Purchasable Fully-Custom Companions?

thegreatme

The title says it all.

I've been thinking for a bit about the Companion system, and I do think having fully-voiced Companions with backstory and all that is great on its own, however, a lot of people have echoed the same complaint over and over.

While we CAN change our Companion's outfit and what mounts they ride, we can't change anything that is, shall we say, "crucial" to that Companion as their own character, such as race, hair style, putting a hood on them or a polymorph.

So I got to thinking, what if we could just purchase "Blank Slate" companions from the crown store that ARE fully-customizable? Where you can choose their race, hair, tattoos, basically everything about them. They wouldn't need voice acting or any "reputation" system to them or backstory, they would mostly just be functional to their class but otherwise cosmetic.

This would especially appeal to the roleplay crowd and being able to "bring along" multiple characters/alts in the open world or populate your player houses with custom characters.

Each Companion on your account would be more or less unique and the settings for them account-wide similar to how companions are handled now, but you could buy multiple custom companions.

Also, since you're paying for the Companions individually, they shouldn't be "Set in Stone" in anything except perhaps class, so you could change their race, height, and whatever else, but the changes would be account-wide for that specific Companion, so if you want to have several dedicated ones in different classes for different purposes, you'd have to buy another one.

You can also equip polymorphs and special skins to them if you want.

Basically Companions that allow us to use any customization options we have unlocked for our own characters, but on a Companion.

Hell, perhaps we could even have two different types of Companions of that sort.

A "Combat Companion" that has class abilities and such which is pricier, and a cheaper purely cosmetic one that doesn't do combat, essentially serving the same function as a non-combat pet.

DagenHawk

Meh I just see ZoS offering companions on the Crown store at some point, they will sell like hotcakes as is.

TelvanniWizard

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

To me, this should have been the idea since the beggining. Perhaps use our alts as copy/paste looks models. But, at this point, and seeing how stubborn ZOS can be, I´d settle for being able to customize the existing companions with ALL our collectible tabs: polymorphs, skins, personalities, hairstyles, face and body markings, hats (and helmets, for Azura´s sake!), facial hair, adornments, etc. This wouldn´t conflict with their "vision" of companions as "real characters" and, at the same time, let us customize them a bit more to our liking, specially considering how all of them have the same faces and postures, and how crucial and important is customization in MMOs. Perhaps one day... Until then, I won´t bother with companions. Mirri is the only one with a pass for me, and once she is level 20, for the achiv, she´s gone.

BomblePants

Other (explain)

I’d like one of my alts as my companion…

Lady_Galadhiel

No, I don't like that idea at all.

I would like if they would release companions more often than once a year.

Vindold

Other (explain)

I don't want to see such stuff as a part of Crown Store. It will probably cost like 5k crowns minimum.
What I want to see is FREE customization options for our existing companions like:

1. Body type
2. Hair \ Hair color
3. Skin color
4. Tattoo
5. Adornments \ Headgear
6. Face

AcadianPaladin

I'm neutral on the idea.

I'm neutral on the idea because the custom voicing is a big deal to me. Don't want a silent companion and it is probably too much to offer a bunch of fully voiced options. While I would stay with the provided fully voiced companions, I get that others may prefer different and options are good.

One thing I think everyone can agree on is the ability to put helmets, hoods, circlets on the regular companions. Being able to give them any of your hairstyles would be wonderful as well.

adriant1978

Other (explain)

I doubt we'll get any sort of companions for sale in the Crown Store until they stop being a chapter exclusive feature.

phaneub17_ESO

I feel like the quality of the companion will go down, while you can change how they appear to your liking it means you lose out on personality, voice acting, and story quests that would normally be associated with them. They won't do those things for custom companions because it can never match up with what you create, there's too many variables. So now you're running around with another Sorc pet you can change the appearance.

_Zathras_

No, I don't like that idea at all.

Over the years on these forums, I've watched an evolution in how players try to communicate ideas to the devs. While many of the arguments for features are fairly well thought out, and they do sometimes get implemented (like account wide achievements), more often than not the asking and pleading is just shouted into the void without response.

In the last while, the communications evolved into bargaining. "Can we have X feature, if we give this up instead?" Or, as in this thread, "Can we have X feature, if it's in the Crown Store?" because everyone knows how precious monetizing is to them.

Another example of this discussion is having varieties of pet skins for Sorcs and Wardens that are available in the Crown Store. Those threads have been bouncing around for about 2 years now. Asking turns into bargaining.

All that does is actively signal that the players are ripe for the picking. Anything goes! Let's unleash more Cash Shop goodness.

"Look! They're trying to monetize themselves now!" (gleeful cackling)

To the OP: Customization, yes! But do we really have to monetize it?

On the customization, I would put the brakes on polymorphs. The Companions all have personalities. If Miri is going to complain over something as trivial as plucking the wings off a torchbug, how do you think she would react over being turned into an Ice Atronach.

TelvanniWizard

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

phaneub17_ESO wrote: »

I feel like the quality of the companion will go down, while you can change how they appear to your liking it means you lose out on personality, voice acting, and story quests that would normally be associated with them. They won't do those things for custom companions because it can never match up with what you create, there's too many variables. So now you're running around with another Sorc pet you can change the appearance.

I wouldn´t mind that. I couldn´t care less about their preposterous "personalities". Prefer a companion I like, and I´ll rp the rest.

Heartrage

Why would the companion have to be in the crown store? Why not introduce some kind of shape shifting actor companion that can change between races/classes and change it's feature and personality for the "role" we give them instead?

SilverBride

Other (explain)

I would have liked another male companion to choose from but since that didn't happen...

I would like this if there was also an option to buy with Seals of Endeavors. Otherwise, not interested.

hafgood

I'm neutral on the idea.

Neutral because, well, companions? Not a fan

emilyhyoyeon

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

At the rate they're adding companions it'll be years, if ever, that they make an argonian shadowscale companion, so I would love to be able to customize my own

Fischblut

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

Sadly, in my case, developers could not deliver the fun in current Companion system.

I wanted to shape up a character who would match my own characters, so that it would be comfortable to travel together. Functionally, companions are not strong; they can't be taken into arenas, and they can't be used to bypass solo-unfriendly mechanics in dungeons (for example, pressure plates or levers)... So they should at least look good.

My own characters rarely look normal, so I enjoy using creepy outfits, skins, polymorphs and personalities.
I wanted to have companions equipped with combinations of all those things too. For my main character, I wanted to have something like Sith apprentice - I even purchased a Reveries Operatic Mask Pack (before we got info that our companions can't wear helmets)
For some of my other characters, I simply wanted Skeleton thrall to follow them! Our necromancers can't even have any permanent undead helpers... I think designers don't understand the importance to have that, and how fun it feels.



I had 5 Skinned Hounds follow me in ES Oblivion. They all had collision with each other and with mobs, so our pack would often get stuck in weird places. Then I added 6th Skinned Hound to my pack and the game started crashing Those Hounds were almost useless, but the look was most important!

It wouldn't even matter that companion can't really do anything than being "pretty". Even better, the fact that my Skeleton thrall tries to help me in combat would be cute and funny! Of course, if my Sith apprentice would be performing so poorly, somebody might think that my character is not a good master... But my character simply wouldn't teach their apprentice all the strong stuff - the goal is simply to have the apprentice around all the time

I feel like the quality of the companion will go down, while you can change how they appear to your liking it means you lose out on personality, voice acting, and story quests that would normally be associated with them. They won't do those things for custom companions because it can never match up with what you create, there's too many variables. So now you're running around with another Sorc pet you can change the appearance.

It's unlikely that I would ever like a pre-made companion character. In whole game, I really like only few NPC characters... And those are not seen as popular characters among writers and players, so the chance to get something like them as Companions is zero. In that case, I would take good-looking "Sorc combat pet"

This leads to me not caring about pre-made Companion's personality and quests, at all. I do not have any emotional attachment to Companion's personality, their quests or their looks

For example, currently we have Mirri and Bastian. Given a choice, I would not want to see any of them following my character. But they are able to use mounts, so I must have a companion who showcases additional one of my mounts while I adventure.

I had to settle for Bastian. He won vs Mirri cause of his wicked body art, and cause his combat cries are filled with bloodlust



It's just hilarious to hear "No remorse!" when Bastian is destroying local population of guar, and then he judges me with a phrase "Do you place so little value on life?" when I kill a rat.

I have to endure everything else about him, including his disapproval of theft. My character is criminal mastermind, and all my other characters are in her clan - and Bastian is always naive.

VaranisArano

If they sell a customizable Companion, then it'll be harder to throw two new Companions into a chapter and call it new content.

spartaxoxo

No, I don't like that idea at all.

No. I like that Companions are their own unique characters and not just extension of my own character. It is one of the largest bonuses to me. I also strongly dislike a gameplay feature being turned into monetization, too close to p2w for my liking. The banker and merchants are already completely lifeless, and they at least have some dialogue. These would be even more lifeless than that. These would just be Barbies.

Hapexamendios

Other (explain)

Not interested.

Sheezabeast

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

I think if they had a dialogue pack we got to pick the voce for, per the gender we pick, that would be great. Getting to pick the gender, the race, hair and name would be lovely. If we cannot hide their face, let us customize them.

AScarlato

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

I want them to turn story NPCs into Companions (Jakarn, Quen, Evali, etc.)

Outside of that, this would be a great "catch-all" option for those who dislike all the voiced/story options.

Jeffrey530

_Zathras_ wrote: »

Over the years on these forums, I've watched an evolution in how players try to communicate ideas to the devs. While many of the arguments for features are fairly well thought out, and they do sometimes get implemented (like account wide achievements), more often than not the asking and pleading is just shouted into the void without response.

In the last while, the communications evolved into bargaining. "Can we have X feature, if we give this up instead?" Or, as in this thread, "Can we have X feature, if it's in the Crown Store?" because everyone knows how precious monetizing is to them.

Another example of this discussion is having varieties of pet skins for Sorcs and Wardens that are available in the Crown Store. Those threads have been bouncing around for about 2 years now. Asking turns into bargaining.

All that does is actively signal that the players are ripe for the picking. Anything goes! Let's unleash more Cash Shop goodness.

"Look! They're trying to monetize themselves now!" (gleeful cackling)

To the OP: Customization, yes! But do we really have to monetize it?

On the customization, I would put the brakes on polymorphs. The Companions all have personalities. If Miri is going to complain over something as trivial as plucking the wings off a torchbug, how do you think she would react over being turned into an Ice Atronach.

That's called being realistic lol. Why would a company give new features/content for free. So you can praise them and continue your £10 a month subscription? They can prob earn the equivalent of your few years of subscription within minutes with a new skin.

Sylvermynx

Hapexamendios wrote: »

Not interested.

Yeah. Me either.

SydneyGrey

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

I would explode into a shower of glitter if I could put a goblin polymorph on a companion and have a goblin buddy following me around. *Swoon* Yes, please.

Amottica

Other (explain)

DagenHawk wrote: »

Meh I just see ZoS offering companions on the Crown store at some point, they will sell like hotcakes as is.

This or keeping adding them to chapters. If they offered a fully customizable one then there would be no reason for us to be interested in any more companions. I just do not see Zenimax seeing such a companion as a good business move.

whitecrow

No, I don't like that idea at all.

A silent companion would be creepy to me. I would rather have more customization options for their companions. It would alleviate some of the "cloning" feel we have now.

Tornaad

Just a random thought, what if we could have one of our other characters as a companion?

DreamyLu

No, I don't like that idea at all.

As said in another thread before, for me, companions are NPCs and should remain identifiable as such on first sight.

peacenote

I'm neutral on the idea.

I picked neutral because I probably wouldn't buy it, myself. And I hate to admit that as much as I was against companions and as much as I would have rather seen something else in the game, because I try to explore everything, I did try them, and when I DO use them, I enjoy their little comments. Sometimes just for the humor of being so inappropriately timed. So I'm not 100% sure I'd use a silent one even if it was free. The humor has become a big part of the fun for me.

That said, I like the direction of this in that I would rather see more combat and customization options than more investment in character-specific relationships with a very curated NPC. If I can't even track my character's specific achievements anymore, why on earth does it makes sense to deepen a relationship or romance a companion over and over again? Let them have simple personalities and let us make them more what we want, as opposed to doubling down on role play in this one weird way while simultaneously eliminating character individuality elsewhere. I know there were hints of introducing romances and I hope they get scrapped. (Sorry to those of you that want this, it's just my opinion.)

So this idea takes companions in the right directions for me. But more customizations to current companions, and getting enough so we have one per class, and one "evil" male and female, would also be good enough for me.

Kesstryl

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

I wouldn't mind this so I could make companions based on my other characters, but other than that, I think this would be a long way off as right now companions are, sadly, being used as chapter selling points. It's going to be a slog of years before we get companions of all classes in this case, which is awful for those of us who want more variety across our different characters. I'd have a different companion for each of my 14 characters if it was available, as each one of them would make friends with different types of people.

thegreatme

Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Custom companions please!

BomblePants wrote: »

I’d like one of my alts as my companion…

Zuboko wrote: »

Just a random thought, what if we could have one of our other characters as a companion?

Honestly this is what I was thinking about suggesting such a "Blank Slate" Companion option.

I already make most of my characters with some relation to each other for RP purposes, such as having two toons who are husband and wife, others being childhood friends, brothers, et cetera.

It would be nice to be able to actually have both characters together in the world rather than have to waggle my fingers and tell people "Just imagine this extra character is standing there that you can't see whatsoever" to every new person who shows up.

Or just be able to run around the world with those characters together fighting and doing activities together, and likewise see my other friends' multiple characters together in one place.

Its not as though it completely defies the same concept of "Traveling together with your Companion" when its Mirri and Bastion or the two new ones coming up in the future. Its just extra options.

The only problem with having a direct 1:1 "Turn my alt into a Companion" is the character classes, which are a similar but not an exact replication of the characters' classes and skills available.