skill. Physical or magic. Knucks,md and staves are magic. Ohs,2hs,bows and bg are physical. And no katana and hb. The pet system pre-date dem both, so if you manage to get one it is a rare thing if ever.

Stats: even tho we can train our pets's stats it is always better if you got a big headstart. Choosing what type of pet gives a boost of stats and stat potential in the long run.

Pet app: a cute pet you like may not be the best for you. There is no other way around it since it contain your pet's attack pattern and skill compatability. Pet's attack pattern contains how a pet is efficient on the skill you have given them. Stone pet can hit at a very fast pace due to its very low attack pattern of 100% but meh damage and currently pet mochelo can hit the harderst at 500%+ attack pattern but have slow delivery(he deal damage in one big truck load at a time)
Here is the thread of all documented pets and their attack pattern. A shout out for @Morningwood for the great work that he have done on his thread. https://toramonline.com/index.php?threads/pet-attack-patterns-chart.45048/#post-463114

Extra skills: this is a little known fact about pet skills. You can plan and choose 3 but 2 out of 5 have to depend on RNG. So every fusion needs carefull planning to keep the pedigree in its best parameters.

RNG IS MESSED UP! HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER!?
You got your road map! Now is the time to make the long journey together with your pet. After deciding on your main pet, you need a lot of elbow grease and grind to cap. After that you need fodder pets to fuse to your main pets so that your main pet will have an upgraded max level in turn also upgraded stat. And also the little thing about pet power that boost your pet's general performance overall. So fusing capped pets is a must to boost the stats. Also if you have decided to change the legacy skill, you can transplant it by fusing a fodder with the new legacy skill and lose the other one in the next generation. It takes a lot of work to have 2 inherited skills at level 10 that it make you retire your pet in ever fusing again, i cant blame them tho. But rules are rules! Only one skill from each parent pet to be inherited to the next.

THE LIMBO OF PET GRIND!
To extend the stats and level, you need to cap your pets! Fastest way i know is minibosses(no loading screen lol) coz if you got 2 other player friends to help you, it will be way faster than any boss grind known. Most of the time my grind route is bigmask, ms, dy, and lapin. Each must be at least in 30 level gap(that is a whole 60 level span to work with) in relation to your pet.

 

this tanking technique also works on tank mercs. But it is mostly effective if you mind your aggro of course. As a pet summoner, it is always a rule of thumb to be incognito all the time and avoid them aggro. Mercs and pets can only do so much.

 

HOW I BUILT MY TANK

With all the time i have spent on this guy, i can confidently say that his story is worth to be told. No, he is not about to retire in the freezer. But i have been itching to share his beginnings! So, let's begin!

Fist off, i was still bummed when the pet power bug is officially announced way back. At that time i do have a pet manticore. Other than it is becoming a eyesore that is eating up 25% to 80% of my screen due to it's massive wings blocking the camera view. It have been under performing lately since i switched summoner from being a dagger mage to a stealth sniper. Since my sole purpose of the switch was the boosted cast time on pet support and mobility. Since i usually get pommeled to the ground after casting storm or casting pet mp charge. Which usually end up with a wipe out.

So, Bows! Check! Now the pet! I have decided to have a pet that uses magic skills becoz of proration. I boost pet's damage when im using my skill, i get boosted snipes when the pet uses it's skill. Simple logic of harmony usually forgotten by human counterparts. I need magic skill so the target is Magic lance! The top corner skill that cost 800MP to cast by a pet. As i said before in other threads, getting a corner skill is lucky and getting it good is a total blessing. So pet after pet i rolled the dice hoping to get it in a gentle pet. Because back then, passive skills level up insanely fast in gentle pets. Since gentle pets dont attack , all attack skills are considered as passive skill and level up the same way a passive skill does. If i am sick of catching pets to look for gentle ones, i take a peek at cb for cheap low cost gentle pets.(coz im broke af!) Lady luck finally smiled upon me and i got the lvl5 magic lance on a cheap frog. I grinded it to perfection using my farmer char. So the skill is nailed down good and in the freezer! Check!

Next the actual pet app! Even when i am grinding my pet skill, i was looking for a worthy pet for the next skill and to not waste my hard earned LEGACY skill. I have 2 choices, go for raw power or invest in speed. Best way to find out is to take a pet to a walk. At the time, planet head have the top marks in dealing magic damage. Stone pet in the other hand got spamming skills interval to consider. I also took cassy for a walk since it got good magic damage delivery with an insane movement speed to boot. (And also, haru-chan's pet is a cassy that is a solid OP. She is what took me to make the decision on taking in pets in the first place!) Here comes my elimination process in walking a pet. First, the pet must go to the target. Next and the most crucial part is the pet is gonna stay with the target as long as it is alive. This is the main reason i changed my outlook on maticore. They sometimes go back at me for some odd reason and directing an AOE at my butt while i am in mid cast inside a combo!(the bloody thing is not tanking for me! He's trying to kill me!) With all things considered, i took a liking on stone's performance and decided that he will inherit the LEGACY MAGIC LANCE. Ok! Check!

Next in line is the pedigree. The ff is the structure of my pets and future fodder to consider during fusions. Since i can only nail in one the other two must be acceptable.
Weapon: since i am using magic i get to choose 1 out of 3(knucks,md,staves)
Type:magic attack, magic defence, genius
Nature: sly,steady,sturdy,justice
These are also the first criteria when i am choosing my fodder pets. All parameters check! Let's move to the next one.

Extra skill(the fodder killer): after confirming the parameters above we need the a key component of a fused pet. The 2nd inherited skill! This comes to a very frustating and early death to all good fodder pets. I have tested a lot of skills in combination with magic lance. I even tried mixing in support skills bit that usually gets me killed specially when my pet stone still have the aggro and it is trying to heal me. Also another corner skill will be costly and most likely ruin the setted pedigree just to get them skill. It took 3 fusions for me to kick out all the bad traits when i installed the legacy skill so i really need to find pets that is within the parameters setted above to keep the pedigree pure as possible. With OCD kicking in i have chosen to make the pet focus more in tanking and add more survival skill(in this case a passive) to aid the pet nature that i have chosen. That is why i choose HP Absorb to be paired with Magic Lance. So far with all the ganglef that i have bought, none have survived this part and have to be immediately scrapped to make space for the next batch. Being level 160-ish it is the best candidate as the next fodder.

This is just an example of a way to build pets to your liking. You may choose other set up or find better way to build a pet that works best to your play style. It is all up to you, and i hope you enjoy and benefit from the info and story i have shared. If you manage to make a much better pet than mine, be proud with all the work you did. Because it is the only bad-ass thing that cannot be bought by simple money. I hope i can read some of your stories too. "Because the most powerful pet can never be caught. It is made!"

 

FF i want a tank pet too ^^

 

Story is done! Enjoy!

 

I've had a looooong journey with my tank pet(s) but am too lazy to actually record it down, but I'll try, since it's Friday and I'm in the mood.

 

Nice to see someone who also like raising tank pet. I agree that the best role for a pet is tanking, considering that we've had too many DPS builds in Toram, while tanking: very few. I've never fully invested in a DPS pet, but ever since the pet power nerf and the release of 4th skills, I really think they're not worth it, but of course it's up to people's personal preference.

Anyway, getting to the pet build. I believe the best nature for tanking is Devoted, second is Sturdy (this is assuming a pet had Rage Attack). Sly, Justice or Steady: uhmm.... I mean I tried these natures, but probably due to my characters or play style, they didn't fit (at least as a tanker). Obviously one thing must be considered is which character I am gonna pair that pet with. Because for tanking, I want my pet to (1) keep aggro always and (2) survive as long as possible. If I have low aggro, then of course most of natures would work. But in most cases, I will take aggro while casting finale or in the middle of a long DPS combo. That is why overall, Devoted works best for me. Get a pet to learn Rage Attack and Devoted sucks aggro like a vacuum cleaner. Not to mention Devoted get bonus in DEF & MDEF, they last really long (until the boss does fractional dmg though ). Sturdy also has bonus DEF/MDEF but lower than Devoted, they also easily pull aggro as well (provided that your aggro is not too high) AND they can avoid most aoe.
So, for example, if i use DPS class like archer, Devoted should keep aggro while I charge cf. On the other hand, Sturdy is favorable when I use my 0% finale caster, once he takes aggro, I can cast finale endlessly while don't have to worry about his survival. For classes that have aggro of their DPS skill way too high, I have to suck it up and do the tanking myself, BUT skills like Cover come in very handy.

to be continued...

 

Skill: When I want a pet to tank, I'll let him perform ONLY Rage Attack. Of course, magic lance or raging blow also generate a considerable amount of aggro, but the reason I want let my pet to use RA only is to continuously generate aggro and easier to manage their MP pool. Clearly they do not need to deal much dmg right?
I assume most of people already knew that the higher the level of Rage Attack, the more aggro they give. Iirc a Sturdy immediately take aggro with RA level 4 (?) (lower level requires 2 RA hits to pull aggro, while Sly/Justice/Steady also need 2 hits even with RA level 5+, which is why I said they're not good at tanking: low aggro in general). Other skills are more flexible, depending on pet nature and what I need. Since Devoted don't avoid aoe at all (except for the charging-forward type), and not all of my characters learn pet heal, so if RNG bless me, I get my pet to learn HP Absorb, every time he performs Rage Attack, he heals himself, MP Gain allows him to deal Rage Attack more often, MP Absorb deal with MP shortage problem. Or if I have to tank sometimes, Cover is awesome. Anything is nice, except for Hide... But if I can use characters that had pet HP/MP heal, everything but Rage Attack is just optional.

Weapons: Quite flexible and up to which character I'm using. Need physical proration? Choose bow/2h etc. Need magical proration? Use staff/MD. Rage Attack does proration according to the weapon so thumbs up for that. But personally, since most of my builds involve the self-heal thingy, I love nothing more than MD or Bow pet, because its Rage Attack damage is quite nice (compared to other weapons) thus generate a huge amount of self-heal (Bow misses sometimes though).

App: Now who doesn't want an unique looking pet? But I'll take my chance here and rant how terrible that Mochelo pet is . I know he's OP at being DPS but he's sooooo slow: slow at moving, slow at activating skills, everything in slow motion. So I had to give up on him. That was my own fault trying to raise him as a tanker I know, but lesson learnt: not all apps are suitable to become a tanker.

 

Nice, based on your story alone i can see that you are a summoner who prefer damage over aggro management.
Each of pet apps have attack patterns or movements/animation that accompanied that. When i test a pet for this i observe all the patterns. Since normal attack animation and skill animation is the same.

For my stone pet i observed the ff:
133% attack pattern- attack animation is a little jab or stab since it got them pointy arms and all with attack distance of 2m from the target which is ideal for most of targets that don't use aoe. Also ideal for aggresive natures that ignores aoe and focus only on attack delivery and aggro generation. Works well too with justice since you dont have to top your pet up with mana all the time due to pet generating its own ampr.
200% attack pattern- the attack animation is a little pulse blast, like a single target chakra. You can even say it is a cute "Hadouken". It is deployed at 5m from target and it have a bit of similar behavior to a merc with md. Based on your pet's aspd you can expect this every half second.
469% attack pattern- the attack animation is a bit of a cute wind-up followed by swift dash to the target. It is deployed mostly at 8-10m(the farthest) from the target which have an over shoot of 3-4m from the target after the attack animation is deployed.

Each pet app need to be observed and analized that is why the most time consuming system in toram is the pet system bar none. The next pet app i saw similar to stone is retainer dolls that have jabs,spell casting projectile and super broom sweep dashing attacks.

 

Well admittedly I'm not very good at aggro management. And the difficulty really spikes when more players join the party. So, yeah... anything gives me less headache would work.

A comprehensive guide about pet apps would be nice. But then honestly 90% of time, the pets that accompany me are stray pets because of fusion purpose (most recently is that Ganglef), so I didn't have many options when it comes to attack pattern.
Based on your choice of app and skill build though, you're perhaps trying to raise a hybrid tank-dps pet? How does he perform?

 

The highest i have taken him so far is odelon since sdm is messing up with attack rhythm of my pet because of those damn big aoe. I have no plans on changing the nature tho it is just a dellema i have to skip over i guess. So far with my conversion with finale i am facing loads of trouble since stone is a physical pet with no magic normal attack option it cannot generate its own ampr. And aggro generation is starting to decline. It performs really poorly on uliti and and most of nightmare mode since physical do miss a lot. I have to admit that this pet is not fit for mages. I may have to dispose my pink manticore to make room for a new pet that i see some potential on which is a retainer doll. Im a bit conflicted to what legacy skill i need for this one since i usually look for them in the outer ring. It maybe mp absorb or cover tho since that aggro skill is always there for the picking. I may even consider other more aggresive nature and focus on pet heal as my only support(i have the lvl stargem cheap lol) and let it generate its own ampr and just do rage attack all day.
Edit: just like finale, pet support skills cannot be reduced by cspd and works well with queen's staff, it still retains its cast speed from staff bonus making the support skill heal useless.(or any other skills for that matter due to queen's staff's cspd reduction)

 

Btw, based on my run in odelons, i use short combos with pet mp charge and snipe and of course sneak attack.(or the very least mostly swifted). Since i'm the lead i usually ask them to hold their aggro.(i preferably look for low aggro partymates and not just some random moron who likes to spam a lot) In my party i have multi roles as lure, tank pilot and tank support. Once i'm into my combo cycles my stone pet can even sink finale's aggro(rage attack+magic lance fits the 1k pet mp charge pool).

 

Tbh pets are not reliable at all when it comes to proration. If you go solo, just hire a merc with high aspd and you're set.
At Odelon basically I tanked all the time with Cover skilled pet so I have no saying about aggro there. But at SDM, assuming you're using finale, you can just turn off magic lance and let your pet tank with rage attack, he won't die (or lose HP at all) because he will avoid all aoe. Meanwhile you stand afar and spam finale?
It will be slow though if you solo, but 100% work. Invite more people will speed things up, but the price is aggro of course.

 

My combo is usually in sync with my pet. Once the pet do magic lance my snipe quickly follows, in case pet do rage attack first, lance fillow snipe. Most mercs on my guild and on my tuyul list are being out done by my pet. Only my partner that i have reconfigured are able to out aggro my pet. Proration do work in my perspective since i also monitor the damage output of my pet and my char from time to time. That is how i work out my combo with pet support. The simple 1mp combo of moeba-smoke(save)-pet mp charge(cons)-sneak(cons)-meikyo(cons)-snipe(smite)-kick(cons) is enuf to boost a bit more damage to snipe or to magic lance. Between sneak and meikyo my pet can cast its 469% magic lance giving my snipe some proration boost. Mercs auto do help but since they do miss (and mostly other tanks i know got low aspd anyway) a my pet help a lot filling the gaps. Most katana party mates do love my pet as a tank giving them room to dance and deal damage while the pet maintain aggro without spoiling proration.(them odelon parties gave me so much praise i almost cried. That is why i made this thread anyway lol.)

 

Im currently exploring taming, thanks for this info.

And i just noticed the map next rokoko have stone with high lvl of 137.

Edit : The stone is Tameable.

 

REALLY!? Im a vit bummed out since it is hard to constantly change my rythim due to the fact that diffrent fodder pets need diffrent attack tempo. This really got my attention thanks for mentioning

 

Turns out if you explore around the map more, theres stone with lvl of 139.

The map name is called Forgotten Cave.

 

Thanks, i wonder if having a stone pet catches on with other tamers?(rng sucks, that is a fact. Planning to sell my "rejected" Pets on the cheap. Hope the lucky guy with a diffrent pedigree than mine buys it tho.

 

Nice thread @Xiavu

FYI I currently have a stone pet myself. Its currently level 2/2 with gentle nature, and magic lance is level 7.4 (originally started at lvl 5). I've not had the time/patience to farm billions of smaller mobs to max this skill yet, but once i do, i have a few magic fodder pets lined up (95+106+130 already capped) waiting to fuse into it, once its ready for the outside world.

I think there's some benefits in a pet with a 'dashing' animation (i.e. stone or glowray), as well as a ranged weapon (i.e. MD/bow/bg) so that pets can use their skill immediately, rather than trying to dodge any boss AOEs (or dash to get out of the way of them). The AI seems to force the pet to always complete 1 auto attack before it will cast its next skill, which was the source of many frustrations (i.e. circle aoes around boss vs a short ranged pet) i previously had with my planet head pet (even though it did OP damage back then, before t4 skills were released). Sometimes it never got a chance to use its big vampiric DPS skill, before falling down

On a side note, this tank pet youtube video may be of interest to everyone (and i think its a raw, unfused pet too):

 

If it got only a buff skill Active it will spam that skill w/out doing autos(set skill to mid to low percentage, set auto at mid to high percentage) fast pace spamming is the strong point of stone and you can even set it as part of your combo. My combo was moeba-smoke(save)-sneak(cons)-pet mp(cons)-meikyo(cons)-snipe(smite)-kick(swift). And 90% of the time magic lance lands on the target mid charge of snipe(unless my stone got stuck in weird places or tumbled,stunned then there is a delay)