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.
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).
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
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.