While I do like their help in combat situations, and some of the keepsake bonuses are cool, primarily I'm interested in who they are as characters and what their stories are.

I do enjoy making outfits for them that I think fit their personalities, but I'm not too concerned about being able to customize them. It really wouldn't matter to me if we couldn't alter anything about them.

I like having a tank companion in the content that it works out for.

That I don't have to have them out is my favourite part, and will be until ZOS teach them not to stand in stupid, and what taunt priority is.

All of the options above and more! But their character and their story are essential. They are like two component adhesive, that holds everything else together.

I couldn't stand and wouldn't use any of them if they were too annoying or obnoxious. Although, I have to say Ember is missing that threshold by only a tiny bit.

While I do like having a companion to run with for help in dungeons etc and some of the humour they come out with, the thing that lets them down for me is not being able to put a helmet on them or change hair etc as it ruins the elusion a bit when you see several companions with the same face and hair etc at a dolmen for instance.

With the writing in ESO being where it’s been, it’s actually more recent Companion stories that have been the highlights of the game lately.

Most people agree ESO’s writing high point was from Wrothgar-Summerset, and it fell off a lot since then. Lately, even the sidequests (which have trended better than the main quests) have been uninspired. But the two brightest highlights they’ve had in recent years were both Companions: Sharp and Zerith. Sure, not all have been amazing (and I’m sure all of us have one or two Companion stories that we’ll point to as being on the level of the rest of ESO’s quests…), but the good ones have been spectacular.

I do enjoy having Sharp running around with me to be my DPS while I tank for him, and also because I’m not in overland ESO for the challenge. It also helps that Sharp is Garrus Vakarian, and he’s the GOAT.
…I need to replay Mass Effect.

Really, all of the above, to be fair! Some of them I'm not particularly fond of and they never get used, and others I like and play with.

Zerith-var is absolutely my favourite and he gets the most time out of the box. He's maxed out and good company on my travels. He's even performed quite well in the Night Market. Thanks to him, I never miss a heavy sack! He even wept over my corpse one time I was killed! Awesome!

I use them most for help with world bosses, doing the dailies. Not that I couldn't do it without them, but they help me get the job done quicker. When you have fought the same world bosses a zillion times, you just want to finish it as quick as possible, no?

Dragon hunt in Elsweyr. As well.

So I like them best for that. When I play, I almost never have audio on from the game, so I have little idea what they are on about.

That being said, I have tried some times, and they mostly say the same over and over.

I wish we could chage their hairstyles.

I'm going to have to go with "other" because it's often a combination.

Personalities are a big selling point. Bastian is probably the most annoying of the lot and I'm not exceptionally fond of Tanlorin, but the others are very well-done. I'd be seriously torn between Ember and Zerith-var on which one I like more.

Companion perks are also another big attraction, although very situational. Mirri's, Azandar's, and Zerith-var's are probably the most generally useful; Sharp's, Isobel's, and Ember's are very situational, and I don't find Tanlorin's or Bastian's to be very useful at all. I've no crying need for random potions other than for selling, and no character fails lockpicking often enough to need extra time.

Combat help is definitely welcome, though. I usually prefer to have companions tank. None of them DPS well enough for much other than overland mobs and their "A.I." isn't flexible enough to be much more than a band-aid healer.