In *Avowed*, Companions aren't just there for their engaging stories and conversations; they also play crucial roles in gameplay mechanics, from unlocking paths to boosting combat efficiency. Below, we rank all the Companions in *Avowed* from least to most effective, detailing their abilities and how they can enhance your adventure through the Living Lands.
4. Marius
During my exploration of *Avowed*, I found that Marius (depicted above, right) didn't align well with my playstyle. Though his passive abilities are beneficial for early-game exploration, helping to uncover hidden items and plants, Marius quickly becomes outshined by other Companions as the game progresses. His combat prowess leaves much to be desired. Here’s a breakdown of Marius’ abilities and their upgrades:
- Blinding Roots: Roots enemies in place for 8 seconds, with upgrades to stun, affect multiple enemies, and apply Bleed Accumulation.
- Heart Seeker: A piercing shot that guarantees a hit, even through obstacles. Upgrades enable it to target two enemies, increase damage against foes below 50% health, and reduce cooldown by 33%.
- Shadow Step: Marius vanishes and reappears to slash enemies, repeatable up to three times. Upgrades can kill stunned enemies instantly, increase damage against low-health foes, and extend the attack to six enemies.
- Wounding Shots: Inflicts Bleed Accumulation with attacks. Upgrades reduce enemy damage reduction, slow hit targets, and decrease enemy damage output.
Marius excels in controlling and weakening enemies, particularly effective against melee fighters and those with low health. However, his niche abilities don't hold up well for the majority of your journey through *Avowed*, especially if your Envoy isn't focused on melee combat.
3. Giatta
Giatta, a support-focused Animancer, harnesses magic to heal, shield, and buff your party. While she may not be the top pick for raw damage output, her utility in keeping your team alive and effective is invaluable, especially during the game's challenging boss encounters. Here are Giatta’s abilities:
- Purification: Heals allies by 25% of their maximum Health, with upgrades increasing healing up to 50%, interrupting and knocking back enemies, and providing damage reduction for 15 seconds.
- Barrier: Grants temporary health to all allies for 20 seconds. Upgrades enhance the amount of temporary health, heal enemies when the barrier dissipates, and protect Giatta from melee attacks.
- Acceleration: Boosts ally move and attack speed for 15 seconds. Upgrades add damage reduction, extend the duration, and reduce ability cooldowns by 50%.
- Reconstruction: Giatta’s attacks heal allies. Upgrades enhance healing for those below 20% health, grant temporary health to fully healed allies, and revive incapacitated allies upon killing an enemy.
Giatta's ability to power Essence Generators is crucial for unlocking new areas and accessing valuable loot later in the game. She synergizes well with Envoys using Wizard builds, making her a strong choice for magic-focused players.
2. Kai
As the first Companion you meet in *Avowed*, Kai remains a valuable ally throughout the entire game. Known for his tank-like durability and effective damage dealing, Kai requires minimal player intervention. Here are his abilities and their upgrades:
- Fire and Ire: Fires a high-stun shot from his Blunderbuss, taunting enemies for 10 seconds. Upgrades can ignite targets, 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 emit a damaging shockwave upon expiration.
- Leap of Daring: Crashes down on an enemy, stunning and taunting nearby foes. Upgrades expand the area of effect, grant temporary health per enemy hit, and increase attack damage per enemy hit.
- Second Wind: Revives Kai with 50% health. Upgrades increase this to 75%, boost attack speed, and reset all ability cooldowns.
Kai's versatility makes him effective against both single high-health targets and groups of enemies. His self-revive ability and capacity to clear obstacles like spider webs and roots with fire make him an indispensable ally for any Envoy.
1. Yatzli
Yatzli, the Wizard, brings a mix of high-damage spells and crowd control to your party. Her powerful attacks and utility make her an invaluable asset in *Avowed*, akin to having air support in the fantasy realm of the Living Lands. Here’s a look at her abilities and their upgrades:
- Essence Explosion: Releases explosive damage and essence upon impact. Upgrades enlarge the blast, apply 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 apply shock accumulation.
- Arduos Delay of Motion: Slows enemies for 10 seconds. Upgrades enhance the slowing effect, create an area of effect, and apply frost accumulation.
- Blast: Causes a small area of effect explosion on hit. Upgrades can break blocks, destroy walls, shatter frozen enemies, increase stun, and have a chance to inflict Frozen, Ignited, or Shocked status.
Yatzli's powerful and versatile abilities, combined with her ability to clear obstacles, make her an essential Companion for any Envoy. Although she joins later in the game, her contributions make her well worth the wait.
*Avowed* is set to launch on PC and Xbox on February 18, bringing these Companions into your adventure across the Living Lands.
