In Avowed, companions aren't just for show; they're vital for both narrative and gameplay. From unlocking hidden paths to delivering devastating blows, each companion brings unique strengths to the table. Let's rank them, from least to most helpful.
4. Marius
Early on, Marius' abilities might seem useful for exploration, helping locate items and plants. However, his combat effectiveness quickly falls behind other companions. His skills primarily focus on crowd control and weakening enemies, which, while niche, aren't powerful enough to justify his inclusion for most of the game. Here's a breakdown of his abilities and upgrades:
- Blinding Roots: Roots enemies (upgradeable to stun, trap multiple, 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: Vanishes and attacks (upgradeable to instantly kill stunned enemies, increased damage vs. low-health enemies, and increased target count).
- Wounding Shots: Inflicts Bleed (upgradeable to reduce enemy damage reduction, slow enemies, and reduce enemy damage).
3. Giatta
Giatta, a support-focused Animancer, excels at healing, shielding, and buffing the party. While lacking in raw damage, her utility is invaluable during challenging encounters. She’s a particularly good choice for Envoys focusing on magic. Her abilities include:
- Purification: Heals allies (upgradeable to heal more, knock back enemies, and increase ally damage reduction).
- Barrier: Grants allies a temporary health shield (upgradeable to increase shield strength, heal on expiration, and provide protection from melee attacks).
- Acceleration: Increases ally movement and attack speed (upgradeable to add damage reduction, extend duration, and reduce ability cooldowns).
- Reconstruction: Heals allies with attacks (upgradeable to heal low-health allies more, grant temporary health, and revive incapacitated allies on enemy kills). Giatta can also activate Essence Generators, opening up previously inaccessible areas.
2. Kai
Kai, an early companion, remains consistently helpful throughout the game. A powerful tank, he deals significant damage with minimal player intervention. His abilities are:
- Fire and Ire: Blunderbuss attack with high stun and taunt (upgradeable to ignite, increase stun, and reduce cooldown).
- Unbending Defense: Regenerates health and increases damage reduction (upgradeable to further increase damage reduction, increase health regeneration, and unleash a damaging shockwave).
- Leap of Daring: Stunning area-of-effect attack and taunt (upgradeable to increase area of effect, gain temporary health per hit, and gain bonus attack damage per hit).
- Second Wind: Revives himself (upgradeable to increase health restored, gain attack speed, and reset ability cooldowns).
Kai's abilities are effective against both single strong enemies and groups, and his self-revival makes him exceptionally reliable. He can even use fire to clear obstacles.
1. Yatzli
Yatzli, a powerful wizard, is the ultimate companion. Her high-damage attacks and excellent crowd control make her invaluable. She's essentially your personal air support. Her abilities include:
- Essence Explosion: Explosive arcane damage (upgradeable to increase blast radius, inflict fire accumulation, and reduce cooldown).
- Minoletta’s Missile Battery: Volley of homing missiles (upgradeable to increase fire rate, range, and inflict shock accumulation).
- Arduos Delay of Motion: Slows enemies (upgradeable to intensify slowing, create an area-of-effect slow, and inflict frost accumulation).
- Blast: Area-of-effect burst damage on attacks (upgradeable to increase explosive damage for breaking blocks and shattering frozen enemies, increased stun, and chance to inflict Frozen, Ignited, or Shocked).
Yatzli's powerful abilities and obstacle-clearing capabilities make her a top choice, despite being recruited later in the game.
Avowed releases on PC and Xbox on February 18.
