It still looks like ESO, but there's a lot of diversity between the swampy, partially flooded portions of the northern region and the healthier valleys nestling sunken ruins and ancient Ayleid structures to the south. Visually, Blackwood might be the best-looking chapter to date. Lambert told Game Informer earlier this year that romance options would eventually come to the companion system, but for now, it seems Mirri is the only one remotely interested in me. Something curious I noticed is that Mirri teases a romantic interest if you max your rapport with her, while Bastian's friendliest responses are strictly platonic (don't worry, I tested both companions in same-sex relationships, and the responses are the same).
Though that could be updated before launch, that pretty much sums up companion behavior right now. In between, it seems like there's a sort-of lukewarm stage where they're generally apathetic to your existence, and then there's a friendly point where they think you're pretty cool. If rapport is at its lowest point, the NPCs will express their hatred for you in just a couple of different responses same if they love you. My preview build allowed me to quickly increase and decrease companion rapport to test out the system, and it seems like there were only a few different tiers to determine what sort-of dialogue you get. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of variety here. There's a rapport meter you can check in the companions' dedicated menu, but you can also get a general idea of how they feel about you just by striking up a conversation. She did not like that, and our rapport took a hit because of it. For example, Mirri doesn't like traveling by boat, but the place I need to go was like a million miles away and there wasn't a wayshrine nearby, so I told her to suck it up and get in the boat. Having them tag along for side quests and story beats adds some variety, as your choices will affect your relationship with them.
Blackwood's companion NPCs, Bastian and Mirri (Image credit: Bethesda)