Why Force Me To Use Companions I Hate!?

While I agree that some companions are horrible (Qyzen, Qyzen, Qyzen), I don't begrudge Bioware's choice. By giving each character a completely different story, they also gave them different and unique characters and companions. While I suffered through 40+ levels with Qyzen (as a Sage healer, no other companion until Nadia is truly viable), now that I have Nadia, I'm supremely happy since I think she's awesome. Some classes get awesome companions relatively early (like the Smuggler's wookie or Kira Carson for the Jedi Knight). The only thing that really doesn't make sense to me, is that since you can persue relationships with your companions, in the case of the Councilor, why do they not give you a female companion until so late in the story? And why do so many classes only have one female companion?

I kind of see the little... foibles of companions as an interesting part of the storyline.

I mean... my smuggler, she's a gunslinger. Specialises in *ranged* damage. So... works best if she drops into cover as far from the target as possible, lands a couple of hits to stun or immobilise it, before pumping it full of DPS, and hoping her stuns have cooled down again before it runs into melee range.

So... what does my friend and future first mate (when we get my gorram ship back [playing Smugglers makes you lapse into Firefly-and-Farscape-speak, it's a new well known fact]), lovable dumbo Corso Riggs do, right after I've rolled into cover and thrown a flash grenade their way?

He stands behind me, fires off a harpoon shot, and reels in the mob I've just carefully targeted at long range, so said mob is standing right behind me. *Just* as my high dps attack goes off, so the mob starts attacking me. [sarc]Thanks, Corso, sweety![/sarc]

But... then... Corso Riggs is an enthusiastic, well-meaning, adorkably dense, naive farmboy-with-a-heart-of-gold. It's in character for him to make a total pig's ear out of a good, well-planned assault because he wants to beat up the bad guys for his Captain.

So... yeah, it's been a liability in a few fights... but story-and-characterisation-wise it's kind of worth it for the mental image of Captain January, after the fight, burying her head in her hands and trying to find a *polite* and not-discouraging way of saying "Great job, honey, don't know where I'd be without ya... only... next time... could you lose the frellin' harpoon shot!"

I know the boy's the only romancable companion option for a female smuggler... but really, I'm starting to think my Captain feels more like an adoptive mother to him than anything. She'll be telling him to do his shoelaces up and not to forget his gun and lunchbox soon.

I agree with the OP here.

AT MINIMUM, Companions should have the ability to switch out "specs", using a feature much like the Customizations you can buy, these could be an item equipped to the companion that changes them to a Tank/Heal/DPS oriented series of abilities.

I leveled a Commando, got Aric Jorgan as my first companion until about level 20 when I got Elara. Those first twenty levels consisted of me just letting him attack first so he gets the aggro while I AoE/Single target pulls down. Most of the time he died, in fact, he probably spent more time kissing the ground than he did actually firing because I used him has a literal meatshield. And later I found out that Elara Dorne actually has different conversation options, being an actual medic, you have options for you to tell her to heal people or whatever, and it actually prevented a lot of Story NPCs from dying.

Example: Commando squad Banana got attacked! Go save them HAVOC SQUAD!
TRAVEL TIME
"Oh look! A single dude left in a huge battlefield"
THE CUTSCENE
"Oh no you are dying! Aric Jorgan, can we do anything?"
"NOPE"
"Oh okay, so uh, where'd they go?
HE POINTS, THEN DIES

With Elara?
"Oh no! You are dying! Elara, heal him!"
"Can do!"
LATER
"Nice job saving his life HAVOC SQUAD!"

While it really does not matter for the story, I felt cheated that without Elara, I could not save people. Even though I am carrying around two-dozen medpacs at any one time because they won't stop dropping. Why can't I just give a bunch to Jorgan and go "Hey, hey buddy, when I start to bleed a lot, stab me with this needle?"

As a lady gamer, I'm glad to have male companion options. On my IA, I wanted to jettison Kaliyo from the airlock about 10 levels in. Hated waiting until Alderaan to get another companion. My major beef is with the Trooper class, though - BW only gives ladies one option, and that's a Cathar ? No thanks. I'd rather romance Gault than the furry catperson.

Wait, companions say stuff?

I just use (insert first available healy companion here), couldn't give a stuff what they say. Rep can be bought.

I like the furry cat people (not really into that stuff, but that Bounty Hunter from the Balmorra class chain...phwoar).

I do see your point coming as a female player, but I still maintain that there should be much more choice, much earlier.

That would be so awesome!

I don't think any of them need to be in their current roles to make sense as who they are.

They do, at least, all come with 2 stances. Qyzen can melee tank or melee DPS. Theran can heal or ranged DPS (sort of).

Qyzen may be a warrior type of guy, but it's totally reasonable that he would know some field medicine as well.

Admittedly Theran might not make much sense as a tank, given his light armor and preference to avoid danger, but the tank kit could certainly make him appear to don heavy armor, and it would be believable enough. Certainly preferable to the restrictions we have now.

Someone never played Fallout: New Vegas.

Or Baldur's Gate 2.
Or Neverwinter Nights.
Or ...well, choose your good RPG from the last 10 years.

Oh man. My wife HAAAAAAAAAAAAATES Elara. But if I want to play my Jedi Knight, she has to have her Elara on (she's a tank trooper). Until I get my Doc, then she can get her Thundercat (Arik) back out.

It really does irk me though. I hate Risha and C2-N2, can tolerate Soda Can (T7) but he's getting more and more on my nerves.

Kira is awesome. So is Vette. Crowbar (Bowdaar) and Chuck (Corso).

Why oh why can't I just at least use the companions I want to, if not go back and befriend my favorite NPC's throughout the game. There are so many I would love to have as my ship crew.

I mean seriously on my XS there is already someone on my ship I don't know who they are. Someone I think I saved, but they don't talk.

I'd at least like to have the people hanging out on my ship that I've liked. Can't even have that.

It's a real pity. If I'd known I'd never see these people again I would have at least taken screenshots of them or something...