Please allow companions to wear hats/hairstyles

Whiskers · November 20

We can already dress our companions in costumers, it would be great if we could also equip them with different hairstyles or hats

wilykcat · November 20

I would love to put a hat on Ember.

AcadianPaladin · November 21

I'm a bit mystified why this low hanging fruit, easy and oft requested option has not been incorporated. Who or what would it hurt to allow those who want headgear on companions to do so? Seems like a great opportunity for the devs to embrace 'play how you want'.

spartaxoxo · November 21

They have said in the past they won't allow this because they want them to feel like characters.

Whiskers · November 21

spartaxoxo wrote: »

They have said in the past they won't allow this because they want them to feel like characters.

That's a good reason to implement hats! "I'm sorry, companion, X, but unless you put a hat on that hair, you are not going out in public with me!"

AcadianPaladin · November 21

spartaxoxo wrote: »

They have said in the past they won't allow this because they want them to feel like characters.

That sort of makes the 'Play how you want!' slogan sound like 'Play how we want you to play!' Surely that can't be?

For those who believe that no headgear makes companions feel more like characters, they should certainly be free to not put headgear on their companions.

@spartaxoxo I know you are helpfully and simply presenting information - which is appreciated.

SilverBride · November 21

This has been answered here, post #39:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/634365/companions-q-a/p1

Q: I just want to give them a hat so they don't look the same as everyone else... any thoughts on changing your stance on this?

TM: We do have discussions about the level of flexibility we want to give users on a Companion’s appearance “from the neck-up” – like hats, or different hairstyles. One of the early design considerations with companions was the balance between "identity" and "customization" for each companion. We wanted to give players as much freedom to customize their traveling companion, while at the same time keeping the identity of the companion the same. We ended up with "no hats" on companions because it hit that sweet spot - where players can make them look any way they wish, but the character and identity of the companion doesn't change because you always see their face.

Syldras · November 21

Who doesn't know this common problem: It's winter and you put a knitted cap on against the cold, and - poof! You're suddenly a completely different person! All traces of character just gone. Tragic.

Especially tragic since it, of course, also applies to one's spouse and children. Think of the thousands of children, wives and husbands getting lost every winter because they suddenly turned unidentifiable by their own family members.

SilverBride · November 21

If we put a helmet on a Companion covering their face then yes, they do lose their identity, because that is the only thing that identifies them. Unlike humans that have recognizable body shapes etc. that help identify them, too.

vsrs_au · November 21

Bastian would be easy to spot even with a full-face helmet on: the tattoos tend to be a bit of a giveaway.

Syldras · November 21

SilverBride wrote: »

If we put a helmet on a Companion covering their face then yes, they do lose their identity, because that is the only thing that identifies them. Unlike humans that have recognizable body shapes etc. that help identify them, too.

To other players they might look generic then, but I think exactly that would help to make them seem more like individuals, as having clones of them everywhere makes them less unique and also worsens immersion.

To the player, even with a helmet on they still have their voice lines, their name, their quests, their likes and dislikes. I don't suddenly forget who Isobel is just because she wears a helmet.

And even if that was truly a problem, players should be able to make their own choice. People who care for companions as characters, as individuals, won't forget who they are, no matter what they wear, because it's an important part of their roleplay. Or they might even freely decide against a helmet that obscures their face because they want to see it. But why should players who don't care for this not be allowed to not care? It's not like the companions are real people with real feelings that could be hurt. If some people want to imagine them as random mercenaries where's the problem?

SilverBride · November 21

They gave the Companions identities and they want to keep those identities intact.

Erickson9610 · November 21

AcadianPaladin wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

They have said in the past they won't allow this because they want them to feel like characters.

That sort of makes the 'Play how you want!' slogan sound like 'Play how we want you to play!' Surely that can't be?

People tend to take the "Play how you want" slogan out of context. That phrase refers to the ability to play any role on any race and class, and also the ability to play any content in any order and not be locked behind leveled areas.

How does the inability to adorn helmets and hats on your Companions affect your ability to play any role or content in the game?

(Yes, I'd like to have the option to put hats and helmets on my Companions too, but my playstyles aren't being limited by the inability to do so)

spartaxoxo · November 21

AcadianPaladin wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

They have said in the past they won't allow this because they want them to feel like characters.

That sort of makes the 'Play how you want!' slogan sound like 'Play how we want you to play!' Surely that can't be?

For those who believe that no headgear makes companions feel more like characters, they should certainly be free to not put headgear on their companions.

spartaxoxo I know you are helpfully and simply presenting information - which is appreciated.

While I would also like to be able to give them hats, I don't agree it violates play as you want since the companion isn't an extension of my character. It's not a pet or doll but their own character. They have limits to strengthen characterization. Same way we aren't allowed to customize Nathan Drake as much as The Last Dragon born. Restrictions on customization makes a character feel more distinct from our own.

That being said, I don't think a hat is a big deal and would help with the "same face" issue when running around and seeing a bunch of companion clones.

I would not support being able to change their race, hair, tattoos, or gender though. But I don't agree with the lack of hats/helms. Actually, I think Isobel's case, it would aide her characterization because she is a knight but can't wear a Knight's helm.

BXR_Lonestar · November 21

Yes! My Bastion needs a wig to go along with his beer wench dress.

Erickson9610 · November 21

I think a good compromise would be to automatically hide the helmet whenever the Companion is speaking — for instance, during scripted sequences in their questline and also when you're talking to them face-to-face in their dialogue menu. Companions absolutely should be allowed to wear helmets during combat, and possibly also while not in combat while adventuring in the overworld.

The designers want us to recognize that each Companion is their own unique character, and I think the best way to support that vision in this compromise is to let the Companion take their helmet off during important character moments. The player should see the Companion's face when it's absolutely necessary.

Cooperharley · November 21

AcadianPaladin wrote: »

I'm a bit mystified why this low hanging fruit, easy and oft requested option has not been incorporated. Who or what would it hurt to allow those who want headgear on companions to do so? Seems like a great opportunity for the devs to embrace 'play how you want'.

There’s a lot of stuff in this game which leads to this exact question.

“Why is this not a thing?”

It’s simply because the devs don’t want it to be despite players wanting it. There are lots of great opportunities for the devs, it’s just a matter of if they want to do it or not and most of the time they don’t 🤷🏻‍♂️

NotaDaedraWorshipper · November 21

Syldras wrote: »

Who doesn't who this common problem: It's winter and you put a knitted cap on against the cold, and - poof! You're suddenly a completely different person! All traces of character just gone. Tragic.

Especially tragic since it, of course, also applies to one's spouse and children. Think of the thousands of children, wives and husbands getting lost every winter because they suddenly turned unidentifiable by their own family members.

It's very tragic and confusing for everyone near and dear. As someone pale living in the northern part of the world I need knitted caps and such in the winter and hats in summer to protect against the sun. Even in spring and autumn I often need something to protect me from rain and wind. So much changing every season, I don't know who I am any more! Nor my partner, friends or family. What if you meet in spring and find out your winter characteristics doesn't get along? Truly tragic

Cooperharley · November 21

SilverBride wrote: »

They gave the Companions identities and they want to keep those identities intact.

I don’t think a helmet or mask changes somebody’s entire identity lol. They still have every feature with them - skills, voice lines, personality, etc. It’s like you wearing a hat. You’re not a different person because you wear a hat..

Keeping their “identity” while allowing players to see 17 embers in town is curious… I think the immersion breaking versus placing a hat on a companion is an easy decision personally. But, to be fair, there’s a lot of stuff ZOS does, even with developer comments, that make me scratch my head and wonder where the logic arose.

Silaf · November 21

Companion as they are are terribly immersion breaking and are ruining the game.

Toanis · November 21

Maybe add customisations like SWTOR has? Just an extra gear slot for an item that changes a companion's appearance to an alternative version. This way the devs keep control over the companions "identity" but there aren't as many clones of your companion standing around everywhere you go.

NotaDaedraWorshipper · November 21

Toanis wrote: »

Maybe add customisations like SWTOR has? Just an extra gear slot for an item that changes a companion's appearance to an alternative version. This way the devs keep control over the companions "identity" but there aren't as many clones of your companion standing around everywhere you go.

To this day SWTOR still has the best companions imo. Well characterised and unique characters with a lot of dialogue and reactions (at least to old content, no idea how it is to all the expansions released over the years) and all that. Charactersations and indentity that was never feared it would suddenly vanish when they wore helmets and whatnot. Then they have those appearance customsation items that changes their whole appearance. Face, hair, skintone, adorments etc. The human looking companions have a lot of variation with default being of course what everyone starts with and you need to obtain the appearance changes. No matter which you use it's still the same character and you recognise them as that. Back when I played it could be a little interesting to see which one people used for theirs.

AnduinTryggva · November 21

spartaxoxo wrote: »

They have said in the past they won't allow this because they want them to feel like characters.

Which I somehow understand but this is somehow in contradiction to the fact that we have so many clones of the same character on a large mee-up. In cities, it reaches the dimension of a sort of identical twin convention.

This leads this "the companion is a unique character with a unique identity" a bit ... how shall I put it, ad absurdum.

SilverBride · November 21

Cooperharley wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

They gave the Companions identities and they want to keep those identities intact.

I don’t think a helmet or mask changes somebody’s entire identity lol. They still have every feature with them - skills, voice lines, personality, etc. It’s like you wearing a hat. You’re not a different person because you wear a hat..

Keeping their “identity” while allowing players to see 17 embers in town is curious… I think the immersion breaking versus placing a hat on a companion is an easy decision personally. But, to be fair, there’s a lot of stuff ZOS does, even with developer comments, that make me scratch my head and wonder where the logic arose.

We don't see 17 Embers in town because we haven't been able to see other players' Companions in town for awhile now.

Erickson9610 · November 21

I don't think helmets are enough to fix the "clone problem". Until every unique player has their own unique Companion, there will always be some two players who use the same Companion.

In fact, some people don't even change their Companion's default appearance! The armor motif they come in by default looks good in whatever weight of armor they wear.

Again, even if Companions were to have the same level of customization as players do, there will always be a handful of players who keep their Companion's default appearance, probably because it feels the most true to their character (or because the player can't be bothered to change it). Maybe more customization would help some people to pretend that their Companion is unique, but the fact is that every player can get access to that same Companion.

whitecrow · November 22

I imagine an issue is that things like Ember's head-wrap are permanently affixed and not removable for another hat.

Syldras · November 22

whitecrow wrote: »

I imagine an issue is that things like Ember's head-wrap are permanently affixed and not removable for another hat.

That's a standard Khajiit hairstyle called "Dread Turban Bun" and I think it should work with hats like any other hairstyles do.

Nord_Raseri · November 22

My wife braided her hair. I no longer recognize her. Please help!

Syldras · November 22

Nord_Raseri wrote: »

My wife braided her hair. I no longer recognize her. Please help!

How about you shave her hair off? It might take a bit to get used to her being bald, but at least she will remain bald for several months - no braids and other unfortunate surprises making her unrecognizable anymore!

PrincessOfThieves · November 22

SilverBride wrote: »

If we put a helmet on a Companion covering their face then yes, they do lose their identity, because that is the only thing that identifies them. Unlike humans that have recognizable body shapes etc. that help identify them, too.

They still have unique voices, abilities and reactions, and even some unique animations.

SilverBride · November 22

PrincessOfThieves wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

If we put a helmet on a Companion covering their face then yes, they do lose their identity, because that is the only thing that identifies them. Unlike humans that have recognizable body shapes etc. that help identify them, too.

They still have unique voices, abilities and reactions, and even some unique animations.

We don't see those when they are just running by with the player.