Which Companion Race would you want Repeated in 2025?

Erickson9610 · October 13

One complaint that has been brought up is that Bastian Hallix (our first Imperial Companion from Blackwood) doesn't feel like an Imperial in his storyline; his upbringing reminded people too strongly of that of a Breton, and in fact some people claim that the only reason Bastian was an Imperial is that ZOS wanted one of the races that year to tie in with the theme of that year's Chapter.

A similar complaint was made about Ember — her dialect and backstory weren't reminiscent of a traditional Khajiit at all. Khajiit is one of the fan favorite races of the TES franchise, so her inclusion in High Isle felt like a shoo-in; it seemed like Ember was designed to be the "High Isle Khajiit", which means she shouldn't be from Elsweyr. In other words, the zone she was to be included in was paramount to her writing — which is good in practice, but not when she was forced to be included in High Isle due to the policy of Companions always being included in that Chapter's zone.

Now that Companions are decoupled from that year's Chapter, we had the opportunity to get a more traditional Khajiit and a High Elf who aren't related to West Weald and the Imperials and Bosmer there at all. We have the opportunity to revisit previously used Companion races whose backgrounds didn't make sense for the region of the world they were located in.

Perhaps ZOS plans to give us one repeated race + one new race every year for the next three years, to give players who disliked the previous Companions more variety. If ZOS were to continue this trend, then which repeated race would you like to see again next year?

Note that this poll is NOT for complaining about ZOS repeating Companion races. It's also not for complaining about Companions in general. As such, there is no "other" option, as the poll is rather straightforward — if you had to pick a race to be repeated in 2025, which one would it be?

NotNi.ya · October 13

wheres the orc option?

Renato90085 · October 13

NotNi.ya wrote: »

wheres the orc option?

OP mean Repeated...

NotNi.ya · October 13

Renato90085 wrote: »

NotNi.ya wrote: »

wheres the orc option?

OP mean Repeated...

poor orcies

BlueRaven · October 13

Not voting, I want all the races filled

Erickson9610 · October 13

Redguard (like Azandar al-Cybiades)

BlueRaven wrote: »

Not voting, I want all the races filled

Naturally. This is why there's no "other" option — that would be the most popular one. Feel free not to vote if the poll doesn't interest you!

kaushad · October 13

Redguard (like Azandar al-Cybiades)

I don't think that any of the companions are like stereotypical Redguards. Whereas:

Sharp seems fairly Argonian to me, in spite of losing his memories of his past among others.
three or four of them have Breton characteristics, even if none are 100%.
Mirri and her family defy Dark Elven mores, but her relationship with her ancestors, the Tribunal and the Chimeri past are prominent.
I haven't played Tanlorin's quest beyond the first one, so for all know they may be like a High Elven Mirri: a misfit with significant ties to their culture. In any case, I'm still interested in a more traditional High Elf. Maybe one who is:
- already over century old. TES doesn't do as much as it could with how old Elves get and a personal friendship could explore that.
- unaccostumed to mainland Tamriel other peoples. They see it as a barbarian wilderness that lacks the comforts of the Isles, but interesting to explore.
- a Psiijic. That kind of interferes with their relationship with time and the mainstream culture of the Isles, but the skills would make them more unique as a companion. Maybe they could be new to Psijic Order and encourage to travel the world as part of their education.
Bastian and Isobel are pretty Imperial, thanks to the continuing mash up of Bretons and Imperials since TESIII, not to mention Bastian's particular background. Maybe a distinctly rustic Colovian or some sort of colourful, Nibenese concept. Not a battlemage, because that's quite close Bastian again, possibly with Azandar's otherworldly expertise.
Both Khajiit are a bit atypical. One is a sorcerer who wasn't raised by Khajiit and the other is from an extinct, esoteric pre-Riddle'Thar religious order. But there are two of them.

LunaFlora · October 13

Argonian (like Sharp-as-Night)

if a race is repeated for one of the 2025 companions,
i would want Argonian.

i would love to see an Argonian companion who has a Jel name, has their memories, and is more connected to general argonian culture unlike Sharp.
Sharp is awesome though.

As examples,
they could be a Shadowscale or also be from the past like Zerith and be from the time when Argonians built with stone.

Syldras · October 13

Dunmer/Dark Elf (like Mirri Elendis)

None, actually, as I think it would be only fair to release one companion of each race before doing any repetitions, but if they repeat a race again, then I'd like to see a male Dunmer. Altmer would be nice, too, but I personally don't think it would be a fair decision to have two Altmer in a row.

Erickson9610 wrote: »

A similar complaint was made about Ember — her dialect and backstory weren't reminiscent of a traditional Khajiit at all. (...)
Now that Companions are decoupled from that year's Chapter, we had the opportunity to get a more traditional Khajiit and a High Elf who aren't related to West Weald and the Imperials and Bosmer there at all.

Zerith-var: "Azurah, forgive my cursing in a holy place. Is this a holy place? Where am I? And who are you? ... A strange name to follow an even stranger dream. I circled the feet of Azurah, longing to be held aloft. She scooped me up and cast me down. I fell and fell. And now I'm here."

Erickson9610 · October 13

Redguard (like Azandar al-Cybiades)

Syldras wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

A similar complaint was made about Ember — her dialect and backstory weren't reminiscent of a traditional Khajiit at all. (...)
Now that Companions are decoupled from that year's Chapter, we had the opportunity to get a more traditional Khajiit and a High Elf who aren't related to West Weald and the Imperials and Bosmer there at all.

Zerith-var: "Azurah, forgive my cursing in a holy place. Is this a holy place? Where am I? And who are you? ... A strange name to follow an even stranger dream. I circled the feet of Azurah, longing to be held aloft. She scooped me up and cast me down. I fell and fell. And now I'm here."

I never claimed Zerith-var's dialect was more traditional. However, his backstory and questline are steeped in Khajiiti lore. That's what makes him more of a traditional Khajiit than Ember.

It would be nice to get another Khajiit who instead refers to themselves in third person, though.

Erickson9610 · October 14

Redguard (like Azandar al-Cybiades)

In particular, I think it'd be fun to meet a Redguard sailor/pirate, kind of like Dhulef.

Maybe such a Redguard Companion could be a Nightblade or a Templar? Nightblade would fit for a more assassin-like pirate, while Templar would work especially well with Redguard lore.

DreamyLu · October 14

Can't vote, I don't want more companions.

I stop caring after Mirri. I use Bastian once in a blue moon, that's all and more than sufficient for me. I would prefer that the companion budget is assigned to something else.

amig186 · October 14

Altmer/High Elf (like Tanlorin)

I would prefer if they didn't repeat any of the races, but Tanlorin is exactly the opposite of what I expected from an Altmer companion and I wouldn't mind if they made another, proper one this time. Male or female, I don't care. Also, I don't understand why it's so hard to make a Khajiit companion that talks like a Khajiit. How come every Khajiit in the base game talks in third person, and both companions and associated quest NPCs talk in first. It makes no sense.

Syldras · October 14

Dunmer/Dark Elf (like Mirri Elendis)

amig186 wrote: »

I would prefer if they didn't repeat any of the races, but Tanlorin is exactly the opposite of what I expected from an Altmer companion and I wouldn't mind if they made another, proper one this time.

I think ZOS does that on purpose because they think it means subverting clichés. And while it's true that absolute one-dimensional, stereotypical characters aren't good writing, I don't think forcing the exact opposite of what would be typical for a race just for the sake of it is any better.

What I'd like to see is a believably written character who might show certain mindsets and opinions which are part of the expected cultural upbringing (which is absolutely possible without turning said character to a cliché), but still is an individual who might have flaws or quirks or might not absolutely agree with all mainstream ideas of their culture. Just like it is in real life.

colossalvoids · October 14

amig186 wrote: »

I would prefer if they didn't repeat any of the races, but Tanlorin is exactly the opposite of what I expected from an Altmer companion and I wouldn't mind if they made another, proper one this time. Male or female, I don't care. Also, I don't understand why it's so hard to make a Khajiit companion that talks like a Khajiit. How come every Khajiit in the base game talks in third person, and both companions and associated quest NPCs talk in first. It makes no sense.

I'd agree that their "out of the box" approach would fit better in different places than followers people genuinely want to get playing elder scrolls. I'm not interested personally but that's a bit off to me that most common and popular archetypes aren't explored first.

LanteanPegasus · October 14

Imperial (like Bastian Hallix)

Imperial and Khajiit are my favourite cultures. We get a second Khajiit, so I voted Imperial.
But I agree that Ember is quite far from Khajiiti culture, and a Khajiit that would talk in the traditional way would be nice.

That said - personality is key for how much I like a companion, more than race. I got incredibly lucky insofar as Bastian is just perfect in his character for me/as a friend for my character, and is an Imperial to boot. (Although I agree that I was a little let down about his backstory being nearly without any reference to Imperial culture.)
And with Zerith-var coming I might get lucky again, in getting a Khajiit with a wonderful personality and a backstory full of references to his culture. (At least all I heard so far sounds promising.)

So, my favourite companion happens to be an Imperial, and my (probably, if the impressions are correct) second favourite one will be a Khajiit. I've probably run out of luck, anyway, and the next Imperial would be some annoying person I didn't want to meet.

Fischblut · October 14

Altmer/High Elf (like Tanlorin)

Altmer/High Elf (like Tanlorin)

If they repeat some race again, I want the most stereotypical Altmer companion (not like Tanlorin at all).

But I prefer to see remaining companion races released first, no repeats until then

coop500 · October 14

Altmer/High Elf (like Tanlorin)

Normally don't care for high elves, but a handful of characters of mine would benefit from befriending a more traditional high elf, preferably a dude but not a total *** lol.

My next choice would be imperial. Bastian is my favorite of the companions (sue me, I like traditional male heroes) but he very much feels like a breton. Which is fine, but it means we could use a proper imperial.

BlueRaven · October 14

DreamyLu wrote: »

Can't vote, I don't want more companions.

I stop caring after Mirri. I use Bastian once in a blue moon, that's all and more than sufficient for me. I would prefer that the companion budget is assigned to something else.

I guess a similar argument could be made for dungeons and trials, with people wanting those budgets reassigned.

AllenaNightWood · October 14

no repeats until every race has got a companion

amig186 · October 14

Altmer/High Elf (like Tanlorin)

Syldras wrote: »

amig186 wrote: »

I would prefer if they didn't repeat any of the races, but Tanlorin is exactly the opposite of what I expected from an Altmer companion and I wouldn't mind if they made another, proper one this time.

I think ZOS does that on purpose because they think it means subverting clichés. And while it's true that absolute one-dimensional, stereotypical characters aren't good writing, I don't think forcing the exact opposite of what would be typical for a race just for the sake of it is any better.

What I'd like to see is a believably written character who might show certain mindsets and opinions which are part of the expected cultural upbringing (which is absolutely possible without turning said character to a cliché), but still is an individual who might have flaws or quirks or might not absolutely agree with all mainstream ideas of their culture. Just like it is in real life.

Yes, agreed. I'd rather have a companion who fits the racial/cultural mould in most ways but is still nuanced enough to sometimes surprise you. Subverting expectations just for the sake of it won't automatically make the writing good or interesting. I'd liken this to what Far Cry 5 did by giving you a worse ending the longer you play the game (as in the actual content, not a time limit). It's insane, but hey, it subverts the player's expectations. Amusingly enough, the most popular companion, Sharp, is pretty much a walking cliche and no one complained. Maybe going out of your way to make the character unusual isn't such a great idea if you have to sacrifice what people actually liked about the race.

karthrag_inak · October 14

Khajiit (like Ember and Zerith-var)

Make them all Khajiit!

Khajiit everywhere!

Erickson9610 · October 14

Redguard (like Azandar al-Cybiades)

karthrag_inak wrote: »

Make them all Khajiit!

Khajiit everywhere!

I'd genuinely laugh if we got two Khajiit Companions in a single year. Even after all unused player races are covered, seeing two of the same race on any given year would be hysterical.

Zerith-var is pretty good, but he shouldn't be the last Khajiit Companion we ever get. I bet that we'll get another Khajiit some time in the future — after all, there are a ton of compelling Khajiit characters all throughout the game to draw inspiration from.

StarOfElyon · October 15

Altmer/High Elf (like Tanlorin)

Erickson9610 wrote: »

One complaint that has been brought up is that Bastian Hallix (our first Imperial Companion from Blackwood) doesn't feel like an Imperial in his storyline; his upbringing reminded people too strongly of that of a Breton, and in fact some people claim that the only reason Bastian was an Imperial is that ZOS wanted one of the races that year to tie in with the theme of that year's Chapter.

A similar complaint was made about Ember — her dialect and backstory weren't reminiscent of a traditional Khajiit at all. Khajiit is one of the fan favorite races of the TES franchise, so her inclusion in High Isle felt like a shoo-in; it seemed like Ember was designed to be the "High Isle Khajiit", which means she shouldn't be from Elsweyr. In other words, the zone she was to be included in was paramount to her writing — which is good in practice, but not when she was forced to be included in High Isle due to the policy of Companions always being included in that Chapter's zone.

Now that Companions are decoupled from that year's Chapter, we had the opportunity to get a more traditional Khajiit and a High Elf who aren't related to West Weald and the Imperials and Bosmer there at all. We have the opportunity to revisit previously used Companion races whose backgrounds didn't make sense for the region of the world they were located in.

Perhaps ZOS plans to give us one repeated race + one new race every year for the next three years, to give players who disliked the previous Companions more variety. If ZOS were to continue this trend, then which repeated race would you like to see again next year?

Note that this poll is NOT for complaining about ZOS repeating Companion races. It's also not for complaining about Companions in general. As such, there is no "other" option, as the poll is rather straightforward — if you had to pick a race to be repeated in 2025, which one would it be?

Redguard #2
High Elf #1 cause what they just added ain't it.

Hapexamendios · October 15

No repeats at all.

barney2525 · October 16

which race do I want repeated?

I'm kinda partial to the 100 meter dash.

Elendir2am · October 16

BlueRaven wrote: »

DreamyLu wrote: »

Can't vote, I don't want more companions.

I stop caring after Mirri. I use Bastian once in a blue moon, that's all and more than sufficient for me. I would prefer that the companion budget is assigned to something else.

I guess a similar argument could be made for dungeons and trials, with people wanting those budgets reassigned.

You mean while we are observing them slowly killing PvP, they would quickly kill end game PvE with other hand?

The Elder Scrolls Online

Which Companion Race would you want Repeated in 2025?

Which Companion Race would you want Repeated in 2025? 49 votes