I'd also like to know as well about food/potion hybridization. The last update was in 2024 for romance.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/675880/any-update-on-romance-options-food-and-potion-hybridization#latest

This feature would take development resources away from anything else that I would rather have instead. Regardless, I hope ZOS finds the time for everything that players have been asking for.

My feeling is that this is more possible now than it was before, since ZOS has switched to this "seasons" model. Assuming that seasons work out they way they intend, of course--it's hard to judge from this first year, which is basically the same chapter + feature model we've had since 2023, but stretched out to fit a season.

If they were to add a romance arc for the companions, I'd hope for three things:

1. Some writers are stronger with characterization and some are stronger with plot. Put the character writers on this.
2. If this is part of a general continuation of each companion's story, don't lock the conclusion/epilogue of the story behind their romance.
3. When adding romance paths, please don't skip over Azandar just because he's older. My main character is closer to his age than any of the other companions, and she's actually found him quite charming. Dating Bastian, who she originally took on as an apprentice, would feel like dating her nephew.

I want more deeper friendship options first, and like way more companions than the ones we have...male options are like real limited

I'm not against this in principle, but given what the writers seem to consider "romantic" or "flirty" in dialog, maybe its best they focus on other stuff...

No because I do not want to "Romance" characters I have zero attraction towards.

Honestly, when I first played skyrim as a 16 year old, the fact that I could romance characters in-game made me realize how much I like those systems in games. Nowadays, if a game has a character creator AND a romance system I am immediately sold.
This might not be for everyone so they could make the romance status optional with a more in depth platonic relationship system.
Now if ESO does ever implement a romance system… Naryu, Raz and Darien better be on the list of romancable characters…

Wonder how many people asking for the feature would be ultimately disappointed by execution or sheer shallowness of the options compared to other games they have an option to. We already know capabilities of their writing, it's not that hard to imagine how it would look like and if that's something even of a mild interest. Even new dialogue options are kinda a fat hint to whatever it can look like already.

I think a great way to introduce a romance system in The Elder Scrolls Online would be to build upon the existing dialogue and mission structure. Similar to Starfield, players could engage with companions through conversations, choosing the right responses to gain affection.

For example, during companion missions, players could be presented with three response options:

A rude or dismissive answer
A neutral or normal response
A flirty or supportive choice

The player's selections would influence the companion's affection level. Additionally, the game could include flirty actions or special tasks that players could perform to further increase affection, such as using specific emotes or completing romantic gestures.

Ultimately, successfully romancing a companion could lead to new, more romantic interactions and comments from the companion, adding a deeper layer of depth to the game's relationships and storytelling.

Lugaldu wrote: »

I guess it's a really difficult task, because players have such wildly different views on what constitutes an appropriate or interesting "romance" with the companions.
Personally, I don't like the superficial flirting either, but I'm sure there are others who would enjoy that. And then, in complete contrast, there's this strange love story between Gadayn and Leramil... well, it was "something different," but equally strange.
Perhaps the introduction of answer options with Update 46 is a first step in that direction. This way, there can be different "flavors" in romantic interactions with the companions. I think it would be interesting. The main thing - I hope for - that it's not like TES V Skyrim marriages: "Welcome home, darling, I've prepared you a meal!"

I was always in favor of optional companion romance, for roleplay reasons. It's just a normal part of life, so why would our characters not be able to experience that as part of their story in Tamriel?

But now? I'd rather not see it anymore, or at least not within the next few years. If you see the "flirty" dialogue options in Solstice, you'll understand why.

Mofasa wrote: »

I think a great way to introduce a romance system in The Elder Scrolls Online would be to build upon the existing dialogue and mission structure. Similar to Starfield, players could engage with companions through conversations, choosing the right responses to gain affection.

For example, during companion missions, players could be presented with three response options:

A rude or dismissive answer
A neutral or normal response
A flirty or supportive choice

The player's selections would influence the companion's affection level. Additionally, the game could include flirty actions or special tasks that players could perform to further increase affection, such as using specific emotes or completing romantic gestures.

Ultimately, successfully romancing a companion could lead to new, more romantic interactions and comments from the companion, adding a deeper layer of depth to the game's relationships and storytelling.

That's how it works in most games with romance options. Skyrim you just showed an amulet of Mara to an NPC, they accepted or rejected you, and then you had a small amount of additional dialogue and maybe a cutscene if you got married.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

CalamityCat wrote: »

I'd rather just have companions who want to be friends and travel with me.

How can you even have "romance" with a computer game character who has zero choice in the matter?

The same way that romance novels have existed for as long as fiction novels. In fact, one of the very first novels ever written is a romance novel. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikabu. It is only the first novel by a woman to have won global recognition. Video game characters are not real so this concern about their "consent" is disingenuous. They'd obviously write the story to be consensual.

It's really not like a romance novel though. In a novel you have characters that are capable of having romantic encounters with each other in situations where romance is actually happening. A person having a "romance" with a computer game character is not a romance. The computer cannot have feelings, it just runs code. All it is doing is what it has been programmed to do. That couldn't be further from romance than having a "relationship" with a teapot!

I'm not really talking about consent above, simply that it isn't romantic when your game "partner" has no way to choose what they do or consent, because they're just graphics and lines of code. Companions have to follow us around and follow commands. Romance requires actual sentient beings who can have feelings about you and are capable of understanding what romance actually is and acting upon it. Or refusing it.

CalamityCat wrote: »

It's really not like a romance novel though. In a novel you have characters that are capable of having romantic encounters with each other in situations where romance is actually happening. A person having a "romance" with a computer game character is not a romance. The computer cannot have feelings, it just runs code. All it is doing is what it has been programmed to do. That couldn't be further from romance than having a "relationship" with a teapot!

It would be our fictional character having a romance with another fictional character in a story taking place in Tamriel. I don't see any big difference to a novel, except for it might be more interactive because of dialogue choices.

DeadlySerious wrote: »

The problem is it's a complete waste of dev time when there are so many other actual issues they should be working on. Check out the bugs section. At some point things other than cosmetics have to take priority in a game.

I would consider it quest content, not cosmetics, unless one believes everything else except for vet content to be "cosmetics" which would be something I disagree about. Quests are a central part of this game.

Also, I didn't state that I think companion romance should have any priority, I only explained how I view it - as narrative fiction, not different to a novel. (Actually, I did even state, a few posts earlier, that I would not want to see it implemented soon, if I look at how some dialogue choices look right now. But anyway).