Companions!

DormantOne

I was apprehensive at first but now I think companions are a great addition. Well done ZOS! Also the map visual for active dolmens is fantastic too!

filmjock_0077

Thanks for this. I been waiting for ESO to please allow us to have different types of followers. Those that we could use during our dark-sided quests and guilds (Dark Brotherhood & Thieves Guild), or for those that love to role play and want to complement their character.

Even bring characters from previous titles like Skyrim , e.g., Lord Harkon and Serana since they date back from the late First Era and it would be a treat to quest with them and hear their comments on how Tamriel has evolved through time.

I hope the Devs see this and take it into consideration that for solo players like myself for three plus years having a companion/ follower that goes with you and embarks on different journeys is truly meaningful.

The fact that you can choose an evil, dark companion to travel with your Necromancer Assassin Mage and roleplay that character is amazing. Unfortunately, even though Seb and Mirri are awesome, they limit those types of playthroughs.

I left another comment on that topic hoping the ESO team can give us some feedback.

Happy Holidays

LannStone

I never thought companions would be very helpful DPS, but I've found Bastion at L20 with heavy vigorous armor quite helpful as a tank while soloing dungeons. He's a lot tougher than I expected

Succuby

Play with companion is really fun.

NeeScrolls

DormantOne wrote: »

I was apprehensive at first but now I think companions are a great addition. Well done ZOS!

Yeah , as i mentioned recently in the big Zenimax developer thread about them, i was very skeptical myself but have since come around. One of my favorite aspects is when Bastion gripes at me for standing 'AFK' for too long alt-tabbed here to the forums.

DormantOne wrote: »

Also the map visual for active dolmens is fantastic too!

Indeed. I'm still on the fence about the 'skyshard radar' addition but the dolmens visual is GREAT yep.

LannStone wrote: »

I never thought companions would be very helpful DPS, but I've found Bastion at L20 with heavy vigorous armor quite helpful as a tank while soloing dungeons. He's a lot tougher than I expected

Yeah i'm def. looking forward to finally getting companion level 20 maxed (including that awfully slowwwwww 'rapport' ugh) ...Even though, imo, it sure would be nice if their ai could figure out how NOT to stand in AOE stupids lol. Then again, i suppose by design maybe we the player 'owner' is meant to manually command them to move out faster hmm....

Gargath

A great addition to MMO?
In my opinion companions cannot be great addition to MMO because they function to pull the people away from playing with other people, which is a key to success for any MMO.

An addition like this ultimately depopulates the game in time. It's made only to make the game more and more easy, and usually for the minority. Why should you care for the gears, mechanics, rotation to survive if you have a companion defender.

It's also a kind of pay-to-win system, not given to everyone (like in SWTOR), but with DLC purchase.

ZOS says that MMO magic is "meeting other people and talking with them and developing those really close social ties."
True but only with real players.

Giving the players the ability to solo most of group content in an MMO is the most tragic symptom of a dying game.
ZOS should work more towards improving the incentives for grouping, not giving a fake solution to those who are affraid of playing in group or so much loving a solo play.

sajackson

I don't have a problem with the companions, although to me it's another system to manage and personally I prefer to focus on the core PvE gameplay so I generally don't use them. There may be the odd boss encounter in a public dungeon when no-one else is around to help where I might get a companion out to get it done.

I agree about the active world event markers on the maps, they definitely help a lot.

DagenHawk

I love companions...however I wish they would give them all the AI that is possible these days as they could be much more dynamic.


I would also like more companions....like the Nord Brit and Elven companions of the first chapters, let Jakarn become a companion, or even Count Verandis.

There is so much more (like making them more participatory in taverns and Inns) they can do with companions that will enhance the game .

VaranisArano

Gargath wrote: »

A great addition to MMO?
In my opinion companions cannot be great addition to MMO because they function to pull the people away from playing with other people, which is a key to success for any MMO.

An addition like this ultimately depopulates the game in time. It's made only to make the game more and more easy, and usually for the minority. Why should you care for the gears, mechanics, rotation to survive if you have a companion defender.

It's also a kind of pay-to-win system, not given to everyone (like in SWTOR), but with DLC purchase.

ZOS says that MMO magic is "meeting other people and talking with them and developing those really close social ties."
True but only with real players.

Giving the players the ability to solo most of group content in an MMO is the most tragic symptom of a dying game.
ZOS should work more towards improving the incentives for grouping, not giving a fake solution to those who are affraid of playing in group or so much loving a solo play.

I'd be more inclined to agree with you if ESO were a typical MMO marketed to a typical MMO audience.

But it's not.

It's the Elder Scrolls Online.

Which means a fair chunk of its inspiration and audience is from the single player Elder Scrolls games. Those players are hungry for the questing content and the amazing stories that ESO tells (and sells). Catering to those players is not a problem for this MMO. Far from it!

Unlike most MMOs where players who don't make social connections are likely to move on to the next big MMO, singleplayer TES fans who prefer to play solo keep coming back for the stories. They keep buying content for the stories. Maybe they eventually come to like group content and playing with other real people. I did! Maybe they don't, and that's okay.

In any case, it's really not a problem for ZOS that they are making group content more accessible through Companions to the sort of solo players who love their stories but don't love grouping up with real players.

_Zathras_

tl:dr This isn't 1999 anymore. The gaming industry has moved on.

Gargath wrote: »

A great addition to MMO?
In my opinion companions cannot be great addition to MMO because they function to pull the people away from playing with other people, which is a key to success for any MMO.

Generally, the people that use companions were either solo or duoing with a friend/family member anyway. This is a QoL feature that helps them. The people that always group..are still grouping.

Gargath wrote: »

An addition like this ultimately depopulates the game in time. It's made only to make the game more and more easy, and usually for the minority.

The sky is not falling. And, you might be surprised by how the demographics of the MMO community have changed in 20+ years.

Gargath wrote: »

It's also a kind of pay-to-win system, not given to everyone (like in SWTOR), but with DLC purchase.

I think you should revisit the definition of P2W. Every large chapter comes with something, be it Jewelry, Scrying, Psijic Order, or whatever. None of those are P2W either.

Gargath wrote: »

Giving the players the ability to solo most of group content in an MMO is the most tragic symptom of a dying game.

The game is far from dying. I'd take a look at their year end financials. Also, if you can solo Vet DLC content with a companion, I'd like to see that video. They help; they aren't miracle workers.

Gargath wrote: »

ZOS should work more towards improving the incentives for grouping, not giving a fake solution to those who are affraid of playing in group or so much loving a solo play.

Wildstar is looking at you.

People solo for a variety of reasons. Yes, some people do have anxiety, but others have a myriad of other reason why they prefer that playstyle. Thankfully the developers of ESO aren't stuck in the mentality from 20 years ago. The community has grown up, with real life obligations. No-lifing into a game for 8+ hours every day isn't feasible for most people anymore, nor do most people want to do that.

It isn't about forcing people from one space (solo) into another (grouping) because of the perception that one is better over another. Gaming studios have tried that, and failed. Then they listened to what was being said, and even more importantly they looked at and studied the in-game data. Game development, like the community they cater to, has evolved. ESO is one of the most progressive MMOs out there for that.

What is a major reason for the inclusion of this feature? What does it do for Solo and Group play?

Lambert says the idea behind Companions is to allow solo players and small groups to take on dungeons without worrying about becoming overwhelmed. As a solo player myself, I bluntly asked Lambert what took so long for something like that to be added.

"I think we've learned a lot over the years. And one of the main, recurring themes that we've heard from players, especially our more hardcore Elder Scrolls people, is people are scary. And there's some content that they aren't necessarily comfortable within a large group, but they would do with a couple of close, trusted friends. And so the beauty of this system and one of my hopes is, you know, you and a buddy could go and do four-player dungeons because you have two companions to help you out."

Another benefit to the upcoming Companion system, Lambert hopes, is that it'll give folks the confidence to take on tougher dungeons, thereby getting the chance to mingle and engage more with the ESO community.

"It will help players, A: develop stronger social ties in-game with their companions, but also, B: help them kind-of edge a little bit more into some of the group content and meeting other players potentially, which is really exciting to me, because that's where the magic of MMO happens, you know, meeting other people and talking with them and developing those really close social ties."

Source

Soulshine

Plenty to like and plenty to not like about them. Hoping to see some AI improvements on them, like for the love of god stop standing in stupid!

I kinda stopped using mine, except when on my tanks out in overland since it's nice to have some bit of added damage so I don't have to respec fully to solo build to avoid taking 18hrs to kill a world boss : P

EdmondDontes

Gargath wrote: »

A great addition to MMO?
In my opinion companions cannot be great addition to MMO because they function to pull the people away from playing with other people, which is a key to success for any MMO.

An addition like this ultimately depopulates the game in time. It's made only to make the game more and more easy, and usually for the minority. Why should you care for the gears, mechanics, rotation to survive if you have a companion defender.

It's also a kind of pay-to-win system, not given to everyone (like in SWTOR), but with DLC purchase.

ZOS says that MMO magic is "meeting other people and talking with them and developing those really close social ties."
True but only with real players.

Giving the players the ability to solo most of group content in an MMO is the most tragic symptom of a dying game.
ZOS should work more towards improving the incentives for grouping, not giving a fake solution to those who are affraid of playing in group or so much loving a solo play.

I couldn't agree more. I feel companions go counter to the whole concept of an MMO. They discourage grouping with other real live players, which is the opposite of what an MMO dev should focus on doing.

I'm also not seeing how Bastions buff/perk from fully leveling him is worth the effort. It doesn't do anything any toon with fully leveled alchemy skills can do already.

Zama666

For non keyboard users - please change the interaction key for the companions!

Try to jump - end up talking to Bastion
Try to mine a temper, Mirri gets in the way and you have a chat instead.

Otherwise, they are fun. But not mandatory.

I would like to duel Bastion....

etchedpixels

EdmondDontes wrote: »

I couldn't agree more. I feel companions go counter to the whole concept of an MMO. They discourage grouping with other real live players, which is the opposite of what an MMO dev should focus on doing.

I thought the point of a game was for people to enjoy it. There's never been one definition of what an MMO is or should be.
A commercial MMO dev should be focussing on making the shareholder value increase, which generally means keeping lots of players happy and enjoying it.

For a lot of players ESO isn't a group challenge game. It's an Elder Scrolls game (and the only Elder Scrolls game under development).

Call_of_Red_Mountain

I wanna see companion who like cheese, vampires and don't sheesh on me when I'm collecting bugs. Also romantic relationships will be fun. Not necessary, but fun. And personal bag for companions. So they can carry our loot. And option "mute comments from your companion" when you want silence.

NeKryXe

Call_of_Red_Mountain wrote: »

I wanna see companion who like cheese, vampires and don't sheesh on me when I'm collecting bugs. Also romantic relationships will be fun. Not necessary, but fun. And personal bag for companions. So they can carry our loot. And option "mute comments from your companion" when you want silence.

"mute comments from your companion" is REALLY URGENT!!!!

I gave up on companions a couple of weeks after they appeared because I couldn't stand the repetitive lines anymore.

I recently decided to try to level them up, hoping that this issue had been fixed, but even with companion reactions set to infrequent, these things never stop bothering. Especially Bastion. Bastion's text is awful. It's impossible to enter a city without hearing the usual unbearable nagging.

drsalvation

Gargath wrote: »

A great addition to MMO?
In my opinion companions cannot be great addition to MMO because they function to pull the people away from playing with other people, which is a key to success for any MMO.

An addition like this ultimately depopulates the game in time. It's made only to make the game more and more easy, and usually for the minority. Why should you care for the gears, mechanics, rotation to survive if you have a companion defender.

It's also a kind of pay-to-win system, not given to everyone (like in SWTOR), but with DLC purchase.

ZOS says that MMO magic is "meeting other people and talking with them and developing those really close social ties."
True but only with real players.

Giving the players the ability to solo most of group content in an MMO is the most tragic symptom of a dying game.
ZOS should work more towards improving the incentives for grouping, not giving a fake solution to those who are affraid of playing in group or so much loving a solo play.

yoiu can't use companions to solo dungeons tho, if you could solo a dungeon before, your companion might help make it easier, but you couldn't solo a dungeon before, your companion won't help you that much.
Take a look for instance at fungal grotto II, one of the easiest sequel dungeons, you NEED actual humans to help you escape the execution, your companion will never get you out of it. Or look at Aetherium archive, you NEED 12 people to stand on the teleportation platforms. I was able to solo it up until the first storm attronach, Bastian wouldn't stand on all 12 platforms at the same time.
Also, companions are NOT in PvP at all.

And finally, world bosses, especially in vanilla zones, there's barely any players nearby to take them, so a companion will help you solo them. In the end of it all, what difference does it make if you solo a boss with your companion, or if a random player jumps in to help and then you both go your separate ways?

I agree that there should be more incentives to do harder content and group up with other players.
I always despised the fact that the actual hard content of the game, dungeons, trials, and PvP, reward you with amazing gear, which is only used for more dungeons, trials, and PvP. There's never any point in the story where a boss is too hard so you grind dungeons so you can save the world. The dreugh at the end of fungal grotto was scarier than molag bal in terms of gameplay difficulty and mechanics, So maybe adding a veteran mode to story content (NOT OVERLAND, just story quests) would help incentivise players to partake in group activities like dungeons and trials to get better gear to finish the story.

There's simply no way to get your companion to completely replace other players in this game. But companions CAN help if you don't have enough friends to play with. My brother and I have been running dungeons alone, and it's been working wonders. This way we don't need to skip the story quests because of other players who want the gear so they speedrun the whole thing.

Inaya

Call_of_Red_Mountain wrote: »

I wanna see companion who like cheese, vampires and don't sheesh on me when I'm collecting bugs. Also romantic relationships will be fun. Not necessary, but fun. And personal bag for companions. So they can carry our loot. And option "mute comments from your companion" when you want silence.

I'd be happy if they had a bag just to carry companion gear in!