Helpful Companions Ranked: Discover the Best Avowed

Avowed's Companions: A Ranked Guide from Worst to Best

Beyond their narrative roles and dialogue, Avowed's Companions offer practical advantages, from pathfinding to combat prowess. This guide ranks each companion from least to most effective.

4. Marius

My experience with Marius proved limited synergy with my playstyle. While his early-game exploration skills (locating items and plants) are helpful, he's quickly outmatched by later companions. His combat capabilities are underwhelming. Here's a breakdown of his abilities and upgrades:

• Blinding Roots: Roots enemies (upgradeable to stun, affect multiple targets, and inflict Bleed).
• Heart Seeker: A piercing shot that always hits (upgradeable to hit two enemies, increased damage vs. low-health enemies, and reduced cooldown).
• Shadow Step: Teleports to an enemy and attacks (upgradeable to instantly kill stunned enemies, increased damage vs. low-health enemies, and increased target count).
• Wounding Shots: Inflicts Bleed Accumulation (upgradeable to reduce enemy damage reduction, slow enemies, and reduce enemy damage).

Marius' abilities primarily focus on crowd control and weakening enemies. Effective against certain enemy types, especially when paired with a melee-focused Envoy, he ultimately lacks the power to justify his inclusion for most of the Living Lands journey.

3. Giatta

Giatta, a support-oriented Animancer, uses magic for healing, shielding, and buffs. While not a damage dealer, her utility is invaluable. Her protective capabilities are especially beneficial during challenging encounters like boss fights. Her abilities include:

• Purification: Heals allies (upgradeable to increased healing, enemy interrupt/knockback, and increased ally damage reduction).
• Barrier: Provides allies with a temporary health shield (upgradeable to increased temporary health, healing on barrier expiration, and protection from melee attacks).
• Acceleration: Increases ally movement and attack speed (upgradeable to damage reduction, extended duration, and ability cooldown reduction).
• Reconstruction: Attacks heal allies (upgradeable to increased healing for low-health allies, temporary health for full-health allies, and ally revival on enemy kill).

Giatta can also activate Essence Generators, opening up otherwise inaccessible areas and late-game loot. While not top-tier, she's a strong choice for Envoys using magic-focused Wizard builds.

2. Kai

Despite being an early companion, Kai remains helpful throughout the game. A formidable tank, he delivers effective damage with minimal player intervention. His abilities include:

• Fire and Ire: Blunderbuss attack with high stun and taunt (upgradeable to ignite the target, increased stun, and reduced cooldown).
• Unbending Defense: Health regeneration and damage reduction (upgradeable to increased damage reduction, increased health regeneration, and a damaging shockwave on expiration).
• Leap of Daring: A powerful area-of-effect stun and taunt (upgradeable to increased area of effect, temporary health per enemy hit, and bonus attack damage per enemy hit).
• Second Wind: Self-revival (upgradeable to increased health restoration, attack speed burst, and ability cooldown reset).

Kai's abilities excel against various enemies, with some specializing in single high-health targets and others in crowd control. His self-revival makes him a highly effective, low-maintenance combat partner. He can also use fire to remove obstacles like spiderwebs and roots.

1. Yatzli

Yatzli, a powerful Wizard, boasts high-damage attacks and exceptional crowd control. She's the closest thing to air support in the Living Lands. Her abilities include:

• Essence Explosion: Explosive arcane damage (upgradeable to increased blast radius, fire accumulation, and reduced cooldown).
• Minoletta’s Missile Battery: A volley of homing arcane missiles (upgradeable to increased fire rate, range, and shock accumulation).
• Arduos Delay of Motion: Slows enemies (upgradeable to increased slow, area of effect, and frost accumulation).
• Blast: Area-of-effect damage on enemy hits (upgradeable to explosive damage for breaking obstacles, and increased stun with status effect chances).

Yatzli's powerful abilities and obstacle-clearing capabilities make her an invaluable companion, even though she's recruited late in the game.

Avowed launches on PC and Xbox on February 18.