I dont rely on my companions to win battles. Its nice to have the along because I'm a mage but at times they seem to do their own thing. They go off fighting something or they get lost in the dungeon. Eventually they show up and sometimes they help lol

Good suggestion giving them healing potions

:D

Lydia annoys me that she is always whipping out a bow, despite her lack of proficiency with a bow and it's relative weakness compared to the other equipment she has on her person. I still like having her around as I have sorta gotten attached to her in a companion cube kinda way, but damn does their ai need help. If she has a great sword and shield, unless she absolutely cannot close to melee, ie. cliffs or flying, then she should stick to her melee weapons and not use the hunting bow that does 0 damage. :\ I mean if I wanted an archer companion I'd get Aela to follow me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euLhZo1aA1c

She gets a little brighter in this video.

Aela is a very good companion, love her and have used her since 11-11-11

Cheers