With the new expansion Blackwood, The Elder Scrolls Online gets Companions. These are NPCs that accompany you, which you can equip and upgrade. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch was able to try out the Companions in advance and is sure: They have something to offer for every type of player.
What are Companions? With the new expansion Blackwood, which will be released in June, two NPCs will be introduced that you can unlock through a quest:
- Mirri, a companion who is cunning and enjoys stealing from others
- Bastian, a righteous companion who prefers to see your positive sides
Both Companions can function as healers, tanks, or damage dealers. You can level them, equip them, and give them skills. Their area of application is almost limitless, whether in the open world, in dungeons, or trials. The only exceptions are PvP content and solo arenas.
But how useful are the Companions really? And do veterans, who have already experienced everything in the game, even need this new feature?
I was able to use both Companions in combat and also spoke with Game Director Rich Lambert about them. And I am sure: Every player will use the Companions, even if some veterans are rather skeptical.
How do you unlock the Companions? To unlock the new Companions, you can find a short guide here: This is how you can unlock the new Companions in ESO.
Companions have something for every type of player
What is the first impression? At my playtest event, I tried both Companions:
- Bastian was immediately likable to me. In his quest line, we went searching for his lost brother, and he was often in a hurry.
- In Mirri’s story, we free her companion. She is very engaged, a bit harsh, and rather cold. At the beginning, she greets us with the sentence: “Are you one of those laymen?” because your way is blocked in the ruin.
However, both have fulfilled their purpose well in the open world gameplay. Through the early content of Blackwood, I was able to hack through without any issues, and their damage was quite decent. However, I have not yet used them as healers or tanks.
It’s somewhat exhausting that both always get stuck on mobs that I can simply run past quickly. While they usually manage to handle them on their own, they are no longer at my side when I fight against completely different enemies.
What is the problem with the Companions? The announcement of the Companions was not well received by all players. Some veterans find them unnecessary because they manage well on their own.
They feel cheated out of a special feature with this expansion.
However, after the first few hours with the Companions, I am sure that every player will benefit from them as they are so flexible.
Who can use the Companions?
- Newcomers benefit particularly from the Companions, as they can support them in combat in the open world or in open dungeons.
- Anyone who prefers to travel only with close friends or a small guild can use the Companions to fill their group for dungeons.
- Those who are really into the endgame can use the companions to complete content solo or to fill veteran groups or trials, instead of heading out with a smaller number of players.
- Story fans can experience new quests and adventures through the Companions.
In general, the Companions offer a new type of progression. Because those who have already reached max level with the best equipment in the game have hardly any small goals left. Now, however, you can level Companions, equip them, and customize them to your liking. This should provide some players with something to do.
You determine how the Companions fight in the open world and in dungeons
How do the Companions work? Once you have unlocked Mirri, Bastian, or both through the respective quest, you can find them in your collection in the new tab “Companions.” From there, you can summon them to your side at any time and send them away again.
Companions start at level 1 and gain experience points whenever they are active. However, they do not “steal” your XP, but collect them additionally. So you have no disadvantage if the Companions are active.
When you speak to a Companion, they offer you various dialogue options. You can learn more about their backstory, accept additional quests, or open the Companion menu. From there, you can equip and skill them.
Companions have their abilities and their equipment. They are therefore not directly comparable to players:
- Each Companion has access to the classes “Damage, Healer, and Tank,” where there are specific abilities for each.
- Additionally, there are special abilities for weapons and armor
- Companions can also join certain guilds to unlock additional abilities
- Finally, each Companion has unique abilities located in the “Races” tab
As Rich Lambert revealed to MeinMMO, there is also special equipment for Companions. This also comes with a whopping 9 new traits that players cannot obtain, including a reduction in cooldowns.
This equipment must be earned by defeating enemies, with the dropping of this equipment not occurring if you do not have an active Companion. A large part of this equipment is said to be bound to the player only upon equipping it. Accordingly, you can trade it with other players.
How do the Companions use abilities? Basically, the Companions fight completely automatically. However, you have some influence on how the abilities are used.
They first go through their abilities from left to right. Then, the cooldown plays a role. Abilities that are on cooldown are used more frequently. Mirri and Bastian can thus be controlled to a certain extent in combat.
Companions are supposed to work well in dungeons
How useful are Companions in endgame? Rich Lambert revealed in the interview that Companions with good equipment are supposed to reach around 9,000 to 10,000 DPS. While they may not rival true “pros,” they should be able to replace an average player in dungeons.
- Normal dungeons should also be manageable with 2 players and 2 Companions.
- Lambert also sees the possibility of replacing players in Trials for 12 people if they do not fill up.
- Theoretically, 6 players could venture out with 6 Companions. However, as the head of ESO emphasized, they should not serve as a full substitute for players.
If Companions die in battles, you can resurrect them like other players. If the fight is over, they simply stand back up on their own.
Karma system and appearance
What makes Companions special? Around the new companions, there is a kind of “Karma system” through which the Companions can like or hate me:
- If they like me, I receive benefits such as further quests or new dialogues.
- If they hate me, I notice that directly in the language they use.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Bastian is a righteous man. So if I steal from others in his presence, my reputation with him decreases.
This is how you can customize the Companions: Like the players, Companions can wear different costumes and use different mounts. This allows you to visually customize them as well.
By the way, when you mount your mount, they do so at the same time. This way, the Companions can easily keep up with you.
Will performance suffer?
A point of criticism that often arises in connection with ESO is the performance, especially in large cities or in PvP. There will at least not be any Companions in the latter.
Lambert told us that the technicians are working intensively to ensure that the Companions have no negative impact on performance.
Outlook on future content of Blackwood
In addition to the Companions, the expansion Blackwood will offer the following content:
- New areas the size of Elsweyr
- 30 hours of new story content
- New events in the open world
- A trial for 12 players
Regarding the trial, Rich Lambert also revealed some details. It will feature 3 bosses, all of which are supposed to have a unique hardmode. Additionally, there is a special reward of an exclusive mount when all achievements of the trial have been completed.
More about Blackwood can be found in this overview: Everything about the new ESO expansion Blackwood and the content for 2021
What do you think about the upcoming expansion? And what do you think about the Companions? Let us know in the comments!
