Does anyone use Bastion as a companion most of the time?

Veinblood1965

Just curious, I hardly ever see anyone that has him tagging along. His quotes are annoying which is why I don't.

Thee_Cheshire_Cat

i love the guy, and use him all the time.
i love his nature, his demeanor... He's all kind and stuff, then busts out with passionate war cries and victory cries, "THAT'S how we do things in Daggerfall!"

He's deep, and thoughtful... "I like to think fate puts us in dark places because it's our job to be a light there." Favorite quote.

He helps me find heavy sacks if i happen to miss them, by stopping and staring at them, "Hellooooo, what's this?"

He's got a sexy full body tatt that was a surprise to see, and his voice... ommagosh, i could listen to him all night. Only thing that woulda made him better woulda been a british accent. lol

NotaDaedraWorshipper

Yes, he's pretty much the only companion I genuinely enjoy the company of, despite ZOS' horrible treatment of him.

The others I only have out to level them up and get rapport for the passives and to use as houseguests.

Treselegant

Yes, he's my only companion. I don't get on with the others. He's got a steady fanbase - they just don't really come to the forums because they're just happily doing their thing obviously.

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

Yes, he's pretty much the only companion I genuinely enjoy the company of, despite ZOS' horrible treatment of him.

Why this was allowed to be a thing, I will never know, does someone at Zos have this idea that every player the same and has the same taste? That only female companions were worth working on/updating? It's like the company suddenly forgot player diversity existed .

LanteanPegasus

*raises hand*

I never go anywhere without him if I can help it. (Thankfully I only ever go to PvP country for endeavours or event quests anyway.) I actually miss his company when he isn't there, because I like his personality and his comments so much.
(He's handy in a fight, too, but that's not the main reason to have him with me, any companion could probably do that.)

I tried leveling Ember, because she isn't bad as a character, and would be a good fit for my seldom-played slightly thievey Khajiit lady, but I gave up because when I run around with her I can't have Bastian there. (She says anything and I go "Basti's comment would've been so much better.")

So, as always, one person's "annoying" is another one's "perfect".

Quackery

I do, he's a great companion to have with Inferno staff. I also enjoy his voice, it's calming.

Edit: Also, his comment about the gods being in a good mood when they made Coldharbour is especially awesome.

Araneae6537

I use different companions with different characters. In fact, I’ve yet to unlock more than one companion on any one character. For me, it contributes to the feeling of my characters having separate stories and identities.

Cazador

He's probably my second favorite after ember. He kind of gets treated by some as being too preachy/ stuck up but I appreciate that he's basically a selfless person who doesn't want to follow around someone who just kills and steals from random people.

Soarora

His quotes ARE annoying but he’s set up as a decent healer and that’s all I need. Also his quest is the only one I enjoy redoing.

tomofhyrule

Basti is best bro.

I'd be with him all the time, but I'm trying to grind up the others so I can get them to 20 and then put them away forever. I really wish that we got Companion levelling books from the Impresario instead of Guild levelling things - it's easy enough to do a few dailies to get their guilds up, but levelling them after around 12 to 20 is such a terrible grind.

Kirawolfe

I see a lot of hate for Bastian in my guild forums, and here, but man, I love the guy.

He is an essential tank for me when farming dungeons, no matter who I'm playing. I enjoy his kindness, and his voice which I find soothing. He has a line that makes me happy every time I hear it:

"I like to think fate puts us in dark places because it's our job to be a light there."

Also, the "Are you hurt?!" line gets me all fluttery XD

That said, he spends a lot of time looking up, at nothing.

I'm digging Isobel as well, though she's annoying for my vampire characters. Her laugh of delight when we go into battle is just awesome.

But I think Bastian will always be my favorite because he's steadfast and true and cares about everyone.

... except bandits, because screw those guys. XD

FeedbackOnly

Yes

spartaxoxo

Yes. He's a fantastic tank companion, he's easy to keep happy, he as a nice voice, and he's kind. I like him a lot.

ETA
But, I don't do justice activities with any of the companions. It can be hard not to get literally any bounty unless I'm stealing from drunks, so Ember is a no go. Mirri doesn't like Blade of Woe. And Isobel and Bastian don't like stealing at all.

Necrotech_Master

i generally dislike bastions personality, but have him set up as a healer, which is the least needed companion type for me lol

my primary companion is ember for dps, or isobel for tanking

Holycannoli

Does he say anything as annoying as "Doing something with magicky?" Because sometimes I can't stand Ember lol.

I haven't bothered unlocking him yet. I have the other three.

Snamyap

I don't care for his personality but +15% damage to heavy attacks makes him the default for my two heavy attack characters.

Syldras

I'm wondering why he gets so much hate when he's not more righteous than Isobel (about whom people seem to complain less - oh, unless it's about the way she looks or walks, which seems to be less of an issue with Bastian)? Of course everyone has different likes and dislikes (I find Bastian okay although a bit cheesy sometimes, so far my favorite is Mirri), but it's something I've noticed.

spartaxoxo

Holycannoli wrote: »

Does he say anything as annoying as "Doing something with magicky?" Because sometimes I can't stand Ember lol.

I haven't bothered unlocking him yet. I have the other three.

No. He doesn't imo. I can't think of a worse companion line from any of them lol.

Treselegant

Syldras wrote: »

I'm wondering why he gets so much hate when he's not more righteous than Isobel (about whom people seem to complain less - oh, unless it's about the way she looks or walks, which seems to be less of an issue with Bastian)? Of course everyone has different likes and dislikes (I find Bastian okay although a bit cheesy sometimes, so far my favorite is Mirri), but it's something I've noticed.

Yeah, it's been very noticable how the two characters are treated. To me Isobel is so much more 'preachy' - so much of her dialogue relates to her religious inclinations. Playing as a vampire character and having her trying to drag me to light, so to speak, drives me mad.

My feeling from the start has been 'moral' sentiments seem to be more accepted when those sentiments come from a female character. Caring about people, even being against murder (!) seems to be treated as feminine which is evidenced by the comments attacking Bastian's masculinity as well as pretty awful sexuality based 'jokes'. Part of my frustration with Zos over this issue is that they seem to just...accept this...

ProudMary

I don't use any companions except to level them, then I put them away and never touch them again. I honestly don't think companions belong in an MMO.

Syldras

Treselegant wrote: »

To me Isobel is so much more 'preachy' - so much of her dialogue relates to her religious inclinations. Playing as a vampire character and having her trying to drag me to light, so to speak, drives me mad.

Yeah, "Stendarr bless you" and things like that... That works fine with characters that worship the Eight Divines, but already feels a bit weird for my Dunmer - although he assumes that Isobel just wants to be friendly, so he just tries to ignore the religious wording and focusses on the sentiment behind that. But I can understand that it's even weirder for vampire characters.

Treselegant wrote: »

Caring about people, even being against murder (!) seems to be treated as feminine which is evidenced by the comments attacking Bastian's masculinity as well as pretty awful sexuality based 'jokes'. Part of my frustration with Zos over this issue is that they seem to just...accept this...

I don't think I've seen jokes about that - can you give an example? What I've been seeing lately are cases where female companions and characters are sexually objectified. Before anyone complains: I don't mean comments like "I want to marry Naryu" or "Eveli is cute". That's no objectification.

Treselegant

Syldras wrote: »

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Treselegant wrote: »

To me Isobel is so much more 'preachy' - so much of her dialogue relates to her religious inclinations. Playing as a vampire character and having her trying to drag me to light, so to speak, drives me mad.

Yeah, "Stendarr bless you" and things like that... That works fine with characters that worship the Eight Divines, but already feels a bit weird for my Dunmer - although he assumes that Isobel just wants to be friendly, so he just tries to ignore the religious wording and focusses on the sentiment behind that. But I can understand that it's even weirder for vampire characters.

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Treselegant wrote: »

Caring about people, even being against murder (!) seems to be treated as feminine which is evidenced by the comments attacking Bastian's masculinity as well as pretty awful sexuality based 'jokes'. Part of my frustration with Zos over this issue is that they seem to just...accept this...

I don't think I've seen jokes about that - can you give an example? What I've been seeing lately are cases where female companions and characters are sexually objectified. Before anyone complains: I don't mean comments like "I want to marry Naryu" or "Eveli is cute". That's no objectification.

'Jokes' about punishing him by dressing him in pink, jabs at female players who find Bastian attractive with snide remarks about his sexuality etc etc. To put it bluntly I've seen numerous 'gay jokes' thrown around - forum users dance around it, skirting the rules but it's pretty obvious. Places like reddit, its not so veiled, with outright slurs being used to describe the character. So yeah, some really bizzare linking of 'being kind and not liking murder' to contemptuous jokes about femininity and outdated attitudes towards sexuality.

DinoZavr

Players nowadays run overland with Ember or Isobel, mostly because Bastian and Mirri are already developed, but new girls require some levelling up.

Deter1UK

ProudMary wrote: »

I don't use any companions except to level them, then I put them away and never touch them again. I honestly don't think companions belong in an MMO.

Ahh, but according to ZOS ESO is an online RPG with MMO elements.

Araneae6537

ProudMary wrote: »

I don't use any companions except to level them, then I put them away and never touch them again. I honestly don't think companions belong in an MMO.

It puzzles me as to why you took the time to level them then. I don’t think ToT belongs in an MMO RPG so I don’t engage with it. To each their own, but they are optional.

This thread reminds me of the things I like about Bastian — I just wish both he and Mirri had more varied lines with some adjustment to when they activate — as I’ve mentioned in other threads, talking about the bustle of a city when we wander into some long deserted ruins makes me wonder about them!

SeaGtGruff

I haven't collected the two from High Isle yet, and prefer Bastian over Mirri, but I don't play with a companion unless I feel like I really need the extra help-- mainly because I dislike ending up with more companion gear that I have to deal with.

Syldras

Treselegant wrote: »

'Jokes' about punishing him by dressing him in pink, jabs at female players who find Bastian attractive with snide remarks about his sexuality etc etc. To put it bluntly I've seen numerous 'gay jokes' thrown around - forum users dance around it, skirting the rules but it's pretty obvious. Places like reddit, its not so veiled, with outright slurs being used to describe the character.

I'm not surprised about Reddit, but accepting those kind of "jokes" here is a disappointment.

Treselegant wrote: »

So yeah, some really bizzare linking of 'being kind and not liking murder' to contemptuous jokes about femininity and outdated attitudes towards sexuality.

I'd prefer a kind and polite guy over a murder hobo anytime, but what do I know about straight people?!

Araneae6537 wrote: »

This thread reminds me of the things I like about Bastian — I just wish both he and Mirri had more varied lines with some adjustment to when they activate — as I’ve mentioned in other threads, talking about the bustle of a city when we wander into some long deserted ruins makes me wonder about them!

Or that "The Divines were in good mood" phrase when going to a striking locale in Coldharbour... I have the impression that ZOS tried to avoid a few common mistakes with the newer companions (Isobel: "That was it, right? Sometimes its hard to tell." - after some people complained about Bastian declaring a battle to be over because the game didn't recognize there were new enemies spawning), but there for sure are a lot of things that still need improvement. Actually when they first announced companions and that there would only be 2 (each year) I had expected more specific dialogue for both of them.

Necrotech_Master

DinoZavr wrote: »

Players nowadays run overland with Ember or Isobel, mostly because Bastian and Mirri are already developed, but new girls require some levelling up.

it took me less than a week to get both isobel and ember to lvl 20

i mostly use ember and isobel because i believe they are objectively better in terms of class skills than what mirri and bastion have access to

the only thing i dont like about isobel is her ultimate with that useless 3.8 sec cast time

MasterSpatula

I really can't stand the game yelling at me for it's own terrible targeting, so I run around with Ember or Isabelle.

Syldras

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

it took me less than a week to get both isobel and ember to lvl 20

Can you estimate how many hours that were? "A week" can mean anything, from 7 hours to over 50.

And it probably also depends on what you were doing with them. I just tag my companions along with me all the time, also during story questing and crafting which doesn't bring as many xp as doing dungeons, of course.

MasterSpatula wrote: »

I really can't stand the game yelling at me for it's own terrible targeting, so I run around with Ember or Isabelle.

Isobel also complains if you kill animals, though.

Treselegant

Syldras wrote: »

show previous quotes

Treselegant wrote: »

'Jokes' about punishing him by dressing him in pink, jabs at female players who find Bastian attractive with snide remarks about his sexuality etc etc. To put it bluntly I've seen numerous 'gay jokes' thrown around - forum users dance around it, skirting the rules but it's pretty obvious. Places like reddit, its not so veiled, with outright slurs being used to describe the character.

I'm not surprised about Reddit, but accepting those kind of "jokes" here is a disappointment.

For some reason the forum allows some really vile comments on Bastian related threads. I've seen things stay up that really should have been nixed straight away. All you can do is report them but some things take multiple reports when they really shouldn't have to. Which really feeds back into the impression that Zos does not give a stuff about Bastian as character and the players who prefer him.