Companion Guide
Welcome to my Elder Scrolls Online Companions guide! Below you'll find useful information about the new Companions which were added in the Blackwood Update. I'll show you where to find and unlock the new companions, how to use and interact with your new Companion, and how to level up Companions to make them stronger and more useful for your adventures in ESO.
Where to Unlock the Companions
Currently there are 2 Companions to unlock, Mirri Elendis and Bastian Hallix. In order to unlock each of these you'll need the Blackwood Chapter, and specificially within that content you'll need to complete two different quests. One quest will unlock Mirri and the other will unlock Bastian. Here's where you can find the quests that unlock these companions in ESO.
Unlocking Mirri Elendis
To unlock Mirri Elendis, you'll need to travel to the northern part of the Blackwood zone to a location called Doomvault Vulpinaz. Outside this location you'll meet Mirri herself, as she is the quest giver for the quest that unlocks her. Take and complete her quest inside Doomvault Vulpinaz and you'll unlock Mirri Elendis as a companion!
The location of the quest to unlock the companion, Mirri.
Once unlocked, you can activate Mirri to fight by your side by navigating to your Collections menu > Allies > Companions.
Unlocking Bastian Hallix
To unlock Bastian Hallix, you'll need to travel to the central southern part of the Blackwood zone to a location called Deepscorn Hollow. Outside this location you'll meet Bastian where he will give you a quest. Complete this quest inside Deepscorn Hollow and you'll unlock Bastian Hallix as a new companion!
The location of the quest to unlock the companion, Bastian.
Once unlocked, you can activate Bastian to fight by your side by navigating to your Collections menu > Allies > Companions.
Interacting with your Companion
Talking to your companion will bring up a dialogue box with a couple options. By clicking the "Companion Menu" option, you'll be taken to the character view of that specific companion.
Within the "Companion Menu" you'll see the Character view. From here you can see the level of your companion, the rapport you have with that companion, their equipment, skills, outfit, and more.
Skills
Clicking on the "Skills" tab at the top of this menu will open your Companion's skills. From here you can slot different skills for your Companion onto their hotbar, much like you're used to for your own character in ESO.
Leveling up your Companion will unlock additional skill slots, as well as specific skills in their Class tree.
Some skill trees, such as Weapon Skills, Armor Skills, and Guild Skills will need to be unlocked. To unlock different weapon skill lines for your Companion, you'll need to equip them with that type of weapon. Same thing goes for unlocking the Armor skills. To unlock the Guild Skills such as Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Undaunted you'll need to complete a Daily Quest for those specific guilds to unlock that skill line for your companion.
Collectibles
The next tab to the right will open up your Companion's Collectibles menu. From here you can change the style and look of your Companion by applying any Costumes you have. Simply double click on the costume you'd like to apply and your companion will put it on.
This menu also contains Mounts, where you can change the mount your Companion uses simply by double clicking any existing mount you have in your collection.
How to level up your Companions
Companions are relatively easy to level up as they gain XP every time you kill enemies. However, in order for a specific Companion to level up they need to be summoned and active with you. This means if you've unlocked both Mirri and Bastian that you'll need to level them both separately as XP isn't shared between Companions.
For the best places to grind out XP fast in ESO, check out my XP Grind Guide.
Pro tip! You can level your Companion even faster if your character wears armor with the Training trait on it. Additionally, using items that boost your Experience Point gain like Crown Experience Scrolls, Psijic Ambrosia, Ring of Mara, etc. will help you level up your Companion faster!
To level up specific skill lines like Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Undaunted you will need to complete Daily Quests for those specific Guilds. Once you've completed one Guild daily quest, it'll unlock that skill line for your Companion. Completing these quick daily quests each day will help you level up the Guild Skill line with that Companion, but keep in mind you'll need to do this for each one.
Here's where you can find the Guild Daily Quests:
Fighters Guild
Quest Giver: Cardea Gallus
Locations: Fighters Guild Halls in Elden Root, Wayrest, and Mournhold
Mages Guild
Quest Giver: Alvur Baren
Locations: Mages Guild Halls in Elden Root, Wayrest, and Mournhold
Undaunted
Quest Giver: Bolgrul
Locations: Undaunted Enclave in Elden Root, Wayrest, and Mournhold
Finding new gear for your Companions
Armor for your Companions in ESO is different than the gear you would use for your player. This means you cannot equip your Companion with any gear you have that you'd be able to apply and equip on your character. Instead, Companions have their own type of gear, and upon unlocking a Companion they will start out with basic white-level gear.
This new Companion Gear doesn't have levels, it can't be enchanted, has no armor or weapon style, and can't be enchanted. What it does have though is an armor value for armor, and a damage value for weapons. Companion Jewelry doesn't add armor or damage, but simply just has a trait. I'll cover those below.
To find better gear for your Companion, you'll need to begin killing enemies, specifically boss monsters, as I've had the best luck acquiring new Companion gear from boss loot. I've had the most luck so far with World Bosses, but I'd imagine you can also find them in boss drops from Dungeons and Trials as well.
New gear for your Companion can also be purchased in main cities from any Weaponsmith, Leatherworker, Tailor Armorer, or Woodworker. While these merchants offer only white quality gear, I do recommend purchasing some new starter gear for your Companion from them and here's why...
Purchasing one type of each weapon and equipping each to your Companion will unlock all the weapon skill lines. From there you can begin to think about the role of your companion and begin to craft a build for them based on that role.
With armor, you need at least 3 pieces of that type of armor in order to unlock its skill line. I recommend buying 3 pieces of Light, Medium, and Heavy armor from a merchant in town so that you can equip it on your Companion.
Upon doing this you'll unlock all 3 armor skill lines, and from there you can look at the skill and passive for each. Again, consider the role you'd like your Companion to play and outfit them accordingly with the proper armor. Keep in mind you'll need 5 pieces of each type of armor equipped on your Companion to begin leveling that skill line up. When it comes to Companions and armor, remember this phrase: 3 to unlock, 5 to level.
Utilizing this method early will get you started in the right direction from the beginning. You can always go back and level other armor or weapon skill lines later, but following this method will help you achieve a clearer vision from the start.
The last place you can obtain Companion gear is from guild stores.
As with most items, the rarest Companion items (those of Purple and Gold quality) will be the hardest to find and the most expensive in guild stores.
How to equip your Companion with a new item.
Companion Gear Traits
Companion Gear in ESO can have one of the following traits:
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Aggressive - Increases damage done
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Augmented - Increases duration of buffs & debuffs
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Bolstered - Reduces damage taken
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Focused - Increases Critical Strike Rating
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Prolific - Increases Ultimate generation
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Quickened - Reduces ability cooldowns
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Shattering - Increases Penetration
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Soothing - Increases healing done
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Vigorous - Increases Max Health