Do Totem Kills Count as Your Kills? A Deep Dive
The age-old question: do those kills your totems rack up actually count as your kills? The answer, as with many things in the complex world of gaming, is nuanced. Generally speaking, kills made by totems are indeed credited to the creator of the totem for the purposes of experience gain. This means you still level up, you still progress, and you still reap the rewards of combat, even if your totems are doing the heavy lifting. However, the devil is in the details, and numerous mechanics interact differently with totem-attributed kills. Let’s delve into those specifics!
The Totem Kill Conundrum: Experience vs. Effects
While you might get the experience points for your totems’ successful vanquishing of foes, certain effects tied to kills don’t automatically transfer to you. Think of it as the game recognizing your strategic deployment of the totem, but not necessarily your direct involvement in the final blow.
For example, life gain on kill effects typically will not affect the player when a totem gets the kill. The totem itself might be the recipient of the effect (if the game mechanics allow), but your health bar will remain untouched. This is a crucial distinction, especially for builds reliant on sustaining through combat with on-kill effects.
Totems and Minions: Understanding the Hierarchy
Totems often blur the line between player and minion-controlled entities. While all totems are considered minions, not all minions are totems. The “minion” tag is important, because various in-game buffs and effects apply specifically to minions.
For instance, increased minion health will indeed affect totems, boosting their survivability. This makes investing in minion-related stats a viable strategy for enhancing totem-based builds.
On-Hit Effects: To You or To Them?
The application of on-hit effects introduces another layer of complexity. If your totem is applying an on-hit effect to an enemy (such as a curse on hit from an item), then your totems will indeed apply that curse. However, if the on-hit effect is intended for you, the player, such as “gain life on hit,” then the effect is typically applied to the totem instead. It’s a subtle but significant difference.
Are Totems Allies? The Social Dynamics of Summons
Totems are classified as allies, placing them in a broad category encompassing players in your party, minions, and even totems of party members. This “ally” status matters when considering the impact of auras and other beneficial effects. Any auras projected by a totem will, therefore, affect all of the player’s allies, including minions and party members.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Totem Kills
Here are some common questions to help further clarify the mechanics of totem kills:
1. Do totems trigger on kill effects?
Typically, no. While you receive the experience from the kill, effects like life gain on kill do not usually benefit you. The totem itself may be affected if the game mechanics allow.
2. Do totems count as minions?
Yes, all totems are classified as minions. This means they benefit from effects that boost minion stats, such as increased minion health or minion damage (though the application of minion damage to totems depends on the specific game and the mechanics within it).
3. Do totems apply on hit effects?
Yes, totems can apply on-hit effects to enemies. However, if the on-hit effect is meant to benefit the player, it will usually apply to the totem itself instead.
4. Do totems count as allies?
Yes, totems are considered allies. This means they are affected by auras and other beneficial effects that target allies.
5. Does life gain on hit work with totems?
Yes, but the totem gains the life, not you. This distinction is crucial for understanding how to sustain your character in combat.
6. Does cruelty work with totems?
Generally, traps, mines, and totems can gain Cruelty; however, because their damage is based on the player, these buffs have no effect. The player needs the Cruelty buff from a skill they dealt damage with directly, and needs to support the proxy (Totem) with Cruelty Support to gain the damage bonus for damage over time.
7. Does curse on hit work with totems?
If you get an item that does curse on hit, then your totems will apply the curse if they hit. However, if the skill is from your skill bar the totem that casts a curse and a totem that casts arc, the curse on hit does not apply to spells cast by totems.
8. Does spell damage apply to totems?
Totems, unlike some minions, use skills as if you were using them yourself. So if your totem casts a damaging spell, it will benefit from your spell damage and whatever else is applicable: elemental, cast speed, Area of Effect (AoE), etc.
9. Do golems count as minions?
Yes, golems are a type of minion. They typically provide a direct buff to the character who summoned them.
10. Do totems count as you killing enemies?
Totems inherit your offensive stats, and can shock, curse on hit, etc. But you can’t get anything for killing with totems, totems would get the credit for the kill instead (if they can). You’ll get the experience, though!
11. Does Arcane Surge apply to totems?
Spending mana by placing a totem, trap, or mine will not go towards gaining the Arcane Surge buff.
12. Do totems benefit from minion damage?
Whether or not totems benefit from minion damage modifiers depend on the game. Some consider totems allies are not considered to be minions, and are therefore not affected by minion-specific modifiers such as increased Minion Damage.
13. Does lifeline totem stack?
The Lifeline Totem is no regular damage multiplier, as it only takes effect when you are below a certain percentage of health (e.g., 20%). It only applies to you and can stack too.
14. Can totems be enchanted?
This depends entirely on the game. For example, in Minecraft, you cannot enchant a Totem of Undying through traditional enchantment methods. However, modded versions of the game may introduce that possibility.
15. Will a Totem of Undying save you from the void?
In Minecraft, the Totem of Undying does not save the player from death caused by void damage, the /kill commands or even a tipped arrow with harming effect damage.
Conclusion: Mastering the Totem Tussle
Understanding how totem kills are attributed and how they interact with various game mechanics is crucial for optimizing your gameplay. By knowing the nuances of experience gain, on-kill effects, minion stats, and on-hit interactions, you can craft more effective and sustainable totem-based builds. Always check the specific game’s documentation and community resources for the most up-to-date and accurate information. Game mechanics evolve, and staying informed is the key to mastering any game.
For more information on games and learning, be sure to visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org!