In Avowed, Companions not only enrich the game's narrative but also play crucial roles in gameplay mechanics, from unlocking new paths to enhancing combat strategies. Below, we rank all the Companions from least to most effective, based on their practical utility and combat prowess.
- Marius
In my experience with Avowed, Marius didn't quite sync well with my gameplay style. Early on, his passive abilities aid in exploration by helping locate items and plants, but he quickly becomes outclassed by other Companions. Here's a detailed look at Marius' abilities and their upgrades:
- Blinding Roots: Roots enemies in place for 8 seconds. Upgrades include stunning enemies, affecting multiple enemies, and inflicting Bleed Accumulation.
- Heart Seeker: A piercing shot that hits the target regardless of obstacles. Upgrades allow it to hit two enemies, deal increased damage to enemies below 50% health, and reduce cooldown by 33%.
- Shadow Step: Marius teleports to an enemy for a slashing attack, repeatable up to three times. Upgrades can instantly kill stunned enemies, deal more damage to enemies with lower health, and extend to six enemies.
- Wounding Shots: Marius' attacks cause Bleed Accumulation. Upgrades reduce enemy damage reduction, slow hit enemies, and further reduce enemy damage.
Marius' abilities are niche, mainly useful for controlling enemies with melee weapons and low health. However, his lack of overall combat power makes him less valuable for most of your journey through the Living Lands in Avowed.
- Giatta
Giatta, an Animancer, focuses on support through healing, shielding, and buffing the party. Though not the strongest in direct damage, her utility shines in critical situations, particularly during Avowed's boss fights. Here's a breakdown of Giatta's abilities:
- Purification: Heals allies by 25% of their max health. Upgrades increase healing to 50%, interrupt and knock back enemies, and boost damage reduction by 20% for 15 seconds.
- Barrier: Grants a shield of temporary health for 20 seconds. Upgrades increase the shield's strength, heal enemies upon its expiration, and protect Giatta from melee attacks.
- Acceleration: Boosts ally movement and attack speed for 15 seconds. Upgrades include 15% damage reduction, extended duration, and a 50% cooldown reduction for abilities.
- Reconstruction: Giatta's attacks heal allies slightly. Upgrades enhance healing for allies below 20% health, grant temporary health at max health, and revive incapacitated allies upon killing an enemy.
Giatta's ability to power Essence Generators also unlocks new areas for exploration and loot. Her support capabilities make her a great match for Envoys using Wizard builds focused on magic.
- Kai
Kai, the first Companion you meet in Avowed, remains useful throughout the game. As a tank, he can absorb damage and deal effective hits without much need for player intervention. Here are Kai's abilities and their upgrades:
- Fire and Ire: Fires his Blunderbuss to stun and taunt an enemy for 10 seconds. Upgrades can ignite the target, increase stun, and halve the cooldown.
- Unbending Defense: Regenerates health and increases damage reduction by 25%. Upgrades can reduce incoming damage by 50%, enhance health regeneration, and unleash a shockwave upon expiration.
- Leap of Daring: Crashes down on enemies, stunning and taunting nearby foes. Upgrades double the area of effect, grant temporary health per enemy hit, and increase attack damage per enemy hit.
- Second Wind: Revives himself with 50% of his max health. Upgrades increase this to 75%, boost attack speed temporarily, and reset all ability cooldowns.
Kai's versatility against different enemy types, combined with his self-revival ability, makes him a reliable combat partner requiring minimal micromanagement. He can also clear certain obstacles like spider webs and roots, enhancing exploration.
- Yatzli
Yatzli, the Wizard, brings powerful offensive magic and crowd control to the table, making her the top-ranked Companion in Avowed. Here are her abilities and upgrades:
- Essence Explosion: Explodes upon hitting an enemy, releasing essence and explosive damage. Upgrades increase the blast radius, add fire accumulation, and reduce cooldown by 33%.
- Minoletta’s Missile Battery: Fires a volley of arcane missiles that seek enemies. Upgrades increase fire rate and range, and add shock accumulation.
- Arduos Delay of Motion: Slows an enemy for 10 seconds. Upgrades intensify the slow, affect an area of effect, and add frost accumulation.
- Blast: Yatzli's attacks cause a small area of effect explosion. Upgrades can break blocks, destroy walls, shatter frozen enemies, increase stun, and have a 5% chance to inflict Frozen, Ignited, or Shocked statuses.
Yatzli's powerful abilities and her ability to clear obstacles make her an invaluable asset for your journey through the Living Lands, despite being the last Companion you'll recruit in Avowed.
Avowed releases on PC and Xbox on February 18.
