There really is no one ultimate summoner build, and that's sick!

[BoxingBud]

I haven't seen any summoner variety in any other games (and I'd like to, so if you know let me know) but when it comes to GD your summoner is still going to be occult/shaman, shaman/necro or necro/occult and even then the focus is going to be on your taste as maxxing all summons isn't possible.

[MedeaFleecestealer]

It's called build diversity.

[MedeaFleecestealer]

First define what you mean by variety? There are several different pet builds in GD so in that sense there is variety. But then you say you want to max out all summons - which isn't variety really since you'd probably only have 3 builds using those masteries. Where's the variety in that?

True you can't max out all pets, but that's not really needed to have effective pet builds in the game. Suggest you look here and study the grimtools links closely so you can understand that maxing everything isn't necessarily the way you need to go in the way to be able to do all content.

https://forums.crateentertainment.com/t/the-carnival-a-guide-to-pets/81781

As for other games with pet build variety - well GD's spiritual predecessor Titan Quest has quite a few as well. Nature, Spirit, Earth, Storm, Dream masteries can all be used to make pet builds in the game.

[BoxingBud]

So like thank you, but I am saying that one can't max all pet skills, so no matter what, it also lends itself to sub variety builds. Can you explain where I said that I demand or wish there WAS being able to max pet skills? Let me know because I mean the opposite of what you think I said.

Until then I think it's good you cannot max all pet skills, and that lends itself to variety. Thank you.

[BoxingBud]

And like I said, since you can't max all summons, one occult/shaman can be wildly different than another occult/shaman, so there's SUB SUB classes essentially. That's good.

[MedeaFleecestealer]

That was the impression I got reading your OP. Guess I read it the wrong way.

[Hurricane]

Yeah... release dlc to add 3rd class!

Imagine sham necro and occultist!

Rebalance them 1000s of items to synergise with 3 classes and while you're at it 2 more ring slots and allow the 2nd set of weapons to activate when equipped.

That is all.

[BoxingBud]

I would love a third class!

[BB Mouse]

There is something about pets... As a summoner, if you focus all boons on the pets, the MC is gonna be very weak and can die very easily. If this is the kind of build, when a monster target your MC and run after you, you would run away. Then your pets, who are supposed to kill mobs for you, run away with you when you kite away. You then try to use pet attack to a monster, so that the pets would attack that monster. But that monster is still chasing you, so you run further. Then your pets run back, without attacking your target, to you when you run further. So, at the end, the pets get themselves wiped after repeatedly running back and forth toward you and the monster you target, because while the pets were doing all the running the mobs' AOE kill them... It happens so often to my currently playing pet focused cabalist. Maybe I need to run in circle centered at the mob chasing me. But sometimes it's just not possible when the area is small there are not many places you can run. There seems to have a limited distance that the pets have to run back to the caster when the caster run away the pets just drop everything and run away with the caster. I mean can I order my pets to kill mob while I teleport back to town and wait for them to call me and give me good news? :P

[BoxingBud]

^ do you not put points into physique or something? A pet build just needs the mana to cast or maintain, so you want the character points into physique or cunning for range.

[BB Mouse]

Originally posted by BoxingBud:

^ do you not put points into physique or something? A pet build just needs the mana to cast or maintain, so you want the character points into physique or cunning for range.

Almost all into physique. But it's not about MC, it's about the pet's behavior. They try to run to MC when MC is running away. I could change the build and bulk up the MC with different components/augments, but the pets would become weak. My MC does not attack at all, only does curse to debuff mob.

[gNuff!~©~gNom3™]

Originally posted by BoxingBud:

And like I said, since you can't max all summons,

you don't need to either tho,
so while it's technically true you can't max all summons in one of the 2mastery combos of 3, it being "forced" via the current specific limited skill points it probably wouldn't really change much if said limit was juuust slightly higher enough that you could max all, since it would likely still be technically less optimal to max an entire pet line over partial maxing it and combining with support skills.
So i think the semi forcing of sub sub builds existing is then perhaps a good thing because trying to then get "a lot" of value is/might be part of what leads to that large variety (unlike games where maxing your skill line is either the only option or always most optimal)

[BoxingBud]

I see what you mean, it's not the direct pet skill level that determines value, necessarily, and in this case for certain, it's also investing points into passives that buff said pet and other pets too, that's one point that's value is greater per more than one pet you have.

[BoxingBud]

What ABOUT a specific one pet mastery build? I wonder but am not optimistic. I feel the points invested in pet party wide enhancesments would be too wasted. Like picture x class and occultist just so they have a fully mastered hell hound (so it looks like you're a cool gunner with their dog or something) Where they only focus on hell hound and whatever branches help her. But again, great buffs for the one dog are wasted because there's no other summons to benefit. Also....maybe other classes would have passive skills that enhance the hell hound?

[gNuff!~©~gNom3™]

mono class builds exists/have been made.
One of the reasons we mainly see dual class builds is as you mention the support of additional class effects, buffs/debuffs bonus attacks/pets, so "moar" in many cases just become better.
That doesn't mean you can't make a mono class build or that it can't be made viable, again there is a difference vs what's doable vs "optimal" - and in terms of fun or even merely performance/viability not everything has to be optimal ofc.
You can also go the midway of doing a hybrid class (not referring to hybrid pet dmg/player dmg), so you could take a pet class and combine with a non pet class, so that you can max the pet and just low invest the support class, or alternatively even use item granted pets like yeti or monstrosity servant which then gives you extra pets without requiring extra points.

[Bludbonez]

Mono-Necromancers are pretty Uber and or off the chart Brutal. As well as being very fun to play!l