How to Change Companion Gear Traits in ESO
how to CHANGE COMPANION GEAR TRAITS ESO is a question that many players dive into as they seek to optimize their companions for various roles in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). With companions playing crucial roles in both combat and utility, understanding how to customize their gear traits can make a significant difference in your gameplay experience. Whether you want your companion to tank, deal damage, or support, changing their gear traits allows you to tailor their performance to your preferred playstyle.
In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about modifying companion gear traits in ESO, from the basics of companion equipment to the detailed steps of trait changes and enchanting. Along the way, we’ll explore useful tips, relevant in-game mechanics, and how these adjustments can enhance your overall adventure.
Understanding Companion Gear in ESO
Before diving into how to change companion gear traits ESO players need to grasp what companion gear entails. Unlike player characters, companions have their own dedicated equipment slots, including weapons, armor, and jewelry. Each piece of gear can have specific traits that influence your companion’s effectiveness in combat, survivability, or support abilities.
What Are Gear Traits?
Gear traits are special properties that add bonuses or effects to equipment. For companions, traits can boost stats like weapon damage, spell power, health regeneration, or provide unique effects like increased critical chance or healing received. Choosing the right trait depends largely on the role you want your companion to fulfill.
Some of the popular companion gear traits in ESO include:
- Sharpened: Increases weapon penetration, useful for damage dealers.
- Infused: Improves enchantment effectiveness, great for boosting magical effects.
- Impenetrable: Enhances armor mitigation, ideal for tank companions.
- Healthy: Raises maximum health, supporting survivability.
- Divines: Increases Mundus Stone effect, beneficial for a variety of builds.
Knowing these traits helps you decide which to apply when updating your companion’s gear.
How to Change Companion Gear Traits ESO: Step-by-Step
Changing companion gear traits isn’t an overly complicated process, but it does require some knowledge about crafting, enchanting, and trait application. Here’s a straightforward breakdown of how to go about it.
1. Obtain the Right Equipment
First, ensure that your companion’s gear is gear you want to trait. You can either craft new gear or acquire it through drops and vendors. Keep in mind that the gear must be traitable — some items might not allow trait changes.
2. Research Traits
To apply or change a trait, you must have researched it. Researching traits involves locking a trait on a piece of gear and spending time to unlock the knowledge. This is a crucial step because, without the research, you cannot apply that trait to new gear.
For companions, the research process is the same as for players. Make sure you’ve researched all the traits you plan to use on your companion’s gear for maximum flexibility.
3. Deconstruct or Use Trait Removal Items
If your companion’s gear already has an unwanted trait, you’ll need to remove or replace it. ESO doesn’t allow you to directly swap traits on a piece of gear. Instead, you typically have two options:
- Deconstruct the old gear and create or find a new piece with the desired trait.
- Use Trait Removal Kits or Trait Extraction in certain cases (though this is more relevant for player gear rather than companion gear).
Because companions share the same gear system as players, the safest route is usually crafting new gear with the desired traits.
4. Craft or Enchant the New Gear
Once you have the right materials and knowledge, craft the gear with the trait you want. Pay attention to the trait you select during crafting — this will be the trait your companion’s gear will have.
After crafting, you can enchant the gear to complement the trait. Enchanting your companion’s gear adds additional stat bonuses, such as increased health, stamina, magicka, or weapon/spell damage, further enhancing performance.
5. Equip the Gear on Your Companion
Finally, open your companion menu and equip the newly crafted and traited gear. You can swap gear at any time, allowing you to experiment with different setups depending on the situation or content you’re tackling.
Tips for Optimizing Companion Gear Traits
Getting the right traits is only part of the story. To truly maximize your companion’s potential, consider these helpful tips:
Match Traits to Your Companion’s Role
Companions can serve as tanks, damage dealers, or healers/support. For example, a tank companion benefits from traits like Impenetrable or Reinforced to boost armor and resistances, while DPS companions thrive with Sharpened or Infused traits to increase damage output.
Focus on Enchantments That Complement Traits
If your companion’s gear has the Healthy trait (increasing max health), consider enchantments that improve health recovery or stamina, depending on their playstyle. This synergy between traits and enchantments can make your companion more durable or efficient in combat.
Keep Research Up to Date
Since trait research can take several days per trait, plan ahead. Prioritize researching traits you use most often on your companion gear so you can quickly craft and swap items without waiting.
Utilize Set Bonuses
Companion gear can also benefit from set bonuses, just like player gear. Combining trait optimization with powerful set bonuses (such as those from crafted or dungeon sets) can provide a significant edge in battle.
Common Misconceptions About Companion Gear Traits
Many ESO players are unsure about the differences between player and companion gear or how traits affect companions specifically. Here are a few clarifications:
- Companions use the same trait system as players: This means all rules about trait research and crafting apply equally.
- You cannot directly “reroll” traits on a companion’s gear: Unlike some RPGs, ESO requires you to craft new gear rather than simply changing traits on existing pieces.
- Companion gear is essential for high-level content: If you want your companion to be effective in veteran dungeons or trials, investing in traited gear is critical.
Where to Find Companion Gear and Materials for Trait Changes
If you’re wondering where to source companion gear or the materials needed to craft and trait it, here are a few places to check:
- Crafting Stations: Blacksmithing, Clothier, and Woodworking stations allow you to craft companion gear with desired traits.
- Guild Traders and Vendors: Sometimes you can find traited gear or raw materials for crafting.
- Dungeon Drops: Certain dungeons and trials drop gear suitable for companions.
- Researchable Traits: Make sure to research traits on gear you find or craft to expand your trait options.
By combining these sources, you can steadily build an arsenal of gear tailored for your companion.
Enhancing Your ESO Experience with Proper Companion Gear Traits
Companions in ESO are more than just sidekicks — they are powerful allies whose effectiveness depends heavily on their gear. Learning how to change companion gear traits ESO style unlocks a new level of customization, allowing you to shape your companion’s role and performance precisely.
Whether you prefer a tanky warrior that soaks up damage or a ranged DPS that dishes out punishment, traited gear changes can make all the difference. By mastering the research, crafting, and enchanting processes, your companion will be ready to face any challenge Tamriel throws your way.
Exploring the world of companion gear traits is not only a strategic advantage but also adds depth to your ESO gameplay. As you experiment with different setups, you’ll find new ways to synergize your playstyle with your companion’s strengths, making every adventure more engaging and rewarding.
In-Depth Insights
Mastering Companion Customization: How to Change Companion Gear Traits in ESO
how to change companion gear traits eso is a question that many players of The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) encounter as they seek to optimize their companions' performance in battle. Companions in ESO serve as vital allies, assisting players with additional damage, tanking, or healing. Customizing their gear traits effectively can significantly enhance their capabilities, influencing the outcome of challenging encounters. This article provides a detailed exploration of the process involved in modifying companion gear traits, including essential tips, materials required, and strategic considerations for maximizing your companion’s potential.
Understanding Companion Gear Traits in ESO
In ESO, companions are equipped with a set of gear that includes weapons, armor, and accessories. Each piece of gear possesses specific traits that offer unique bonuses, such as increased damage, improved defense, or enhanced resource regeneration. Changing these traits allows players to tailor companions to specific roles or playstyles.
Unlike player gear, companion gear traits are somewhat restrictive, requiring particular in-game materials and crafting knowledge. Knowing how to change companion gear traits ESO is crucial for those looking to refine their companion’s effectiveness in various scenarios, from PvE dungeons to PvP battlegrounds.
The Importance of Gear Traits for Companions
Gear traits directly impact the performance of your companion by providing passive bonuses that complement their abilities. For example, traits like “Infused” increase the potency of enchantments, while “Divines” boost Mundus Stone effects. Selecting the right traits depends on your companion’s role—whether they act as damage dealers, tanks, or support characters.
For players invested in endgame content, fine-tuning companion gear traits ensures that their allies can withstand tougher enemies and contribute meaningfully to group dynamics. Therefore, understanding how to manipulate these traits is an essential skill for maximizing companion utility.
How to Change Companion Gear Traits: Step-by-Step Process
Changing companion gear traits in ESO involves several key steps that players must follow carefully:
1. Crafting or Acquiring Gear with Desired Traits
First, players need gear that can have its traits changed. Companion gear can be crafted using the Blacksmithing, Clothing, and Woodworking professions, depending on the type of gear. Alternatively, players may find companion gear drops or purchase them from vendors.
The initial trait on companion gear is randomly assigned, but players can refine these traits through enchanting or trait extraction. The goal is to obtain gear with the preferred trait to suit your companion’s role.
2. Using Trait Extraction for Companion Gear
Trait extraction is a crafting process that allows players to remove the trait from a piece of gear and store it in a consumable item called a "Trait Extraction Crystal." This item can later be used to apply the extracted trait to other companion gear.
To extract traits, players must visit a crafting station and have the appropriate materials, including:
- Companion Trait Extraction Crystal (consumable)
- Gold (in-game currency)
- Specific crafting materials (depending on gear type)
Once the trait is extracted, it becomes reusable, enabling players to customize multiple pieces of companion gear without farming new traits repeatedly.
3. Applying Traits to Companion Gear
After extracting the desired trait, players can apply it to another piece of companion gear using Trait Application Crystals. This process requires:
- The gear piece to be altered
- A Trait Application Crystal containing the extracted trait
- Gold and crafting materials as fees
By applying different traits, players can experiment and optimize the setup for their companion, boosting their overall effectiveness in combat.
4. Enchanting and Improving Gear Quality
In addition to traits, enchanting companion gear is essential for maximizing performance. Enchantments provide additional stats, such as increased weapon damage or health regeneration. Players need to gather enchanting materials and research enchantments relevant to companion gear types.
Upgrading gear quality—from normal to legendary—increases base stats and unlocks more powerful traits, making it worthwhile to invest resources in enhancing companion equipment.
Materials and Costs Involved in Changing Companion Gear Traits
Understanding the resources required to change companion gear traits is vital for efficient planning:
- Companion Trait Extraction Crystals: These can be crafted at the provisioning station or acquired through crafting writs and guild traders.
- Trait Application Crystals: Similar to extraction crystals, these are necessary for placing traits onto gear.
- Crafting Materials: Depending on the gear type, materials such as ingots, cloth, and wood are needed.
- Gold: Every extraction and application process requires a gold payment, which can add up over multiple attempts.
Players should budget these resources carefully since repeatedly changing traits can become costly. Efficient farming and trading strategies help maintain a steady supply of necessary materials.
Best Practices and Tips for Changing Companion Gear Traits
Prioritize Traits Based on Companion Role
Not all traits benefit every companion equally. For tank companions, prioritize traits that enhance armor and health, such as “Reinforced” or “Impenetrable.” For damage dealers, traits like “Sharpened” or “Infused” can amplify damage output. Healer companions benefit from traits that boost magicka recovery or spell power.
Leverage Crafting Skills and Research
Improving your crafting skills in Blacksmithing, Clothing, and Woodworking enables access to higher-level gear and more trait options. Researching traits is also essential to unlock the ability to craft or apply specific traits to your companion’s gear.
Use Guild Traders and Markets
If crafting resources are limited, guild traders can be a valuable source of companion gear with desired traits. Sometimes purchasing gear or trait crystals can be more efficient than farming materials.
Experiment and Adapt
Companion roles may shift depending on the content you engage with. Regularly reassessing and updating gear traits ensures your companion remains effective across different gameplay scenarios.
Comparing Companion Gear Trait Customization to Player Gear
While the processes of trait extraction and application share similarities between player and companion gear, there are distinct differences worth noting:
- Trait Limitations: Companions have fewer trait options compared to player gear, restricting some customization choices.
- Crafting Stations: Companion gear trait changes typically require the same crafting stations used for player gear but may involve additional crafting writs specific to companions.
- Resource Efficiency: Changing companion gear traits tends to consume fewer materials overall, but players should weigh the costs against the benefits carefully.
Understanding these nuances helps players better allocate their crafting efforts and resources between their characters and companions.
Future Updates and Considerations
ESO developers continuously update the companion system, sometimes introducing new gear, traits, or crafting options. Staying informed about patch notes and community discussions can provide insights into evolving mechanics for companion gear traits.
Players invested in companion customization should monitor official ESO forums and guides to adapt their strategies accordingly, ensuring optimal companion performance as the game evolves.
For players dedicated to maximizing their companions’ potential, mastering how to change companion gear traits ESO is an indispensable part of gameplay. Through careful crafting, resource management, and strategic trait selection, companions can become powerful allies tailored precisely to their player’s needs. Whether tackling solo adventures or coordinating in group content, a well-geared companion significantly enhances the ESO experience.