Does anyone like Companions?

Merforum

ectoplasmicninja wrote: »

If I'm riding/running past enemies and aggro them, my companion may hop off their mount and attack. But if I just keep going, they break off pretty quick and zip over to me. I've never had one hang back and fight to their death. They do occasionally dodge roll backwards too much and cause a boss to stray, but I haven't seen one actually reset yet.

The gear grind is very real though. Bastian is at level 20, max rapport, all his skill lines maxed, and I still don't have a second ring for him. In all our time adventuring I've found one necklace and one ring, period, and only two pieces of purple gear at all.

Yeah, that is what I am saying if you aggro a mob running past them, before comp would stay on horse and keep going with you. Now they jump off and start attacking. Sometimes I keep running and comp does show up next to me, and other times like if they don't kill mob I run back and see them still fighting. I just kill all mobs now so don't care really.

If you are having problems with drops especially jewelry try the dolmens. But find some that no one else is at, because they always use the 4 pinions too fast. You have to kill all the mobs, then activate the 4 pinions, doing it that way essentially makes it a vet level boss which always has better loot. I noticed doing it this way got me many comp jewelry (1 prp rng, 4 blue ring, 3 grn ring, 2 blue nck and 2 grn nck).

BTW for other gear it seems like world bosses and pub dung bosses and especially 4man dungeons drop a high amount of gear. Same thing when I solo a world boss or dungeon it is better than with other people, because I think the drop rate is higher because it expects it's more people then solo.

I've only got them to both to level 13 but I am not grinding at all just doing stuff I would normally do. But my rapport seems to be moving very slowly, any advice how to increase it.

Shawn_PT

My thoughts on them so far. I only grabbed one though, to see what the fuss was about.

She tends to walk in the way of things I'm trying to loot, or NPCs I'm trying to talk to. Stay behind me, don't slingshot ahead. If I want to talk to you, I'll take two steps back.

Combat-wise, she's just lvl8 so far, and not really making much of an impression. I have managed to get 3 pieces of blue gear and one green, but knowing there's a bug where she drops her pants and leaves them behind makes me not want to actually give her any of these precious items, for now.

I was rather disappointed when I realized I couldn't even give them the same Costume I am wearing but with a unique color.

She commented on things too much, and oftentimes making little sense. If I one shot a wolf or something she'd often sound scared and told me to go ahead of her, or would say something about this being a fight now!!! Calm down. No need for that. Thankfully we can turn down the frequency of their comments. Which solved that problem.

I feel like instead of having a companion, I'm having a charge. I need to pay attention to her health and keep her up (good thing I'm on a healer atm), or she might die. Thankfully none of the WBs I've killed so far seem to so much as look at her, which is good. Otherwise she'd be getting scraped off the floor after I dealt with it.

I also need to constantly be on my toes about what I can or cannot pick up. As mentioned before, she likes eating pupating scribs but gets pissy when I grab a torchbug? What gives? It's one more worry in my mind, filtering out what I can or cannot do. Anyone out there who can create an addon that'll block out specific interactions when specific companions are active so we don't accidentally get bad rap? That'd be amazing.


On a different subject, I'm expecting future companions to be more morally ambivalent. One who might be happy actually whenever we do a Thieves or Brotherhood daily, murder or steal stuff. But..... Knowing ZOS they'll probably give us a Bosmer assassin who'll be excited when we commit a crime, but will whine each time we grab a woodworking node, pick up a flower, cook with herbs or veggies, kill a spriggan or a strangler, or craft anything that contains plant fibers....

I'm told that leveling, skills, and gear are account-wide, but rap is not. So if I want the achievements and quests I have to "grind" them all on all my alts?? Really? And it seems to be so incredibly slow too. Going to be very, very low on my list of priorities.

Since we have to send them away to talk to our banker/merchant, can we at least get them on the same collections page? For those of us who don't use quickslots because they're already so limited. Peachy peachy would be if talking to her would also give us the banker/merchant menu already without having to go summon a different NPC.

She seems to be somewhat incompatible with quest NPCs. So far I've just been questing in Glenumbra and I've found several spots where her presence borks up the quests. The ghost of Alana won't pop up in the Crypt in the Glenumbra Moors if Mirri is active, blocking progress. She also blocked the Orc soldier who we must fight with through the werewolf-infested camp, and while the soldier's voice can be heard, the quest won't advance because she's not present. Mirri also makes it so that the soldier who comes speak to us after we rescue the three patrols around the Lion Guard Redoubt will just stand there and not say anything. At least the quest points us towards talking to him somewhere else but I'm pretty sure he skips a step there. I believe I've had to boot her away at least once more elsewhere but I forget where now. And this is just in half of Glenumbra. I wonder how many dozens other instances are bugged because of companions...

Anyway, it's something different. I'm definitely not excited about them, and won't bother grinding them. Will just keep doing what I do, running a daily here and there, and having them tag along because at least they'll passively level up.

Final Opinion: Meh.

Edit to add: don't get me wrong. I see there was a lot of work and effort placed into them and I respect that. But they personally don't really excite me.

grizzledcroc

Yea I do and its really a harmless system that can be improved and built on.

skepticck

I sorta like them but they could have been a lot better implemented, companions are a good idea but poorly implemented by Zos, we should be able to equip different companion gear and skill for different chars, we should also be able to equip items from collections like hair styles, hats, skins, tattoos etc... this seems to me like a gimmick to sell companion exclusive macrotransactions, typical Zos.

SammyKhajit

Drop rate for this one is weird… lots of green gears and two handed weapons

Mirri is doing very well as a dual world dps. She has mostly green gear, a blue necklace, no rings and a purple mace plus blue sword. She uses a combination of medium and heavy armour and can survive WB, public dungeons, dolmens, harrowstorms but haven’t tried dungeons yet.

Bastian is still a work in progress simply because this one hasn’t figured out what his ideal role should be. He’s not a great healer, simply because this one has pretty good shields etc. He dies too often as a sword and shield tank.

Still, this one likes them a lot. They make adventuring fun and both voice actors did a great job.

SeaGtGruff

Castagere wrote: »

I have not picked them up and don't think I will. From what I have been reading they sound like grind work and have annoying personalities.

I didn't bother to acquire them right away-- didn't even know where to get them from-- and have just been taking my sweet time doing the quests in Blackwood.

Last night I finally acquired Mirri, and today I finally acquired Bastion. As soon as I acquired each of them, I added them to my quickslots, but didn't bother to summon them.

This afternoon I did a Fighters Guild quest with Mirri. It's too soon to tell how she did, because there were other players and their Mirris at each of the dolmens-- but my Mirri didn't die, so that's promising.

Then I did a Mages Guild quest with Bastion, and I thought he performed admirably. There were a few other players running around in the public dungeon with us, but there were plenty of opportunities to see how well Bastion did when there were no other players around. He didn't die, and I daresay that he was consistently doing more damage than I was.

I dismissed each of them after turning in the quests and adding an additional skill on each of their ability bars. I don't plan to run around with them active all the time, and I don't plan to grind with them for their XP, rapport, and gear-- but I'll definitely try them out in situations where I need some assistance, and of course the Fighters Guild and Mages Guild dailies.

Minyassa

I love 'em, now my duo partner and I can do more than just a small handful of the easiest dungeons without having to hunt around for hours for two other friends who aren't occupied. She won't pug, ever, and I don't like to, so we weren't getting dungeons done. This will help so much.

jenwa72ab14_ESO

Seems like their cooldowns need to be shaved by at least 50%, the DPS/#'s are just way under par.

It's really the only issue I have, just not strong enough as they count as much as a human player in groups, 1.
They have to be able to carry that of an average player and they aren't.
Most games are scared to have AI allies be strong/worthy, I don't understand why, what's the point otherwise?
I like the idea of having them, just need to be worthy.

Other than unlocking slots etc, does the companion's get stronger, larger dmg/heal #'s each level they earn?

YstradClud

Since I started playing console again I have grown to like them for more reasons then just RP. It is a lot harder to find people to help with world bosses etc so you can imagine low level players would appreciate their support.

vallisas

Seeing as how the amount of people I see running around with them is that much greater than those that aren't, i'd say yeah. Majority of people like companions in an rpg-like game. Who would have thought.

Nephthys

Yes I enjoy companions. She augments my DPS or Heals depending upon how I have her set up.

For overland she is just fun to have tagging along. I enjoy her banter and when I am farming nodes she will slap around any trash mob that tries to interrupt me, so I can just keep on plucking those flowers.

I enjoy soloing dungeons and having her present just make the job go faster. If I have her set to heals I don't have to waste a cooldown on a self heal and she does a better job that the Pale Order ring.

I keep hearing people talking about "the grind" of levelling her up. It is only a grind if you make it a grind. I have levelled Mirri up to 20 just by doing the content I always do. She is also just about capped with reputation and again I never did a grind for this.

We have so many different ways of playing this game. I never really understand why people take exception to content that they aren't into. It is like PvP, PvE, crafting, battlegrounds, housing.... whatever. If you like it do it. If you don't then don't do it.

SeaGtGruff

I was finally able to solo a dolmen with Mirri. She died twice, and wasn't quite as helpful as I'd hoped.

Bastion, on the other hand, has been impressing me. He did die once, to one of the bosses in Sanguine's Demesne, but had no trouble staying alive while we were fighting all of the other bosses.

I can definitely see myself using Bastion from time to time, but I think I need to work on improving Mirri's skills and gear if I want to use her very much.

Dropstitch

vallisas wrote: »

Seeing as how the amount of people I see running around with them is that much greater than those that aren't, i'd say yeah. Majority of people like companions in an rpg-like game. Who would have thought.

I fail to see the relevance. People will use something if it gives them an advantage. It is merely a tool.

I dislike getting the bus, but I'll do it if everyone else is using the bus and walking will make me late. No-one has ever pointed at me and declared "you're on a bus, you must love buses."

Mik195

I'm finding Bastian amusing. He duoed two dolmens with my bear while I watched and did fine. He seems to have a bit of ADD since he kept running away from one target to engage another, but he got it done eventually. I had just given him a purple axe and a green shield so was curious about what he could do.

On the other hand, he seems to be incapable of staying alive with Chokethorn in solo normal Eden Hollow 1. I must have rezzed him 5 times which I was able to do since Chokethorn hits like a wet noodle. Not sure why Bas kept taking a nap.

ADarklore

jenwa72ab14_ESO wrote: »

Seems like their cooldowns need to be shaved by at least 50%, the DPS/#'s are just way under par.

It's really the only issue I have, just not strong enough as they count as much as a human player in groups, 1.
They have to be able to carry that of an average player and they aren't.
Most games are scared to have AI allies be strong/worthy, I don't understand why, what's the point otherwise?
I like the idea of having them, just need to be worthy.

Other than unlocking slots etc, does the companion's get stronger, larger dmg/heal #'s each level they earn?

The devs have already stated quite adamantly that they are NOT meant to be a 'player replacement' and are pretty much relegated to the DPS of a regular 'pet'.

And yes, they get a stronger and much higher health as they level up. Right now I have Mirri as 2H DPS and she is level 19 and have never had her die. I also have a build with her as a healer, and she is definitely a help while soloing world bosses as I don't have to worry about my health as much.

As for Bastian, he is level 15, I've tried different builds for him, but actually experienced my first Bastian death with him as a tank going against the World Boss consisting of 'triple necromancers' in Auridon. I left him to tank one of them necros while I took the other two... suddenly I found myself being attacked by three necromancers and found Bastian face-down in the dirt! I finished off all three by myself. I then swapped to Mirri as healer and I went into my full tank build... finished the final two World Bosses in Auridon without even sweating it... my health never got below 75%.

Since Bastian isn't high enough level to get all his defensive skills, and doesn't yet have his full health, I could see him being a bit better later on. I am running full heavy on him as well when he's in tank mode... however, the fact is, I don't even NEED him to tank for me... whether I'm running my Magplar or Stamplar... I typically melee in either case... and have tank builds for both. It's easier for ME to tank with them as if I don't, bosses tend to immediately go after your Companion no matter how much DPS you lay onto them to start... hence it's nice to be in tank mode with a taunt when using them for World Bosses especially. Regular bosses, they both have done admirably and I've never lost one even while soloing dolmens.

The key, and I think so many people fail at this,
1) They need to be leveled to get stronger so keep them at range until they are higher levels.
2) They need better gear, and with gear prices dropping on the market, it's easy to get blue gear now.
3) They need to wear a minimum of FIVE pieces of a specific gear-type (light, med, heavy) before the armor skill will level.
4) They NEED to have as many self-heals/defense abilities as you can add for their survivability.
5) Self-Healing/defense skills need to be slotted furthest to the left as the Companion will cast abilities in order from left to right.
6) Slot skills that say 'will use when at xx% health' abilities further to the left so that they will prioritize those when the criteria is met. If you slot them further away to the right, they won't cast them until they reach them in priority order. So if a Companion is down to 50% health but their self-heal that kicks in at 50% health is located at the far right, they will continue using their skills that are off cool-down FIRST before reaching that self-heal ability.
7) In difficult content, you NEED to keep an eye on them and offer them heals just like regular content. Since they aren't 'player replacements' and they may run out of roll dodges (since for whatever reason ZOS reduced them to being only able to use roll dodge TWICE in a single fight) so they won't be able to always roll out of an attack or situation especially in long boss fights. I think people keep forgetting about that too, as I frequently see my Companions roll dodge attacks, but in long fights, they lose that capability after using it twice. This is how Bastian died in the World Boss fight, I left him on his own and focused on my own fight... when I really should have helped him take down the one first and moved on to the other two.

Otherwise, I've been having a lot of fun with Companions and Mirri is almost to level 20 so she'll finally get her Ultimate. Then I'll start working on further leveling Bastian, although I think I'm going to convert him to a 1H/S Dragonknight DPS instead of a tank.

sliabh

I like them , i get to play with a girl , i just wish one could have been a female orc for my lonely orc.

Tethilia

The system yes, the types of companions are okay. They aren't bland but they aren't wild. I would like a Telvanni Mage companion who insults everything you do, or a goblin who is unintelligible but clearly a motivational life coach, or maybe a Khajiit bard who can play me music and share stories about the places we are in while I adventure.

theyancey

I'm enjoying them. Look forward to their continued development

Klad

ArchMikem wrote: »

show previous quotes

Klad wrote: »

Finally if Companions are not popular why do I see a metric ton of folks playing with them everytime I log on.

It's the new shiny. Give it some time for the sheen to wear off and you'll see only the players who take the Companions seriously while everyone else either stops summoning them, or just stops playing cause they only got the game just because of the new shiny.

Keep telling yourself that lol

Tethilia

One that would surprise me if we didn't get, would be a Dremora who pressures you into being malevolent and doing evil deeds.

Help that poor farmer, no EAT THEM! (Kill innocents)
Don't just steal from the rich, steal from beggars and slaves.
Teach all those defenseless innocent little forest creatures a lesson in mortality.
Head to Glenumbra and repeatedly ask people how to buy Ring of the Pale Order. It doesn't matter that you already crafted 4.
Que as a Healer for group content, but spec for pure DPS. Use one of those previously mentioned ROTPO and nothing else.
Pick on Argonian players

jenwa72ab14_ESO

Minyassa wrote: »

I love 'em, now my duo partner and I can do more than just a small handful of the easiest dungeons without having to hunt around for hours for two other friends who aren't occupied. She won't pug, ever, and I don't like to, so we weren't getting dungeons done. This will help so much.

this is the only reason I want them, for duo's to team up this way to make a 4 player group. IMO they have to do at least 5K DPS and really a bit more. Here's one issue... if they did 5K + it makes overland even simpler, so perhaps have a dual rating system one for overland/public dungeons and one for dungeons to make things feel right.

The one comment about them getting in the way, yes stay back or have something where a general click doesn't start a conversation. This is happening way too much.

jenwa72ab14_ESO

theyancey wrote: »

I'm enjoying them. Look forward to their continued development

This is true, I can only consider it upwards from here.

LightYagami

I have no special interest in companions. I mainly do PvP and companions are exclusively made for PvE.

jle30303

I would like to know why we can't improve the quality of companion gear, or transmute its traits.

Apridise

I was excited about them until I started using them and saw how much of a grindfest they were going to be, and how quickly they die..., decided they weren't worth the hassle and haven't called them out again.

KefkaGestahl

I play as a tank. I'm too lazy to have an alternate build for solo play, so every single fight takes me a bit of time to deal with. I see people running through delves and they instantly melt trash mobs. Not me. I have to fight them for about ten seconds each before they die. So companions are a big help to me because it gives me some more DPS.

Spidder81

Im really enjoying the companions. My only gripe is that they sometimes stop right in front of you when you want to press something, and I think some of the achievements are not working. Like the outfit achievement or kill a dungeon boss, or Im doing something wrong.

blktauna

Alurria wrote: »

I don't think that will happen,just take a look at the people who want to gate keep others from queing in vet dungeons. I would rather play with a companion than to play with judgemental players who thinks it's their right to tell me I am not good enough. I like companions and feel they will only get better with time. At least they are not bunny hopping around and complaint they are bored. The companions have a pleasent attitude and don't get mad if I stop and pick flowers or fish. They don't rush me through content and I can stop and read a book or quest if I want to without being judged.

^^^ This

Cin_Vhetin

At first I liked them; but Bastion just sounds too meh. I'm used to comps due to years of swtor and they're okay. For going through content they could be functional making it easier/faster maybe. I would be happier if I could stand the VA for Bastian; just too much kermit the frog for my taste. I got mirri on one toon but haven't hauled it around at all, so no opinion there. Hopefully there are different comps/VA's on the horizon.

gronoxvx

Its a gimmick people will forget in a month or 2.