Let me say that I love this game first and foremost. Play the crap out of it every single day. The issue I have with the followers is how insanely stupid they can be. If you need to avoid a room full of pressure plates expect your genius companion to trounce upon them sending fireballs of doom at your face. You have to literally tell them to stay put, deactivate the trap and then go back. Why can't they just want until you are done without instruction? That isn't my biggest issue though. I play an assassin character and I went up to assassinate someone and got the kill. I was still hidden and yet my companion was spotted. This was outside of Bleak Falls Barrow. I figured that I was still hidden so I could just walk around the pillar and flank but my partner thought it was a great idea to stay in stealth and follow 3 feet behind my rear, or tail... playing a khajiit.. She didn't break stealth and engage or anything! She just stood there like an idiot painting me a target. I would have preferred that she ran forth and attacked so I can sneak behind for extra damage. If she isn't going to be good at stealth (even though the strategy guide says Janessa prefers stealth) at least be a good distraction.

A lot of modding work needs to be done to make followers work if you have a PC version. And for goodness sake someone give them a three dimensional storyline so they can develop their friendship with you as you progress. I haven't played much, but they seem really boring, almost like a pack mule. No disposition or anything, really disappointing game on the companion front I'm afraid.

I wish the companions were able to yield. In one of the tombs, I was helping a Nord take down a Necromancer when Lydia accidentally hit the Nord and everyone in the room ganged up on Lydia.

Companions are simply excess baggage, I know it's not a linear RPG but they could still develop a meaningful relationship with a companion through either disposition or time triggers, and create a story within a story. They also unbalance the game because they make combat too easy.

Seriously, like the first dude. "Oh you didn't lie about that letter to the girl I like! Thank you, I will follow you around forever, abandoning any hope of being with said girl."

They are good for pack mules yes.. I mean it's nice dropping all of my dragon bones in Janessa's pocket. They are also great at giving you confidence in a battle to be honest. I wear light armor and play on expert and sometimes heavy armored enemies are nasty even if you Fus Roh Dah them and knock them down to the ground. It is nice to have a decent meat shield helping me out knowing that she won't die unless I attack her when she is down on bended knee. I just wish for the AI to be better... Oh, and PLEASE STOP BLOCKING DOORWAYS! That is one of the most annoying things ever, trying to leave your damn house in Whiterun and your follower is just standing in your doorway. They don't need to follow you in the house, why can't they just stand by the fire? or better yet, if I am walking into you BACK UP.

I at least thought bethesda would try and make companions half as good as they were in dragon age origins? That would have made this game totally awesome just adding that final dimension, because it has everything else Dragon Age doesn't.

<-- You first Lydia

They are so bad it's comical. I have found that they can only die if you kill them. Which can happen allot. I've watch them take a beating by a giant and stand up and dust themselves off as soon as I've downed said giant, but then they drop stone dead when they walk in front of me while I'm lining up a shot with my bow on a baddie and I nail them by accident instead.

They are useless in sneak based combat, they step on every pressure plate and activate every trap, and they more often then not get in your way during range attacks. They lack any believable story line and lack any flavor to the game All they are good for is to stand at the entrance of a dungeon and be a pack mule.

It's a shame, Bethesda has made such a wonderful game and got it all right .... except for companions, and in this case they fail miserably. Ah well I guess you can't have it all. Thank goodness for modding