Companions in Bethesda’s games are a well worn mechanic at this point. We all know what to expect- over the course of our journeys, we will run into people in various questlines, and eventually we will be able to recruit them to accompany us on our adventures. They basically act as pseudo party members, and each has their own temperaments and traits, which make them like or dislike us, based on the things we do, eventually potentially leading to romance options.
It’s mostly a good system- but it could honestly do with a bit of a change. Bethesda have been using the same system for time immemorial now. A change couldn’t hurt. And we’re not talking about a change for change’s sake, either. There are ways in which the system could legitimately be improved.
For instance, why must only character accompany us? Why can it not be more than one? Indeed, having a full fledged AI controlled party accompanying us into some of the more dangerous dungeons of the game would be much appreciated, if you think about it.
Then too, consider that a lot of players use companions as glorified loot repositories, giving them precious treasure to hold when they run out of space themselves. That’s great, but with the increased emphasis on loot in the last few Bethesda games, having multiple members with you, so nothing is missed, would be great.
Bethesda could also maybe look into tweaking just how companions’ relationships with the main characters work. I understand that the idea is to give them a few defining traits, and then make it simple to figure out whether or not they will approve of something the player is doing, but as it stands now, it is too simplistic and too reductionist, missing fine nuances and context entirely. In games that are as open ended, and as about crafting your own narrative, as Bethesda’s, that is important.
So a revamped companions system is definitely something Bethesda could look into for the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6. Hopefully it’s one of the many changes that they employ.
