Companions aren't really doing it

REiiGN15

I played the PTS and ESO is missing something. The companions if that's the BIG ticket item for Blackwood isn't hiitting the spot of fun and new. Necro, Warden, Antiques, Jewel Crafting were. Okay, maybe not Jewelry crafting but it opened up so many possibilities.

Why not spell crafting? Is there a limitation of the game itself? Afraid it would break classes? To be honest, as a 18 char owner who has spent massive amount of hours with each and every configuration of classes, roles and weapon types it would be awesome to mix it up.

I know it's not Skyrim but it was fun to not use any weapon and fire spell in one hand and like frost in the other and dual weird of sorts with those. Also, maybe we could have consumable spell scrolls to be to use spells not from our class.

FLuFFyxMuFFiN

Spellcrafting was put on the backburner long ago and many doubt we will ever get it. I still hold out a tiny amount of hope but I know it will be terribly balanced.

VaranisArano

Spellcrafting is very difficult to balance. In a multi-player game like ESO, we'd almost certainly be limited to certain preset options to combine, and then ZOS has to figure out if the spells are acceptable as increases to player power or if they have to nerf other things to account for the extra power.

For example, if you have Scrolls be consumables, do you balance them versus Class Skills or vs potions? Where do they fit in with cooldowns and the buffs that we get from other sources? It just gets complicated. It's worse in PVP where being able to recognize what your opponent is using is a big part of the learning curve - we'd need distinct animations for all our spellcrafting options.


My experience was that even in singleplayer Oblivion and Morrowind, spellcrafting wasn't really balanced. My Morrowind characters had a 1pt spell they spammed in order to train up my magic skills to a usable level. My Oblivion playthrough featured creating high-value Charm spells with a short duration so I could charm merchants into to giving me amazing prices.

Luke_Flamesword

Maybe not real spellcrafting but something like possibility to change some skills visuals and damage type just to have favourite theme (of course blocked in PvP). For example you have dks dragon breath skill and you can change it to fire, ice, lighting, poison, etc. It don't breaks balance and would be really fun with making your character theme. It can be especially good with weapon skill lines where they can at least add some visuals (arrow ice injection, rain of flaming arrows, lighting flurry, etc)

It's easier to implement than useless companions and would bring much more cash, because almost everyone will want chapter with this skill-visual station...

miteba

I think they definitely dropped spell crafting two years ago because it would exponentially increase imbalance between *everything*: classes, PvE, PvP, CP, Procs, etc...
If some new sets, every new update, bring a lot of headaches, imagine something that would mix all skills and combine them with sets xD

It would be amazing to have it if Devs had showed by now that they could control the changes/elements, which happen every 3 months, but they can't. Which is proved by the constant overall nerfing..
Even so i praise them for trying and doing an amazing job globally!

About companions, i really didn't test them in PTS but by reading all these forum threads and watching some YouTube videos, it seems they are underperforming but they still have some weeks to tweak it

Hallothiel

Really don’t understand the obsession with spellcrafting.

What would make Blackwood special for me?
New servers & a functioning game.

Please.

Pretty please?

Seraphayel

Hallothiel wrote: »

Really don’t understand the obsession with spellcrafting.

What would make Blackwood special for me?
New servers & a functioning game.

Please.

Pretty please?

And why exactly would you need Blackwood for that when it’s the most basic requirement any MMORPG should offer their customers?

Hallothiel

@Seraphayel

It’s just my wishful thinking 🙂

Jeremy

REiiGN15 wrote: »

I played the PTS and ESO is missing something. The companions if that's the BIG ticket item for Blackwood isn't hiitting the spot of fun and new. Necro, Warden, Antiques, Jewel Crafting were. Okay, maybe not Jewelry crafting but it opened up so many possibilities.

Why not spell crafting? Is there a limitation of the game itself? Afraid it would break classes? To be honest, as a 18 char owner who has spent massive amount of hours with each and every configuration of classes, roles and weapon types it would be awesome to mix it up.

I know it's not Skyrim but it was fun to not use any weapon and fire spell in one hand and like frost in the other and dual weird of sorts with those. Also, maybe we could have consumable spell scrolls to be to use spells not from our class.

All mine did was die every time I fought something they would actually be useful on. So I hope they get better once they level up. But I do like that they added the companion system. To me that is more interesting than adding a new class, which isn't going to appeal to people who don't want to start over (like me).

Hopefully they will add more variety and choices in the future. It also kind of annoys me how Bastian gets upset when I steal things. I get that its suppose to be "immersive", but it's only real effect is going to add the nuisance of having to dismiss him before I pickpocket. So I wish they would just get rid of that.

Anonx31st

REiiGN15 wrote: »

I played the PTS and ESO is missing something. The companions if that's the BIG ticket item for Blackwood isn't hiitting the spot of fun and new. Necro, Warden, Antiques, Jewel Crafting were. Okay, maybe not Jewelry crafting but it opened up so many possibilities.

Why not spell crafting? Is there a limitation of the game itself? Afraid it would break classes? To be honest, as a 18 char owner who has spent massive amount of hours with each and every configuration of classes, roles and weapon types it would be awesome to mix it up.

I know it's not Skyrim but it was fun to not use any weapon and fire spell in one hand and like frost in the other and dual weird of sorts with those. Also, maybe we could have consumable spell scrolls to be to use spells not from our class.

Do you feel like they aren't giving you the desired companionship while soloing?

Sergykid

if i hear spellcrafting one more time

DarcyMardin

Companions *would* be enough for me, if they weren’t weak and essentially useless. I’ve tested both new, unleveled companions as well as fully leveled and fully skilled companions. The latter are marginally better than the former, but they still die far too easily, can’t tank a world boss or a dungeon boss, and do little in the way of DPS.

I’m seriously thinking of not buying this expansion, at least not until it’s on sale.

Ratzkifal

And why are we surprised by this? In their annual speech for how the game is going and where it's heading they pretty much said that 2021 won't have any new major features because they want to focus on stability. We are getting companions now though, which is more than they announced and is most likely what little they could do without hurting performance more in some way. That is how they kept talking about it anyway.

Do I think 2021 will actually make ESO more stable and return it to it's former glory? No.
Do I think ZOS could have given us something better than companions? Yes.
Do I think this is actually helping with the problem? No clue.
Am I surprised that ZOS has given us an unspectacular new gimick this year? No, because they said they were going to do exactly that.
I just hope they won't give us that as an excuse every year from now on with performance still not improving.

FluffWit

Sergykid wrote: »

if i hear spellcrafting one more time

ArchMikem

I'm the only one who believes a new zone to explore and the stories in it are enough.

Iccotak

ArchMikem wrote: »

I'm the only one who believes a new zone to explore and the stories in it are enough.

I mean the ONLY reason I got this chapter was because it heavily features Argonian Lore. That's it - Companions are nice little bonus that will be fixed and expanded upon over time but if this year was about only Imperials then I would not have bought it.

Kiralyn2000

Sergykid wrote: »

if i hear spellcrafting one more time...

...I will turn this forum around.

FaylenSol

Companions are exciting for me personally. I especially am looking forward to the release of future ones. The two we have now are nice but I am a very, "Some is good, but more is better" person when it comes to features like this.

Since the structure of the system is being put into place we can probably expect a new companion with every major chapter. Just like we're getting new Antiquity stuff every chapter it seems too.

Castagere

Why didn't they skip leveling up part for companions in the first place? It's so lame to make them start at level 1. They should match the level you are. It was a big mistake doing it like this. If you're on the PTS you should tell them this.

VaranisArano

ArchMikem wrote: »

I'm the only one who believes a new zone to explore and the stories in it are enough.

A new zone with a fantastic story to explore is a DLC, paid for with Crowns or included with ESO+.

ZOS expects players to pay cash for Chapters, because we get these extra features. Like Battlegrounds, new classes, new skill lines...and Companions.

Now, you can buy the new Chapter zone for whatever reason you like. If you'll pay cash for the story alone, you do you.

But I'm well aware that Chapters are sold for cash because of those extra features, and so it's important for me to note when that extra feature is touted as helping new and shy players experience group dungeons but in reality the Companions die to bosses because their AI can't handle one of the basic first lessons any new player learns: "Don't stand in stupid."

Iccotak

VaranisArano wrote: »

that extra feature is touted as helping new and shy players experience group dungeons but in reality the Companions die to bosses because their AI can't handle one of the basic first lessons any new player learns: "Don't stand in stupid."

ZOs didn't want the Companions too smart so naturally they swung the pendulum to the other extreme.

Too Stupid <-- Just Right --> Too Smart
^ ^
Companions Here

Anonx31st

Iccotak wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

that extra feature is touted as helping new and shy players experience group dungeons but in reality the Companions die to bosses because their AI can't handle one of the basic first lessons any new player learns: "Don't stand in stupid."

ZOs didn't want the Companions too smart so naturally they swung the pendulum to the other extreme.

Too Stupid <-- Just Right --> Too Smart
^ ^
Companions Here

Companions are easily killed in normal dungeons?

crazepdx

Companions have me now with mixed feelings. I get ZOS can't make them to awesome behind a pay wall or people will cry PTW. Except every mmo I've ever played has new awesome shinies and content to make you more competitive in expansions. So I don't get that.
I ran Mirri since release and tried her for dps but she pulls agro like crazy, I wish I had her ability to taunt without a taunt on a tank. Then runs away so I spend far too much time chasing mobs and less killing them. Tried her as a heal bot, but she still acts like a range dps while healing so I'm still chasing her.
Better gear would make her a little less squishy but the drop rate in companion gear is horrible. If it's tradeable I see guild merchants making a fortune because of the bottleneck. However even after spending what I forsee to be a fortune to gear her out, she still has the problems of pulling mobs and making my job harder.
I see them being something I would level on one toon but dread ever doing again. Which is sad.

I was excited for companions. I was excited for this expansion. Sadly the expansion overall feels like a group report you and your team do the night before it's due. There were so many broken quests and glitches it doesn't even feel like a beta release. The worst of those is the companions.
Is it too much to ask for the big thing you are hyping for months to work at test? We are into the second cycle and guild quests still don't work on them. Also things like inventory space needs and them holding block long enough to actually block a heavy attack seem like they should be obvious things to look at, not to mention how oblivious they are regarding aoes.
So TLDR summary I can totally understand why someone would say "Yeah this isn't working for me".

WhyMustItBe

FLuFFyxMuFFiN wrote: »

Spellcrafting was put on the backburner long ago and many doubt we will ever get it. I still hold out a tiny amount of hope but I know it will be terribly balanced.

At this point I would be happy with a spell COSMETIC system. Add them to the empty tab in collections that currently only holds the Morrowind grey skin for the warden bear.

Companions are cool I guess but I probably won't use them and I don't think they will have the depth of conversation capable of really engaging me. I will reserve judgement until I play with them though.

But magic builds have only had one single weapon option since launch 7 years ago and that is really pretty unacceptable. If they aren't going to add new classes every other chapter they should at least give us some new weapon options.

Kosef

Wish they would shake up the class system...get rid of it all together..

Everyone gets the other skills like weapon/armor/world/guild/alliance war/racial/craft BUT all the class skill lines would be pooled together and you can choose like 3 different ones from any tree. So like I could have 1 line be Aedric Spear, another be Winter's embrace, and then like Ardent Flame if I wanted.

I think the amount of unique builds we would see would be crazy. It's be so much fun creating new builds.

Bergzorn

Sergykid wrote: »

if i hear spellcrafting one more time

spell...
















...carving.

Bradyfjord

A simple way (on paper) to create a balanced version of spellcrafting for ESO is to allow select skills in each skill line to scale off of the highest max stat. Other options might be to change damage types or status effects. Like a flame staff that gives the concussed effect instead of burning.

Snowstrider

I would be happy with a new weapon skill and a new class

colossalvoids

As a person that have no actual use for companion system and never really used one in any ES game either it's a big dlc and not a chapter at all. Literally anything would be better, new guild line, weapon one, even just gear/skill loadouts would make it a more desirable purchase.

jircris11

REiiGN15 wrote: »

I played the PTS and ESO is missing something. The companions if that's the BIG ticket item for Blackwood isn't hiitting the spot of fun and new. Necro, Warden, Antiques, Jewel Crafting were. Okay, maybe not Jewelry crafting but it opened up so many possibilities.

Why not spell crafting? Is there a limitation of the game itself? Afraid it would break classes? To be honest, as a 18 char owner who has spent massive amount of hours with each and every configuration of classes, roles and weapon types it would be awesome to mix it up.

I know it's not Skyrim but it was fun to not use any weapon and fire spell in one hand and like frost in the other and dual weird of sorts with those. Also, maybe we could have consumable spell scrolls to be to use spells not from our class.

Spell crafting in a mmo would be beyond difficult to balance. I mean think of some of the insane things Ppl made with it back in morrowind days.

Gythral

jircris11 wrote: »

REiiGN15 wrote: »

I played the PTS and ESO is missing something. The companions if that's the BIG ticket item for Blackwood isn't hiitting the spot of fun and new. Necro, Warden, Antiques, Jewel Crafting were. Okay, maybe not Jewelry crafting but it opened up so many possibilities.

Why not spell crafting? Is there a limitation of the game itself? Afraid it would break classes? To be honest, as a 18 char owner who has spent massive amount of hours with each and every configuration of classes, roles and weapon types it would be awesome to mix it up.

I know it's not Skyrim but it was fun to not use any weapon and fire spell in one hand and like frost in the other and dual weird of sorts with those. Also, maybe we could have consumable spell scrolls to be to use spells not from our class.

Spell crafting in a mmo would be beyond difficult to balance. I mean think of some of the insane things Ppl made with it back in morrowind days.

And by then it had been nerfed into Oblivion compared to some of the "Clear this whole map" things from 'Arena' days