The Elder Scrolls Online’s newest chapter “Blackwood” is just around the corner, continuing the game’s epic, year-long “Gates of Oblivion” event story. Collider had the rare opportunity to join a select group of gaming journalists in a sneak peek behind the scenes of the highly anticipated new chapter, led by Creative DirectorRich Lambert. And while we have alotof content to share with you about that reveal, there’s one new addition that requires its own explainer article: Companions.
That’s right, a new Companions system will be rolled out early this June when “Blackwood” comes toESO. We get it; you have questions. Basically, this means you’ll be able to fire up an AI companion to travel, explore, converse, and enter combat with you (except in PvP), wherever you go. They’ll come with their own gear, skills, dialogue, and even a rapport system that adds a meta layer to your own choices in-game. They willnot, however, be sworn to carry your burdens, ie they’re not intended to be banks or mules, but rather helpers and, like their name says, Companions. There’s a lot to this new mechanic, so let’s get into it.
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What Are Companions?
Introduced as part of the “Blackwood” chapter, Companions are adventuring buddies who are unlocked by doing quests in the Blackwood zone. They can be used in dungeons and trials, but not arenas. The goal of Companions, as Lambert put it, is to be supplemental to the players, taking the place of other players in multiplayer content. For example, two human players and two AI Companions can take on a dungeon, up to a maximum of six players and six companions. These helpers can also be summoned and dismissed as needed, which is handy if you’re short a team-member or if one of your fellow players disconnects mid-stream.
At launch, two Companions will be available: Bastion, a noble, knight-like Imperial male equipped with a fire staff, and Mirri Elendis, a dark elf sneak-thief equipped with a sword and shield (and she loves it when you pickpocket people.)
Balance-wise, Companions aren’t meant for the top-tier achievement runs; they’re meant to help players, give them a bit of tanky help or healy help. A top-end Companion will only deal about 9-10k DPS, meant to temporarily replace a player who disconnects or to pad out the team, or to supplement the team if you just want to run it with friends.
But there’s much more to Bastion, Mirri, and the other Companions than surface level cosmetics.
How Will Companions Work?
These Companions, and any others you unlock, will appear in the Collectibles menu under the new “Allies” section. A Companion’s UI will be similar to a player character’s, including: Level (1-20), equipment, skills, and a rapport system gauge, with likes and dislikes. This last system adds some conversational flavor to the available dialogue options. And yes, your action in the world will influence your rapport with your Companion. The Rapport system also unlocks new quests that offer interesting rewards and perks, along with more backstory and optional quests for each Companion.
As for Skills, Companion skills are gained and progressed in a similar fashion to players. They can be unlocked by equipping weapons and using them to get a kill, for example. Skills have special requirements and cooldowns, like “Arrow Spray” and its 16-second cooldown. This was factored in for balance; the fact that Companions follow a “cooldown and priority-based system” allows for more fine-tuning of Companion control, unique to each player.
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Companion gear and equipment is different from player gear since there’s a whole new suite of gear to collect. This gear will only drop if a Companion is currently in your party, so you don’t have to worry about lugging around Companion gear on your player character. Conversely, your Companion will only have inventory slots for their own specific gear, so no, you can’t use them as mules or banks. Currently, there are no Companion gear sets, but there are nine brand-new traits to collect in order to customize and optimize your companions. Examples of some traits include: Quickened (reduces Cooldowns), Prolific (regenerates Ultimate), and Aggressive (increases the damage they do) The qualities of player gear (White through Purple) also influence Companion traits.
It’s important to note that Companions get all of their power from their level and their gear; there are currently no Champion Points that affect Companions. And on the cosmetic side of things, the “high fashion per second” look of character Companions is customizable; just like players, they can use outfits and costumes, and can have unique mounts.
Companions Q&A With Creative Director Rich Lambert
Do you think Companions will cause server lag?
Definitely something we’ve been extremely careful to try to manage. Lots of internal testing, able to tweak and tune performance side of things. Confident that they won’t cause any problems, at least during internal testing. Cautiously optimistic.
Do Companions affect player XP?
Companions and XP work a little different from Players and XP. A solo player gets 100XP; a player with a Companion gets 100XP and the Companion gets 25XP. No stealing of XP bonuses, just dedicated Companion XP.
Will Companion gear count against inventory space while collecting?
It does, but Companion gear will only drop if you have an active Companion out. Dismiss your Companion and then you only have your own stuff to worry about.
Is each Companion anESOclass or do they unlock other skills later?
They are influenced heavily by certain classes. Like players, there are also other skill points that they can learn. We want to see what players gravitate towards; we’ll do more of what they like and less of what they don’t like.
Does Companion reputation matter?
Companions will sneak when you sneak, they’ll mount up when you mount up. You don’t have to worry about them doing dumb things. Rapport does have an effect on your relationship with your Companion and their behavior.
How do Companions interact with combat pets?
you’re able to have them both active at the same time. What you can’t have active is an Assistant and a Companion at the same time.
Will Companions get a respec shrine?
Companions don’t have the concept of respecing. Once skills unlock, you can drag and drop them in any order you wish, as long as you’re out of combat.
Do Companions have their own inventory or will they “refuse to carry our burdens”?
They have a small inventory for their own equipped gear, but they’re not the new banks; all the other gear is your burden to carry as the player.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood arrives on PC/Mac and Stadia on June 1, and on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation4, and PlayStation 5 on June 8.
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