The fact that I can see other people's companions just completely ruined the game for me.

NylAR · June 2021

Somehow (with insane amount of luck I imagine) I hadn't seen anybody with their companion out before I've managed to complete the quest for Mirri. I really enjoyed the whole narrative of her quest and as we progressed further after that I was really starting to get to like her character... I pretty much spent the entire time since launch of the new expansion out there in the wilds not really encountering many players (luckily), exploring the new lands, exploring Mirri's deeper character, building rapport, and just feeling like I have a new friend by my side. Then... as immersion was finally setting in, I had to go empty my bags to my character's house...

You can probably already imagine where this is going to go...

As I exit my house through the door regularly as I always do... There were 7 people standing in front of the house all with their companions out, so I was suddenly seeing 3 different Mirris and 4 different Bastians.... At first I tried to ignore it, altho it did disgust me... Then I proceeded to run to the nearby city and BY ALL THE DIVINES I WISH I NEVER DID...

All my feelings, all my immersive thoughts, all my enjoyment from the past few days, all the fun and all the laughs just suddenly GONE IN A MYRIAD OF COMPANION CLONES EVERYWHERE FOLLOWING ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE. I ENJOYED the game for the past X DAYS and NOW IT'S COMPLETELY RUINED

WHY ZENIMAX?! WHY DID YYOU THINK THIS WAS GOING TO BE OKAY?! I'm just so sad and disappointed.... I was starting to like this game just about as much as when I started playing back in 2015 and then this happened... Why oh WHY...

I don't really wanna be using my companion anymore...

This stupid feature of being able to see other people's companions just has to go... IT JUST HAS TO

amm7sb14_ESO · June 2021

I hear what you're saying.

ESO has never been a game for immersion. Which is a shame, considering the IP is renowned for its immersion.

There is always something in ESO that reminds you that you are playing a video game.

AuraNebula · June 2021

Give it time. I'm sure in the future customization such as changing hair and skin tones will come. This game has changed so much over the years, I never expect anything to stay constant.

NylAR · June 2021

AuraNebula wrote: »

Give it time. I'm sure in the future customization such as changing hair and skin tones will come. This game has changed so much over the years, I never expect anything to stay constant.

I guess that's one thing that would help a little but to see them still is just heartbreaking for me at this point... Why can't they just make them invisible?

I really thought installing Blackwood would give this game a fresh breath of air for me... but right now I feel like just completing the main story without even using my companion and then uninstalling the game again.

Bekkael · June 2021

I understand how you feel too, OP. It's why I prefer singleplayer games. Unfortunately, if you play an MMO, I think you're just going to have to learn to live with the fact that there are other players doing the same stuff you are, and you will inevitably see that you aren't THE HERO of the story, but only one among millions. If this sours the game for you, then I would say to just cut your losses and move on to a game you will enjoy better, or try to explain it all away in your own head or through roleplay.

Good luck.

Girl_Number8 · June 2021

I think they did really good for the companions first introduction.

You can customize outfits or put on different costumes, not to mention mounts. From how glitchy they were until now, you should really be happy.

The mount that carried more then one player never came to be due to bugs, as of yet.

Gary404 · June 2021

NylAR wrote: »

Somehow (with insane amount of luck I imagine) I hadn't seen anybody with their companion out before I've managed to complete the quest for Mirri. I really enjoyed the whole narrative of her quest and as we progressed further after that I was really starting to get to like her character... I pretty much spent the entire time since launch of the new expansion out there in the wilds not really encountering many players (luckily), exploring the new lands, exploring Mirri's deeper character, building rapport, and just feeling like I have a new friend by my side. Then... as immersion was finally setting in, I had to go empty my bags to my character's house...

You can probably already imagine where this is going to go...

As I exit my house through the door regularly as I always do... There were 7 people standing in front of the house all with their companions out, so I was suddenly seeing 3 different Mirris and 4 different Bastians.... At first I tried to ignore it, altho it did disgust me... Then I proceeded to run to the nearby city and BY ALL THE DIVINES I WISH I NEVER DID...

All my feelings, all my immersive thoughts, all my enjoyment from the past few days, all the fun and all the laughs just suddenly GONE IN A MYRIAD OF COMPANION CLONES EVERYWHERE FOLLOWING ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE. I ENJOYED the game for the past X DAYS and NOW IT'S COMPLETELY RUINED

WHY ZENIMAX?! WHY DID YYOU THINK THIS WAS GOING TO BE OKAY?! I'm just so sad and disappointed.... I was starting to like this game just about as much as when I started playing back in 2015 and then this happened... Why oh WHY... I don't really wanna be using my companion anymore...

This stupid feature of being able to see other people's companions just has to go... IT JUST HAS TO

Are you being serious or is this satire? If it's the latter, I congradulate you on being the first person to make me stare at my screen with my mouth agape in utter confusion for five or so minutes. You are saying that the simple fact that players each have their companions out at the same time as somehow ruined all the fun and entertainment of the game for you to the point where you are disgusted?

I have a really rough time understanding why people are bothered by things like these. [snip] Is it too hard to imagine that cloning is a very real possibility in a land of necromancy and arcane creations? They have lab-mutated ogres with stone and steel for hands, why would cloning then be out of the picture?

[snip]

[Edited to remove Rude Comments]

Zyreist · June 2021

Personally, I'm not particularly bothered by the clone swarms. I've seen enough dual-wielding dark elves running around since the beta era that I simply tune out a lot of the nonsense sourced from other players.
Banks used to be so crowded with bodies that I just sort of treated them like another dimension until personal bankers came out and cut down on the traffic jam. The addition of companions in a new zone feels like those days all over again, but I'm certain the density will go down over time.
It's been my observation that there's a certain ''immersion hazard' that comes with the format of an MMO, that you either have to adapt to, or accept MMOs are perhaps not for you. Like when 20 people charge through the door of my house. Or I step out of it into the middle of an ongoing roleplay of people hanging out on my porch. Or swarms of people are murdering every NPC before they can unleash their story monologue leaving the exact context of your adventure something of a mystery(I just come back when the free weekends are over). There's a myriad of other weird behaviors that come with having innumerable people all doing whatever they feel like in or around your own experience.
As to the companions in particular... it would be nice if there was a way to render companions and pets invisible in certain contexts(like cities)... and it would also be nice if we could get them customizable helmets to style them up a little bit more uniquely.

cynicalbutterfly · June 2021

I just see all those clones as like swordthanes, bodyguards, hirelings, etc. I don't even pay attention to the faces cuz they aren't my hired help. My immersion hasn't been broken yet lol

SammyKhajit · June 2021

It’s an MMO not a single player game. This one got used to ESO - initially it was annoying but now this one actually enjoys the quirky interactions with other players and observing duels or watch some player gets slayed by guards

In other words, immersion is what you make of it. This one has learned to appreciate the ESO gaming community which makes this game fun and unique.

Elsonso · June 2021

cynicalbutterfly wrote: »

I just see all those clones as like swordthanes, bodyguards, hirelings, etc. I don't even pay attention to the faces cuz they aren't my hired help. My immersion hasn't been broken yet lol

I am sure that people have also noticed that the Voice of Darien comes out of a lot of NPC's mouths. Creepy how he stalks me by possessing so many NPCs just so he can talk to me.

Lauranae · June 2021

In another game, we have the possibilities to *customize* our companions. You can buy with in gold money for the simple ones or game currency for the rarest (and on the auction house aka trader here) different faces(meaning heads with skin color, style hair and color, beard or not).

Most of the time there is up to 6 or 8 different faces, and this alleviate a little the fact that you can encounter a twin companion.

I hope they will find a way to do this on Eso too, not the same system, but something that could really please us

starlizard70ub17_ESO · June 2021

I think it’s a good idea for ESO to worry about getting the companions to work first. They deal with customization later. In a year there will be enough different companions that it won’t feel like attack of the clones as much.

VaranisArano · June 2021

An orc with lungs like brass bellows from the Belkarth wayshrine "Looking for damage dealers for Rockgrove!"

The sound carries all the way to the Belkarth Guild Marketplace, where Marcus Titus Alessian stops to peer at some nirncrux. The merchant offers him a jeweler's loupe to examine the finer grains. "It's guaranteed to make your weapon...potent, sir."

Behind him, Bastian groans. "Don't encourage him."

A rider on giant clockwork flea leaps over the first row of wagons, does a pirouette in the middle, then sprints past the second row towards a small red plant. The rider jumps down, rips the plant out of the ground, examines the roots closely for the tiny nodules of nirnoot crystals, curses, shakes the plant out, and then rides off.

"You left your worms behind," Marcus calls, but the rider is already gone. He shrugs and scoops up the worms. "I've been meaning to fish those motifs up from Summerset."

He and Bastian continue through the market. It's crowded with traders, bankers - feline and otherwise - and clusters of Bastians and Mirris marked out by their cloud of quest markers.

"Say, Bastian, I was wondering. Do you ever think it's strange seeing so many other Bastians?"

"Sir, seeing other Bastians is not remotely the strangest thing I've seen since agreeing to follow you."

Jaimeh · June 2021

Maybe in the future they will implement an option to toggle on/off about seeing other players' companions. There is already an addon on PC that is used to hide group members, so the functionality is already there.

Tandor · June 2021

So the OP doesn't find the fact that he constantly bumps into other vestiges who have all defeated Molag Bal individually and separately immersion-destroying, but the fact that they use the same companions is?

I find that a bit odd if I'm honest, but it sounds like it simply reflects the approach of a single-player gamer playing a massively multiplayer game. As such one either copes with it, or sticks to single-player games. As others have said, however, I'm sure it will become less of an issue so far as companions are concerned as they get further developed - but it will remain every bit as much of an issue so far as other vestiges is concerned.

Magdalina · June 2021

NylAR wrote: »

AuraNebula wrote: »

Give it time. I'm sure in the future customization such as changing hair and skin tones will come. This game has changed so much over the years, I never expect anything to stay constant.

I guess that's one thing that would help a little but to see them still is just heartbreaking for me at this point... Why can't they just make them invisible?

I really thought installing Blackwood would give this game a fresh breath of air for me... but right now I feel like just completing the main story without even using my companion and then uninstalling the game again.

Well I assume that's because this is an MMO, where multiple other players are playing in the very same world as you are at the very same time as you are. It's awesome in some ways and immersion-breaking in others, but this is what an MMO is and what it is meant to be, nothing fundamentally wrong with that. Of course, companions themselves aren't players but they come with players and they do affect the world around them by engaging in fights, drawing agro, killing (if slowly) things etc. How do you propose this works with invisible companions - player A sees player B who's being attacked by a mob except instead of attacking B, the mob is for some reason attacking the air 5 steps away from B because that's where B's companion is standing, all invisible to A?

Appearance customization similar to players would be nice and would take care of the clones issue but the system's just out, it's unrealistic to expect that from scratch. That aside, the only true solution to immersion being broken by other players (who may also look just like you) and their followers is to steer cleer of MMOs really. I mean, you can play less popular zones and/or exclusively at off times but you'll still run into someone sometimes and you can't exactly blame the game for that.

VaranisArano · June 2021

Tandor wrote: »

So the OP doesn't find the fact that he constantly bumps into other vestiges who have all defeated Molag Bal individually and separately immersion-destroying, but the fact that they use the same companions is?

I find that a bit odd if I'm honest, but it sounds like it simply reflects the approach of a single-player gamer playing a massively multiplayer game. As such one either copes with it, or sticks to single-player games. As others have said, however, I'm sure it will become less of an issue so far as companions are concerned as they get further developed - but it will remain every bit as much of an issue so far as other vestiges is concerned.

Look, I dunno who all these other soul shriven are running around, but mine's the real Vestige.

At least that's how ESO's Main Quest is set up. Sure, you can be in a world where there are a lot of other adventurers running around doing more or less the same things you are, but ESO also has a lot of moments where it's just you doing the heroic deed.

So sorry, I don't really think that criticism really works. Knowing but not having it shoved in our face that other players are the Vestige of their own story isn't really the same as seeing the same faces over and over again in tons of areas.

I'll give an example: while running the first Blackwood quest, I was examining a quest area at the same time as another player. Their Mirri ran on top of a pillar and stood there, staring down at my Mirri. Normally I can just tune out other people's Companions , but this one just cut straight through any immersion I had going. Now, I laughed, because it was funny seeing the two of them in a staring contest. But for players who really value immersion? Yeah, I can see where this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Soraka · June 2021

It'll go a long way when/if they put in the hat wearing capabilities.

coop500 · June 2021

VaranisArano wrote: »

An orc with lungs like brass bellows from the Belkarth wayshrine "Looking for damage dealers for Rockgrove!"

The sound carries all the way to the Belkarth Guild Marketplace, where Marcus Titus Alessian stops to peer at some nirncrux. The merchant offers him a jeweler's loupe to examine the finer grains. "It's guaranteed to make your weapon...potent, sir."

Behind him, Bastian groans. "Don't encourage him."

A rider on giant clockwork flea leaps over the first row of wagons, does a pirouette in the middle, then sprints past the second row towards a small red plant. The rider jumps down, rips the plant out of the ground, examines the roots closely for the tiny nodules of nirnoot crystals, curses, shakes the plant out, and then rides off.

"You left your worms behind," Marcus calls, but the rider is already gone. He shrugs and scoops up the worms. "I've been meaning to fish those motifs up from Summerset."

He and Bastian continue through the market. It's crowded with traders, bankers - feline and otherwise - and clusters of Bastians and Mirris marked out by their cloud of quest markers.

"Say, Bastian, I was wondering. Do you ever think it's strange seeing so many other Bastians?"

"Sir, seeing other Bastians is not remotely the strangest thing I've seen since agreeing to follow you."

THIS IS GOLD, have an Awesome

To the OP, uh... sorry? But that sounds a bit uh... I don't want to be mean, but it's almost like getting a breed of dog and then realizing OTHER people also have dogs of the same breed and suddenly you don't want your dog anymore.

Icy_Waffles · June 2021

Yet another reason the companion “system” was a bad choice.

omegatay_ESO · June 2021

AuraNebula wrote: »

Give it time. I'm sure in the future customization such as changing hair and skin tones will come. This game has changed so much over the years, I never expect anything to stay constant.

We shall see. Us bear owners has been asking for ages for customization and/or skins for our bears. Seems like zos likes to give us what we don't want, not what we want.

NylAR · June 2021

Gary404 wrote: »

NylAR wrote: »

Somehow (with insane amount of luck I imagine) I hadn't seen anybody with their companion out before I've managed to complete the quest for Mirri. I really enjoyed the whole narrative of her quest and as we progressed further after that I was really starting to get to like her character... I pretty much spent the entire time since launch of the new expansion out there in the wilds not really encountering many players (luckily), exploring the new lands, exploring Mirri's deeper character, building rapport, and just feeling like I have a new friend by my side. Then... as immersion was finally setting in, I had to go empty my bags to my character's house...

You can probably already imagine where this is going to go...

As I exit my house through the door regularly as I always do... There were 7 people standing in front of the house all with their companions out, so I was suddenly seeing 3 different Mirris and 4 different Bastians.... At first I tried to ignore it, altho it did disgust me... Then I proceeded to run to the nearby city and BY ALL THE DIVINES I WISH I NEVER DID...

All my feelings, all my immersive thoughts, all my enjoyment from the past few days, all the fun and all the laughs just suddenly GONE IN A MYRIAD OF COMPANION CLONES EVERYWHERE FOLLOWING ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE. I ENJOYED the game for the past X DAYS and NOW IT'S COMPLETELY RUINED

WHY ZENIMAX?! WHY DID YYOU THINK THIS WAS GOING TO BE OKAY?! I'm just so sad and disappointed.... I was starting to like this game just about as much as when I started playing back in 2015 and then this happened... Why oh WHY... I don't really wanna be using my companion anymore...

This stupid feature of being able to see other people's companions just has to go... IT JUST HAS TO

Are you being serious or is this satire? If it's the latter, I congradulate you on being the first person to make me stare at my screen with my mouth agape in utter confusion for five or so minutes. You are saying that the simple fact that players each have their companions out at the same time as somehow ruined all the fun and entertainment of the game for you to the point where you are disgusted?

I have a really rough time understanding why people are bothered by things like these. [snip] Is it too hard to imagine that cloning is a very real possibility in a land of necromancy and arcane creations? They have lab-mutated ogres with stone and steel for hands, why would cloning then be out of the picture?

[snip]

These simple things are the reason why I (we) play the game. I couldn't care less about PvP or PvE, I love quests, storytelling, immersion, collecting stuff, housing, roleplaying etc.

This is something that actually DOES ruin the game for me greatly as it takes me out of this fantasy world that I like to imagine being a part of. It saddens me to see the whole aspect of unique characters just thrown out the window with 1000s clones of the same character just wearing different clothes and using different mounts, following someone else in the same matter that they follow me, its a major gap in what I and many of us perceive as the immersive storytelling.

These "simple things" as you call them are the major selling point for me and dare I say many if not most other customers.

NylAR · June 2021

SpiritofESO wrote: »

Are you being serious or is this satire? If it's the latter, I congraculate you on being the first person to make me stare at my screen with my mouth agape in utter confusion for five or so minutes. You are saying that the simple fact that players each have their companions out at the same time as somehow ruined all the fun and entertainment of the game for you to the point where you are disgusted?

[snip]

[Quoted post was removed]

I mean... With companions we were supposed to share their personal story, to sort of "be a part" of their adventure as well as them being "part of our adventure". And I totally fell for it, that's why I have a hard time just overlooking this. Story is the top reason why I play this game. Endgame PVP and PVE-wise the game just doesn't interest me. Never has and never will.

ectoplasmicninja · June 2021

I haven't really found proper immersion to be possible in ESO. Even if you turn off zone chat, there's giant orcs in wedding dresses jester-sprinting through the world, people casually standing in banks with summoned Daedra and bears, players polymorphed as skeletons and clockwork factotums and massive spriggans bunnyhopping around cities and swinging their weapons at each other. Seeing a bunch of Bastians and Mirris running around honestly hasn't even pinged my weirdar.

NylAR · June 2021

VaranisArano wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

So the OP doesn't find the fact that he constantly bumps into other vestiges who have all defeated Molag Bal individually and separately immersion-destroying, but the fact that they use the same companions is?

I find that a bit odd if I'm honest, but it sounds like it simply reflects the approach of a single-player gamer playing a massively multiplayer game. As such one either copes with it, or sticks to single-player games. As others have said, however, I'm sure it will become less of an issue so far as companions are concerned as they get further developed - but it will remain every bit as much of an issue so far as other vestiges is concerned.

Look, I dunno who all these other soul shriven are running around, but mine's the real Vestige.

At least that's how ESO's Main Quest is set up. Sure, you can be in a world where there are a lot of other adventurers running around doing more or less the same things you are, but ESO also has a lot of moments where it's just you doing the heroic deed.

So sorry, I don't really think that criticism really works. Knowing but not having it shoved in our face that other players are the Vestige of their own story isn't really the same as seeing the same faces over and over again in tons of areas.

I'll give an example: while running the first Blackwood quest, I was examining a quest area at the same time as another player. Their Mirri ran on top of a pillar and stood there, staring down at my Mirri. Normally I can just tune out other people's Companions , but this one just cut straight through any immersion I had going. Now, I laughed, because it was funny seeing the two of them in a staring contest. But for players who really value immersion? Yeah, I can see where this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Thank you !!! Someone who understands!

shadyjane62 · June 2021

I hate seeing them. They look like androids or robots or something else ugly. They all look alike not real.

Minyassa · June 2021

While I can't say I pay attention enough for it to ruin the game for me (I have to put up with people playing clashing instruments, if I can survive that I can survive anything), I have to sympathize with you to the point that it is quite ugly-looking right now. However, consider the timing...Blackwood and Companions *just* came out. People are doing their best to speed-level them, so everyone has them out all the time right now. That's not going to be the case once the initial catchup rush peters out. People will leave the Companions in their horse pockets until they need them for a group activity and we won't see nearly as many. Consider it a more gradual version of what we see any time a new chapter drops and suddenly everyone's riding the same mount all day. That goes away quickly because there's no time-consuming tasks involved, this will go away after however long it takes for people's curiosity and impatience to be satisfied.

Sidonius · June 2021

Clones? My companion is called Mirri/Bastian.. yours is called <playername>'s companion.

MrDenimChicken · June 2021

yeah I'm surprised they didn't make the companions look like guards or something following other players. Not that you wouldn't know who they really were.

Companion system really is emblematic of the problem ESO has. It's trying to be both immersive on a single player level, and also an MMO. The different game types clash so hard. The MMO side of the game absolute kills your immersion. It's unfortunate

I think the companion system is cool. I appreciate it. And I'm excited to have more companions be added to the game, and then there will be a big variety of companions. But yeah, ZOS should have made other people's companions look like guards or something. That's a pretty big goof on their part.

Sylvermynx · June 2021

C'mon guys - don't be mean. The lack of customization is one big reason I won't use companions (though the biggest really is that they're like every other companion in every other game - useless weenies and always in the way).

I can understand how the OP feels. And I can empathize - so I won't be using companions at all.