Top Avowed Companions Ranked by Utility

In the immersive world of Avowed, Companions play a crucial role not only in advancing the narrative but also in enhancing gameplay through their unique abilities. Here's a detailed ranking of the Companions from worst to best, focusing on their practical utility in combat and exploration:

4. Marius

In my experience with Avowed, Marius (depicted above, right) didn't quite align with my preferred playstyle. While he's beneficial for early-game exploration due to his passive abilities that aid in finding items and plants, his combat prowess leaves much to be desired. Marius's abilities focus on controlling and weakening enemies rather than dealing significant damage, making him less effective as the game progresses. Here's a breakdown of Marius's abilities and their upgrades:

• Blinding Roots: Roots enemies in place for 8 seconds, with upgrades allowing for stunning, trapping multiple enemies, and inflicting Bleed Accumulation.
• Heart Seeker: A piercing shot that always hits, with upgrades to hit multiple enemies, increase damage to low-health enemies, and reduce cooldown.
• Shadow Step: Disappears and reappears to slash enemies, upgradable to instantly kill stunned enemies, increase damage to low-health enemies, and affect more enemies.
• Wounding Shots: Inflicts Bleed Accumulation, with upgrades to reduce enemy damage reduction, slow enemies, and further reduce enemy damage.

Marius's niche abilities can be useful in specific scenarios, particularly against melee-focused enemies with low health. However, for most of your journey across the Living Lands, he may not be the best choice.

3. Giatta

Giatta, a support-focused Animancer, excels in healing, shielding, and buffing your party. While she may not be the top choice for dealing damage, her utility in protecting and enhancing your team's performance is invaluable, especially during Avowed's intense boss battles. Here are Giatta's abilities and their upgrades:

• Purification: Heals allies by 25% of their maximum health, with upgrades increasing the heal amount, interrupting and knocking back enemies, and boosting damage reduction.
• Barrier: Grants temporary health to allies, with upgrades enhancing the shield, healing enemies when it ends, and providing additional protection against melee attacks.
• Acceleration: Boosts ally move and attack speed, with upgrades reducing damage taken, extending the duration, and reducing ability cooldowns.
• Reconstruction: Heals allies slightly with attacks, with upgrades focusing on healing low-health allies, granting temporary health, and reviving incapacitated allies upon killing an enemy.

Giatta also powers Essence Generators, unlocking new areas for late-game exploration. Her abilities are particularly synergistic with Envoys using Wizard builds focused on magic.

2. Kai

As the first Companion you meet in Avowed, Kai proves to be a reliable partner throughout your adventure. His tank-like qualities and effective damage output require minimal player intervention, making him a strong asset in combat. Here are Kai's abilities and their upgrades:

• Fire and Ire: Fires a stun-inducing shot from his Blunderbuss, with upgrades igniting the target, increasing stun, and reducing cooldown.
• Unbending Defense: Regenerates health and increases damage reduction, with upgrades further reducing damage, enhancing regeneration, and damaging nearby enemies upon expiration.
• Leap of Daring: Stuns and taunts enemies upon landing, with upgrades increasing the area of effect, granting temporary health, and boosting attack damage.
• Second Wind: Revives himself with 50% health, with upgrades increasing this to 75%, granting attack speed, and resetting ability cooldowns.

Kai's versatility in handling both single targets and crowds, coupled with his self-revival ability, makes him an excellent choice for any combat scenario. He can also use his fire to clear obstacles, enhancing your exploration.

1. Yatzli

Yatzli, a formidable Wizard, brings powerful attacks and excellent crowd control to the table. Her abilities make her akin to air support in the fantasy realm of the Living Lands. Here are Yatzli's abilities and their upgrades:

• Essence Explosion: Explodes on impact, releasing essence and damage, with upgrades increasing the blast radius, inflicting fire accumulation, and reducing cooldown.
• Minoletta’s Missile Battery: Fires enemy-seeking missiles, with upgrades enhancing fire rate, range, and inflicting shock accumulation.
• Arduos Delay of Motion: Slows enemies, with upgrades intensifying the slow, creating an area of effect, and inflicting frost accumulation.
• Blast: Causes an area of effect burst on hit, with upgrades dealing explosive damage to break blocks and walls, increasing stun, and potentially inflicting Frozen, Ignited, or Shocked statuses.

Yatzli's potent abilities align perfectly with her fierce personality, making her a valuable asset in combat. Additionally, she can clear obstacles, providing access to new areas. Although she joins late in Avowed, her contributions justify her inclusion for the remainder of your journey.

Avowed releases on PC and Xbox on February 18.