Please give us the option for Companion helmets.

Meredy · October 23

there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to. It's annoying to see many copies of your companion wandering around. Some people prefer roleplaying with a "hired nameless mercenary".

dogshaman · October 23

Washargo agrees!

The ability for companions to wear helms, (or if possible, even hats/masks/hair/tats and other face-wear that is aready available for Khajiits), would be a nice addition for ingame immersion.

Another nice addition, if possible, would be the ability to rename companions, and/or mounts, so that the names are visible for others to see.

Erickson9610 · October 23

I like the idea of using helmets or hats that don't obscure the face. There are many hoods and the like which still clearly show the character's face that would be cool to put on our Companions.

An aside, but other players' Companions are not meant to be clones of the same character, because they're given the generic name "<PlayerName>'s Companion", similar to how temporary followers in story quests are handled. Hiding your Companion's face won't suddenly make them a different character, and the last thing we need from the Companions system is a generic, uninteresting character.

Syldras · November 1

I didn't care about this for a long time because Bastian, Isobel and Mirri looked "normal" enough for be just some Imperial/Breton/Dunmer commoner. But with Tanlorin's fancy hair and Zerith's glowy eyes, my opinion has definitively changed. They look too specific which makes the clone problem worse. So, yes, I'd like ZOS to give us the option to use helmets for companions. All types of helmets, not just limited to ones which don't obscure the face.

Theist_VII · November 1

This has been asked for by quite a few people and the ZOS stance has been that they want the companions to be recognizable.

Kind of the main problem with ESO, our Creative Director doesn’t believe we have the intelligence to solve puzzles or make correlations.

Most people will be able to see Nightblade abilities and know the companion is Mirri, ect…

Erickson9610 · November 1

Theist_VII wrote: »

Most people will be able to see Nightblade abilities and know the companion is Mirri, ect…

Nightblade abilities won't be unique to Mirri forever. Eventually we will get another Nightblade Companion, the way Tanlorin shares some of Bastian's Dragonknight skills like Kindle.

Theist_VII · November 1

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Theist_VII wrote: »

Most people will be able to see Nightblade abilities and know the companion is Mirri, ect…

Nightblade abilities won't be unique to Mirri forever. Eventually we will get another Nightblade Companion, the way Tanlorin shares some of Bastian's Dragonknight skills like Kindle.

Haven’t used Tanlorin, are those skills the same colors as regular Dragonknight skills found on Bastion?

Erickson9610 · November 1

Theist_VII wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Theist_VII wrote: »

Most people will be able to see Nightblade abilities and know the companion is Mirri, ect…

Nightblade abilities won't be unique to Mirri forever. Eventually we will get another Nightblade Companion, the way Tanlorin shares some of Bastian's Dragonknight skills like Kindle.

Haven’t used Tanlorin, are those skills the same colors as regular Dragonknight skills found on Bastion?

Some abilities are the exact same in appearance and function, like Kindle. Some abilities are different "morphs", like how Tanlorin's "Volcanic Arms" has a different effect from Bastian's "Searing Weapons". And finally, Tanlorin has some Dragonknight abilities that Bastian doesn't have, like the Companion equivalent of Ash Cloud.

The Companion Dragonknight skill lines are named the exact same. However, Tanlorin is unique in that the Companion version of the Soul Magic skill line (called Empathic Fighter) replaces the damage dealer skill line, so Tanlorin and Bastian only share the Companion Dragonknight "Draconic Armor" and "Radiating Heart" skill lines, not the "Ardent Warrior" skill line.

Theist_VII · November 1

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Theist_VII wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Theist_VII wrote: »

Most people will be able to see Nightblade abilities and know the companion is Mirri, ect…

Nightblade abilities won't be unique to Mirri forever. Eventually we will get another Nightblade Companion, the way Tanlorin shares some of Bastian's Dragonknight skills like Kindle.

Haven’t used Tanlorin, are those skills the same colors as regular Dragonknight skills found on Bastion?

Some abilities are the exact same in appearance and function, like Kindle. Some abilities are different "morphs", like how Tanlorin's "Volcanic Arms" has a different effect from Bastian's "Searing Weapons". And finally, Tanlorin has some Dragonknight abilities that Bastian doesn't have, like the Companion equivalent of Ash Cloud.

The Companion Dragonknight skill lines are named the exact same. However, Tanlorin is unique in that the Companion version of the Soul Magic skill line (called Empathic Fighter) replaces the damage dealer skill line, so Tanlorin and Bastian only share the Companion Dragonknight "Draconic Armor" and "Radiating Heart" skill lines, not the "Ardent Warrior" skill line.

Perhaps an easy fix to the identity issue would be to have each companion have their own color schemes?

For example, blue flames for Tanlorin?

Then we could get helmets, as our companions should be recognizable in deed and functionality, not solely their face.

Silaf · November 1

For me the main problem is immersion. I can't take the game seriously with so many Bastian clones running around with the same face.

The helmet would solve the problem since we have so many options for it.

And why not let the player choose with the option to hide it?

Erickson9610 · November 1

Theist_VII wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Theist_VII wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Theist_VII wrote: »

Most people will be able to see Nightblade abilities and know the companion is Mirri, ect…

Nightblade abilities won't be unique to Mirri forever. Eventually we will get another Nightblade Companion, the way Tanlorin shares some of Bastian's Dragonknight skills like Kindle.

Haven’t used Tanlorin, are those skills the same colors as regular Dragonknight skills found on Bastion?

Some abilities are the exact same in appearance and function, like Kindle. Some abilities are different "morphs", like how Tanlorin's "Volcanic Arms" has a different effect from Bastian's "Searing Weapons". And finally, Tanlorin has some Dragonknight abilities that Bastian doesn't have, like the Companion equivalent of Ash Cloud.

The Companion Dragonknight skill lines are named the exact same. However, Tanlorin is unique in that the Companion version of the Soul Magic skill line (called Empathic Fighter) replaces the damage dealer skill line, so Tanlorin and Bastian only share the Companion Dragonknight "Draconic Armor" and "Radiating Heart" skill lines, not the "Ardent Warrior" skill line.

Perhaps an easy fix to the identity issue would be to have each companion have their own color schemes?

For example, blue flames for Tanlorin?

Then we could get helmets, as our companions should be recognizable in deed and functionality, not solely their face.

It'd be cool if Companion abilities had their own Skill Styles, but that alone isn't enough to distinguish them. You could equip a Companion with non-Class abilities, such as all Armor, Weapon, and Guild abilities.

Tanlorin set the precedent that Companion skill lines can have different ability morphs or a different subset of skills from one another, but that doesn't apply to non-Class skill lines. Zerith-var set the precedent that Racial passives can be different between characters of the same race, as his Khajiit passives have a different effect than Ember's Khajiit racial passives.

I am not personally worried about trying to distinguish the Companions. I like that Tanlorin and Zerith-var have unique appearances which are explained in their questline. I feel sorry for the people who are bothered by seeing other players using the same Companions as them, though.

EF321 · November 1

If ZOS insists on us seeing our companion faces for some reason, they could at least let us choose helmet/hat that others will see (incl. no helmet too).

Dark_Lord_Kuro · November 1

Normally i dont care about my companions having an helment on, but talorin? Her hair are horrible... i just want to hide them... so i dont use her.

Erickson9610 · November 1

How about we have the ability to put a helmet on our Companion, but they always take it off whenever we talk to them, the way our own characters take their helmets off when using a crafting station? Certain points in the Companion questline could also automatically hide their helmets if that's desirable for scripted dialogue moments.

If the concern is that we won't get to see their face for important character moments, we should at least wait until they're speaking to see their face. Plus this would allow Companions to visibly wear helmets into battle, addressing the concern people had about Isobel being a knight who doesn't wear a helmet.

lardvader · November 1

Yes please and also be able to change their hairstyle.

Erickson9610 · November 1

lardvader wrote: »

Yes please and also be able to change their hairstyle.

Given that a Companion's appearance (such as their eyes or body markings) can be important to their storyline, I think certain cosmetics shouldn't be able to be used by Companions. It'd make no sense to just replace Zerith-var's glowing eyes or Tanlorin's magical tattoos since they play such an important role in their stories.

That's not to say that we shouldn't be able to put armor to cover those features, though. Tanlorin's tattoos can be completely hidden by armor, but they're not outright removed. This is why I think it's okay to have a helmet on our Companions when they're not in dialogue, but I don't think it's okay that we completely change their hairstyle or overall physical appearance.

LunaFlora · November 1

For now it is not going to happen:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/634365/companions-q-a/p2

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.

Whilst anything could change, i doubt zos will change this.

JemadarofCaerSalis · November 1

LunaFlora wrote: »

For now it is not going to happen:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/634365/companions-q-a/p2

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.

Whilst anything could change, i doubt zos will change this.

Yeah, I thought of this the other day, with TAnlorin's hair and tattoo, along with Zerith's glowing eyes, I sort of doubt we are going to get any sort of ability to change anything about companions to make them more unique from each other.

I can understand their point, I just don't really agree with it, but I am not in charge :P

AcadianPaladin · November 1

I thought the whole point was to play as you want rather than how the devs think you should play. Who or what does it hurt if I want to put a hat on Mirri?

RaddlemanNumber7 · November 1

Hiding Tanlorin's horrible hair do is a must.

Syldras · November 1

JemadarofCaerSalis wrote: »

Yeah, I thought of this the other day, with TAnlorin's hair and tattoo, along with Zerith's glowing eyes, I sort of doubt we are going to get any sort of ability to change anything about companions to make them more unique from each other.
I can understand their point, I just don't really agree with it, but I am not in charge :P

The funny thing is that they probably got these features to look "unique" - but having clones of them around everywhere who all have that hair and the glowy eyes doesn't make it feel special anymore at all.

JemadarofCaerSalis · November 1

Syldras wrote: »

JemadarofCaerSalis wrote: »

Yeah, I thought of this the other day, with TAnlorin's hair and tattoo, along with Zerith's glowing eyes, I sort of doubt we are going to get any sort of ability to change anything about companions to make them more unique from each other.
I can understand their point, I just don't really agree with it, but I am not in charge :P

The funny thing is that they probably got these features to look "unique" - but having clones of them around everywhere who all have that hair and the glowy eyes doesn't make it feel special anymore at all.

Yeah, I agree.

If ESO were a single player game, each companion would probably stand out as 'unique' and I have the feeling most people would be fine with that (though we would probably also have a creation kit type thing that we could change them as we pleased :P)

But, with having so many people using companions, it becomes a 'oh look at the NPC standing over all their dead clones' situation (I have come across this, an NPC standing in their spot while at their feet are like 3 or 4 or more versions...)

Giving them different armor is good, but it can only do so much.

Dahveed · November 3

Theist_VII wrote: »

This has been asked for by quite a few people and the ZOS stance has been that they want the companions to be recognizable.

Wow, this is absurd. I want literally the exact opposite.

I do NOT want to recognize that there are 4 clones of my companion on the screen. I want to see 4 other, different mercenaries/companions which are NOT Bastian (or Tanlorin, or whatever).

This seems so out of touch... I mean it's one thing to ignore the clone problem, but it's on a completely different level of absurdity that they want us to see multiple exact clones of our supposedly "unique" companions.

I am flabbergasted. The gasting of my flabbers hasn't been this intense in a while.

Dahveed · November 3

...and as others have pointed out, it's very disappointing to see a company whose motto has always been "play how you want" to make a bizarre decision like that, forcing us to play how they want.

I mean... don't they know that Elder Scrolls players come from a long and storied tradition of modding and player freedom? And the fact that they even talked about this in their meetings (as they admit) and still not consider this aspect of the ES fanbase is rather shocking.

zaria · November 3

Erickson9610 wrote: »

I like the idea of using helmets or hats that don't obscure the face. There are many hoods and the like which still clearly show the character's face that would be cool to put on our Companions.

An aside, but other players' Companions are not meant to be clones of the same character, because they're given the generic name "<PlayerName>'s Companion", similar to how temporary followers in story quests are handled. Hiding your Companion's face won't suddenly make them a different character, and the last thing we need from the Companions system is a generic, uninteresting character.

Yes same with quest followers like Abnur Tharn is an mage guild member then other players is doing the main quest line investigating an delve and the new Khajii follower is an grim swordmage then with other players.

Now that you can interact with him as grim swordmage is fun and I assume an bug, for one his eyes don't glow

Still helmets and hoods would be nice.

katanagirl1 · November 4

I don’t know of the devs have mentioned this in particular, but I often get distracted by other companions in overland areas because I think they are npc enemies when they are using staff attacks and such. My first instinct is to target them and attack them. Once you locate the source though, you can recognize a companion. I wonder if a helmet would make it harder to recognize them and cause you to waste time attacking them instead and perhaps get killed.

AlienSlof · November 4

Dahveed wrote: »

I am flabbergasted. The gasting of my flabbers hasn't been this intense in a while.

This made me giggle! Thanks for making me laugh in my current dark time.