As an avid user of the much beloved French Crab Harpooner/ Cannoneer, I cannot help but notice that in comparison to his fellow Kraken Skulls counterparts, poor Louis feels considerably underwhelming. This is by no means because of his personality, design or epic choices, as I feel he is perfectly fine in all those areas, but rather the unique skills he earned when they revamped Companions all those ages ago.

Louis starts with the Bear Trap ability upon being received. While Bear Trap can be OK early, it is also one of the most easily avoid abilities in the game, and I'm not talking solely in PvP. 90% of the time, PvE enemies will simply walk around the trap, completely negating a turn of set up for Louis. On the off-chance he does hit something, the damage is rather lack-luster by the time you reach early-mid game (Cool Ranch - Port Regal, etc.). Now this wouldn't be a massive issue if it wasn't his ONLY unique ability learned by his first promotion, alas, Louis is the only member of the Kraken Skulls who does NOT receive a second ability upon promotion.

Emmet's de-buff gains a second, stronger charge, Sarah Steele receives a crit buff, Mormo receives a move speed buff and upgraded AoE, and Barnabas receives Buccaneer Strike. Louis neither receives a second ability nor an improvement to his current one. Now, one could argue that is because the Bear Trap upgrade would be Over-powered to obtain by level 15, and they'd be right, which is why it upgrades to that on his second promotion at level 37. The negative side is that his Bear Trap is basically useless following the entry into Cool Ranch, so he's pretty much stuck without a unique ability until he receives his Bomb Traps at level 37.

Do not misunderstand me, Louis Bomb Trap at his second promotion is INCREDIBLY STRONG, but only for a short while after he promotes, as he is quickly outscaled again, and finds himself in a rather useless position again by about the end of Mooshu/ Marleybone. Again, his solo unit Trap can be OK, but is ignored 90% of the time, denying the ability's usefulness. Of course, his abilities combo well with a Musketeer players abilities, but that may mean the player has to forgo buffing up/ setting up other players in order to combo with Louis, which may still be completely avoided. I will quickly note that due to leaks previously seen, both his Bombs and Traps were planned to upgraded on his 3rd Promotion, but that simply isn't in the game as it stands.

I think the fix is to replace Louis' Bear Trap with one of two options: replace it with an AoE attack or a Musketeer/ Agility buff. Problem is, if he has an Agility Buff, he starts to stray into Chantal's territory, which takes away from her own appeals, so I think that option is out. The other option would be to give him something like the T1 Privateer Bombs, which later upgrade into the T2 Privateer Bombs before turning into the Musketeer Bombs. Then, upon his second promotion, give him access to Cyclone Round/ Bonfire Shot, which could then upgrade to Hurricane Round/ Inferno Shot at his second promotion. These abilities are normally learned around these levels (Cyclone and Bonfire being lvl. 18 spells, and Hurricane and Inferno being lvl. 35 spells).

These changes would at least give Louis a unique niche and benefit to using him over Chantal or Bonnie Anne, who simply outclass this poor crab in pretty much every way. Louis just feels like a supporting character who is quickly outclassed and outscaled due to his poor chaining capability (largely due to a lack of Burst Fire and reactive epics.) Giving him extra utility and unique AoE abilities would help define him as one of the premier Musketeer companions, rather than a worse Bonnie Anne. Regardless of whether or not these changes are heard or (hopefully) implemented, Louis will continue to be my own personal most used Musketeer Companion, but I really wish he got the love that the other Kraken Skulls Companions got.

Davy Jones on Apr 3, 2021 wrote:

As an avid user of the much beloved French Crab Harpooner/ Cannoneer, I cannot help but notice that in comparison to his fellow Kraken Skulls counterparts, poor Louis feels considerably underwhelming. This is by no means because of his personality, design or epic choices, as I feel he is perfectly fine in all those areas, but rather the unique skills he earned when they revamped Companions all those ages ago.

Louis starts with the Bear Trap ability upon being received. While Bear Trap can be OK early, it is also one of the most easily avoid abilities in the game, and I'm not talking solely in PvP. 90% of the time, PvE enemies will simply walk around the trap, completely negating a turn of set up for Louis. On the off-chance he does hit something, the damage is rather lack-luster by the time you reach early-mid game (Cool Ranch - Port Regal, etc.). Now this wouldn't be a massive issue if it wasn't his ONLY unique ability learned by his first promotion, alas, Louis is the only member of the Kraken Skulls who does NOT receive a second ability upon promotion.

Emmet's de-buff gains a second, stronger charge, Sarah Steele receives a crit buff, Mormo receives a move speed buff and upgraded AoE, and Barnabas receives Buccaneer Strike. Louis neither receives a second ability nor an improvement to his current one. Now, one could argue that is because the Bear Trap upgrade would be Over-powered to obtain by level 15, and they'd be right, which is why it upgrades to that on his second promotion at level 37. The negative side is that his Bear Trap is basically useless following the entry into Cool Ranch, so he's pretty much stuck without a unique ability until he receives his Bomb Traps at level 37.

Do not misunderstand me, Louis Bomb Trap at his second promotion is INCREDIBLY STRONG, but only for a short while after he promotes, as he is quickly outscaled again, and finds himself in a rather useless position again by about the end of Mooshu/ Marleybone. Again, his solo unit Trap can be OK, but is ignored 90% of the time, denying the ability's usefulness. Of course, his abilities combo well with a Musketeer players abilities, but that may mean the player has to forgo buffing up/ setting up other players in order to combo with Louis, which may still be completely avoided. I will quickly note that due to leaks previously seen, both his Bombs and Traps were planned to upgraded on his 3rd Promotion, but that simply isn't in the game as it stands.

I think the fix is to replace Louis' Bear Trap with one of two options: replace it with an AoE attack or a Musketeer/ Agility buff. Problem is, if he has an Agility Buff, he starts to stray into Chantal's territory, which takes away from her own appeals, so I think that option is out. The other option would be to give him something like the T1 Privateer Bombs, which later upgrade into the T2 Privateer Bombs before turning into the Musketeer Bombs. Then, upon his second promotion, give him access to Cyclone Round/ Bonfire Shot, which could then upgrade to Hurricane Round/ Inferno Shot at his second promotion. These abilities are normally learned around these levels (Cyclone and Bonfire being lvl. 18 spells, and Hurricane and Inferno being lvl. 35 spells).

These changes would at least give Louis a unique niche and benefit to using him over Chantal or Bonnie Anne, who simply outclass this poor crab in pretty much every way. Louis just feels like a supporting character who is quickly outclassed and outscaled due to his poor chaining capability (largely due to a lack of Burst Fire and reactive epics.) Giving him extra utility and unique AoE abilities would help define him as one of the premier Musketeer companions, rather than a worse Bonnie Anne. Regardless of whether or not these changes are heard or (hopefully) implemented, Louis will continue to be my own personal most used Musketeer Companion, but I really wish he got the love that the other Kraken Skulls Companions got.

It is surprising to me that anyone could think that Louis is "underwhelming". I've used him constantly on all my musketeers.

The "problem" of his single trap can be compensated by a proper placement on the battleboard; I've found it helps -
1) Placing it just in front of a companion that is likely to be attacked by a charge.
2) On a ship, place it on a gang plank alongside of your single trap.
3) Beside your barricade where they must step..
4) In the middle of the bombs that you place.
If the situation doesn't allow the above steps - then you don't have to use it.

anecorbie on Apr 6, 2021 wrote:

It is surprising to me that anyone could think that Louis is "underwhelming". I've used him constantly on all my musketeers.

The "problem" of his single trap can be compensated by a proper placement on the battleboard; I've found it helps -
1) Placing it just in front of a companion that is likely to be attacked by a charge.
2) On a ship, place it on a gang plank alongside of your single trap.
3) Beside your barricade where they must step..
4) In the middle of the bombs that you place.
If the situation doesn't allow the above steps - then you don't have to use it.

He just falls outside of my useable top companions order on my musketeer. Not being able to choose burst fire 1 and 2 hurts him the most. As the difficulty increases above Aquila, he falls further and further down the list as he no longer puts out the damage he once did. He really needs a promotion that allows him a second set of bombs, and if ever burst fires become available to him he once more can rival, or complement, Bonnie Anne.

Davy Jones on Apr 8, 2021 wrote:

I believe you are misinterpreting a little bit what I'm saying here: I think Louis LeBisque is underwhelming only in comparison to his fellow Kraken Skulls counterparts, not in general. I am also not having trouble utilizing his trap, rather explaining how inconsistent it is in comparison to the other Kraken Skull's companion's abilities which require less set-up and coordination. And while these plays may work in PvE, they are essentially a wasted turn of setup in PvP, making that entire ability a useless pick for PvP in general.

In general, he is probably the fourth best Musketeer in the game, if for no other reason than his defensive utility (being a Musketeer with an armor number far above most Buccaneers and Privateers alike). But realistically, outside of his bombs, which fall off very hard in the current level of the game, there's no clear niche to using Louis over another Musketeer companion. Chantal has great utility, range and chaining. Bonnie Anne is better at chaining, AoE attacks and de-buffing the enemy. Nausica is more like a swashbuckler/ buccaneer hybrid that can chain companions to death without even the slightest chance to defend themselves. Even Zeena can be better with her own traps and chaining capabilities than Louis.

Louis' niche as the "trapper" is somewhat wasted since his traps do negligible damage at the current level of the game, and really only functions as an OK anti-musketeer thanks to Quick Draw 3, which the other characters above also can learn. You can build him with Overwatch 3 for a more defensive build, but he does end up getting his shell boiled by other Musketeers at that point.

I dunno, it's probably because I know what his kit could look like if they added that third promotion and wish he lived more up to that AoE niche Musketeer that had benefits over Bonnie Anne. I love Louis as a companion and would say without a doubt he is my favorite in the game, but I think he just falls a little short compared to his fellow Musketeers and Kraken Skulls companions.

You're absolutely right. again. I never realized his defenses were so stellar, but I just checked Central's wiki and can confirm what you're saying.

Considering his last Promotion was at Level 37, I do believe another Promotion is in order (Possibly for ALL the Kracken Skulls Companions, but I fear what Sarah Steele would do). It's not that his power level is in any way bad, considering what you're saying, but they need to be more defined.

Why should every companion be exactly like every other class companion? Bonnie Anne doesn't place bombs (like Louis or Pepe), or fire traps like Zeena. Each companion has a different selection of talents/powers.
Louis can be trained in overwatch3, which makes him very effective, regardless of not having burst fire. Bonnie Anne can't train true grit, though some other musketeers can.
We ought to have more variety in our companion's attacks/talents; making everyone the same is boring.
If you intended this post to be about PVP, then you should have mentioned that. PVP shouldn't rule PVE, thank goodness KI developers agree about that.
And I only explained about Louis' trap because you seemed to make such a big issue about it.

Takhethis on Apr 13, 2021 wrote:

I have to laugh at the KI developers agree upon PvP not ruling PvE in programming and making changes after KI pretty much killed a well developed and balanced PvE system in their Wizard101 big change which seems to be geared towards PvP players and not for PvE gameplay other than trying to allow the pay to win players and multi accounters to end most every fight first turn in PvE. Ya, boring. Hope those programmers stay in that game and don't come here.

I was talking about this game, not that one; it's very obvious that W101 is now a ptw game so KI is milking all the money they can from their subscribers.

Fortunately, they haven't brought that philosophy here.