Should Companions Be Unlockable Account Wide?

Lumenn

After they implemented AWA and decided that my Templar who hates thieves and murderers is now recognized as the said object of scorn, I seriously think it's ridiculous that "each" character has to be recognized on their own merits. Now it's simply the same "vestige" wearing a different flesh suit. Each body may have to level up, and fetch their own skyshards, but the "companion" shouldn't have to "reacquaint" with each suit I put on.

Cireous

I think all of it should be account linked. Quests and rapport. Overarchingly, they should also have system in place where you can choose to repeat any/all quests if you want, companion quests or any other quests.

Alternatively, as a bonus quality of life option, I would like to be able to choose to link all quests to all my characters, so when a quest is completed on one character, at the very least, that quest marker will not show up for the rest of them. I want to be able play any character, in any zone in the game, and know that when I see a quest marker, I haven't done that quest on anyone yet (minus repeatable quests). I just want to feel like it's always going to be a new story experience, no matter what character I am on. The only way to get this feeling now is if I isolate one character per zone, and I don't like the limitations with that.

WySoSirius

I wish it was account wide , but I suspect ZoS have purposely done this like skill lines , which means you will have the option to buy with ×××× crowns in the future

SilverBride

Cireous wrote: »

I would like to be able to choose to link all quests to all my characters, so when a quest is completed on one character, at the very least, that quest marker will not show up for the rest of them.

This is a very good idea. I'd like to see a toggle to show or hide quest indicators that could be set per character. This wouldn't affect the ability to still do the quests if we choose.

Number_51

Cireous wrote: »

I think all of it should be account linked. Quests and rapport. Overarchingly, they should also have system in place where you can choose to repeat any/all quests if you want, companion quests or any other quests.

Alternatively, as a bonus quality of life option, I would like to be able to choose to link all quests to all my characters, so when a quest is completed on one character, at the very least, that quest marker will not show up for the rest of them. I want to be able play any character, in any zone in the game, and know that when I see a quest marker, I haven't done that quest on anyone yet (minus repeatable quests). I just want to feel like it's always going to be a new story experience, no matter what character I am on. The only way to get this feeling now is if I isolate one character per zone, and I don't like the limitations with that.

Hmmm, seems to me we had that once... maybe before AWA.

CGPsaint

IrisDupree wrote: »

I'd say that they could make it where if you get a companion to max rapport and level with one character you get the option to skip the quest on alts. You have put the work in and doing it over and over is not exactly fun.

This is the way. My first order of business when new companions drop is to max out their level and rapport so that I can unlock their corresponding mementos account wide.

redlink1979

Yes it should be account wide but we all know what the solution provided will be: purchase the unlocking at crown store.

Elsonso

Nomadic_Atmoran wrote: »

Simply put, as companion quests get longer. The replayability of these quests on more than one character starts to become time and effort consuming. Now Im not asking that these quests be blocked off or inaccessible to new characters. Only that an option to utilize these companions through the collection menu be granted to characters once one of the characters have already accessed the companion through gameplay.

Thoughts and opinions?

Yes. They should be unlocked using a simple dialog by the first character that comes across them. After that, they are account wide hirelings that start with each character at neutral rapport.

The story associated with them should not start prior to them being "hired" but be based entirely on rapport with the individual character. Players can then choose whether they want to do the story on one or multiple characters, as rapport with a companion increases.

If they want to retain the "location quests", as is mentioned above, they can trigger those when the rapport gets to a certain point, or if the player happens to bring them to that location.

MaurnaFrost

The unlock should be account wide OR if you've unlocked on one character you have an option to 'unlock on all but you won't be able to do the quest again later/gain no xp' type of thing.

I have a healer I'd love to have a companion on, started the companion quests in Blackwood and nope. Will have to go try again with Ebony (who is currently specced as a healer for my dps...)

Kappachi

YstradClud wrote: »

I don't really care as I only really play my two Templars (PC and console) who have them all unlocked but I am glad they have continued with the companions since their introduction in Blackwood.

for me I have max chara slots unlocked (20) and a majority of my characters are still companion-less despite being played a decent amount fo time each. I only just recently got my arcanist their companion since I prefer to just play the game and get things naturally; but only three zones have companions to unlock and have specific quest chains to get them. I really would prefer if we just do the quest once each and then can use the collectibles tab.

Destai

I think so. They could leave the quests in place, treat it like a public dungeon quest from the base game. You get the memento on your first play through, but can do the quest again on other characters. Same idea could be applied here, except it’s a companion instead of memento.

LunaFlora

BXR_Lonestar wrote: »

LunaFlora wrote: »

no. your character meets them by doing their first quest and then gets to summon them. it's good like this.

one character knowing them already shouldn't make it possible for other characters to summon them before doing the first quest.

In principal I would agree, but then it would make absolutely NO sense that when you summon them, they have progress that you made with your other characters (in terms of skill lines and gear). If that is going to be the case, then each of your characters should be able to have the same companion with a different build/setup to mesh well with that character.

Lets at least be consistent.

Personally, I would prefer to go through the storyline quest once with my main character, and then just have access to the companion on my other characters. I don't want to play through the damn storyline every time for each character.

i dont have an issue with that. their equipment doesn't have anything to do with having done their quests.

all my characters are different characters so if i want to do quests with them i do that. companions are useful but their quests aren't meaningless.

and you don't have to play through their entire story to unlock them with another character, just one quest.

maybe eventually zos will put companion items in the crown store or the impresario will sell some max rapport item.

disintegr8

I don't have Necrom yet, so don't know what the new companion quests are like, but if they are longer just for the sake of it, then that will annoy me. I've unlocked the other 4 on 21 characters now (between NA and EU).

I'm not necessarily in favour of them being unlocked account wide, but if you have to do the quest on every character that you want them to run with, the initial quest should be short and sweet.

evymyu233

i hate Isobel's quest

spartaxoxo

Allow people to skip it, but keep rapport and the subsequent quests per character. Rapport should be separate because the rewards are already account wide. And a player should have the option to have a companion love one character and hate the other. e.g Bastian would hate my Khajiit because she's a murderous thief. But like my justice oriented characters. After you have the rewards, rapport is just roleplay flavor and has no impact on gameplay. So, there's no real reason to be restricting it as a roleplay tool since nobody needs to max it out on more than one toon.

ArchangelIsraphel

Sure, so long as it's optional. I'd still like to be able to do the quests over again on all of my characters that "meet" them, but I do think an account wide unlock is a good idea.

Maybe have the account wide unlock for each of the companions become accessible once you get each of them to 100% rapport once.

To make it RP/lore friendly, use some flavor text to say that the character with 100% rapport "introduced" the companion to the character skipping the questline.

I think it would work out fine this way. Again, so long as its optional.

Amottica

If the question actually intends to ask if I would like companions to be unlocked account-wide then sure, it would be nice but that is about it.

If the question is what was actually typed in the title then it is clear the answer is no since that is the way it is designed.

stewhead2ub17_ESO

"The quests for Sharp and Azander are also *very, very noticeably* a lot longer and a lot harder than those for the previous companions."

jle30303 wrote: »

The quests for Sharp and Azander are also *very, very noticeably* a lot longer and a lot harder than those for the previous companions.

I mean. Bastian? Deepscorn Hollow is basically a delve without a skyshard. Mirri? Doomvault Vulpinaz is basically a delve without a skyshard.

Ember at Tor Draioch? You're mostly chasing around overland after things that have been turned into unexpected forms. There's almost no fighting at all except with incidental crocodiles and wisps. Even the wispmother at the final "undo Ember's previous mistake" ritual site can technically be avoided by stealth, and is in any case no tougher than a regular wispmother. The guardian in the Tor Draioch Library is a regular wimpy elite, no tougher than a troll. Ember is probably the *easiest* companion ever to get.

As for Isobel... Her three-part task. There's a fetch quest for a druid (no fighting involved, well maybe the occasional incidental wild spriggan, bear or wolf in the woods), a fetch-quest on a hilltop (fighting with incidental overland wild fauns involved), and a dungeon trek for a third item (basically a delve with two bosses, one mid-way, but even those are skippable since they don't drop anything you need, you're trying to get to the pack behind them, and if another player kills them, you're in luck, and there's nothing else but incidental spiders). She is still probably the most arduous of the initial four companions to chase after.

Whereas... Sharp and Azander both send you barrelling through a public dungeon, and these are two of the more difficult public dungeons that have been released, and even the minibosses in these dungeons have *mechanics* involving one-shots, invulnerability or both. Like, Bad Mans Hallows they are not.

I disagree. I actually feel as if the Sharp and Azander quests are shorter than the previous companion quests and go quickly. Regarding the public dungeon requirement both have a fairly straight course to their destinations in the dungeons. No need to traverse the whole area if you don't wish to. But to the question at hand, ideally I would like the convenience of having them unlocked, but the RP'er in me, and for reasons previously posted says no.

DinoZavr

Yes, Companions unlock quests should be made optional for the second and subsequent characters,
as they bring nothing new, only consuming players time for repeating one and the same actions.

Also it would be great if Companions perks and keepsakes made controllable (on/off) via Companions menus,
as even the good perks might become unwanted when players character is very short of theirs bags' free space.

Kallykat

While I get that it can be annoying to replay the same quest multiple times in a row, I do think each character should need to assist a companion before unlocking them. Just because my characters are in the same universe, that doesn't mean they all know each other and have the same friends. Plus, I make different choices when I do the quests based on that particular character's personality. Not every character has to have every companion unlocked either. All my characters have at least one companion who makes sense for her, but my DB/thief character isn't going to unlock Bastian or Isobel at all.

ZOS tried to cater to everyone a little with the way companions were handled, having some things be character-based and some account-wide. Not everyone likes AWA or other account-wide features, so please don't continue removing my character-based features.

That said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep the initial quest for each companion on the shorter side for those who feels obligated to collect every companion on 20+ characters. Also, as was mentioned earlier, maybe don't make doing a companion's quest connected to completing a location. If I don't want a companion for a particular character, I should still be able to finish the zone map.

Danikat

I actually put off getting any companions for a long time because I assumed they were account wide and didn't want to do it until all my main 'story' characters were at a point where it would make sense for them to suddenly have a companion show up.

I can see why other people would want this but I'd prefer it to be optional - something the player can choose to activate - rather than an automatic thing, and I doubt ZOS would do that.

illusiouk

Yes, these repetitive quests are annoying.

Ingenon

Yes. I have 18 alts. Most of them only have Mirri and Bastien unlocked. The quests to unlock companions are getting longer. Having to run through a public dungeon to unlock Sharp and Azander is time consuming on a baby alt. Which seems like bad game design to me, since a baby alt will benefit while leveling with a companion by their side.

Necrotech_Master

companions already unlock account wide, they show greyed out in the collection menu until you do the quest at least once on any character

i would however be in favor of removing the asinine requirement of having to do those quests on each character, or add an extra dialog option to fast track it like the tribute tutorial

i unlocked mirri and bastian on all of my toons, and was annoyed i had to do the quest repeatedly (i got to the point in mirris quest i was just killing all the hostages because it shaved minutes off the quest)

i unlocked isobel and ember on all of my toons and was further annoyed i had to repeat the same garbage, especially isobels quest being twice as long as previous companions

i have only bothered unlocking the 2 new companions on 3 characters, and the new arcanist i made only did the quests for bastian, ember, and isobel (so i had a healer, tank, and dps companion available) and havent bothered with the rest

at this point, going further ill only be unlocking the newer companions on 2 characters, my main, and a dps toon i can use to powerlevel the companion, get the keepsake, and then probably never use them again instead of trying to gear them up

CrashTest

Yes.

LannStone

Just an observation - when my main maxes out a companion and makes him/her a houseguest, that houseguest is there for all characters on my account, yes?
If so, then all my characters on that account can already meet the companion in the house, without any other quest.
See where this is going?

Sailor_Palutena

Yes. I have no intention to level up companions on my alts. I hardly level them on my main.

majulook

IMHO having to do the companion quests on every character just another showing of how Account Wide Achievements are really not.

After getting them and maxing out their level and rapport on one character, should be enough to have them usable on other characters.

Once you gear up and skill set a companion on one character, the same outfit, gear, and skill setup is for all characters that unlock that particular companion. If one character changes the look or skill set of a companion that change is made for all characters that unlocked it. This just makes no sense to act like they are each individual companions for each character. They are basically just pets.

cyberjanet

While chatting to Stibbons the houseguest the other day, it occurred to me it would be nice to be able to unlock houseguests as possible companions. Obviously they would have zero rapport if all they've been is a houseguest, and maybe the way to unlock them would be a quest rather than crowns. But it does suggest that once the companions achieve houseguest status, they are known, and could in theory be available to assist other characters.

Rugby_hook

Yes, as an optional quest that overrides the initial quest. This would be the best of both worlds. Those who want to role play and do the quest can do so, and those who just want a companion to help them can skip the quest. I can't see the rationale behind not allowing it (perhaps after getting all achievements for said companion), as long as it wouldn't be forced. But we already have models for this, crafting and now tribute which allow you to skip training quests if desired.

The quests don't have any real, lasting effects on companions so it seems unnecessary. I have 20 characters and some of them don't have any companions because I just can't bring myself to run through a quest for the xteenth time, if the choices I make aren't going to make a difference. If there were 20 different ways their quests could play out and that affected how they would interact with that character, then I would absolutely do the quest multiple times. But for now only one character will get each companion, whoever I decide to do that zone story on.