Frivolous Expenditures: Companion Customization

So, everyone has their thing. Some people want the coolest mount, others want some sort of glowy glowstick that is a different color, some like minipets, etc. I’ve decided my thing.

Each companion will receive a customization. It doesn’t matter that the companion looks fine now. Or if I almost never use that companion. Or even if it’s a wookiee. Each companion gets customized.¹

Now, this seemed expensive at first, but it’s actually quite reasonable if I have my main fund my alts. Even with the more expensive kits, it’s under 100k per toon, spread out over 50 levels. And the first companion gets a freebie, so if I’m satisfied with that, I’m set.

It can get a little awkward. Like… I’ve known Risha as an NPC for 15 levels and then she became my companion. We’ve had extensive interactions while she had her “default face.” So it’s going to take some adjusting to think of this new look as “Risha.”

Why? Well I’ve noticed that many people, maybe most people, aren’t bothering with it. and I really want to have a “unique” experience, so what better way than surrounding myself with customized companions. Plus, if I end up rolling another toon of the same base class, I can customize my entire crew in a completely different manner. Funsies.

Where to Get Customizations

OK, here’s a great list. I know for a fact that the Taris, Balmorra, and Belsavis vendors are in “safe” places in the intro towns when you first arrive on the planet. Once you have a ship, you can trot out to a planet that might be well above your level in order to get a customization kit for a companion you just acquired. I went to Belsavis at a way lower level than I should (to get Akaavi’s customization), and the customization vendor is right in the starting area and accessible without running into any nasties.

About Freebie Kits

For some first companions, you get a freebie kit as a quest reward. You choose 1 of 3. However, do not fear if you choose the wrong one! The others that you did not choose ARE still available at the appropriate vendor.

Previewing Customizations

You can preview customizations for your companion regardless of which companion you have out. Control-left-click on the companion customization (as the tooltip says) and your preview window will pop up. Then switch to the “companion” tab. At the top of the preview screen, there are arrows. Use those to scroll through your companions until you find the right one. (You will probably have to control-left-click again to toggle the preview if you don’t see it.)

Yes, the preview is crappily small and there’s no way to zoom.

Pictures of them all?

I know it would be so convenient to have screenies of all the customizations rather than squinting at the preview. SWTOR Spy is gathering pictures of all the companion customizations, but it’s not filled out completely.

My Companions (so far)

Now the part you were skimming for: the screenies of MY companions. Taken on their respective ships, so they stand still when I’m trying to take screenies.

Smuggler Companions

Corso

corsokit5 — Customization 5. Those freckles did not do it for me. Although he still has the cute scars.

During Corso’s “photo shoot,” Customization 2 DISAPPEARED. It was terribad. I put in a ticket. Still waiting. For now, he is wearing his bucket helmet until this is resolved.

Bowdaar

Bowdaar’s customizations do not change his colors but affect his visible gear. No armor that you equip on a wookiee shows up. Customization #1 makes him nekked, but we can’t have a nekked wookiee running around the ship!

Risha

It was very weird changing Risha since I had interacted with her default self for 15 levels. I tried to find a face that matched her attitude.

To be fair, her original hair was matronly, and I think this is an improvement.

Akaavi

I confess, for zabrak females I prefer hair to horns-only.

akaavikit1 — Akaavi Customization 1. Love the hair. Not thrilled with the tattoo/skin (looks like Kiss). For 20k a pop (for the later companions) I’ll live with it for a while.

Jedi Knight Companions

I just used the freebie customization #3. It’s a droid. I’m not that picky.

Kira

Kira is already so cute, how do you improve on cute?

Well, it’s not an improvement per se, unless you consider it an improvement to get rid of that half-ponytail in back (I do!).

Strangely, now with customization #1, Kira looks like a darker, thinner version of my smuggler.

smugglercomparison — Don’t you wish your Kira was hot like me?

Did you buy any customization kits for your companions?

Ok, if the customizations are truly all foul, I will not do it… but that hasn’t happened. ↩

Comments

Frivolous Expenditures: Companion Customization — 10 Comments

Targeter on January 23, 2012 at 10:59 am said:

The tip about previewing companions? The one with the arrows at the top? That one?

That one makes me love you so fucking hard right now. I never even realized it was there.

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- Njessi on January 23, 2012 at 11:24 am said:
  
  Woot! It’s rare that my drivel is actually useful.
  
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Shintar on January 23, 2012 at 4:47 pm said:

Unfortunately the first trooper companion doesn’t get a freebie customisation, so it took me until one of my alts got her first companion to realise that the option even existed. I then looked up some options for dear Aric online, but apparently they all come down to equally bad haircuts, so I haven’t felt inspired to look into it any further.

After this post I might consider it for some of the others. I recently had a class quest that resulted in another one of my companions looking different for one cut scene, and I was actually quite thrilled, and then disappointed that she went back to her old look right after. Something to consider I guess.

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- Njessi on January 23, 2012 at 4:56 pm said:
  
  I don’t think the lizard gets a freebie either. And you’re right, I have not seen a not-hideous Aric Jorgan customization. From an informal poll amongst some friends on the server, it appears that people will shell out money to customize a romanceable companion but won’t bother with the others.
  
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  - Shintar on January 23, 2012 at 6:33 pm said:
    
    I wish they’d just let him have some proper hair. I know he’s a military man, but come on. Some of the male cathar NPCs I’ve seen look quite respectable with their manes.
    
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    - Dandesun on January 24, 2012 at 12:12 pm said:
      
      I got so used to Aric’s military baldness that by the time I realized there was a customization option for him I found that I was resistant to change. Besides, the options are really bad haircuts. I’d prefer none at all to what they had to offer.
      
      T7? He got the yellow/purple customization. There was no way I was going with pink. No way in hell. (Although, thinking about it, my Jedi is green and if T7 was pink we would have looked like the atypical 80s girl preppy… no I still made the right choice. I don’t think they have Izod Jedi robes.)
      
      Corso? I have to admit that I have a ridiculous fondness for the dreads-ponytail. I ended up selling his customization reward because when I put one on him I just didn’t like it.
      
      Elara, too, suffered from the ‘I’m used to her looking like this’ when I got to Balmorra and discovered all of the customization options for her. And anyway, I’ve got her covered head to toe in matching Armormech gear so I don’t see her face when she’s with me anyway. (Aric is covered as well… in horribly mismatched ‘I got into a fight with Rainbow Brite and lost’ armor. Blue helmet, green chest, red pants. He looks ridiculous.)
      
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      - Njessi on January 24, 2012 at 12:16 pm said:
        
        I am still having a hard time looking at my customized Risha and seeing her as “Risha” because I had to look at the default Risha for so long. My justification for the change was that I did hate Risha a lot, so if I changed her, maybe I’d shed some of the negative associations. So far it hasn’t worked. I still want to shove her out the airlock. If only there were a VOICE customization kit, she sounds SO ANNOYING.
kristalys on January 24, 2012 at 2:01 am said:

The lizard has a name. 😛 You are correct that Qyzen does not get a free customization as far as changing his looks. Instead, you get to a free armor set for him. One was civilian, one was hunter and I can’t remember the third. I have heard rumors that the Security Key vendor sells a customization for him that will actually change his skin color to yellow. As soon as I have extra money to blow, I will totally be buying that one.

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- Njessi on January 24, 2012 at 9:17 am said:
  
  Corso gets a customization AND an armor set. So it’s still not fair.
  
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Umbra on January 30, 2012 at 5:01 am said:

Love this post! Great work, currently reading backwards which is never a good thing! Well when I say backwards I do not mean by the use of mirrors ;P

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