The upcoming Elder Scrolls Online expansion Blackwood will add a Skyrim-like companion system with NPCs, which will aid the many ESO players flying solo missions.
Recently, The Elder Scrolls Online unveiled a cinematic trailer for the next installment in its upcoming Gates of Oblivion story arc. Set 800 years before the events of Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, players will need to stop the ruler of Oblivion, Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. The new chapter releasing this summer will introduce players to the Blackwood region, a swampy area bordering the Argonian Black Marsh. The Gates of Oblivion story will open a year-long plot surrounding the threat of Mehrunes Dagon, and luckily for players who opt for single-player mode, they'll be able to travel with a companion alongside them.
Bethesda's single-player games, such as Skyrim and Fallout 4, allow for a follower system that sometimes can result in close friendships or even romantic relationships. With Elder Scrolls Online being an MMORPG, players typically have to rely on other players as companions during quests. But with the upcoming Blackwood chapter, not only will players get over 30 hours of content, world events, and 12-player trials, but ESO will introduce companions as NPC allies.
Though this might seem like a minor feature compared to the slew of content coming with Blackwood, ESO players are excited to see a companion system similar to the memorable followers in Oblivion and Skyrim. While the game does have temporary quest followers, it was somewhat hollow in that a true friendship with them could never be formed. But along with the upcoming companion system will be romantic relationships, meaning that these followers will be much more impactful than previously seen in Elder Scrolls Online.
In an interview with Game Informer, Creative Director Rich Lambert said that each companion will have their own likes and dislikes, and "something special" will unlock after reaching max affinity with companions. This sounds familiar to Fallout 4's companions; some might hate it when the Sole Survivor steals something while others will love it when they hack into a terminal, and maxing out their storyline and relationship typically ends in a perk.
Lambert detailed two companions the player will get to know: Bastion, a chivalrous Knight featured in a major questline, and Mary, a Dunmer thief with an interesting twist in her story.
Before the Blackwood chapter of Gates of Oblivion releases later this summer, the Flames of Ambition DLC will come to Elder Scrolls Online in March.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood releases June 1 for PC and Stadia, and June 8 for PS4 and Xbox One.
Source: Game Informer