A little while ago I needed to free up some bag space so I handed Lydia 4 different staffs to carry, not thinking anything of it since I already had her equipped with sword+shield/armor, and to my delightful surprise she used each one of the staffs - effectively! She'd summon, raise dead, use the flame ability...So freaking cool. 400 hours played and I just discovered this. Very awesome.

Yea, discovered this a while ago. She has a fire staff and a conjuring wolf ghost thing staff as well as her ax.

Sometimes she`ll attack with her ax and the fire staff, then switch and use her conjuring staff.

She seems to quite enjoy using them, usually an Ax and a staff in hand.

Also, she seems to make them last a lot longer too...

p.s. I did give her a few fire scrolls once. Took the rest away after the first fight as she`s not too smart with when to use them- ouch!

Yeah, loving it. But kinda silly when they try to incinerate your two summoned dremora lords and they turn hostile

My companion has about 15 different staffs I gave her and used them all.

I knew Lydia will use scrolls and staves if they've been given to her, but when I saw her, rushing to a chest upstairs, picking a Staff of Fireballs up and blasting a necromancer to Oblivion...

Yup, the ol' pack mule, errr.. I mean Brelyna is a champion war horse when it comes to utilising her equipment, the best thing is when you give them a whole bunch of necklaces and rings with enchants on and they pick the relevant ones for their skills. Of course, having a custom Spell:Detect Skills, helps with that now.

I can never get any of my followers to use staves.
Pity, because my new Dragon Priest would look awesome with a DP staff. I'll try giving it to him once more to see if he uses it in battle.

The broken follower...from the tower, where you have to kill the mother? Cant think of her name. Aiyla or somthing? The one that if you release her, or she gets dropped due to a quest, she won't rejoin you.
Give her a couple frost staves, and for a while, she will steal your xp due to the monster she becomes. I am sure she cost me more than a few levels, but it is fun playing with her on your side.
Problem is, if she is your pack mule, you will have to use console commands to get her, and all of your stuff back.

I noticed Marcurio used a destruction staff i gave him, but never used a raise zombie staff.

I have noticed that I have to give Lydia a One Handed Melee Weapon or just Staffs or she will use her 2 Handed weapon that I made and improved for her. So, if she is not using the staffs, then make sure she does not have a more powerful two handed weapon, or maybe any two handed weapon.

However, I had her Dual Wielding a Fire and Frost Staff and it was quite the sight to watch.

Marcurio will use any stave that you give him. I've given him just about every one in the game at one point or another and he utilizes all of them, and does so very effectively. I've seen him use 5-6 different ones in one engagement. Followers seem to be able to switch between them very quickly.

I had given a staff of chain lightning to Aranea once. Yikes! She wasn't nearly as careful with it as I usually was. Had to take it back.

I also witnessed her dual wielding staffs, pretty cool. I wonder if they would use Wabbajack? Now I will have to try it.

Jenassa picked up a few on her own...Alas, her aim is [censored].

I have and the follower used most of what they were given.

I did find that some staffs, e.g. those of an explosive nature, can be a bit problematic with followers as I often found myself receiving the same ... or more ... damage than whatever they're trying to kill.

Can also be a problem during dragon attacks in towns, as various guards and citizens often ended up being in the path of a follower blasting away ... leading them to attack both the follower and me.

Of course, after receiving many arrows in the back from followers shouting "Skyrim for Nords" while blasting away at whatever I was fighting, you get used to anything.

My Lydia uses staves with so much fanatism, that I hardly can keep up charging them for her.
But she's smart, and knows when to use ice-, sparks-, or fire-based staves, depending on what she fights.

The only staff I don't give her, is a fireball-one with a big blast radius...mostly for my own protection

Yesterday Eola, Meeko and I spent the night in the Abandoned Shack enroute to look for the Horn of Whatever per the MQ. I mention this because one of the prisoners had managed to stay alive for months -- Eola and I couldn't resist the offered feast -- and I think letting Meeko get a taste of human flesh turned out to be a bad idea.

The next day as we approached Ustengrav we were attacked by mages and bandits, but Meeko decided that Eola looked too delectable and went rabid. As Meeko had been our faithful companion for many a travel, Eola couldn't bring herself to put him down herself, so she kept using the S. Rose to put a dremora between herself and Meeko everytime he recovered enough health to attack again. It was actually quite touching. Poor Meeko ... we loved ya.

I sent my Lydia home today. But she was great with the staffs. Summon familar, and a fire staff. She would summon, switch to Dragonrend in that hand then blast with the fire staff til they got to close.

Staffs, what? Oh, you mean those rods that I sell for gold?

They're not as useless as you might think..especially if your character has high mage-skills, you'll use staves much more efficiently (the staff will have more charges).
And for a (battle-) mage, there can be many situations, where a staff is a blessing, as you can cast a powerfull magic-spell with it, while your magica-supply remains at 100% - ready for other actions.

just dont ever give them an ice storm staff, they will kill you... a lot.

They are very effective for mage battles on higher difficulties, thats if you dont use the free casting crap.

Companions do not use up charge of enchanted items, so... you're lieing?

uhhh, are you daft, yes they do, i gave my follower a enchanted sword, and i watch her charge go down constantly, and then i give her soul gems and bam, re charged, so yeah, you just dont know.

No. You are imagining it.

That's odd because my companions certainly do use up magika charges when using enchanted weapons. I regularly have to recharge with black Azura's Star my companions enchanted weapons, that's bows, swords/axes and staffs.