10 Secret Ways Video Games Make You Feel Like A Badass
9. A.I. Companions Take The Heat Off You
If there’s one thing terminators hate more than us fleshbags, it’s other, good terminators (protectinators?) getting in their way.
The same is true for a lot of companion and enemy AI. In a lot of instances, the enemies will simply prioritise attacking your AI companion over you.
Ever been in a big team fight with nothing more than your dumb-as-a-tub-of-expired-Bisto AI companion there to help you, and said aloud “HELP me, KILL something! KILL something, BE USEFUL!” , and yet realised how great of a... distraction they are?
Sometimes, this is because they’re designed to take the majority of the aggro, and particularly if you’re low on health or resources, the enemies will just suddenly decide not to bother murdering you, opting for your thick-as-mince pal instead.
This can be seen quite openly in Borderlands 3, with the beastmaster character “FL4K”. As you level them up, you can choose how much your pet redirects attention by putting points into their aggro stats, which is a refreshing way to display/manage a secret trait most companion AI exhibits outright in other games.
That’s it, mate - you just stand there.