I mostly "Crap"ped because they were shielded, thus no damage from elemental. Devil only casts, thus I can't outdamage/fight without familiar. Panic mode is when "dispel magic" doesn't enter the mind for some odd reason.
And the familiar was OP at 40, but not out of line at 51. It helped, sure, but try playing a lone char with a deathmark over your head (everyone is an enemy pretty much) with no cabal powers (and no rewards) and no real hope of achieving your goals. Do it for a 100 hours and then we can talk. Oh, and by your RP you're bound to be very aggressive and not back down pretty much ever because you see yourself as the ultimate Destruction machine (and have to prove it to your deity, and no idea whether he watches or not or even cares about your existance.)
P.S. And then there are times the familiar dies before coming out of murder/cranial lag and you take a *** hard in the nuts and minus 1/3 con. Jarlduz, for a still-living example, wiped the floor with it easily.