Companion Gear Drop Rate & Price

Gray_howling_parrot · April 2022

Does anyone else think it’s absolutely insane how much purple companion gear costs? I’m not willing to spend > 1 million gold (on console) to outfit my companion in BiS gear. It’s madness for how much damage they do (like 15k?) and how average they are at tanking and such. Why is it that the drop rate is so ungodly low?

Solutions:
1) Allow us to transmute, deconstruct and improve companion gear
2) Scrap companion gear and allow player gear to be equipped instead
3) DRASTICALLY increase quality drop rate for companion gear.

The low drop chance relative to how much it actually makes them do in their respective roles in just absurd.

FlopsyPrince · April 2022

They work well enough in blues for many of us.

Gray_howling_parrot · April 2022

Ok,

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

They work well enough in blues for many of us.

My point is how absurd purple is to get and how expensive it is relative to blue.

MasterSpatula · April 2022

Because they are so mediocre (at best) at everything they do, there's really no point in stressing too much about their gear. If you're taking your companions anywhere where you need to min/max them, then you're doing content too challenging to be relying on companions in the first place.

OTOH, yeah, purple drops are too rare. I think I've gotten maybe three items in-trait at this point, which is pathetically low. Not upset about it, because again, it doesn't really matter, but the drop rates are crazy low.

Gaeliannas · April 2022

Jaustink wrote: »

Does anyone else think it’s absolutely insane how much purple companion gear costs? I’m not willing to spend > 1 million gold (on console) to outfit my companion in BiS gear. It’s madness for how much damage they do (like 15k?) and how average they are at tanking and such. Why is it that the drop rate is so ungodly low?

Solutions:
1) Allow us to transmute, deconstruct and improve companion gear
2) Scrap companion gear and allow player gear to be equipped instead
3) DRASTICALLY increase quality drop rate for companion gear.

The low drop chance relative to how much it actually makes them do in their respective roles in just absurd.

Doesn't matter how minor the effect is from blue -> purple, purple is the best and a lot of players want the best, and have no problem buying it. That is why the price is absurd in your opinion. Those with the gold to afford it, feel the exact opposite of you, they are happy it was on the vendor for them to buy, which it wouldn't have been if everyone found it "affordable".

phaneub17_ESO · April 2022

I got a bunch of stuff for cheap in the early days when people were still figuring out the stats and prices, got many aggressive and quickened purple weapons for around 10k-30k each, a lot of purple quickened armor for about 20k a piece, and primarily went with Shattering over Aggressive medium armor at around one third of the price. I have a full sets of purple heavy, medium, and light in quickened and another medium set of shattering + blue aggressive jewelry; most expensive item was probably around 80k or so.

I planned ahead, I knew what I wanted and how it would affect my companions, got two extra spare sets in case more companions were added in the future.

bmnoble · April 2022

I have had Blackwood since it came out, regularly used my companions, maybe had 10 purple gear drops in that entire time, sold most of them since they were not in the traits I was after.

The green and blue gear aside from desirable traits has basically become vendor trash for the most part on PC/NA.

I don't mind paying a high price for the purple gear if it gets people to list their drops instead of using or vendoring them.

Still on the fence about buying more purple gear for the new companions, probably just going to un-equip what my current companions are using and use it while leveling the new ones once I figure out which I enjoy using the most out of the 4 that will be the one that will use the gear, the others will end up collecting dust in collections.

Cuddlypuff · April 2022

Drop rate is probably fine if you're actually farming spellscar or skyreach with companions out. Supply is low because nobody does this, or has them out at all. There's even addons that bring them out otherwise nobody would remember to. That being said I've warmed to them for duo vet pledges. Spent 100k on all aggressive blue gear for our bow DD Mirris. For some reason, companions die to almost any trash skip yet can tank bosses without a scratch (test it yourself). Can DPS higher than the average pug too. I'm starting to understand why people pay 2M per purple now.

Amottica · April 2022

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

They work well enough in blues for many of us.

It is pretty much this. The difference purple makes is not that big so save some gold, or even make some by selling what purples drop for you.

It is a matter of priority between time and gold.

ADarklore · April 2022

The only Companion gear that MATTERS in Purple are the weapons... and Purple weapons are CHEAP. The difference between Blue and Purple armor is so minuscule it's not worth the cost to upgrade.

However, I do agree that ZOS should implement the ability for us to UPGRADE our Companion gear at a crafting station as well as DECON them for mats. There is absolutely no reason we shouldn't be able to decon Companion gear just like all the other gear drops we receive.

preevious · April 2022

Some items will be expensive. Some may even be very, ***-so-very expensive. Some you may even not be able to afford.
It's normal, and it's a good thing.
Purple companion gears fall into this? So be it.
It's nor a problem. Either stay in blue, wich is plenty enough (as I do) ... or be ready to pay the price for what you want.

Gray_howling_parrot · April 2022

So, I think a lot of responses here are missing the mark at my intention behind the post. Do I care deeply if my companion has purple gear? Absolutely not. I've been using blue gear just fine. But the sheer difference in drop rate and the resulting price to purchase it is quite noticeable and honestly doesn't make a whole lot of sense GIVEN how little of a difference it makes. If, as a game developer, you're going to make something have a very low drop rate like this, you typically make it a rewarding find. It does miniscule amounts to your companion's build and so im simply surprised at how expensive it is/low the drop chance is.

Amottica · April 2022

Jaustink wrote: »

So, I think a lot of responses here are missing the mark at my intention behind the post. Do I care deeply if my companion has purple gear? Absolutely not. I've been using blue gear just fine. But the sheer difference in drop rate and the resulting price to purchase it is quite noticeable and honestly doesn't make a whole lot of sense GIVEN how little of a difference it makes. If, as a game developer, you're going to make something have a very low drop rate like this, you typically make it a rewarding find. It does miniscule amounts to your companion's build and so im simply surprised at how expensive it is/low the drop chance is.

The intentions of the post seem to be made very clear in the OP. We just do not see it as an issue, especially to the huge degree characterized in the OP.

Necrotech_Master · April 2022

i think the real problems with companion gear is that it cannot be deconstructed or even marked as junk

there are many times i just flat out destroy useless companion gear because i cant mark it as junk (even though it is sellable to a vendor)

ADarklore · April 2022

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

i think the real problems with companion gear is that it cannot be deconstructed or even marked as junk

there are many times i just flat out destroy useless companion gear because i cant mark it as junk (even though it is sellable to a vendor)

Not just marked as 'junk' but cannot also be marked as "LOCK"... so even those pieces you want to keep, still show up in the merchant UI as being able to 'sell'.

Commandment · April 2022

I think it's good that items are rare TBH, the games overworld is almost extremely simplified and easy. These guys are fillers for dungeons and helpers for wb and nothing more IMO. We recieve way to many hand outs, and as someone stated before blue is good enough. If you want to have the best, you should have to give effort somewhere.

Oreyn_Bearclaw · April 2022

Considering I cant use companions for any competitive content, I could not care less about this issue if I am being honest. I have spec'ed miri in full DPS and full heals, and I simply cant tell a difference in any content I am allowed to use her. My only wish is that I could decon this stuff because I am swimming in it.

Admittedly, my opinion may not mean a lot to someone that likes companions. I found them to be more trouble and flat out annoying than they are worth.

spartaxoxo · April 2022

Jaustink wrote: »

So, I think a lot of responses here are missing the mark at my intention behind the post. Do I care deeply if my companion has purple gear? Absolutely not. I've been using blue gear just fine. But the sheer difference in drop rate and the resulting price to purchase it is quite noticeable and honestly doesn't make a whole lot of sense GIVEN how little of a difference it makes. If, as a game developer, you're going to make something have a very low drop rate like this, you typically make it a rewarding find. It does miniscule amounts to your companion's build and so im simply surprised at how expensive it is/low the drop chance is.

This. There is really no good reason companion purple gear doesn't drop better. I use my companion a lot and barely have any pieces drop at all let alone in trait. We can't change the gear to the trait we want, and the difference in quality is miniscule, it also doesn't effect appearance. None of the things that justify low drop rates apply to companion gear.

It would be one thing if companion gear could be trait changed, because at least then even though drops are rare once you got a piece in the weight you needed, it could be used. But that's not how it works. Instead they have low drops, no ability to lock, no ability to change the trait, almost no significant increase in performance, and isn't even meant to be a flex in appearance. You also can't lock despite it's near impossibility to attain. It's blatantly poorly implemented and massively user unfriendly. And by the way, those pieces also barely sell.

kargen27 · April 2022

I was running about seeing how many world bosses I can solo and got a few purple drops. I sold them.

Jaraal · April 2022

Jaustink wrote: »

Ok,

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

They work well enough in blues for many of us.

My point is how absurd purple is to get and how expensive it is relative to blue.

Maybe they should make gold companion gear and sell it in the crown store, but also make it a ridiculously rare drop in game, like they did with the top level Alliance skill line XP scrolls/recipes.

Blinx · April 2022

Both of mine are in blue with "desirable" traits, can't see much of a difference to when they were in white tbh, not wasting what little bit of gold I have buying them any gear.
Heckle, and Jeckle are not going to sabotage my inventory even more than it already is, all companion drops get sold to my merchant or destroyed.
I have gotten about 4 purple pieces so far, all bad stats, all sold to Fezez

Iselin · April 2022

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

They work well enough in blues for many of us.

They do indeed and in my mind that makes the rarity of purple companion gear drops that much sillier. Their performance in purple gear is barely noticeably better than blue so why keep the drop rate so low?

EF321 · April 2022

Companion gear will be dropping from event boxes during Zenithar event, you will definitely be able to grab purples for cheap.

ThreeXB · April 2022

We should be able to transmute companion gear traits

Beilin_Balreis_Colcan · April 2022

I visited probably at least 90% of the total guild vendors in Tamriel recently, because after reading someone's blog recommending a companion build, I decided to try it out, and I wasn't disappointed. The only catch was that to get the best results I needed (a) purple quality for all items (armour, staff, locket and rings), and (b) the Quickened trait for all of them. This basically reduces the skill cooldowns considerably. It cost me a fair bit, though, but as I said, I'm happy with the result.

ADarklore · April 2022

I really think they should add Companion crafted gear sets! I'm not talking 'player sets' I'm talking their own individual sets with their own separate crafting stations around the world. This way we could craft, improve and decon their gear, but it wouldn't be as OP as player sets.

@ZOS_Kevin Here's an idea for the team, especially as they continue to add more Companions and work on their functionality.

Gray_howling_parrot · April 2022

Amottica wrote: »

Jaustink wrote: »

So, I think a lot of responses here are missing the mark at my intention behind the post. Do I care deeply if my companion has purple gear? Absolutely not. I've been using blue gear just fine. But the sheer difference in drop rate and the resulting price to purchase it is quite noticeable and honestly doesn't make a whole lot of sense GIVEN how little of a difference it makes. If, as a game developer, you're going to make something have a very low drop rate like this, you typically make it a rewarding find. It does miniscule amounts to your companion's build and so im simply surprised at how expensive it is/low the drop chance is.

The intentions of the post seem to be made very clear in the OP. We just do not see it as an issue, especially to the huge degree characterized in the OP.

Still confused homie. Like other commenters it’s more of a justification, not whether you care about it or not. I’m simply
Saying it’s dumb that they went this direction. At least make the purple gear do something better if you’re going to make it drop so rarely.

If you don’t use companions or care, that’s for a different post. It’s not an issue because of the purple gear not making a noticeable difference over white gear even. The companions were pretty poorly implemented. I think it’s simply dumb how rare purple drops are since they don’t do anything worthwhile lol

SammyKhajit · April 2022

The drop rate for purple gear can and should be improved. Why else create this companion system and then withhold the decent gears?