On your trip across the Living Lands in Avowed, you’ll meet friendly faces who will accompany you on your fight against the Dreamscourge plague. They pack quite a bit of firepower that will make boss fights and exploration easier. From clearing barriers to sniffing out treasure, their non-combat powers are pretty helpful too. Since you only get to bring two of them outside your camp, you’ll need to understand their strengths and motivations. Read on for a deep dive into Avowed’s four companions and how they can complement your combat build.

All companions¶

You’ll run into four companions during Avowed’s main storyline. These are Kai, Marius, Giatta, and Yatzli. While there’s no chance of missing their addition into your team of misfits, it’s good to set expectations on when you can meet them and what they’re capable of. They level up over time, letting you spend points on their skills and abilities. As you get to know them, your teammates will offer helpful suggestions during dialogue and witty banter mid-battle.

With three active skills and one passive each, you will be able to customize their skills to your needs. If you grow fond of specific actions, you can tie them to your quick actions or activate them via the action radial menu. This includes environmental interactions that let you clear brambles, illusory walls, and other obstacles. And if you want to swap companions out, simply visit one of the party camp spots that also function as fast travel locations. We’ll start with Kai, a powerful ally who can clear brambles and foes with ease.

How to recruit Kai?¶

You’ll meet the massive aumaua Kai right after you clear the tutorial section of Avowed. As you head into Claviger’s Landing in Dawnshore, Kai will be waiting for you as a part of the Messenger from Afar quest. He’s a great option early on in the game as he distracts foes and stuns them with blunderbuss shots. You can also command him to clear any brambles in your path, letting you access new areas and rewards like God Totem fragments. Training with Kai back at camp will let you earn +2 Might, +2 Constitution, or +1 to both.

Kai’s abilities¶

Here are all of Kai’s abilities:

• Fire and Ire (Active): Kai fires a powerful blunderbuss shot that deals high Stun to a single enemy and Taunts them for 10 seconds.
• Unbending Defense (Active): Kai regenerates health and boosts his damage reduction by 25%.
• Leap of Daring (Active): Kai leaps into the air and crashes into enemies below, Stunning and Taunting all nearby enemies.
• Second Wind (Passive): When Kai is downed, he revives himself and restores half of his health.
• Command: Kai can burn away vines and webs that block your path.

Kai’s perks¶

Here are the dialogue choices and corresponding perks from Kai’s training dialogue in camp:

Kai companion quest¶

Kai’s companion quest Battle Scars is unlocked right after you clear An Untimely End. It involves visiting Tama’s Cabin in Emerald Stair before heading to Shark’s Tooth and Sailor’s Rest in Shatterscarp. Don’t worry about their locations since the game marks them on your map. Speak to Kai at the camp after these visits to understand Tama, his old friend and mentor figure.

These are the objectives you’ll need to clear:

• Search Tama’s Cabin in Emerald Stair.
• Find Tama’s Badge in Shatterscarp.
• Visit Tama’s Memorial with Kai.

How to recruit Marius?¶

Marius is a mountain dwarf adept at surviving harsh environments. You’ll recruit him during An Untimely End main quest in Dawnshore. His bow deals decent damage and can inflict foes with the Bleed condition. He’s a constant member of my team thanks to his ability to detect hidden treasure. If you focus on using melee weapons, Marius can protect your flank with his crowd-control tricks. As a survivalist, Marius often has useful advice regardless of which region you explore in Avowed. Training with him via a conversation at camp will let you gain +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, or +1 to both.

Marius’ abilities¶

Marius can use the following abilities:

• Binding Roots (Active): Marius Roots a foe in place for 8 seconds.
• Heart Seeker (Active): Marius fires an arrow that can never miss and can pass through what it hits.
• Shadow Step (Active): Marius goes invisible and reappears near an enemy to attack with his dagger. He can repeat this up to three times.
• Wounding Shots (Passive): Marius’ attacks apply Bleed Accumulation to foes.
• Hunter’s Sense: Marius marks nearby enemies and loot with a red and maroon glow respectively.

Marius’ perks¶

Here are the dialogue choices for Marius’ training along with their perks:

Marius companion quest¶

Marius’ companion quest Chorus of the Lost is automatically triggered as you enter the Lost Village. It deals with his unresolved past and a traumatic childhood. This place can be found to the northeast corner of Galawain’s Tusks. You’ll find a corpse at the shrine here with the Long-lost Amulet, a trinket that belonged to Marius’ mother. To understand what happened, you’ll need to speak with Iancu at his camp near the shrine. These are the main objectives of this quest:

• Explore the Village.
• Speak to Iancu.
• Investigate Razvan’s Hut.
• Find Razvan.
• Confront Razvan.
• Kill or leave Razvan (we recommend sparing him).
• Return to Iancu.

How to recruit Giatta?¶

Giatta is an animancer you’ll run into during The Animancy Method main quest in Emerald Stair, Avowed’s second region. In addition to healing powers, she can buff your teammates and debuff foes. If you’re stocked up on potions and consumables, Giatta won’t be an essential member of your team. She can also zap switches to life but you can simply use an electric grenade to do so. Her understanding of animancy is particularly helpful during Emerald Stair’s side quests. Unlike Kai and Marius, she won’t give you a companion quest. Giatta’s training can give you +2 Intellect, +2 Resolve, or +1 to both attributes.

Giatta’s abilities¶

Giatta can use these abilities in Avowed:

• Purification (Active): Giatta creates a wave of energy that heals nearby allies for 25% of their max health.
• Barrier (Active): Giatta provides allies with a Temporary Health shield that lasts for 20 seconds.
• Acceleration (Active): Giatta boosts the movement and attack speed of allies for 15 seconds.
• Reconstruction (Passive): Giatta’s attacks heal allies by a small amount.
• Command: Giatta can zap switches with shock damage to open locked doors.

Giatta’s perks¶

Here are all the dialogue choices for Giatta’s training:

How to recruit Yatzli?¶

Yatzli is the final companion you’ll meet in Avowed. While you’ll find her fighting some mushroom men as you enter the Emerald Stair region, you’ll only be able to recruit her during the Face Your Fears main quest in Shatterscarp, the next region. She’s a scholarly wizard who isn’t as durable as Kai but her magic powers are great at damaging mobs of enemies. You can command her to clear illusory walls common in Shatterscarp, letting you access hidden chests and collectibles. Her harmless flirting and quirky replies keep dialogue interesting in Avowed. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a companion quest for you. Training with Yatzli can grant you +2 Perception, +2 Intellect, or +1 to both.

Yatzli’s abilities¶

Here are all of Yatzli’s abilities:

• Essence Explosion (Active): Yatzli tosses out an explosive magic bolt that deals explosive damage and releases Essence.
• Minoletta’s Missile Battery (Active): Yatzli fires a volley of seeking magic projectiles towards foes.
• Arduous Delay of Motion (Active): Yatzli slows an enemy’s movement and attacks for 10 seconds.
• Blast (Passive): Yatzli’s basic attacks create a small explosion when they hit an enemy.
• Command: Yatzli can dispel magical illusions you encounter in the Living Lands.

Yatzli’s perks¶

Pick from these dialogue choices for Yatzli’s training:

That wraps up all the companions you’ll find in Avowed and how they can help you in combat, dialogue, and exploration. If you’re looking for direct buffs to your character instead, consider hunting down all the Ancient Memories in each region.