New companions?

Dalsinthus · September 2021

I was disappointed by the lack of new companions added with Deadlands. I was expecting at least one more, similar to how antiquities have expanded with each new chapter and story/zone dlc.

What do you think the future holds for the companion system? Is it two companions and done? Will we see more added with the next chapter in 2022? Will future companions be available only through the crown store? What is in store for this system?

Castian · September 2021

In Final Fantasy 11 they did something similar. It started with just 1 npc, Nanako. It later, a few years later, evolved into the Trust Magic System. You basically were allowed to acquire a copy of notable storyline characters to use as a companion.

Personally I hope it migrates in that direction. Idc about the companion system honestly. The overland content is excessively easy. However, having Gwendis over my shoulder making sharp/amusing commentary would be an enhancement to playing.

Cireous · September 2021

I'm not sure I'm up for the grind of more than 2 companions a year.

I really wish they would cut the amount of time it takes to level everything in half.

Dalsinthus · September 2021

Cireous wrote: »

I'm not sure I'm up for the grind of more than 2 companions a year.

I really wish they would cut the amount of time it takes to level everything in half.

Yeah the thought of doing all those guild quests again… shudders

WySoSirius · September 2021

With the state of random pug dungeons, I would love to have 2 to 3 companions to effectively make a full group to run dungeons if pugs are a nightmare 👌

Araneae6537 · September 2021

WySoSirius wrote: »

With the state of random pug dungeons, I would love to have 2 to 3 companions to effectively make a full group to run dungeons if pugs are a nightmare 👌

I would love to have that for story dungeon runs! Or will I lose rapport if I explore every dialogue option and loot every chest!

WySoSirius · September 2021

Araneae6537 wrote: »

WySoSirius wrote: »

With the state of random pug dungeons, I would love to have 2 to 3 companions to effectively make a full group to run dungeons if pugs are a nightmare 👌

I would love to have that for story dungeon runs! Or will I lose rapport if I explore every dialogue option and loot every chest!

The rapport loss is a small price to pay. But would create a more interesting immersion with all the companions bickering or cheering on depending on what gets them on their good side or bad side.. I actually think that would make dungeons alot more exciting with all the interactions and chatter

xgoku1 · September 2021

1. Significantly reduce rapport and XP grind
2. Account-wide rapport
3. More PvE utility

Allow them in solo arenas
Buff them ... a lot
Allow mechanics like standing on pedestal for some dungeons
Improve their mitigation mechanics like smarter roll dodges etc.

4. Their own inventory space
5. More non-combat benefits; passive or active effects, like survey gathering while logged out
6. Deeper RP instead of regurgitating same 5 lines ad nauseum

But probably, the feature-set is going to remain the same and ZOS will add 2 companions per year of different flavors. I personally am not interested in grinding for such low pay-off in its current state.

myskyrim26 · September 2021

I'm a casual solo player. I found Companions to be utterly useless. They are just talking pets with impossible achivements like "level to 20", "max rapport" and "dress all purple".

I hope Companions will become something more than talking pets. I soloed FG1 with Bastian, and after that soloed it without him. When I did it alone, it was... easier and quicker - I didn't have to heal and res. Bastian can only survive in delves and public dungeons - oh well, I can do them alone. Craglorn delves, group dungeons? He's just always dead.

I hope new Companions will not have weird habits. Look, why do I have to care for insane, annoying things like "don't harvest torchbugs"?

I hope new Companions will be easier to level - both combat and rapport. Now it is just impossible. I unlocked Bastian on the very first day he appeared. I always travel with him. And what's the outcome? He's level 12. Twelve! It will take me forever to make him level 20. And no, I don't have time to do Craglorn 24/7 to grind his level. Rapport? It seems not to move at all. And no, I don't have time to do Mages Guild dailies every day - I have a ton of things to do in ESO. And I can only play for about 1-1,5 hours a day!

Helmets. Hairstyles. Adornments. Tattoes I really don't understand why we can't customize the Companions. I agree to buy Crown Store cosmetics packs designed for companion-only use, just let us have them!

Companion's gear. For now it seems impossible to get anything purple. No, I'm not a millioneer to get anything from guildstores.

Let them be Crown Store - but let us have all races!. How many years will it take me to get a Khajiit? Altmer, Bosmer? We need all races! My main is an AD character, and RP is a vital part of my game. My Altmer lady just can't travel with a Dunmer girl for way too many reasons. Altmer and Dunmer can't stand each other, you know... Bastian? An Imperial servant of a Covenant family? Oh, well... So, he is a traitor now, right? He betrayed his family and his Allaince. How can my Altmer lady trust such a person?

But, you know, nothing of my list will ever happen. Nothing, believe me.

Parasaurolophus · September 2021

myskyrim26 wrote: »

I'm a casual solo player. I found Companions to be utterly useless. They are just talking pets with impossible achivements like "level to 20", "max rapport" and "dress all purple".

I hope Companions will become something more than talking pets. I soloed FG1 with Bastian, and after that soloed it without him. When I did it alone, it was... easier and quicker - I didn't have to heal and res. Bastian can only survive in delves and public dungeons - oh well, I can do them alone. Craglorn delves, group dungeons? He's just always dead.

I hope new Companions will not have weird habits. Look, why do I have to care for insane, annoying things like "don't harvest torchbugs"?

I hope new Companions will be easier to level - both combat and rapport. Now it is just impossible. I unlocked Bastian on the very first day he appeared. I always travel with him. And what's the outcome? He's level 12. Twelve! It will take me forever to make him level 20. And no, I don't have time to do Craglorn 24/7 to grind his level. Rapport? It seems not to move at all. And no, I don't have time to do Mages Guild dailies every day - I have a ton of things to do in ESO. And I can only play for about 1-1,5 hours a day!

Helmets. Hairstyles. Adornments. Tattoes I really don't understand why we can't customize the Companions. I agree to buy Crown Store cosmetics packs designed for companion-only use, just let us have them!

Companion's gear. For now it seems impossible to get anything purple. No, I'm not a millioneer to get anything from guildstores.

Let them be Crown Store - but let us have all races!. How many years will it take me to get a Khajiit? Altmer, Bosmer? We need all races! My main is an AD character, and RP is a vital part of my game. My Altmer lady just can't travel with a Dunmer girl for way too many reasons. Altmer and Dunmer can't stand each other, you know... Bastian? An Imperial servant of a Covenant family? Oh, well... So, he is a traitor now, right? He betrayed his family and his Allaince. How can my Altmer lady trust such a person?

But, you know, nothing of my list will ever happen. Nothing, believe me.

I agree with you in everything. Companions are a casual feature that requires no casual effort at all.

BomblePants · September 2021

I have found dungeons easier with Bastion as a tank… maybe it’s just me?

As for levelling… just four mages guild dailies, s crying and reading a few books and he was mainly cooked… it wasn’t that bad once I realised what he liked… (with a lot of help from you kind forum peeps)… So I don’t think it’s too grindy after all…

myskyrim26 · September 2021

BomblePants wrote: »

I have found dungeons easier with Bastion as a tank… maybe it’s just me?

As for levelling… just four mages guild dailies, s crying and reading a few books and he was mainly cooked… it wasn’t that bad once I realised what he liked… (with a lot of help from you kind forum peeps)… So I don’t think it’s too grindy after all…

Maybe I should try him as a tank...

Dragonredux · September 2021

myskyrim26 wrote: »

BomblePants wrote: »

I have found dungeons easier with Bastion as a tank… maybe it’s just me?

As for levelling… just four mages guild dailies, s crying and reading a few books and he was mainly cooked… it wasn’t that bad once I realised what he liked… (with a lot of help from you kind forum peeps)… So I don’t think it’s too grindy after all…

Maybe I should try him as a tank...

Honestly, Companion tanks are useless. 12 and 36 second taunt cooldowns which makes them effectively taunt only one enemy at a time.

They're mostly fine it's just one boss but if there's multiple bosses or multiple elite adds, their usefulness falls off a lot.

Dark_Lord_Kuro · September 2021

Well for this time i wasnt surprised
I mean, how where they suppose to lock them beind blackwood? Putting it behind the epilogue quest would make it too time consuming to unlock on each character

Next year tough, when blackwood becomes a dlc and the the companion feture is untied from blackwood, i can see then putting other companion somewhere else leaving only Bastion and Mirri in blackwood

Arato · October 2021

We really need new companions
especially ones that'd be okay with dark brotherhood and thievery
right now both of the companions hate those things so any thieves/assassins have to work alone
I also can't wait for a better tank companion than Bastian because I utterly hate his personality I hate his guts.
But he's the best option for a tank companion which I need on a few characters so as of right now I'm sort of stuck with him as much as every time he opens his mouth I want to beat him and tell him to shut up.

BretonMage · October 2021

I'm really enjoying my experience with Bastian. Having him around with my 2 sorc pets makes travelling Tamriel to level scrying so much easier, since I can just leave them to deal with the overland trash mobs while I focus on looking for dig sites. Or tbh, any overland questing is now less tedious.

I was probably lucky that my character has fairly similar values to Bastian's, in that they're both magical, good-aligned characters, so levelling his rapport has been effortless for me.

And I especially like having a companion around with their occasional comments, but I really wish they would comment more on significant experiences (like quests and dungeons, and more areas) and less on harvesting. That would make the companion experience so much more enjoyable.

So, all that said, I've had a positive experience of companions and I'm looking forward to more next year. Also, if they could add more content to our current companions, that would also be fantastic.

Araneae6537 · October 2021

xgoku1 wrote: »

1. Significantly reduce rapport and XP grind
2. Account-wide rapport
3. More PvE utility
Allow them in solo arenas

Buff them ... a lot

Allow mechanics like standing on pedestal for some dungeons

Improve their mitigation mechanics like smarter roll dodges etc.

4. Their own inventory space
5. More non-combat benefits; passive or active effects, like survey gathering while logged out
6. Deeper RP instead of regurgitating same 5 lines ad nauseum

But probably, the feature-set is going to remain the same and ZOS will add 2 companions per year of different flavors. I personally am not interested in grinding for such low pay-off in its current state.

I agree with most of these except not account wide rapport and I say that as an altoholic. But my characters are distinct individuals and they should be so to companion characters as well. I don’t plan to go for max with all my characters because neither Bastian nor Mirri would be besties with all my characters!

One thing that would be nice is if Mirri and Bastian were more invested in various other quests done throughout the world or at least Blackwood since I realize that would be a huge endeavor…

(Edited for clarity.)

Beilin_Balreis_Colcan · October 2021

Castian wrote: »

In Final Fantasy 11 they did something similar. It started with just 1 npc, Nanako. It later, a few years later, evolved into the Trust Magic System. You basically were allowed to acquire a copy of notable storyline characters to use as a companion.

Personally I hope it migrates in that direction. Idc about the companion system honestly. The overland content is excessively easy. However, having Gwendis over my shoulder making sharp/amusing commentary would be an enhancement to playing.

Agreed, I'd like a copy of J'Zargo the Khajiit as a companion. That's one witty cat.

hafgood · October 2021

I'd be happy for extra companions if there are no achievements tied to them. I find them annoying and pointless but because I like achievements find myself having to have them out to level them up. Hoping to get both to 20 during witches festival and then I never need to see then again

HyekAr · October 2021

Some tank companion would be helpfull for DD ppl

But what is more important is the aspect, i would like to have some kind of skins like undead, skeleton, wwolf

DinoZavr · October 2021

i'd like to have two more companions just to use them as mannequins (to have all 4 sets of Companions gear: tank, healer, magDD, stamDD) as Zenimax had not provided us with a Companions gear bag yet (which is unfortunate as Companions gear eats up quite a lot of inventory slots).

i'd hardly level them up, though. Levelled up Mirri (20, all armor skills, bow, destro, resto skills maxed) and it took a LOT of time. Now levelling Bastian who is 15 at this moment. Maxing up Companions is too time consuming in my humble opinion.

Companions are mostly RP feature as it is a big strike of luck if healer Mirri survives Ilambris twins on normal, she never survived nDSA daedric arena 7 (yes, i play solo and first 9 arenas are quite trivial), so they die in a minute in a harder content where you might need them, and stay alive in an easy content where you absolutely don't need any help. Also, the fact Companions love to reset bosses makes their usefulness rather questionable.

i strongly hope Zenimax would not abandon Companions development and add them a lit more brains. So i'd prefer quality over quantity. And Companions gear bag in the first place!

joerginger · October 2021

Hopefully we will either never see another companion or the system to level them is overhauled completely.
It's been almost half a year since the current companions were introduced, but so far only Mirri has achieved full progress in all armor lines (and all but two weapon skill lines). That means I could now start taking Bastian to fights and do this endless grind all over again. As far as I'm concerned, I have one companion. Since Mirri is slightly less annoying and at least somewhat more tolerable for the way that I play.

In addition, the favour system is absolutely anti-alt. Trying to gain the companions' favour on more than one character is a seemingly never-ending grind and ultimately completely pointless.

I don't really want to question their usefulness to solo players, I'm sure Mirri has helped my characters a bit. But in the situations a companion would actually be needed, especially when trying to solo a world boss or a dungeon boss, even fully-developed Mirri is dead on the ground after a very short time.

DarkPicture · October 2021

In next years we will get only 1 companion per year which is confrimed (theres only 6 classes and we already got 2 in BW). So companion system is safe for next 4 years which gives them a lot of time to create 1 or 2 new classes and it will add another 1/2 year

In 2022 we will also get a romance system which should be introduce in this year but was delayed. Later they will add gold gear too.

I agree with lvling somehow however lvling guild lines is easy but lvling to lvl 20 is annoying. I dont understand why weapons skill lines require half of xp compare to class and companion global lvl. They should reduce that.

Unable to hide helemts is for immersion but yea they should change it too.

Each companion already has non combat passiv if u complete bunch of achis. (mirri increase drop loot and bastian gives chance for droping better potions)

They dont have own inventory is only cause zos doesnt want companions to become another bank, its also confirmed.

They cant add companions to crown store cause its game feature and u cant personalized them cause they are unique npcs. Thats why they wont make 10 races of same character. To make companion they need to make unique quest line, voice line and appearance? (im not sure if there are same looking npcs ingame)

Lugaldu · October 2021

I like the companion system, but I find it extremely disappointing that there are only two for the entire year. There could also be more extensive updates for their comments and dialogues. It's just tiring that you see the same two faces everywhere and the problem will certainly not get better if we will see only one new companion every year from now on...

dinokstrunz · October 2021

Probably because companion system was a flop. There was too much wrong with them and they were overwhelmingly badly received. Once people maxed them out and got the associated achievements they were thrown away and never to be used again.

Slyclone · October 2021

I will use a female breton companion if she looks like my toon(s).

TheImperfect · October 2021

I love companions but have a suggestion for improvement. They need to be able to be active at the same time as merchant and banker. I know technically they are in the same category but it's annoying that Fezez can't stand to be in the room when Mirri is around. I'd also love a nasty companion who doesn't have a problem with theft or murder.

xgoku1 · October 2021

My guess is that 2 more companions are gonna be added for 2022. Most likely one of the other races apart from Dunmer and Breton. 1 Male, 1 Female.

If I had to wager, I would say they would go for the Man/Mer combo again. Maybe Nord/Altmer

SammyKhajit · October 2021

Miri is at last level 20. The ult wasn’t very useful, but it was very nice that she gave Sammy a gift and a letter about their friendship.

Still want Za’ji or Clanmother Tadali for the next companion. Even Pacrooti can redeem himself by giving up his sinful occupation and join this one in some adventuring.

Anumaril · October 2021

I'm 90% sure they will be adding more companions in the future. The mechanic has too much potential and is used by too many people not to capitalise on it. I wouldn't even be surprised if they added companions to the Crown store years in the future (but let's not give them any ideas :P).

The questions are: "When?" and "How many?"
More goes into the development of a single companion than probably most antiquities, so they can't easily just pump them out with every new update. I would guess that we will see maybe a couple every year or so. So my speculation would be that the next companions will come along sometime in 2022.

Dark_Lord_Kuro · October 2021

xgoku1 wrote: »

My guess is that 2 more companions are gonna be added for 2022. Most likely one of the other races apart from Dunmer and Breton. 1 Male, 1 Female.

If I had to wager, I would say they would go for the Man/Mer combo again. Maybe Nord/Altmer

And most likely a sorc and a templar since those are the only base game class left
Also if only one comes out, i think it will be a sorc as from my perspective its the most popular class of the 2(no official data, just what i think)