In Avowed, the Companions not only enrich the narrative but also provide practical benefits that can significantly impact your gameplay. Here’s a detailed ranking of every Companion in Avowed, from least to most effective, based on their utility and combat prowess.
Marius
In my experience with Avowed, Marius (shown above, right) didn't quite align with my preferred playstyle. His passive abilities are useful early on for exploration, helping you locate items and plants. However, he is quickly overshadowed by other Companions. Here are Marius' abilities and their upgrades:
- Blinding Roots: Roots enemies in place for 8 seconds. Upgrades include stunning enemies, trapping multiple targets, and inflicting Bleed Accumulation.
- Heart Seeker: A piercing shot that always hits the target, even through obstacles. Upgrades allow it to hit two enemies, increase damage against foes below 50% health, and reduce cooldown by 33%.
- Shadow Step: Marius disappears in a smoke cloud and reappears to slash an enemy up to three times. Upgrades can instantly kill stunned enemies, deal more damage to low-health foes, and strike up to six enemies.
- Wounding Shots: Marius' attacks cause Bleed Accumulation. Upgrades can reduce enemy damage reduction, slow hit enemies, and further reduce enemy damage.
Marius' abilities are specialized for controlling and weakening enemies, which can be useful in specific scenarios, particularly against melee-focused foes. However, his lack of overall combat strength makes him less valuable for the majority of your journey through the Living Lands.
Giatta
Giatta, an Animancer, focuses on support through her magical abilities, which heal, shield, and buff your party. While not the strongest in terms of damage, her utility in maintaining party health is invaluable, especially during intense battles like boss fights. Here are Giatta's abilities and their upgrades:
- Purification: Heals allies by 25% of their maximum health. Upgrades can increase healing to 50%, interrupt and knock back enemies, and boost ally damage reduction by 20% for 15 seconds.
- Barrier: Provides temporary health for 20 seconds. Upgrades increase the amount of temporary health, heal enemies when the barrier dissipates, and protect Giatta from melee hits while knocking them back.
- Acceleration: Boosts ally movement and attack speed for 15 seconds. Upgrades include a 15% damage reduction, extended duration by 10 seconds, and a 50% reduction in ability cooldowns.
- Reconstruction: Giatta's attacks heal allies slightly. Upgrades enhance healing for allies below 20% health, grant temporary health to allies at full health, and revive incapacitated allies upon killing an enemy.
Giatta's ability to power Essence Generators is crucial for accessing late-game areas with valuable loot. She pairs well with Envoys using Wizard builds, making her a strategic choice for certain playstyles.
Related: Avowed PC Specs: Minimum and Recommended System Requirements
Kai
Kai is the first Companion you meet in Avowed and remains a valuable asset throughout your entire playthrough. As a tank, he excels at absorbing damage and dealing effective blows with minimal player intervention. Here are Kai's abilities and their upgrades:
- Fire and Ire: Fires from a Blunderbuss, stunning and taunting an enemy for 10 seconds. Upgrades can ignite the target, increase stun, and reduce cooldown by 50%.
- Unbending Defense: Regenerates health and increases damage reduction by 25%. Upgrades can reduce incoming damage by 50%, boost health regeneration, and emit a damaging shockwave upon expiration.
- Leap of Daring: Crashes down on an enemy, 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 Kai with 50% of his maximum health. Upgrades increase this to 75%, provide a temporary attack speed boost, and reset all ability cooldowns.
Kai's versatility in handling both single high-health enemies and crowd control, combined with his self-revival ability, makes him an invaluable companion. He can also clear certain obstacles, adding to his utility.
Yatzli
Yatzli, a powerful Wizard, brings high-damage and effective crowd control to your party. In the Living Lands, she serves as your air support, capable of turning the tide of battle with her arcane abilities. Here are Yatzli's abilities and their upgrades:
- Essence Explosion: Explodes upon hitting an enemy, releasing essence and dealing explosive damage. Upgrades increase the blast radius, inflict fire accumulation, and reduce cooldown by 33%.
- Minoletta’s Missile Battery: Fires a volley of enemy-seeking arcane missiles. Upgrades increase missile fire rate and range, and cause shock accumulation.
- Arduos Delay of Motion: Slows an enemy for 10 seconds. Upgrades intensify the slowing effect, create an area of effect, and cause frost accumulation.
- Blast: Yatzli's attacks create a small area of effect upon hitting enemies. Upgrades can deal explosive damage to break blocks and walls, increase stun, and have a chance to inflict Frozen, Ignited, or Shocked status effects.
Yatzli's powerful abilities match her fierce personality, making her an excellent choice for combat. She also helps in accessing new areas by clearing obstacles. Although you recruit her last, Yatzli proves to be a game-changer throughout the rest of your journey in Avowed.
Avowed releases on PC and Xbox on February 18.
