How To Get A Companion In Eso

ESO Companions Guide

by Hack The Minotaur

Beginning with the Blackwood Chapter in 2021, The Elder Scrolls Online is introducing Companions to the game! Companions will be similar to what we've seen in previous Elder Scrolls titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but with some additional options exclusive to ESO!

Companion Options

With the release of Blackwood we'll see two initial companions added to the game, an Imperial named Bastian who is described as a chivalrous Knight type of character and the Dunmer, Mirri, a thief who may potentially look to stab you or others in the back if it suits her.

According to Rich Lambert, Creative Director for The Elder Scrolls Online, "Bastian is the son of a Noble, but comes from a history of strife that you'll learn more about while adventuring with him. He ended up becoming a servant to another noble family and is essentially being the protector of a rich, sniveling idiot. The questline that you go through with him to unlock him as a companion covers one of those adventures. And then once you unlock him, you find out a little bit more about who he is and what his personal tragedy is."

Rich didn't elaborate much on the backstory of Mirri, but did mention that there would be an interesting twist unlocked somewhere in her storyline.

Unlocking Companions In The Elder Scrolls Online

You initially unlock Companions through two specific quest lines found in the Blackwood Chapter Zone. This effectively makes the Companions feature locked to purchasing the Blackwood Chapter, at least at first. Once you unlock a Companion they can travel the world of Tamriel with you.

Bastian and Mirri, the first two Companions available for ESO.

Bastian's Companion Starter Quest In Blackwood

Bastian's starting quest is found at the Southern edge of the Blackwood zone at Deepscorn Hollow.

Mirri's Companion Starter Quest In Blackwood

Mirri's starting quest is found at the Northern edge of the Blackwood zone at Doomvault Vulpinaz.

Companion Relationships

So, at this point you should be getting the idea that ESO's Companions are much more than just some extra carrying weight for your character - in fact, they seem to be much more fleshed out with interesting backstories, on going questlines and even possible romances. According to Rich, the introduction of companions is meant to lay the groundwork for more personal relationships going forward in future expansions. That being said, the team wants to make sure they don't rush adding something like this, ensuring that the highly requested feature is done in a way that will leave players feeling fulfilled with their story experience.

He also added that "Each companion also has its own series of likes and dislikes. There's a report system associated with this. This system will change as a player progressed through the story to unlock new quests to get to know each companion." For example, certain companions may react negatively if your character steals from an NPC or they may react positively if you give to an NPC.

Companion Gear and Equipment

Each Companion is a fully customizable combat NPC. This means that you can build your Companion into a specific Combat Role such as Tank, Healer, DPS or a hybrid. One of the main ways to customize your Companion is through Companion Gear.

Companions in ESO currently cannot use the same sets as Players. Instead, they have Companion Gear. Companion Gear is fairly basic, only offering static a static Armor Bonus for armor pieces or a static Damage Stat for Weapons. However, Companion gear also comes in 9 Unique Traits that further customize your Companion's Combat Role.

The 9 Companion Gear Traits are:

Aggressive	Increases Companion Damage Done per piece equipped.
Augmented	Increases duration of all Companion Buffs and Debuffs per piece equipped.
Bolstered	Reduces Companion Damage Taken per piece equipped.
Focused	Increases Companion Critical Strike Rating per piece equipped.
Prolific	Increases Companion Ultimate Generation per piece equipped.
Quickened	Reduces Companion Ability Cooldowns per piece equipped.
Shattering	Increases Companion Penetration per piece equipped.
Soothing	Increases Companion Healing Done per piece equipped.
Vigorous	Increases Companion Maximum Health per piece equipped.

How To Get Companion Gear In ESO

Companion gear can drop from all enemies in the game, however, boss level enemies have the highest drop rate. This includes:

Delve Bosses
Public Dungeon Bosses
Dolmen, Harrowstorm, Oblivion Portal and other "World Event" bosses
World Bosses
Normal and Veteran Group Dungeon Bosses
Normal and Veteran Trial Bosses

To obtain Companion Gear from any of these bosses all you need to do is get credit for particpating in the kill which normally results in a loot drop. Typically you need to do some damage to the boss in order to get loot to drop. In addition, you must also have a Companion Summoned and with you at the time the loot drops. This is a MUST! No Summoned Companion means NO LOOT!

ESO Companion Gear Drop Rate

Companion Gear in The Elder Scrolls Online has a small chance of dropping from any boss enemy in the game. The drop rate is generally around 10 percent.

Normal enemies have a much smaller chance of dropping companion Gear, roughly around 1 percent.

Best Gear Traits For Companions In ESO

Unfortunately, not every trait for companions is a great option at this point and there are definitely some best in slot traits based on how you want to build your companion. The best all around Trait for any type of Companion Build is the Quickened Trait. This decreases your companions ability cooldowns, allowing them to use their abilities more frequently. This is a fantastic trait for any companion build, whether tank, DPS, healer or even a hybrid. Some companion abilities have very long cooldowns upwards of 30 seconds so anything you can do to reduce those is going to be helpful.

To explore more of the Best Gear Traits for Companions check out the full guide below.

ESO Companion Gear Guide

Each Companion can be fully equipped with their own Weapons, Armor and Jewelry helping you further customize their build and playstyle, but where do you get the gear? And how do you get it faster? This guide will cover it all!

ESO Companion Skill Bar

Companions in The Elder Scrolls Online have access to one full Skill Bar including 5 slots for Normal Abilities and 1 Ultimate Slot. When you first unlock a Companion, not all of their Skill Slots are available however - these must be unlocked over time by leveling up the Companion.

Companions start with 2 Skill Slots unlocked at level 1, then follow the progression below.

Skill Slot 3: Unlocked At Level 2
Skill Slot 4: Unlocked At Level 7
Skill Slot 5: Unlocked At Level 12
Ultimate Slot: Unlocked At Level 20

ESO Companion Skills and Skill Lines

Each Companion in The Elder Scrolls Online starts with their own basic set of skills for these Skill Line types:

DPS
Healing
Tanking

Companions in ESO can also use Weapon Skill Lines including

Two Handed
One Hand And Shield
Dual Wield
Bow
Destruction Staff
Restoration Staff

Companions also will have access to several ESO Guild Skill Lines, including:

Figher's Guild
Mage's Guild
The Undaunted Guild

Companions have access to simple Armor Skill Lines as well. These can be unlocked by equipping at least 5 armor pieces of the same weight.

Light Armor
Medium Armor
Heavy Armor

Skills for companions in ESO are similar to the skills that players have access to but have differences unique to Companions. For example, Companions have a version of Circle Of Protection from the Fighter's Guild skill line that provides a unique Damage Resistance buff to the companion and the player.

Each Companion will have access to Damage, Heal and Tank oriented skills.

Bastian's Companion Skills

Bastian starts out with basic skills very similar to that of the Dragonknight Class in ESO. Bastian's Companion Skills are below.

Click on a Skill Name to learn more.

Ardent Warrior (Damage)

Draconic Armor (Tank)

Radiating Heart (Heal)

PASSIVE

Tough

Increases Max Health by 3% and Damage Done by 3%.

Mirri's Companion Skills

Mirri starts out with basic skills very similar to that of the Nightblade Class in ESO. Mirri's Companion Skills are below.

Click on a Skill Name to learn more.

Deadly Assassin (Damage)

Living Shade (Tank)

Soul Thief (Heal)

PASSIVE

Dynamic
Dynamic

Increases damage done by 3% and healing done by 3%.

Companion Weapon Skill Lines

Companions in The Elder Scrolls Online have access to many of the same types of Weapon Skills that players do. As you will see below, some of these skills are slightly altered in function to fit the Companion System.

Click on a Skill Name to learn more.

Bow

One Hand And Shield

Two Handed

Dual Wield

Destruction Staff

Restoration Staff

Companion Armor Skill Lines

Companions in The Elder Scrolls Online have access to some basic Armor Skills as long as they are wearing at least 5 pieces of the associated Armor Weight (5 Light, 5 Medium or 5 Heavy). These skills are quite different from normal Player Armor Skills and can be a useful way to customize the Companion's combat style.

The Armor Skills For Companions in ESO are found below:

Companion Guild Skill Lines

Companions in The Elder Scrolls Online can use Guild Skills from the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild and Undaunted Guild. These skills are slightly different from normal Guild Skills that players have access to in ESO and can be a useful way to customize the Companion's combat style.

Fighters Guild

Mages Guild

Undaunted

Companion Rotations: Priority and Cooldown System

Companions utilize a "Priority and Cooldown" system for combat. This works by giving every companion ability a cooldown of several seconds. Companions then can cast each ability as it comes off cooldown according to the skill order assigned on the companion skill bar. The Companion will attempt to cast each skill in order from the first ability to the last, then reset once all the cooldowns have expired.

ESO Companion Collectibles: Outfits, Mounts and Costumes

Companions can use many of the same collectible content that players already have access to. For example, Companions can make use of Costumes as well as Mounts. Companions can also be customized at an Outfit Station, just as a player can.

Companions can make use of Costumes just like players can.

Where Can I Take Companions?

As announced on the Global Reveal Stream for the Blackwood Chapter, Companions can go almost anywhere with you. The only known restrictions so far are that Companions cannot join you in PVP or in Solo Arenas. This may be subject to further balance changes as we get closer to the release of the Blackwood Chapter.

How Much DPS Can My Companion Do?

It was announced on a recent ESO live stream that a fully optimized Companion can do between 5,000 - 10,000 DPS. It's important to note that Companions are not meant to replace players.

What Is The Purpose Of Companions?

Basically the idea of Companions is to allow solo players and small groups to take on more challenging content without necessarily having the best gear or the most champion points. In effect, it's a way for players to experience more of the Elder Scrolls Online where they might not have been able to before.

You know, this is something I've talked about for years in regards to The Elder Scrolls Online. For the most part I do enjoy playing ESO as a solo player and I've been able to play a lot of content in that style including content meant for groups such as Veteran dungeons. I actually like the challenge of it, but not everybody can do the same, and not everybody wants to group up. My solution for this which I did a video about a while ago was to add a Solo instance to group dungeons - basically a slightly easier version of the dungeon than normal with lower quality loot. Honestly most solo players don't even care about the loot, they just want to experience these zones and stories along with everybody else.

The companions system is going to solve that problem, but in a totally different way. Instead of making easier versions of all dungeons, companions will make solo players and small groups strong - which is actually a great solution. Here's the quote from Rich explaining their thinking:

"I think we've learned a lot over the years. And one of the main, recurring themes that we've heard from players, especially our more hardcore Elder Scrolls people, is people are scary. And there's some content that they aren't necessarily comfortable within a large group, but they would do with a couple of close, trusted friends. And so the beauty of this system and one of my hopes is, you know, you and a buddy could go and do four-player dungeons because you have two companions to help you out."

"It will help players, A) develop stronger social ties in-game with their companions, but also, B) help them kind-of edge a little bit more into some of the group content and meeting other players potentially, which is really exciting to me, because that's where the magic of MMO happens, you know, meeting other people and talking with them and developing those really close social ties."

So really, companions is all about increasing player ability and player confidence. It will help solo players complete more content which is great, and that confidence could also help players advance into more social settings. And when you add all the potential deep story telling and combat customization options added on to that it's a win-win in my book. Definitely unexpected BUT really cool nonetheless.

Reference Articles:

Elder Scrolls Online: Gates of Oblivion is a lot more than an MMO TES4

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gates Of Oblivion Is The Next Step To Adding Romance In-Game, Confirms Bethesda

More ESO Companion Guides

ESO Companion Gear Guide

Bastian Hallix Companion Guide

Everything you need to know about Bastian Hallix, a new Companion option for The Elder Scrolls Online, Blackwood Chapter!

Mirri Elendis Companion Guide

Everything you need to know about Mirri Elendis, a new Companion option for The Elder Scrolls Online, Blackwood Chapter!

ESO Companion Tank, Healer, DPS and Hybrid Builds

DEADSHOT

The DEADSHOT Build is an easy Bow DPS Set Up for Mirri Elendis, one of the new Companions available to ESO players starting in the Blackwood Chapter. The theme of this build is focused around maxing our Mirri's Ranged Damage as much as possible! The fact that Mirri's Ultimate skill is also a Bow type ability makes her perfect for this build, though it can work on Bastian too with some tweaks.

GUARDIAN DRAKE

The Guardian Drake is a strong option for Bastian Hallix as a Tank. Bastian is one of the new Companions available to ESO players starting in the Blackwood Chapter. The theme of this build is focused around Self-Healing and Survival, allowing Bastian to keep himself alive against many tough opponents and even bosses with very little help from others.

SOUL DEFENDER

The Soul Defender is a strong option for Mirri Elendis as a Tank. Mirri is one of the new Companions available to ESO players starting in the Blackwood Chapter. The theme of this build is focused around Blood Magic, sapping the life from her enemies as well as strong defensive and dodge options.

AMPLIFIER

The AMPLIFIER Build is a fantastic build for Bastian Hallix, one of the new Companions available to ESO players starting in the Blackwood Chapter. This build utilizes multiple buffs in order to amplify your own damage and defense potential. This build has tons of utility and will help you progress through many different forms of content!

MENDING FLAME

The MENDING FLAME Build is an easy Healing Set Up for Bastian Hallix, one of the new Companions available to ESO players starting in the Blackwood Chapter. This build uses multiple Restoration Staff skills in combination with Bastian's own burst heal, Kindle, as well as additional support from Guild Skills to create a powerful Healing Companion.

INFUSOR

The INFUSOR Build is an easy Healing Set Up for Mirri Elendis, one of the new Companions available to ESO players starting in the Blackwood Chapter. The theme of this build is focused around Blood Magic Healing, as Mirri's own class skills are very similar to that of a Nightblade.

Hack The Minotaur (HTM) is a professional Gaming Blogger and Youtube Creator with decades of experience in Gaming. Hack is the owner of HackTheMinotaur.com - an Elder Scrolls focused site for character builds and guides, and now RPGDOJO.com - your source for News, Builds And Guides for the latest and greatest Role Playing Games in the Universe.

Hack loves gaming content, particularly Traditional RPG's, Action RPG's and MMO's. Go check out his YouTube Channel for even more builds and guides on popular series like the Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Cyberpunk and make sure to check out his Twitter for updates on what content is coming next!

FRESH VIDEOS

POPULAR ESO BUILDS

Check Out The Most Popular Builds from HTM!

ESO GUIDES

New to The Elder Scrolls Online? These quick guides can help you learn the basics!!