23.04.2025
ESO Companions Guide: who they are, how to unlock them, ranking
Tired of walking the long and winding roads of Tamriel alone? Wish there was someone to cheer you up or crack a joke every once in a while? Looking for a reliable ally who fights alongside you and whose gaming schedule always matches yours?
Companions are the perfect solution! These highly interactive NPCs with a rich personality, deep backstory, and a variety of spells and skills to assist you in combat with. Depending on your playstyle, they can take different roles: tanking, healing, or damage dealing. They are ready for action when you are and won't ever leave you (unless you have a really bad relationship).
Learn everything you need to know about companions in Elder Scrolls Online: what they are, how many of them are available at the moment, how to unlock them, and which of them stand out. You'll find all that in this detailed blog post – let's roll!
When first unlocking a companion you begin at the Cordial level. Over time, rapport changes. If it worsens, a companion starts acting unpredictably. They will start leaving you randomly and you won't be able to summon them sometimes.
Who it is: male Redguard Arcanist.
Who it is: male Imperial Dragonknight.
Who it is: female Breton Templar.
Who it is: female Dark Elf Nightblade.
Who it is: non-binary High Elf Dragonknight.
Who it is: male Khajiit Necromancer.
We believe Isobel is the top of the pack , thanks to her consistently outstanding performance across all combat roles. Sharp-as-Night is a close second with his highly balanced skill set and excellent perk. Tanlorin is unmatched at stamina-based damage, while Ember excels at magicka damage. Zerith-Var stands out as a solid tank.
🤔 What are companions in ESO?
Companions are NPCs that follow your character and participate in combat. Unlike most "pet" NPCs that just follow you around, companions actually help you fight. And they can be quite good at that, if properly set up.
Yes, that's right: you can set up your companions. They can equip gear and weapons, level up, and unlock new skills. And it's not just a handful of simple abilities: they have multiple advanced skill lines, including Guild skill lines – just like your character. Not all Guild lines are available to companions, though: just those of the Fighters, Mages, and Undaunted. But that's still more than most players would expect for an NPC. In many ways, companions aren't far behind regular characters.
There are some restrictions, of course: you can't use them in solo PvP arenas... And that's about it! You can bring them into trials, dungeons, and most other activities. Just keep in mind that they count as a player in group size limits, despite being an NPC. Hence, summoning one in a trial might not be possible if your group's already full.
🤝 Why do you need a companion?
Companions are great for speeding up activities like questing, farming, completing delves and public dungeons, and other solo or small-group content. Well-geared companions can be a huge help – and a lot of fun too. Each of them has their own backstory that you can explore through dialogue and quests they share with you.
They also often react to what's happening to your character – so it's like having another human player by your side all the time. Which is a great thing if your gaming schedule doesn't always match that of your friends.
That said, you shouldn't overestimate companions. While you can bring them into trials and regular dungeons, it's generally isn't recommended. They simply can't be as strong and as smart as a real player – yet they still take up a group slot. So only use them there if you can't find a human teammate, which is rare.
🔐 How do you unlock companions?
There are 2 main things to consider when unlocking a companion: the DLCs they are related to and their questline. The former is simple: if the companion isn't part of the latest expansion, it'll be enough to just have an active ESO Plus subscription to start their quest.
As for the questlines, they're usually short and straightforward. It's a simple sequence of quests. You start it by meeting the NPC who will become your companion (see where to find each one in the companion list below).
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💪 How do you improve companions?
We've already mentioned a few ways to improve companions, but here they all in one place:
- Gear – they can equip special armor and weapons made for companions
- Levels – they have 20 levels total
- Skill lines – they have 3 class skill lines by default + they can unlock 3 guild skill lines: Fighters, Mages, and Undaunted
- Rapport – it represents your relationship with the companion
The first 3 are fairly straightforward – but what is rapport? It's your relationship level with a companion. There are 8 levels of it (lowest to highest):
| # | LEVEL | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disdainful | The companion can randomly leave you and become temporarily unavailable for summoning |
| 2 | Irritated | |
| 3 | Wary | |
| 4 | Cordial | The starting level |
| 5 | Friendly | +5% companion XP. Also your companion starts sharing quests with you |
| 6 | Close | +10% companion XP |
| 7 | Allied | +15% companion XP |
| 8 | Companion | +20% companion XP |
But if rapport improves, you'll start getting additional quests from your companion and they will level up faster. In this way, rapport indirectly affects their strength.
What influences rapport? Each companion has their own likes and dislikes. They respond to your actions and decisions by raising or lowering their rapport with you, according to their preferences.
📖 ESO Companions list
As of April 2025, there are 8 companions you can unlock:
- Azandar al-Cybiades
- Bastian Hallix
- Ember
- Isobel Veloise
- Mirri Elendis
- Sharp-as-Night
- Tanlorin
- Zerith-var
Let's take a closer look at each of them!
1. Azandar al-Cybiades
Video by Wesscoastt
Where to find: Apocrypha (the Necrom DLC).
Quest name: The Fateweaver Key.
Racial Bonuses: +3% Max Health, -3% Ability Cooldown.
Perk: Azandar's Inquisitiveness (chance to find "research portfolios" when searching containers. The portfolios can contain crafting recipes, treasure maps, research notes, survey reports, and other valuable documents).
Azandar is fairly solid at tanking, somewhat weaker at healing and magicka damage, and downright ineffective at stamina-based damage. While he may not be the strongest combat companion across the board, he's still worth unlocking thanks to his perk. If you're a crafter or collector, you'll benefit greatly from the increased chance of finding valuable documents in containers.
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2. Bastian Hallix
Video by Alcast
Where to find: the South-West part of Blackwood (the Blackwood DLC).
Quest name: Completion and Contracts.
Racial Bonuses: +3% Max Health, +3% Damage.
Perk: Bastian's Insight (+30% chance to improve potions looted from monsters).
Bastian's strong suit is melee combat. That makes him a solid choice, if you prefer to use your companion as a tank or melee DPS. His perk, however, is one of the least appealing – it's hard to imagine how it offers a noticeable benefit. Sure, more effective potions are good – but they don't drop all that often, besides you're not even guaranteed to get an upgraded one when it eventually does.
So we'd recommend against unlocking Bastian as your first companion unless you're especially drawn to the aesthetics of an Imperial Dragonknight.
3. Ember
Video by Shimmer
Where to find: the High Isle (the High Isle DLC).
Quest name: Tower full of trouble.
Racial Bonuses: +3% Critical Chance, +3% Damage.
Perk: Ember's Intuition (chance for extra gold when pickpocketing).
This feline sorceress excels at magicka DPS and will happily annihilate your enemies from afar. She's also considered one of the best healers among companions. Her perk is a nice touch too – improved pickpocketing suits her cat-like personality perfectly.
4. Isobel Veloise
Video by Shimmer
Where to find: the High Isle (the High Isle DLC).
Quest name: Tournament of the heat.
Racial Bonuses: -3% Ability Cooldown, -3% Damage Taken.
Perk: Isobel's Grace (chance for extra loot after defeating world bosses).
We crown Isobel the queen of all companions! In our view, she's the best healer and tank of them all – and is a strong contender in both types of damage. We believe she's the perfect first companion to unlock. Her only drawback is a lackluster perk, but hey – you can't expect one companion to excel at everything!
5. Mirri Elendis
Video by Alcast
Where to find: the Northern part of Blackwood (the Blackwood DLC).
Quest name: Shattered and Scattered.
Racial Bonuses: +3% Damage, +3% Healing Done.
Perk: Mirri's Expertise (chance for extra loot in treasure chests found via maps and in the Overland).
This cunning Dark Elf is unsurprisingly outstanding at stamina-based combat. Some would say she's among the top 3 companions in that role. The rest is not as good, but her perk is a lovely addition to her melee-combat finesse: if you're a dedicated treasure hunter, your favourite pastime becomes more rewarding with Mirri by your side.
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6. Sharp-as-Night
Video by Game Guides Channel
Where to find: near the city gates of Necrom (the Necrom DLC).
Quest name: The double edge.
Racial Bonuses: +3% Physical & Spell Resistance, +3% Healing Done.
Perk: Sharp's Patience (fish bite at an increased rate, higher chance of getting a trophy fish).
Sharp is absolutely a must-have. Especially if you love fishing! With the help of this masterful Argonian fisher, you can earn plenty of gold from your catches thanks to a trophy fish bonus and an increased bite rate.
Sharp is also a great help in combat: it's good at healing, tanking, and dealing damage with balanced effectiveness. His only real weakness is stamina DPS, so it's best to stick to magicka-based builds with him.
7. Tanlorin
Video by CaribbeanMan 1492
Where to find: Auridon (the companion should be purchased via the Crown Store first).
Quest name: The Garland ring.
Racial Bonuses: -3% Damage Taken, +3% Damage Done.
Perk: Tanlorin's Finesse (extra time to pick a lock, higher chance to force a lock, lower chance to break a lockpick).
Tanlorin is a highly versatile companion. A Dragonknight who uses Soul Magic which already sounds like a peculiar combination. But it gets more interesting: they are suspiciously good at picking locks for a Dragonknight too, for example!
In combat, Tanlorin excels at dealing damage. They're the strongest companion for stamina DPS and one of the top options for magic damage as well. But they aren't perfect: their tanking and healing are noticeably weaker, but it's only fair: they'd be overpowered if they were just as good in other roles.
8. Zerith-var
Video by TigerJelly
Where to find: Reaper's March (the companion should be purchased via the Crown Store first).
Quest name: A moonlight shadow.
Racial Bonuses: -3% Ability Cooldowns, +3% Max Health.
Perk: Zerith's guidance (highlights heavy sacks).
This Khajiit is a monster of a tank! If you prefer shooting enemies down from a distance or want to do some healing while questing for a change, this companion is one of your best picks. And don't overlook his perk: it's actually very convenient to have some of the game's most valuable containers highlighted as you pass by!
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🏆 ESO Companions ranked
Here's how we place all the currently available companions:
| # | COMPANION | TANK | HEAL | DPS (mag) | DPS (stm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isobel | 1 💎💎 | 1 💎💎 | 2 💎 | 2 💎 |
| 2 | Sharp-as-Night | 3 🔥🔥 | 2 💎 | 4 🔥 | 6 👍 |
| 3 | Tanlorin | 6 👍 | 7 ❌❌ | 3 🔥🔥 | 1 💎💎 |
| 4 | Ember | 7 ❌❌ | 3 🔥🔥 | 1 💎💎 | 7 ❌❌ |
| 5 | Zerith-Var | 2 💎 | 6 👍 | 6 👍 | 5 👍👍 |
| 6 | Azandar | 4 🔥 | 5 👍👍 | 5 👍👍 | 8 ❌ |
| 7 | Mirri | 8 ❌ | 4 🔥 | 8 ❌ | 3 🔥🔥 |
| 8 | Bastian | 5 👍👍 | 8 ❌ | 7 ❌❌ | 4 🔥 |
The rest are fine as well and have their own strengths. Yet we recommend first focusing on the mentioned five companions as they are clearly stronger.
***
Now you know all the essentials about companions in Elder Scrolls Online. Ready to collect them all? It's sure to be a fun journey!
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