Let us Devour our Companions (or use other corpse abilities on them)

Erickson9610 · September 18

When a player character dies (ally or otherwise) you can use their corpse for Werewolf's Devour synergy, Templar's Repentance ability, or any of the Necromancer corpse consuming abilities, but Companions do not let you use any sort of corpse consuming ability on them.

Here's what it looks like to have your Companion fall in combat:

And here's what freshly-slain corpses usually look like:

For reference, an eligible corpse glows red while in Werewolf form, glows yellow if Repentance is slotted in the human form, or glows blue when any Necromancer corpse consuming ability is slotted in the human form while Repentance is not slotted:

Since I'm in Werewolf form, the corpse glows red if it's eligible to be consumed, and I get the option to use the Devour synergy if my crosshair is over the corpse. However, Companions never let you use corpse abilities on them, even when fallen players and NPCs do. In the case of allied players, you get the option of using corpse abilities on them or resurrecting them, so it's bizarre that Companions only give you the option of resurrecting them without letting you use corpse abilities on them.

I want to be able to use corpse abilities on fallen Companions because it would be useful in combat, and it's already possible to use corpse abilities on fallen allied players. Plus, it would be fun to use corpse abilities like Devour or Bitter Harvest on the Companions we don't like.

spartaxoxo · September 18

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Plus, it would be fun to use corpse abilities like Devour or Bitter Harvest on the Companions we don't like.

....I ain't touching that comment....but I support this change!

Ragnarok0130 · 12:09AM

You're a monster and Ember doesn't deserve that. If you want to devour your companion you permanently lost that companion on that toon for balance.

Erickson9610 · 1:15AM

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

You're a monster

Thanks!

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

Ember doesn't deserve that.

Well, if you look at her Silver Dawn outfit, she probably had it coming to her.

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

If you want to devour your companion you permanently lost that companion on that toon for balance.

Obviously that's a terrible idea in the event a player accidentally uses a corpse ability on the wrong target, but it would be funny to get a remark regarding that from the Companion after they're revived. Players sometimes send you hate tells for using corpse abilities on their bodies, so it would only be fitting.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Plus, it would be fun to use corpse abilities like Devour or Bitter Harvest on the Companions we don't like.

....I ain't touching that comment....but I support this change!

When I first read this response, I thought I may have gone a little too far with that comment of mine, but then I realized that people have been doing things like this for ages to characters they dislike, like Nazeem from Skyrim.

ESO_player123 · 1:21AM

Eww.. You spent so much time gaining their trust rapport and now this

LootAllTheStuff · 1:25AM

I would think you should at least take a significant hit to rapport for doing that, so it would have to be a carefully considered decision and not something you'd automatically hit whenever they die.

Erickson9610 · 1:32AM

LootAllTheStuff wrote: »

I would think you should at least take a significant hit to rapport for doing that, so it would have to be a carefully considered decision and not something you'd automatically hit whenever they die.

How would this work with AoE corpse consuming abilities like Repentance and Bitter Harvest?

IncultaWolf · 1:38AM

Ember deserves this 100%. She hates werewolves

Erickson9610 · 1:55AM

ESO_player123 wrote: »

Eww.. You spent so much time gaining their trust rapport and now this

Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

BretonMage · 1:58AM

You should lose the companion that you feed on. No one should have to put up with being eaten (can't believe I have to spell out the obvious). Also, lore-wise, they're not like a player, who's a vestige, when you feed on them, they die. It's not like a vampire, who can just drain a little blood.

Erickson9610 wrote: »

[
When I first read this response, I thought I may have gone a little too far with that comment of mine, but then I realized that people have been doing things like this for ages to characters they dislike, like Nazeem from Skyrim.

I have always thought the violently spiteful reactions to Nazeem were beyond strange. Wanting to stab a person who makes a condescending remark to you is just.. yeah, no.

Erickson9610 · 2:27AM

BretonMage wrote: »

You should lose the companion that you feed on. No one should have to put up with being eaten (can't believe I have to spell out the obvious). Also, lore-wise, they're not like a player, who's a vestige, when you feed on them, they die. It's not like a vampire, who can just drain a little blood.

Why is it that Companions can be revived with Soul Gems? They're not the Vestige, so the reason has to be about gameplay mechanics. Yet, certain Companions will have dialogue when you revive them, meaning that their death and resurrection is canonical. Also, how can a Companion just revive on the spot after combat ends? This is an inconsistency that, ultimately, doesn't mean much.

It shouldn't matter if the player consecrates the Companion's soul (via Repentance) or siphons the life from their corpse (via Restoring Tether) or devours their corpse, if there is no consequence to the Companion dying in the first place. Their body and soul do not change whatsoever.

So, in an effort to make Companions more consistent with the combat system, their bodies should be eligible for use with corpse consuming abilities, up until the point where they are revived. That's how it works for players.

BretonMage · 3:00AM

Being killed in combat and revived is a gameplay mechanic, yes. Feeding is a choice though.

In any case, there are issues that feeding on someone presents. To feed on a helpless companion without their consent should not be an option. Otoh, to have a companion who will consent to being literally ravaged and consumed is just, well, hmm.

Syldras · 3:04AM

BretonMage wrote: »

In any case, there are issues that feeding on someone presents.

Are these issues also issues for werewolves, necromancers and evil cultists?

spartaxoxo · 3:26AM

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

You're a monster

Thanks!

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

Ember doesn't deserve that.

Well, if you look at her Silver Dawn outfit, she probably had it coming to her.

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

If you want to devour your companion you permanently lost that companion on that toon for balance.

Obviously that's a terrible idea in the event a player accidentally uses a corpse ability on the wrong target, but it would be funny to get a remark regarding that from the Companion after they're revived. Players sometimes send you hate tells for using corpse abilities on their bodies, so it would only be fitting.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Plus, it would be fun to use corpse abilities like Devour or Bitter Harvest on the Companions we don't like.

....I ain't touching that comment....but I support this change!

When I first read this response, I thought I may have gone a little too far with that comment of mine, but then I realized that people have been doing things like this for ages to characters they dislike, like Nazeem from Skyrim.

I mean the vibes are a little bit off with that too but I was just joking around. It's not a big deal. And definitely shouldn't be a reason to limit actual gameplay functionality.

Erickson9610 · 3:27AM

BretonMage wrote: »

Being killed in combat and revived is a gameplay mechanic, yes. Feeding is a choice though.

In any case, there are issues that feeding on someone presents. To feed on a helpless companion without their consent should not be an option. Otoh, to have a companion who will consent to being literally ravaged and consumed is just, well, hmm.

Are we calling into question the morality of unsolicited use of corpse consuming abilities on slain characters?

Yes, I'm sure we all know that necromancy in general is bad. So is devouring the flesh of slain bodies. Though, I'm not sure how you'd rank the act of consecrating someone's soul.

Players don't ask these questions when given the choice to do these things to other players in the game because it's just a video game. I usually Devour other players before reviving them, because I want more time in Werewolf Transformation. I love using Repentance because it's a free emergency sustain and crossheal ability. And I get extra penetration when I'm using Detonating Siphon via the Dismember passive.

So how exactly is using corpse abilities on a player any different from using them on an NPC or a Companion? Why is it suddenly an issue to do these things to fictional characters with no real emotion, when it's perfectly fine to do these things to player characters who are controlled by real life human beings?