What are companions for?

Ceejengine

There's really no way to ask this question without sounding like a whiner, which I accept, anyway, what's the actual point of companions?

They have 0 impact on the world in any way but snarky comments here and there.

They can't carry anything.

They don't allow you to do any content you can't already solo.

They don't interact with you or your abilities except for a menu ripped straight from decades old games.

The gear system is shallower than my own gene pool.

As far as I can tell, they really are just a pair of meaningless grinds with no reward after the tedious grind.

There's 0 news about this system, 0 indication of expansion, 0 anything.

Hopefully it just gets scrapped and resources are put elsewhere instead of wasting more man hours on this incredibly meager, boring, pointless system.

FaylenSol

My friend and I use them to make Dungeons easier when we are on our DPS. I have one companion set up as Tank and they have it on healer. That way we don't have to deal with randoms and just run dungeons at our own pace for out dailies.

Plus I've greatly enjoyed Mirri personal quests and passive.

Jamdarius

Well I gotta agree, the only good thing about them is the fact you can place them at home (if you get enough rapport) to make them not feel so empty. Some may say that Mirri gives bonus loot or Bastian gives better potions but honestly it is not some mind blowing abilities.

To improve companions we would need few things:
* They need to carry their own stuff, I am not a pack rat, I will not carry their burdens.
* They need to have same ability as sorc pets / warden bear to survive harder content like WB with adds for example, some PvE damage resistance or something like that, because they die 2 often at for example Harrowstorm or Dragon attack.
* Our passives need to be reworked to include also companions kills, because for now they tend to steal kills and disable this way many of our passives that usually would give tons of resources back upon killing enemy.
* They need some conclusion to their personal quests/more personal quests because just the current few feels like half baked job.
* They should be able to learn crafting to make their own gear.
* Their gear shoould either have more impact on their abilities or none at all, those small % increases feel like a scam given how useless they are.
* Companions Dev should look at other mmo's companions system 'cause they clearly failed to do so, I recommend SWTOR for example, you can switch their role on the fly, they have nice personal quests, you can have romance with them, more personalization with the way they look.
* Faster way to lvl up companions skill lines, maybe some sort of daily companion quest with XP and currently weapon/armor equipped exp boost?
* We need more customization to not make us feel like having attack of clones, hair styles or possibility of equipping helmets would be enough, but it would be nice to equip everything we can.

Honestly I am keeping Mirri out only because she is Dunmer, Bastian - I feel sorry for the dude but I will not lvl him up because lvling Mirri and her skills alone is a pain, I cannot imagine doing the same for the 2 of them. Kinda sad that instead of nice companion system we got clunky way of making us artificially play the game for the sake of leveling companions.

lillybit

Jamdarius wrote: »

* They need to carry their own stuff, I am not a pack rat, I will not carry their burdens.

Honestly, the way it's been done it feels more like we're the companion. We have to carry everything and go out of our way to make sure we don't upset them just through normal game play.

huntgod_ESO

I stuck blue bolstered heavy armor, blue rings and neck on Mirri with a purple sword and shield and she tanks like a champ. I don't really need it, but she holds aggro pretty well and can survive most WB fights while I burn the boss down.

I also have both setup for healer and DPS, the healing is pretty worthless to me on my main sorc, the DPS doesn't do much either, but again the tank is handy. Now on some of my alts, like my tanks and healers, they are actually a nice addition and do make some content easier and more enjoyable.

EF321

They can take agro when you are fishing or on a chest and something spawns/comes near, without you having to stop your activity.

Also I sold some purple pants for million just this week.

LannStone

EF321 wrote: »

They can take agro when you are fishing or on a chest and something spawns/comes near, without you having to stop your activity.

minor benefit but nice when it happens

VaranisArano

Companions are largely for players who want an extra tank, healer, or damage dealer and don't have a friend to quest with. They aren't as good as an actual player, but not everyone has IRL friends to play with. Mine have mostly moved on from ESO, so Mirri is kinda fun to run with. It's like having a snarkier Lydia who expects me to carry her burdens.

I've also seen some posts where Companions do decently in group content (including trials) when they have some support from their group. Again, not as good as another competent player, but not everyone wants to PUG it or has enough friends to fill out a group.

joseayalac

They're good for roleplaying and to feel like you're in an adventuring party when alone.

Also didn't you ever get Lydia as a companion on Skyrim? It's a nice addition.

Companions aren't perfect, but they're welcome by most players. I just wish you could equip helmets.

AcadianPaladin

I very much enjoy Mirri. I like her personality and she is fun to adventure with. Most importantly, she stays in character 100% of the time and there is no coordination required to play with her - simply wave and she's there. And she doesn't mind a bit if I go afk to make a sandwich. I have her set generally as a ranged dps but she works fine as a tank or healer as well.

BomblePants

joseayalac wrote: »

Also didn't you ever get Lydia as a companion on Skyrim? It's a nice addition.

I preferred Jenassa ( :-]

I like Bastion and use him as a tank… he is reasonably effective…

ADarklore

I love Companions. I have Mirri out the majority of the time because any extra DPS is nice so you can get through mobs faster. Bastian is my healer, and he does a great job keeping me alive while I solo WB's. I can pretty much just sit there soaking up damage while he keeps me alive. Granted, this takes a bit longer to burn down the boss being that I'm in full tank role, BUT, I find it much less stressful than having a companion tank and me DPSing while also trying to keep them healed.

I just hope they add a companion that can actually do the Dark Brotherhood quests- as both will constantly throw out negative rapport, especially if you use the Blade of Woe.

GreenhaloX

It is useful for brand spanking new players with no CP and just going around questing the main storyline. Yeah.. they can use the help against the main story bosses. I remember many, many moons ago when I first started playing ESO. I was at awe with the size and the many things to do. I also remember it was a bit challenging going at the main storyline bosses by yourself; even the normal non-DLC dungeons were a bit challenging when you have no CP and no prior experience. Companions are practically cosmetic, otherwise; or just more dead stumps littering the dragon pit. Ha ha

gamerguy757

I LOVE the companion system!!!!
Sure it needs some work but it’s kinda cool! I have Bastian ranking everything which helps solo harder content and when I kill stuff I get Pots that are 1 effect less than crafted so it’s pretty cool!

phaneub17_ESO

They are pets I can dress up, have you tried putting clothes on a clannfear, he tears them off and makes bedding out of it! Twilight is very temperamental and fussy about what I put on her, and the Bear likes to stay free as the day he was summoned.

DinoZavr

Wait a minute...
Who else should prevent you from damaging innocent torchbugs and butterflies?
Who else should stop you from worshipping Uncle Sheo by cooking cheesy meals?

Elsonso

I use Mirri as a ranged DPS. The main problem with doing that is that if she gets aggro, she can kite bosses outside of their leashed area. If she draws the attention of a world boss, she will die quickly. Because she tends to be at the outside of the combat, she does not get stuck in stupid as much. For Mirri, this is a "beginner" role that pretty much works out of the box.

I use Bastian as a melee DPS/tank. Keeping him alive is more of a challenge, as he tends to be right in the middle of things. Group healing skills are handy. Because of this, I think companion tanking is a more advanced role.

Both of them will add to my total DPS during the combat, so they are not useless as long as they are alive. They will die during solo world boss fights, mainly because I am busy.

They are both handy while overland. Often times they kill whatever it was that I accidentally aggroed before I can engage. If I am in a delve, like for daily quests, they can pull trash mobs off me so it is one less thing to keep track off. I don't like to run through delves and dungeons training mobs behind me, so if this happens, Mirri or Bastian will often deal with them.

I have Mirri set to do a "fear" that is not unwelcome during combat.

I have had cases where I was disconnected from the game server during a combat. In these cases, when I am able to log back in, my Companion has finished the combat and all I need to do is loot. This does not happen very often.

I think they are most valuable for new players and players that are not experts in solo play. I would imagine that this applied to everyone, at one point or another. They can provide additional DPS and prevent mobs from mobbing the character, as it is reasonable to assume that new or inexperienced players get into trouble when fighting multiple mobs.

They are not perfect, but they are a good start.

1. They need to be able to carry Companion gear that is not equipped. I don't care about my stuff, but they should be able to carry their stuff.
2. They should eliminate the rapport drop for mundane actions, like cheese and insects. It is annoying. The insects are particularly annoying as the world designers have deliberately placed torchbugs over other interactables. Even if the interactable is targeted, the torchbug can wander in front of it and steal the focus. I am reminded that I wanted to write a /feedback about this....

I don't know what is available on the internet for companion builds, but I will offer one bit of advice. When slotting skills, always slot skills that trigger when certain conditions arise first, then slot the main combat skills after that. So, if there is a heal that happens at a certain threshold, or an attack that happens at a certain threshold, slot them before the skills that are used all the time.

Narvuntien

To allow new and casual players to complete content, usually harder stuff like public dungeons and being able to do world bosses with just 1 other friend.

I like that I can solo a lot of World bosses as a squishy fully Trials set up DPS because I have a pocket healer now.

Kalik_Gold

When you can't solo a world boss, take one out.

Currently, it's just a dress up pet that talks....

MissHeartseekerx

I like to bring Bastian along as a healer. I'm squishy right now and struggle with handling lots and lots of enemies at the same time sometimes. He's really useful! Some of my friends aren't down to do some content or don't have the DLCs required so it's nice being able to do the content I can't solo on my own just yet.

Enemy-of-Coldharbour

Bastian makes a great tank when I'm soloing dungeons.

Jamdarius

Elsonso wrote: »

I use Bastian as a melee DPS/tank. Keeping him alive is more of a challenge, as he tends to be right in the middle of things. Group healing skills are handy. Because of this, I think companion tanking is a more advanced role.

Both of them will add to my total DPS during the combat, so they are not useless as long as they are alive.

So basically instead of them helping you in overland with WB (or other typical group overland stuff like Harrowstorms) you keep helping them to stay alive... Seems like our roles got reversed and they are main characters and we are companions... This system just feels wrong.

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO

I have found them helpful as some extra dps/heals which has allowed me to do some things i was either unable to do or having a much harder time before. I wouldn't say they are make or break while I am already max level and well geared, but for leveling i can see them adding some assistance.

Personally i enjoy the comments, the "hold on" when I'm staggered, the "this area looks dangerous" when entering those areas, i find it ads some enjoyment for me. Of course that's subjective and offers nothing "stat/bonus" related, but still a purpose.

And lastly, as i am a huge proponent of the housing, i like being able to adventure with them, then return home and see them in my home, though i wish they would still be wearing my gear selections for them.

Overall no they add little "bonus" to those looking for that sort of thing, but to maybe more casual or RP players like myself, i find them a nice addition with plenty of possibility for expansion, just because they haven't announced anything doesn't mean they aren't working on things.

SeaGtGruff

Ceejengine wrote: »

They don't allow you to do any content you can't already solo.

That really depends on the builds and roles that you've chosen for your character(s) and your companion(s). Just because they're of no use to you doesn't mean they aren't of some use to other players.

Hopefully it just gets scrapped and resources are put elsewhere instead of wasting more man hours on this incredibly meager, boring, pointless system.

There seem to be a lot of players-- the ones for whom the companions were intended to be useful-- who enjoy playing with their companions alongside them and who are eager for more companions to become available.

Personally, I'm sort of on the fence about them, because I never play with companions in the other TES games unless a quest forces me to, and so far have only unlocked them on one character on one server-- but I find that I do enjoy playing with them for certain content, although I don't need them for it; they just help make it go quicker and easier.

Fennwitty

I was also very skeptical -- and by no means are they reliable party members -- but the extra damage (any damage is more than zero) and/or keeping aggro can speed things up for tanks and healer characters, or give extra breathing room for low-hp DPS characters.

Just ... they never shut up. Like ever. For 5 minutes even. Regardless of settings.

Red_Feather

So far companion let me do group delves in craglorn that I couldn't do on my own before. But that is it so far. I can do public dungeons and delves on my own without a companion and I usually do them alone.

Folkb

Would be a nice feature if they would do interrupts. Then I'd know one helpful use for them.

Tornaad

They are for people like me who still treat ESO as a single player game despite the fact that I have been playing it for about 5 years now.

Dragonredux

Companions tanks are mediocre. DPS are bad. Healer is decent.

They have a whole slew of problems that mostly everyone have addressed already. Tempted to make a post myself if ever find the motivation to do so.

Main problem in combat they're glorified sorc pets without any compensation from said sorc pets.

Companions tanks can be decent if it's one enemy they have to tank (not counting dragons or some vet bosses). Multiple Elite Mobs in a pull or a multi boss, boss fight and their cracks start showing. Partly because the taunts for some god awful reason are on a 12s and 36s cooldown. Thank you Bastion I definitely wanted to taunt that mudcrab not the big troll that about to pound my face in.

Companions DPS i think someone mentioned is like 15k max...which is...awful especially we are talking purple gear not like whites or greens. Besides the low damage problem, another factor that doesn't help is we literally don't know their stats. WHERE IS MY STAT SHEET IN MY RPG.

Companions Healer is decent mostly they at least do the baseline healing role which is healing. The only problem is healing aggro is a pain and unless you have a taunt yourself or a friend do, all the enemies will want to kill them.

dsalter

i'd argue companions are great for alts but you cant even cross-progress them, hell you need to UNLOCK them PER CHARACTER (last i played) and that pretty much sealed the deal on their usefulness to me as a magsorc/multihealer player

VoodooPlatypus

Folkb wrote: »

Would be a nice feature if they would do interrupts. Then I'd know one helpful use for them.

When equipped with a sword and board, they will interrupt. Not so much with other weapons though.