Will all the companions start at level 1 for us to assign their abilities+talents+skills?

[TrueMenace]

This thought just came to me and it's pretty important. When I encounter and recruit a companion, will they be level 1 with their appropriate experience added for us to then level them up as we see fit? Or will they be the same level as our PC's are, but with auto-assigned abilities, talents, and skills? It should honestly be like how it is in the BB where you recruit an adventurer. Please tell me this is the way they are handling this.

Edited March 15, 2015 by TrueMenace

[Tartantyco]

I would hope and assume that it works the same as in BG, where it's scaled based on what level you are when you encounter them.

[Lephys]

I'm pretty sure they start at Level 1. The general idea I read about in some official post was that you would get to control all of your companion's leveling decisions. So, even if they join on at level 5, they start "at level 1" (I'm pretty sure), then you click "level up" and go through the UI 4 times until they're level 5, picking all the stuff as you see fit.

[TrueMenace]

I'm pretty sure they start at Level 1. The general idea I read about in some official post was that you would get to control all of your companion's leveling decisions. So, even if they join on at level 5, they start "at level 1" (I'm pretty sure), then you click "level up" and go through the UI 4 times until they're level 5, picking all the stuff as you see fit.

I want to believe you Lephys, do you have a developer post confirming it? I've been trying to find that out myself.

[DarkWanderer]

As far as i know the companions will have higher level than 1 (so either scaled to your level or at specific level), but we will be able to customize them from the beginning (like in the beta case).

 

PS: Lephys - 6666 posts - you are arch-evil character xP

Edited March 15, 2015 by DarkWanderer

[Lephys]

I want to believe me, too. . I can try to find the post. But, I'm 99.9% certain that's the idea.

 

I distinctly recall someone else asking the question, and getting an answer from Josh or someone... I just can't remember where or when.

[TrueMenace]

I want to believe me, too. . I can try to find the post. But, I'm 99.9% certain that's the idea.

 

I distinctly recall someone else asking the question, and getting an answer from Josh or someone... I just can't remember where or when.

Heheh, I too recalled reading a response somewhere about this. What caught my concern was someone on another message board claiming you couldn't do this which made me worried if I missed something new. 

[PBJam]

yeah I hope so too

 

I think its this way with adventurers you hire so i hope its same with companions

[Polanski]

I actually hope that they have their skills assigned when we meet them. That seems to make a lot more RP sense to me. For me it's interesting to see what skills, talents and abilities the companions I meet have, they will hopefully also fit with their respective personalities. 

 

Re-spec'ing companions seems like a thing for mods or something you can do with hired adventurers.

[Silent Winter]

I'd rather be able to level them up myself too - makes replays with the same characters more interesting (and we've only got 8 - it's not like we can swap out our wizard for another companion-wizard - yes, we've got the AH to make our own, but I like the personality, interjecting type)

[Lephys]

I actually hope that they have their skills assigned when we meet them. That seems to make a lot more RP sense to me. For me it's interesting to see what skills, talents and abilities the companions I meet have, they will hopefully also fit with their respective personalities. 

 

Re-spec'ing companions seems like a thing for mods or something you can do with hired adventurers.

I think they have their stats assigned and all that. I mean, you're not going to get an Eder, then Max out his Resolve, Intellect, and Perception, while giving him like 5 Might, Dexterity, and Constitution.

 

That, and their personalities remain the same. You only get to decide how they progress from level 1, in terms of things that progress.

 

So, yeah, it doesn't make sense that you get to select their skill progression, but it kind of already doesn't make sense that you run around, achieve some things, and "level up," progressing your knowledge and ability in certain skills.

 

It all just kinda falls under video game abstraction. *shrug*

[PBJam]

maybe the best solution would be to have a choice, ie you get them as they are with everything assigned, but you can choose whether to respec them or not at that point.

[Diogenes]

I would assume you meet them at level 3 or so, that way people who are new to the system start with a friend who is basically set up to fight monsters and they can build on that as they learn how the class works but not too set in stone for a more knowledgeable player. Starting all NPCs level 1 would be cool for replays but a lot of people would be lost the first time around, not know which wizard spells are worthwhile, what weapons set should I give this dude? etc etc.

[Luckmann]

I would assume that they will auto-level to your level, as has been a staple of the genre for a (far too) long time.

That being said, I'd personally prefer it if they started at level 1 (or a similarly low level, at least, say, level 3) and let us assign talents and such ourselves. This saves us from the all-too-common trope of "gotta get them as early as possible or they'll be terrible", as it happens to be in these games of gotta-catch-them-all CNPC:s.