Any hints about the companions so far? What do you wish for?

Warhawke_80

I don't so much want new companions as I want a complete overhaul of the ones we have. Companions currently are just these really low functioning bots that are low on immersion and functionality.


We deserve better.

Araneae6537

Ishtarknows wrote: »

I wish there were no more companions, or at least no achievements associated with them so I wouldn't have to have anything to do with them

There’s nothing locked behind companions except having them as houseguests and the small perks you can unlock so you shouldn’t feel you have to engage with the system if you don’t want.

It’s not like ToT where ZOS went and put non-ToT related antiquity leads behind it…

vsrs_au

A bosmer companion would be nice, with red hair, pigtails and a bow.

Araneae6537

derkaiserliche wrote: »

I just read 2 new companions coming in q4 2024. Were there any hints about races/gender/classes?

So far i think we are just missing:

Classes: necromancer
Races: Nord, Orc, Bosmer

What do you wish for?

I want a huge male nord warrior, looking like typical skyrim warrior. Class doesnt matter.

You totally forgot about Altmer! We don’t even have any Altmer assistants or houseguests!

Since we now have three human companions, I think we should receive an elf and an orc this year, then the other elf and a nord next year, but we’ll see.

I REALLY want a handsome noble Altmer guy (and no beard), a character like Count Verandis.

For the others, as long as they’re interesting characters, preferably not stereotypes, I’m good (no perky Bosmer or megalomaniacal Altmer please ).

Syldras

As they like to link at least one companion's race to the chapter of the same year, it's possible we get a Bosmer (as we already have an Imperial, but Bosmer play a role in this chapter, too). And then the other one would probably not be an Altmer. Nord, maybe? Or orc?

Necrotech_Master

the only thing im really hoping for companion wise would be:

shorter or skippable intro quests (or you know, just letting us use the companion on any character once unlocked)

i still havent been able to enjoy sharp or azander much or experiment with builds on them because i only have them unlocked on 3 characters and im not running their ridiculous intro quests anymore

i only got them, finished their achievements, and now they gather dust because i have no real reason to use them

any new companions will end up suffering the same fate if they dont improve the experience in unlocking and using the companions

ghastley

Just adding a few ideas already brought up made me think - Silverslip? She's the Bosmer friend of Ember who became a Vampire. Maybe she can be unlocked already if you did Ember's quest that frees her.

OldStygian

Insane necro like this - Jonelath from Divinity II

https://youtu.be/PcO28Q4jpLc?t=2110

https://youtu.be/R5DRy0J0f04?t=7

Probably about time for a vamp or WW. Wood Elf WW would be obvious choice I suppose - I'd prefer a female who is proud of what she is, not something angsty. A female Altermer WW might actually be interesting.

ArchangelIsraphel

An Altmer, preferably male. I'd like him to have a sharp wit to match his intelligence- a scholarly background of some type would be welcome, though any number of professions might be interesting. Someone grounded, but with a wry sense of humor.

I like the idea of making him a Hulkynd, but in spite of being rejected by his family, he still retains shadows of the arrogance ingrained in him by his cultural background. He could have moments where he does not seem like the typical Altmer, where it is evident that he has learned many a hard lesson in life that his peers have not. And yet, he could also have times when certain negative traits show through, and that old Altmer "superiority" rears it's ugly head.

I think it would be interesting to see him use rejection from his Altmer family as an opportunity to pursue his own studies.

I think it's important not to make him fully insufferable or annoying, like the stereotypical nobles of Summerset can be. However, it could be that his arrogance gets him into whatever trouble he's in when he meets our character, and he has to put that aside in order to receive help.

It is quite possible that his arrogance is a cover for pain, or insecurity, associated with his Hulkynd status, as much of a trope as that might be.

Most of all, I'd like him to be a character where we see a certain level of development and transformation beyond what we see in the usual companion plot lines, if at all possible.

The concept could use some fleshing out, but that's the bare bones of an idea that has been sitting in the back of my head for quite some time.

(I've been inspired by the discussion which took place in this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/igl5w6/what_makes_a_hulkynd/ for quite a long time. It concerns "what makes a hulkynd" and what that status really means in terms of Altmer society.)

Syldras

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

An Altmer, preferably male. I'd like him to have a sharp wit to match his intelligence- a scholarly background of some type would be welcome, though any number of professions might be interesting. Someone grounded, but with a wry sense of humor.

Oh, I wish! Sadly, I'm not sure if ZOS would actually be able to write such a character, currently (even if we leave out the Hulkynd background and character development).

ESO has some wonderful dialogues (my favorite until today is the ending of CWC). But the last time I've seen something like that is some time ago. During the last few years, they seem to have resorted mostly to one-dimensional characters or even complete stereotypes that not only have only one facet, but also overemphasize that one trait endlessly.

ArchangelIsraphel

Syldras wrote: »

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

An Altmer, preferably male. I'd like him to have a sharp wit to match his intelligence- a scholarly background of some type would be welcome, though any number of professions might be interesting. Someone grounded, but with a wry sense of humor.

Oh, I wish! Sadly, I'm not sure if ZOS would actually be able to write such a character, currently (even if we leave out the Hulkynd background and character development).

ESO has some wonderful dialogues (my favorite until today is the ending of CWC). But the last time I've seen something like that is some time ago. During the last few years, they seem to have resorted mostly to one-dimensional characters or even complete stereotypes that not only have only one facet, but also overemphasize that one trait endlessly.

I agree with you-especially when it comes to the companions. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy them, but I keep imagining the potential their stories could have had if they had been more elaborately developed.

To me, it feels as if the dialouge in game lacks the subtly it once had. The Ye Olde "show, don't tell" rule of writing has been somewhat dismissed in favor of a more blatant, simplistic style. Instead of being shown implications through narrative, we are instead...hammered over the head with them. Repeatedly.

The dialoge used to be poetic, and profound. In some moments it still is. Yet when I play through older content again, the sheer quality difference hits me like a ton of bricks. The old writing is so, so much better.

Case in point: Isobel. Really enjoy her. I love that she enjoys candy. But they take every opportunity to drive it home, and somehow, it makes it feel a bit over the top and unrealistic. This just isn't how people talk.

Syldras

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

Case in point: Isobel. Really enjoy her. I love that she enjoys candy. But they take every opportunity to drive it home, and somehow, it makes it feel a bit over the top and unrealistic. This just isn't how people talk.

And with Azandar, it's tea. I mean, I actually like tea in real life. I even talk about it regularly, and when visiting another country, I will have a look what the stores there have to offer. So far, it's not unrealistic. The problem is that there's not much else Azandar talks about. Except for that he's old, of course.

NotaDaedraWorshipper

I wonder why the companions are not part of the chapter. Feels like more of; we pay the same for less.

Been wanting a male bosmer companion for quite some time. One who is not some comic relief or a one dimensional trait. Also wish for him to be a Green Pact follower, which I'm worried they would not make the bosmer companion.

derkaiserliche

vsrs_au wrote: »

I want to be able to assign an alternate character to be my companion (then the game controls it via its AI). I've always thought it would be nice to see more than 1 of our characters in the same game instance.

True. Some of you might remember guild wars 1 back in the day. You could have on of your characters or more in your team as a "hero". Would be really fun roleplay wise to have 2 chars active haha. I bet a lot of people would make namechanges and style changes and act like its their brother for example.

Elendir2am

Female not necromancer bosmer companion

metheglyn

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

An Altmer, preferably male. I'd like him to have a sharp wit to match his intelligence- a scholarly background of some type would be welcome, though any number of professions might be interesting. Someone grounded, but with a wry sense of humor.

I like the idea of making him a Hulkynd, but in spite of being rejected by his family, he still retains shadows of the arrogance ingrained in him by his cultural background. He could have moments where he does not seem like the typical Altmer, where it is evident that he has learned many a hard lesson in life that his peers have not. And yet, he could also have times when certain negative traits show through, and that old Altmer "superiority" rears it's ugly head.

I think it would be interesting to see him use rejection from his Altmer family as an opportunity to pursue his own studies.

I think it's important not to make him fully insufferable or annoying, like the stereotypical nobles of Summerset can be. However, it could be that his arrogance gets him into whatever trouble he's in when he meets our character, and he has to put that aside in order to receive help.

It is quite possible that his arrogance is a cover for pain, or insecurity, associated with his Hulkynd status, as much of a trope as that might be.

Most of all, I'd like him to be a character where we see a certain level of development and transformation beyond what we see in the usual companion plot lines, if at all possible.

The concept could use some fleshing out, but that's the bare bones of an idea that has been sitting in the back of my head for quite some time.

(I've been inspired by the discussion which took place in this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/igl5w6/what_makes_a_hulkynd/ for quite a long time. It concerns "what makes a hulkynd" and what that status really means in terms of Altmer society.)

I really, really like this idea. I've been wanting a male Altmer companion since the introduction of companions, but I am also concerned that, if they give us one, he'll be insufferable.

I think they can make nuanced characters; in fact, I think Bastian is fairly nuanced when you consider all the aspects of his personality. Unfortunately, the larger community tends to grab onto one aspect of a character that stands out and think that's all there is to that character.

It doesn't help that the companions are given relatively few flavor lines to say, and so players tend to hear them over and over. Like Bastian has, what, maybe two or three observations about cities, but if he's with you, it's possible you hear one of them every time you enter a city with him, and that does get old.

HedgeHugger

Maybe they'll be Build-a-Companions.
Choice of sex, race and skillset.

ADarklore

I fully expect an Altmer Necromancer... it would be quite cliche' considering Mannimarco, but I haven't seen many Bosmer Necromancers.

As for some people thinking "PVP companion", yeah, that's NOT going to happen. They already have enough problems with server stability in Cyrodiil, and one of the reasons they don't allow assistants is due to server strain. So they're not going to suddenly unbalance PVP and stress the servers by adding companions.

However, I believe the reason they are adding companions to Q4, is because I'm betting it's going to be a PAID DLC, and since a large portion of the players don't PVP, it's something to entice them to buy the DLC or sub to get them. Just my opinion on that.

Silaf

I want a minotaur tank.

Tenthirty2

Before more companions I'd like to see them add another quick wheel only for companions.
And make the existing Allies one for "services" or something like that.

As it is now we have the one wheel for both companions and bankers, merchants, scrappers, etc.
So would be nice to have them separated.

Fata1moose

Hoping to get some existing characters.

Naryu
Quen
Razum-Dar
Kireth
Darien
Eveli

Also hoping they finally added romance and added disposition gains/losses in dialogue. Interested in what they’ll do with the Necromancer companion, going to guess they’re a high elf.

Anumaril

All I want is an Altmer companion, ideally a spell-caster of some kind. But at least an Altmer companion.

Celldweller

I was really disappointed that they didnt tell us anything about the new companions at the reveal. I would like a Necromancer companion. I also hope we have at least one of them is male. I didn't like it when High Isle gave us two female companions and we only had one male in Bastian at the time.

Araneae6537

I don’t think a major reoccurring NPC could be a companion, which is fine with me. I like Razum-Dar, but he has other duties which keep him so busy, he often seems to be in multiple places at once!

Naryu seems obnoxious in more than small doses. I liked her alright in Morrowind but in Necrom, ugh. Is that what was done with Jakarn? I’ve not played High Isle. A character who’s flirty can be fun, but when it becomes too much or it’s just assumed your character is interested, I just want to be rid of them. We need more responses, like in Dragon Age or SWTOR, express our interest or lack thereof or even be the ones hopelessly flirting with the NPC!

Fata1moose

Celldweller wrote: »

I was really disappointed that they didnt tell us anything about the new companions at the reveal. I would like a Necromancer companion. I also hope we have at least one of them is male. I didn't like it when High Isle gave us two female companions and we only had one male in Bastian at the time.

Yeah I was hoping we’d get more hints. I have so many questions with them being separated from the chapter. Will they be paid or included if you bought the chapter? Will they have unique locations in their quest or use 2014 delves (please no)?

ArchangelIsraphel

metheglyn wrote: »

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

An Altmer, preferably male. I'd like him to have a sharp wit to match his intelligence- a scholarly background of some type would be welcome, though any number of professions might be interesting. Someone grounded, but with a wry sense of humor.

I like the idea of making him a Hulkynd, but in spite of being rejected by his family, he still retains shadows of the arrogance ingrained in him by his cultural background. He could have moments where he does not seem like the typical Altmer, where it is evident that he has learned many a hard lesson in life that his peers have not. And yet, he could also have times when certain negative traits show through, and that old Altmer "superiority" rears it's ugly head.

I think it would be interesting to see him use rejection from his Altmer family as an opportunity to pursue his own studies.

I think it's important not to make him fully insufferable or annoying, like the stereotypical nobles of Summerset can be. However, it could be that his arrogance gets him into whatever trouble he's in when he meets our character, and he has to put that aside in order to receive help.

It is quite possible that his arrogance is a cover for pain, or insecurity, associated with his Hulkynd status, as much of a trope as that might be.

Most of all, I'd like him to be a character where we see a certain level of development and transformation beyond what we see in the usual companion plot lines, if at all possible.

The concept could use some fleshing out, but that's the bare bones of an idea that has been sitting in the back of my head for quite some time.

(I've been inspired by the discussion which took place in this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/igl5w6/what_makes_a_hulkynd/ for quite a long time. It concerns "what makes a hulkynd" and what that status really means in terms of Altmer society.)

I really, really like this idea. I've been wanting a male Altmer companion since the introduction of companions, but I am also concerned that, if they give us one, he'll be insufferable.

I think they can make nuanced characters; in fact, I think Bastian is fairly nuanced when you consider all the aspects of his personality. Unfortunately, the larger community tends to grab onto one aspect of a character that stands out and think that's all there is to that character.

It doesn't help that the companions are given relatively few flavor lines to say, and so players tend to hear them over and over. Like Bastian has, what, maybe two or three observations about cities, but if he's with you, it's possible you hear one of them every time you enter a city with him, and that does get old.

I have exactly the same concerns- I'm worried that if we get a male Altmer, he'll just be a meme of Altmer society we're expected to laugh at, rather than a complex character with the potential for growth.

It took me a long time to warm up to Bastian, to be honest. I actually used to be one of the people who disliked him, but the more I sat with the story and began to analyze the character as a whole, the more I began to like him. I agree that he is a character with considerable subtlety and nuance that you really need to read between the lines with.

Bastian's quest is actually really enjoyable. Throughout the story, I was left with the impression that he is someone who truly believes in his ideals, and has a strong sense of honor. His ways may be rigid and seemingly inflexible, but I think this stems from an inward desire to be the opposite of everything his father was. I think Lord Martel Hallix's actions are very much a shadow over Bastian's conscience. Its actually a very well constructed plot, dealing with a character who has an interesting psychology due to his life experiences, and it's a shame that he isn't appreciated more. So much is left unsaid, but if you read into it, it definitely feels like it's there.

You are absolutely right about the flavor text you are given. After all is said and done, the dialogue you are left with is quite surface-level, and doesn't really touch on the depth of the Companion personalities. It doesn't even scratch the surface of Bastian, honestly.

I always end up feeling just a bit sad every time I finish his quests, knowing that the complex personality I watched grow throughout the plot is going to be reduced to repeating lines of dialogue. I'd really like to see additional quests with him. Perhaps something involving king Emeric, maybe even someone trying to frame him for something he didn't do because of his relation to Lord Martel. There's lots of directions that new quests with Bastian could go in.

metheglyn

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

metheglyn wrote: »

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

An Altmer, preferably male. I'd like him to have a sharp wit to match his intelligence- a scholarly background of some type would be welcome, though any number of professions might be interesting. Someone grounded, but with a wry sense of humor.

I like the idea of making him a Hulkynd, but in spite of being rejected by his family, he still retains shadows of the arrogance ingrained in him by his cultural background. He could have moments where he does not seem like the typical Altmer, where it is evident that he has learned many a hard lesson in life that his peers have not. And yet, he could also have times when certain negative traits show through, and that old Altmer "superiority" rears it's ugly head.

I think it would be interesting to see him use rejection from his Altmer family as an opportunity to pursue his own studies.

I think it's important not to make him fully insufferable or annoying, like the stereotypical nobles of Summerset can be. However, it could be that his arrogance gets him into whatever trouble he's in when he meets our character, and he has to put that aside in order to receive help.

It is quite possible that his arrogance is a cover for pain, or insecurity, associated with his Hulkynd status, as much of a trope as that might be.

Most of all, I'd like him to be a character where we see a certain level of development and transformation beyond what we see in the usual companion plot lines, if at all possible.

The concept could use some fleshing out, but that's the bare bones of an idea that has been sitting in the back of my head for quite some time.

(I've been inspired by the discussion which took place in this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/igl5w6/what_makes_a_hulkynd/ for quite a long time. It concerns "what makes a hulkynd" and what that status really means in terms of Altmer society.)

I really, really like this idea. I've been wanting a male Altmer companion since the introduction of companions, but I am also concerned that, if they give us one, he'll be insufferable.

I think they can make nuanced characters; in fact, I think Bastian is fairly nuanced when you consider all the aspects of his personality. Unfortunately, the larger community tends to grab onto one aspect of a character that stands out and think that's all there is to that character.

It doesn't help that the companions are given relatively few flavor lines to say, and so players tend to hear them over and over. Like Bastian has, what, maybe two or three observations about cities, but if he's with you, it's possible you hear one of them every time you enter a city with him, and that does get old.

I have exactly the same concerns- I'm worried that if we get a male Altmer, he'll just be a meme of Altmer society we're expected to laugh at, rather than a complex character with the potential for growth.

It took me a long time to warm up to Bastian, to be honest. I actually used to be one of the people who disliked him, but the more I sat with the story and began to analyze the character as a whole, the more I began to like him. I agree that he is a character with considerable subtlety and nuance that you really need to read between the lines with.

Bastian's quest is actually really enjoyable. Throughout the story, I was left with the impression that he is someone who truly believes in his ideals, and has a strong sense of honor. His ways may be rigid and seemingly inflexible, but I think this stems from an inward desire to be the opposite of everything his father was. I think Lord Martel Hallix's actions are very much a shadow over Bastian's conscience. Its actually a very well constructed plot, dealing with a character who has an interesting psychology due to his life experiences, and it's a shame that he isn't appreciated more. So much is left unsaid, but if you read into it, it definitely feels like it's there.

You are absolutely right about the flavor text you are given. After all is said and done, the dialogue you are left with is quite surface-level, and doesn't really touch on the depth of the Companion personalities. It doesn't even scratch the surface of Bastian, honestly.

I always end up feeling just a bit sad every time I finish his quests, knowing that the complex personality I watched grow throughout the plot is going to be reduced to repeating lines of dialogue. I'd really like to see additional quests with him. Perhaps something involving king Emeric, maybe even someone trying to frame him for something he didn't do because of his relation to Lord Martel. There's lots of directions that new quests with Bastian could go in.

I would love it if Bastian got some expanded story, as he has long been my favorite (though Sharp is a very close second). If they do include updates to the companion system, I would hope it includes more story-driven material that allows them to progress in their character arcs.

Like now that Bastian has shaken off the Silvelles, what does he want from life (other than hanging out with us)? And how does he go about getting it with, as you mention, the shadow of the Hallix name hanging over him? So much potential for him, and all of the companions, really. I feel we've only scratched the surface of all of them, and though their initial quests are satisfactory, I don't want that to be the end of learning about them.

I know what you mean about the end of their quests and knowing that from now on it's just repeating comments on harvesting or points of interest on the map, though I will always enjoy hearing Bastian's comments on the subject of bandits.

DreamyLu

Honestly, I don't need new companions and am glad if the budget has been used for something different this time (or at least it seems...). Sorry, can't help it, egoistically, that's really how I feel about.

Serpari

I'd actually prefer if they focused on bringing older companions up to par with the newer ones. Bastian in particular, he's practically my boyfriend, but it sucks he has less content than Mirri. Like others here have said more eloquently than me, I think he's an incredibly complex character, and I'd like more lines and a bit more polish for that to really shine through.

Overall, I think it'd be great if all existing companions were given more polish instead of churning out new ones.

vsrs_au

If they do ever update any of the older companions, I hope they do a decent job of it. Mirri's my favourite, and I like her just the way she is.