In DA:2 (Hawkes) story. Companions could be set up to use health, stamina, and lyrium potions when it fell to a certain level, like 30% or lower. However, I don't see it implemented in this game, which I don't understand either. Comps should be allowed to use potions automatically if they need to. Must have been an oversight.
I know health restore potions are used by companions and you get to set the level and base number not to be used. In game, don't remember exactly which companion setting location, as it has been awhile since I have needed to adjust them, you can set both the level in which a companion uses a restore health potion and the number kept in reserve for the player to use only. By the player use only, it allows you to set say 4 potion limit, in which any companion will pop a health potion if below their health level if you have 5, 6,7, or 8 potions in stock but if you have 4 or less potions you the player have to tell them to use it. I know the controls were no where near as good as DAO preset controls, but they are still there.
@Star_King1977; "Health" potions are the only ones companions will use automatically. All other use of potions, tonics, or grenades must be manually initiated directly by the player. Almost everyone agrees that the AI for DAO, and even DA2, was far superior to that in DAI.
The "stripped down options" may be a result of the change to the Frostbite game engine. Maybe as the BioWare team(s) get more familiar with it they'll figure out how to implement something more complex. (We can hope...)
