Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the fan-favorite ways to enjoy the expanded Star Wars universe. After more than ten years, the game is still going strong, attracting new players and getting a steady stream of updates.
In the game, players get help from AI-controlled companions. Each player can get up to five companions to choose from, depending on their class, and more companions become available as they progress through the game. There are so many options that new players might struggle with choosing the best companion for their missions.
Luckily, changing the companions is as easy as pressing two buttons. We’ll explain more companion-specific nuances below.
How to Change Companions
In the game, a companion serves as an AI replacement for a teammate during specific Flashpoints and group quests. Each companion has a storyline tied to your main quest, which increases their level and performance. A companion’s quest progress and gifting boost their Influence level, which is the only way to increase their battle prowess. Thus, consider switching to the companion with the highest Influence level or most useful skills for the quest.
Changing companions is pretty straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:
- Press “N” on the keyboard or select the “Companions and Contacts” section from the “triangle” menu on the top bar.
- Select the “Summon” button beside the companion’s name for the companion you wish to summon. You don’t have to dismiss your current companion to do this.
As you gain levels, you can have more companions doing missions for you at once. However, only one companion will leave the starship with you to go on Flashpoints and quests. Therefore, it’s often advisable to keep the highest-Influence companion with you for the best combat boost, while others perform more menial tasks.
In previous game versions, companion outfits and equipment determined how effective they were, but this has been removed and simplified to promote a better transition for new players. Companions will still need to have a weapon equipped to perform attacks and some abilities. Other than that, all equipment is purely cosmetic.
How to Change Companion Roles
Each companion used to have a distinct role between Tank, DPS (damage-per-second), and Healer. Recent patches have made the companion system more straightforward and customizable. You can manually change the role you want the companion to have outside of combat and conversation.
Most players typically choose either DPS to help them clear more enemies or Healer to prevent dying. Each companion performs slightly differently in these roles, depending on their skillset and attack types. For example, a companion using melee weapons behaves more aggressively than one with a blaster equipped.
Here’s how to change a companion’s role (usable only outside of combat and conversation):
- Right-click the companion’s portrait in the bottom left corner.
- Select “Role Selection.”
- Choose between “Heal,” “Tank,” or “Damage” (DPS).
How to Increase Companion Influence
There are four main ways to increase a Companion’s Influence:
- Each companion has a specific questline that increases their Influence and makes other options available later.
- In conversations with other characters, choosing options that the companion approves of will increase their Influence. Similarly, some companions disapprove of specific actions and will take an Influence hit.
- Giving gifts to a companion increases their Influence. Different gift types change the recipient’s amount of Influence (up to a 300% bonus), so choose the best gift according to the specific companion.
- Romance. Not all companions can be romanced, and they are also gender-limited to the sex opposite to your player character. Also, romance is not required to get to the highest Influence level or progress through storylines, but it can speed up a companion’s Influence early. Be wary of trying to romance two companions simultaneously because that might quickly go awry!
Never Travel Alone
SWTOR is designed to be played with friends, gathering a crew to beat various team missions. However, companions are there to fill that role for single-player combat. Choosing the best companion rests on their Influence level and skillset, and it’s always a good idea to check up on their status often.
What is your favorite companion in SWTOR? Let us know in the comments below!
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