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Next year's Companions - speculation, and what would you like to see?
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Danikat✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Athyrium93 wrote: »As long as the companions are Humanoid I don't really care. Now if they want to give us some animal companions I would absolutely love that and would use them even if they were mechanically really bad because I love combat pets.
That just reminded me of another idea I really like: a senche-raht who can be both companion and mount.
We already have senche-raht mounts with excuses in their descriptions for why they won't fight, I'd love it if we had one who was also a companion so they will fight with us.
(Mechanically it might need to be two separate things unlocked at the same time - so you have them as a a mount and as a companion in separate menus and can select or turn off both 'parts' individually, but you could use them together if you want to.)PC EU player | She/her/hers | PAWS (Positively Against Wrip-off Stuff) - Say No to Crown Crates!
"Remember in this game we call life that no one said it's fair"3 -
Gruumsh1✭✭✭✭Animal companions that fight with you might be a nice change of pace. Plus you don't need to worry about their pious speeches and you just feed them their favourite things to gain rapport.
Gruumsh, Gruumsh, Gruumsh, Gruumsh, Miiighty Gruumsh!2 -
BloodyStigmata✭✭✭✭✭
✭I'm of the mind that companions don't necessarily need to be constrained to just the playable races or the playable classes. They have an opportunity here to make some truly unique companion characters.
Give me a sea elf with water/wind/earth abilities or a were-creature companion that isn't a werewolf. Maybe even a daedra or a supposedly extinct race with unique abilities never seen before.Owner and proprietor of the Northern Elsweyr Guar Reserve and The Hunting Grounds Guar Reserve, Tamriel's home to all things guar.See the embedded brochures for all information regarding our reserves, as well as our collection status!9 -
kynesgrove✭✭✭✭NO to Argonian Necromancer unless he's absolutely morally vacant, OR is like Vastarie in tone and depth.
I'd personally like something more akin to Xukas or Jaxsik-Orrn as a companion, a character with more depth and personality, while still filling the assassin or warden theme. Not necessarily constrained to a class defining what they like, like Ember.
Making Ember a sorceress and not a thief but still satisfied with thieving was a great decision in my opinion, she's no cliche Kahjiit."The magical art of reanimating and communing with the dead. Most people find its coercive aspects abhorrent—I certainly wouldn't argue with that. Necromancy doesn't have to include thralldom."
—Vastarie
But an Argonian necromancer would have to have a worldview closer to Vastarie. It has been made very clear that most Argonians abhor necromancy.
Necromancy is against kuvastei (the need for change), they are literally stagnant and do not change and rot (especially if souls are bound to the dead). Being undead is being resistant to Sithis' will, which is to rejoin him through the Hist and then rejoin the cycle of rebirth.
As an example:
The only tribe we are outright exposed to that embrace Necromancy is the Ghost People tribe and people in Bright Throat absolutely despise them. Theres even a daily Death-Hunt from Bolu (Dead-Water tribe) to kill Baxilt-Gah (belongs to Ghost People).Tell me about the necromancer, Baxilt-Gah.
"Unusual for Saxhleel to take up magic. Even more rare for one to deal with the dead. Argonians exist in the present. Past is dead. Dead is dead. Only the Veeskhleel commune with the dead, and Baxilt-Gah is as crazy as the rest of the Ghost People!"
What is Bok-Xul?
"Bok-Xul is located to the west. Words mean "Bowl of Death" in Argonian tongue. It's an ancient ritual circle, all jumbled rock and stone ruins. Very dark place. Very evil. Just perfect for a necromancer like Baxilt-Gah."
Can a necromancer really be killed?
"Everything dies. Just some things have a habit of returning from the dead. Very disconcerting.
Necromancer might come back. Who can say? Perhaps you can kill him dead-dead-dead. Doesn't hurt to try. Unless Baxilt-Gah kills you first."
Raising the dead is not "normal" for Argonians. They just view some actions as necessary evils, such as the Dark Brotherhood. Shadowscales are feared, revered and respected because they are bringers of change and carry out Sithis' will, which is often sending spirits to Sithis, not binding them to serve their will. Also Shadowscales use shadow magic not necromancy as far as I am aware.
In that way an Argonian unrelated to Dark Brotherhood but maybe a Nisswo apprentice who wishes to commune with the dead to help people or perhaps discover things about the past (Duskfall mysteries?) like Vastarie would be a neat character. And just like Ember isn't all about thieving but appreciates it, he/she/they can have Blade of Woe as a secondary characteristic of a similar nature.
Also character arc, related to Argonians being able to choose their gender > Unsure of who they want to be, you as their best friend help them on their journey. At the end they can decide (player chooses) if they are female or male, and the Hist changes them.
"The shrine is breathtaking, sitting upon a rise and dominated by many standing stones carved with holy runes. The place truly seems to have been kissed by Kyne's icy breath."- Urig the Wanderer2 -
kynesgrove✭✭✭✭Also the idea of the theme of the companion is about change and self discovery, and being happy with your present self. Self love - leading to self discovery - not clinging to past > happiness. And our player character helping them on their journey, with whatever conflict is thrown their way. Whether outcast or village politics."The shrine is breathtaking, sitting upon a rise and dominated by many standing stones carved with holy runes. The place truly seems to have been kissed by Kyne's icy breath."- Urig the Wanderer0
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BretonMage✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Isn't it possible that an Argonian necromancer could be giving the restless dead some redemption before sending them on to Sithis? A Shadowscale who is technically evil as he follows Sithis, but has a conscience and a respect for the souls of the dead, for example. I've never played a necromancer, but I assume none of the skills involve permanent binding of souls.2 -
kynesgrove✭✭✭✭That's a tough question, because in Murkmire as well as Shadowfen we learn how Argonian souls rejoin the Hist. But in Murkmire when certain dead are put near the roots of their Hist, they need to sort of staple them down with grave-stakes (also to honor their lives). These stakes are implied to store part of their "life energy". I don't think the Argonians buried at the roots and in turn bog blights have souls in them, much like we learn with Haxara's plight of dealing with the Ghost People tribe and the Bright Throat eggs. When an egg has and empty shadow, it is not meant to hatch and gets reabsorbed and "rejoins Sithis" or the Hist. And if it's meant to be it's meant to be. But a Shadowscale bringing about to change would definitely use shadow magick and I doubt necromancy.
On gravestakes:Why do you want me to recover the grave-stakes?/What's so important about the grave-stakes?
"These are Naga-Kur grave-stakes. Each represents a member of the tribe who rejoined the Hist. They do not belong in the hands of a foul necromancer. That is an abomination! I ask urgently. Recover the grave-stakes and return them to the swamp."
What's the purpose of these grave-stakes?
"Every Naga-Kur carves a grave-stake. The process is deeply personal and the finished stake tells the story of the carver's life. When an Argonian dies, the grave-stake marks where the body fell and serves as a remembrance until the swamp claims it."
So what does the necromancer get out of stealing these grave-stakes?
"Baxilt-Gah wants the life energy that clings to the stakes. Powerful stuff! Provides energy for his abhorrent rituals. The necromancer disgraces the memories of our tribe members and disrupts the natural order of the swamp. This is a bad thing."
The restless dead can sometimes have remnants of old personalities as we have encountered with some Draugr in Skyrim. Whether its pieces of their souls or not its hard to say I think. The draugr's curse and bog blights might be very close in root cause, I don't know but speculate.
When a necromancer summons a spirit they can bind it to the Mundus in order to keep it there and tell it what to do, and of course meddling with free will is big no-no (Molag Bal being the epitome of this). Vastarie challenges this, and I guess in her way binds them only to ask them nicely (they can leave if they want to). In the end she's still calling them from wherever their souls ended up.
Technically freeing spirits and helping them along is within the Templar's realm. Such as with the skill Repentance (in the Restoring Light skilline)which says: "Consecrate the souls of the fallen, healing you and your allies.." etc. A similar synergy skill we get to use in Falkreath dungeon, to soothe en clear the restless dead.
In Necromancy skill line a lot of descriptions have words like "desecrate" "horrific" "sacrifice your own life". That being said Renewing Undeath and its morphs have "Release residual fragments of fallen souls at the target location healing you and your allies". Which is perhaps similar ends with different means between Templar and Necro? Both consume the corpses, one with what I presume to be Padomaic Magic and the other with Aedric Magic.
Also, as you know, it's worth noting companions don't 1:1 fill in our class definitions, Mirri uses blood magick and shadow magick, but her personality and who she is hardly fills in the boxes of what we might define as "Nightblade" or even Blood Mage. And ESO classes also fall into overarching themes rather than schools.
Like the description of the quest reward Psijic gloves style: "Attuned by the Psijics to the life force that the Wood Elves call "The Green," these Gauntlets are said to help the wearer focus Nature-based magic and Restoration spells."
In ESO we don't use at least in our skill trees the classic schools of magic the the Mages Guild eventually establishes. And the Psijics have their own classifications on the nature of magic and reality, which is the 11 Forces, and the Rites of Moawita.
So in terms of discussion, I think maybe an Argonian would use Necromancy, but I actually don't know or feel confidently incorrect about Shadowscales. Since they are so deep in tradition of Argonians, meddling with souls is not up to them, only releasing things from their mortal coil, or anyone who threatens Argonia. Also all Dark brotherhood Argonians are Shadowscales but not all Shadowscales are Dark Brotherhood. Due to fundamental differences in understanding the concept of Sithis. Many Nisswo's prefer it that Shadowscales eventually return to Black Marsh and don't work for the Dark Brotherhood, since the goals are different."The shrine is breathtaking, sitting upon a rise and dominated by many standing stones carved with holy runes. The place truly seems to have been kissed by Kyne's icy breath."- Urig the Wanderer2 -
kynesgrove✭✭✭✭Haxara's plight being that in the end one specimen was indeed a success in Necromantic means of binding a soul to a dead and fast growing husk, but all others were nothing on the inside."The shrine is breathtaking, sitting upon a rise and dominated by many standing stones carved with holy runes. The place truly seems to have been kissed by Kyne's icy breath."- Urig the Wanderer0
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zaria✭✭✭✭✭
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That is an cool idea, now they would comment also then ridden. They also has an good deal of combat animation for senche-raht making it easier, now they would not use standard gear or weapon complicating things a bit.Athyrium93 wrote: »As long as the companions are Humanoid I don't really care. Now if they want to give us some animal companions I would absolutely love that and would use them even if they were mechanically really bad because I love combat pets.
That just reminded me of another idea I really like: a senche-raht who can be both companion and mount.
We already have senche-raht mounts with excuses in their descriptions for why they won't fight, I'd love it if we had one who was also a companion so they will fight with us.
(Mechanically it might need to be two separate things unlocked at the same time - so you have them as a a mount and as a companion in separate menus and can select or turn off both 'parts' individually, but you could use them together if you want to.)
But I see its most likely we get warden and necromancer next and two new races.
Warden is likely an Bosmer with Nord as secondary, necromancer Argonian or Altmer.
Grinding just make you go in circles.
Asking ZoS for nerfs is as stupid as asking for close air support from the death star.0 -
BretonMage✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭kynesgrove wrote: »When a necromancer summons a spirit they can bind it to the Mundus in order to keep it there and tell it what to do, and of course meddling with free will is big no-no (Molag Bal being the epitome of this). Vastarie challenges this, and I guess in her way binds them only to ask them nicely (they can leave if they want to). In the end she's still calling them from wherever their souls ended up.
Technically freeing spirits and helping them along is within the Templar's realm. Such as with the skill Repentance (in the Restoring Light skilline)which says: "Consecrate the souls of the fallen, healing you and your allies.." etc. A similar synergy skill we get to use in Falkreath dungeon, to soothe en clear the restless dead.
In Necromancy skill line a lot of descriptions have words like "desecrate" "horrific" "sacrifice your own life". That being said Renewing Undeath and its morphs have "Release residual fragments of fallen souls at the target location healing you and your allies". Which is perhaps similar ends with different means between Templar and Necro? Both consume the corpses, one with what I presume to be Padomaic Magic and the other with Aedric Magic.
It does look like it would be against the beliefs of the Argonians and likely Sithis-worshippers to recall souls from the next realm to force them to work for you. I guess there's really no way to dress up the fact that necromancy is a universally reviled practice that is shunned by most groups in Tamriel. Still, it's not impossible, and it would be ZOS' choice to make a compelling backstory for the companion if they chose to go that route. As you said, a character like Vastarie might make sense. Necromancy would still be wrong in society's eyes, but the character might have their own personal reasons for it. (Thanks for the post, it was interesting, and I admit I never thought that deeply about their culture, beyond their connection to the Hist).1 -
Treselegant✭✭✭✭✭
✭They need to be male to balance things out to start with. Then they need to be well written and interesting. Most importantly, I think they need to stop trying to please everyone when making the newer companions. Don't try and juggle their likes and dislikes so no one complains. Gamers, on the whole, will always find something to complain about so its futile to try and keep everyone happy.Edited by Treselegant on October 11, 2022 5:25PM7 -
Bouldercleave✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Minotaur tank that loves killing
ANY companion that doesn't get pissy every time you use the blade of woe.....
I would restate that I want a MINOTAUR TANK type as a bodyguard for my Khajit rogue.2 -
Treselegant✭✭✭✭✭
✭Bouldercleave wrote: »
ANY companion that doesn't get pissy every time you use the blade of woe......
Just for information sake - Ember has no reaction to the player using the Blade of Woe. Not for innocents, not for enemies. So this already exists in game. She has a survival at all cost philosphy and only dislikes it if you are caught commiting the crime.0 -
Dr_Con✭✭✭✭✭
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I'm fairly certain he's on nirn, otherwise he would have had to spend the entire second era and all of this third era in oblivion and contract the blight some other time after the events of ESO.
Time passes differently in Oblivion (think of some inhabitants of the Deadlands who think they just stranded there a few weeks ago, while meanwhile on Nirn 600 years have passed), so it's entirely possible to spend a whole era or longer there without even realizing.
Also, the Blight began when Dagoth Ur awoke again, which is in 882 in the 2nd era (ESO takes place in 582). Although, in the beginning, the Blight storms rarely affected more than the direct surroundings of Red Mountain. It wasn't until 427 in the 3rd era that the Blight also reached more remote settlements.
Indeed, this is because this was when the Ghostfence and the powers of the Tribunal were beginning to fail. The reawakening of Dagoth Ur meant that he was able to keep them out of the Heart chamber since 2E 882, so they could not renew their powers, which began slowly to wane: and the great disaster came in 3E 417, when Keening and Sunder were lost as the Tribunal tried and failed to regain access to the Heart, Almalexia and Sotha Sil themselves being briefly captured by Dagoth Ur and rescued by Vivec. The Tribunal itself may be seen to have been broken by this: Sotha Sil withdrew to his Clockwork realm, and Almalexia to Mournhold (attempting to break into Clockwork City via Bamz-Amschend), leaving Vivec to maintain the Ghostfence alone, and his efforts were no longer sufficient - blighted beasts could tunnel under, blighted cliff racers could fly over the fence, the tunnels from Kogoruhn provided an outlet for corprus stalkers, and the winds themselves carried the Blight to an increasingly large area of Vvardenfell. Only the arrival of the Nerevarine saved the situation.
Yag apparently spends 3000 years wandering and 500 years investigating what happened to his dwarven buddies, so i'm fairly certain he contracted it early.
Either this, or his brain is all gooey from Corpus.Edited by Dr_Con on October 11, 2022 1:59PM1 -
Bouldercleave✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Veinblood1965 wrote: »
Clifford Bouldercleave (has to have the Bouldercleave surname)1 -
Veinblood1965✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Not sure what I think about this.On one hand a few new companions would be nice, as stated perhaps an evil one? But then again how many are too many? 6, 8, 10? Where does it stop?0 -
Bouldercleave✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Treselegant wrote: »Bouldercleave wrote: »
ANY companion that doesn't get pissy every time you use the blade of woe......
Just for information sake - Ember has no reaction to the player using the Blade of Woe. Not for innocents, not for enemies. So this already exists in game. She has a survival at all cost philosphy and only dislikes it if you are caught commiting the crime.
Thanks for the clarification and absolutely correct. I should be more clear - I want a companion that when I use the blade of Woe, he / she is like...
Edited by Bouldercleave on October 11, 2022 2:08PM2 -
Tommy_The_Gun✭✭✭✭✭
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That story arc in Murkmire does not imply that Argonians actually can change gender on their own. I always got the impression that it has more to do with rebirth & reincarnation as when Argonian dies, the soul goes back to the Hist, but it is possible for a Argonian soul to return to new body & maybe to carry over some of the memories. That is why Argonian eggs are infused with Hist sap in hatchling pools. So it is less about changing gender, but rather being reborn in a different body that has different gender.kynesgrove wrote: »Also character arc, related to Argonians being able to choose their gender > Unsure of who they want to be, you as their best friend help them on their journey. At the end they can decide (player chooses) if they are female or male, and the Hist changes them.
Anyway, in TES history, as far as I am aware there is only one NPC in the entire series of games that says about it, so I assume that even amongst tribal Argonians it is a very rare thing.
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Rex-Umbra✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Could not be a current class. Like a bard or somethingXbox GT: Rex Umbrah
GM of IMPERIUM since 2015.2 -
Jim_Pipp✭✭✭✭✭
✭Could not be a current class. Like a bard or something
I think it's weird Zos have made companions inferior copies of characters we could make ourselves. They are storied NPC's who follow us, so they could grow as characters depending on quest choices rather than linearly through rapport...
It would be a great way to explore weird corners of the lore, like the bard's college, or minotaur society, all while utilising combat animations players can't use and don't see that often.
I would also welcome a doggo.#1 tip (Re)check your graphics settings periodically - especially resolution.3 -
kynesgrove✭✭✭✭Tommy_The_Gun wrote: »
That story arc in Murkmire does not imply that Argonians actually can change gender on their own. I always got the impression that it has more to do with rebirth & reincarnation as when Argonian dies, the soul goes back to the Hist, but it is possible for a Argonian soul to return to new body & maybe to carry over some of the memories. That is why Argonian eggs are infused with Hist sap in hatchling pools. So it is less about changing gender, but rather being reborn in a different body that has different gender.kynesgrove wrote: »Also character arc, related to Argonians being able to choose their gender > Unsure of who they want to be, you as their best friend help them on their journey. At the end they can decide (player chooses) if they are female or male, and the Hist changes them.
Anyway, in TES history, as far as I am aware there is only one NPC in the entire series of games that says about it, so I assume that even amongst tribal Argonians it is a very rare thing.
Funny thing is the quest with Chal-Maht shows the Hist can literally change your gender if you seek it.If you are playing as an Argonian he will instead respond with the following.
"Have you never undergone such a transformation, egg-sibling?
The Hist, in all its endless gifts, allows us to change many aspects of ourselves. Our gender is but one. I highly recommend such a change, should you ever get the chance."
So, because you're now male, you can't bond with Kud-Nakal?
"If we had spoken a week ago, it would have been so. But, as fate would have it, Kud-Nakal has recently undergone a change herself.
Thank you for bringing me this letter and totem. They should make fine gifts for my beloved.""The shrine is breathtaking, sitting upon a rise and dominated by many standing stones carved with holy runes. The place truly seems to have been kissed by Kyne's icy breath."- Urig the Wanderer1 -
kynesgrove✭✭✭✭BretonMage wrote: »kynesgrove wrote: »When a necromancer summons a spirit they can bind it to the Mundus in order to keep it there and tell it what to do, and of course meddling with free will is big no-no (Molag Bal being the epitome of this). Vastarie challenges this, and I guess in her way binds them only to ask them nicely (they can leave if they want to). In the end she's still calling them from wherever their souls ended up.
Technically freeing spirits and helping them along is within the Templar's realm. Such as with the skill Repentance (in the Restoring Light skilline)which says: "Consecrate the souls of the fallen, healing you and your allies.." etc. A similar synergy skill we get to use in Falkreath dungeon, to soothe en clear the restless dead.
In Necromancy skill line a lot of descriptions have words like "desecrate" "horrific" "sacrifice your own life". That being said Renewing Undeath and its morphs have "Release residual fragments of fallen souls at the target location healing you and your allies". Which is perhaps similar ends with different means between Templar and Necro? Both consume the corpses, one with what I presume to be Padomaic Magic and the other with Aedric Magic.
It does look like it would be against the beliefs of the Argonians and likely Sithis-worshippers to recall souls from the next realm to force them to work for you. I guess there's really no way to dress up the fact that necromancy is a universally reviled practice that is shunned by most groups in Tamriel. Still, it's not impossible, and it would be ZOS' choice to make a compelling backstory for the companion if they chose to go that route. As you said, a character like Vastarie might make sense. Necromancy would still be wrong in society's eyes, but the character might have their own personal reasons for it. (Thanks for the post, it was interesting, and I admit I never thought that deeply about their culture, beyond their connection to the Hist).
Yeah I agree, it's tricky, honestly we do need more lore on Argonians in my opinion since there's definitely room for all kinds of tribes and characters. There's apparently a Hist tree that's all Frosty Magick aligned (Would make an interesting Argonian Warden). And I trust the writer's would definitely make something compelling, the Loremaster would definitely see to it. No problem! I tend to ramble and speculate a lot so I hope some of it all made sense. I'm all for any class any race though."The shrine is breathtaking, sitting upon a rise and dominated by many standing stones carved with holy runes. The place truly seems to have been kissed by Kyne's icy breath."- Urig the Wanderer1 -
daim✭✭✭✭✭I would hope a mount as companion. So basically a mount that you could level up, like you can at stables atm but with more depth in it like some extra stats etc, and use whatever model/skin on it you have unlocked ingame plus extra visuals/gear. System in Lotro was very interesting back in the days.""I am that which grips the heart in fright, hearkens night and silences the light." It was written on my sword, long…long ago." ―Ajunta Pall
PC|EU1
