The Technomancer companions play a critical role in your journey around Mars. The side quests they give are a nice way to get additional experience and items. They've got your back in combat and prevent you from getting swarmed (as much.) Their passive abilities, such as boosting your Talents, are also nice.
And last but not least -- what self-respecting open RPG doesn't include multiple romance options?
This short guide will help you get a feel for each companion's strengths and weaknesses, along with their overall personalities.
First up: David Ward.
David Ward
David is one of the first companions you get in The Technomancer. He specializes in Guardian style, so he can benefit from an extra shield or mace you have lying around.
Personality
David's a little brash. He's not really a fan of technomancers, and he lets you know it....all day long.
The saving grace is that he does learn to tolerate you over time.
Combat
As a Guardian, David's role is basically to just distract enemies from you and the third companion. He honestly doesn't seem to do much damage, even if you set him to Offense mode. Instead, you're probably better off just keeping him on Defense and letting him distract a few enemies, then you can come back and kill them later.
Passives
David provides a +2% to Resistance of Disruption. He doesn't have an Ally bonus though. Partially because...
Quests
Spoiler alert - David doesn't stay with you very long. I won't get into details, but let's just say you shouldn't get too attached to this feisty soldier!
Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter goes with David Ward like peanut butter and jelly.
...well, not really. David doesn't like Jeffrey, and J-dawg only tolerates David. But you get them together at the beginning of the game, and they make a decent pair of companions.
Personality
Jeffrey comes from Greenhope, which is (about) as country as you can get for Mars. He's a nicer guy than David and seems much happier to be serving under a technomancer than his colleague.
Combat
Jeffrey rocks sniper rifles and assault rifles, making him a great ranged combatant. That said, he also seems to love bashing enemies in the face with his rifle rather than shooting them half the time.
I recommend keeping him on Offense mode. There's no reason for him to play Defensive, as he's one of the best damage-dealing companions in the game.
Passives
Jeffrey gives a passive bonus of +2 to Physical Damage from Gunshots. He doesn't have an Ally bonus, though.
Quests
Spoiler alert - Jeffrey does help you with a quest to root out a spy. Hooray!
But he's another companion that doesn't stay with you the entire game. Sad Christmas.
Scott Seeker
I guess I don't have to tell you anything. That picture explains everything. But I'll tell you anyways.
Scott Seeker is the third companion you get in the game. Good thing too -- you start doing quests for him and needing his help almost immediately.
Personality
You know how every RPG has to have at least one weird companion? Scott is The Technomancer's.
Very smart and very quirky, he never really seems like he's all there. But he does help you solve multiple quests with his medical and scientific background.
Combat
Scott's not exactly built to run in with a two-handed mace and clobber Vory thugs or alien creatures. Instead he just hangs out in the back and shoots with a pistol.
He's the only companion that can heal, which he does by basically shooting you with a health injection. But...it's not very effective. To be honest I think he's the worst companion combat-wise for a few reasons:
- He often misses with his heal, because you're dodging around trying to avoid getting bitten in the face.
- His gun doesn't do enough damage -- mainly because he fires it too slowly.
- Every time I turn around he's getting his butt kicked, yet not even trying to shoot the guy smacking him in the face.
Passive
Scott provides a bonus of +2% for Life Regeneration. His Ally bonus gives an extra +1 Science.
Quests
As I mentioned earlier, Scott helps you with a lot of different quests. From tracking down a scientific buddy to helping another companion get his groove back, he plays a major role in completing quests in the game.
Phobos (Beg)
Phobos is your stereotypical massive 2-hander. While he's much smarter than he looks, you can tell just by looking at him that he's not gonna be using a gun.
Spoiler? To unlock Phobos, you have to do a few side quests during the first part of the game. He calls himself Beg and acts dumb to fool the guards, but reveals himself later to be smarter than he'd acted and becomes your companion.
Personality
Phobos may be the most level-headed companion you get. Not what you'd expect, but he's a natural leader and has a big heart for his people. He actually co-founded the Mutant Nation, and the reason he was in Ophir is he was trying to save his fellow mutants.
He also makes it clear that he has a huge disdain for mutants soul-bent on death, rather than peace with humans.
Combat
Phobos is one of the better combat companions. You can set him to go on Offense or Defense, but I prefer Offense. He has enough hit points that he's somewhat sustainable, and it's nice to have another decent damage-dealer on the team.
Passives
Phobos gives an extra +250 weight (which is ridiculous to me, considering it seems hard to reach the max anyways.)
If you earn his Ally bonus, he gives an extra +1 to Exploration. Probably the worst Ally bonus ever.
Quests
Phobos is involved in a few quests as Beg before he reveals his true self.
Neisha
Neisha is the first female hottie you meet in The Technomancer. You can kind of guess that she'll eventually become a companion when you first meet her, although she deceives you by making you think she isn't much of a fighter.
She's also one of the three romance options available.
Personality
Neisha is a Rogue, so she has a bit of a spunky, bad girl type of personality. I equate her to be similar to Dragon Age 2's Isabela.
Neisha came from a rough background, but tries to do right by those who take care of her. Spoiler: For example, there's a part in the game where she intervenes to basically make sure you don't walk into a trap.
Combat
Neisha fights with a pistol and knife -- typical Rogue style. She can poison enemies and deals decent damage, but doesn't seem to have the health or dodging ability to last very long in big fights.
...Her AI just isn't the best. If you ask her to focus on Ranged combat, it seems like she doesn't really know what to do with herself.
Personally I think there are better companions to take with you into battle.
Passives
Neisha's passive is a Physical Damage from Daggers +2. If you're a Warrior like me... that's blah.
Once you earn her Ally bonus, you get a +1 to Traps and Lockpicking. Nice!
Quests
Neisha asks you to help a friend, which is a good idea to do sooner rather than later. She also asks you to help her investigate her background a bit.
Andrew (Lucky)
When you first meet Andrew, he goes by the name Lucky and introduces himself as a traveling merchant. He asks you to set up a meeting with him and Master Connor, which is an interesting little side quest.
Later he becomes your companion, and is one of my personal favorites. Andrew is also the only male romance option in The Technomancer.
Personality
Andrew's personality turned me off at first, but grew on me once I learned more about him. Without giving any spoilers, let's just say he's had a rough life. But as you get to know him, you realize that he's a good, reasonable guy.
The missing left arm is probably all the evidence you need of that.
Combat
It's tough to discuss combat without giving too much away, so I'll just say its another spoiler -- when you first get Andrew, all he can use is a mace. After all, you're limited when you only have one arm.
But when you complete his quest, he gains access to technomancer abilities. Booyah!
Passives
Having Andrew in your party gives you 5% extra Fluid Regeneration. Once you get his Ally bonus, you get +1 Charisma.
Quests
Your first quest with Andrew involves setting up a meeting with him and Master Connor. Don't make the same mistake I did -- actually follow Master Connor once you go get him! I was messing around in my inventory and the quest completed without me getting credit.
Anyways, later you have to help Andrew get himself set up with his technomancy stuff. It's probably the best companion quest in the game, as it is the only one that changes how a companion fights.
Amelia Reacher
I'm not gonna lie -- Amelia Reacher is my #1 pick for companions.
You meet her somewhat early in the game when you need to take a rover out to visit a far away site. She becomes your companion a bit later, after some crazy stuff goes down.
She's the third companion available for romance.
Personality
Amelia doesn't have an inner filter. She speaks her mind and doesn't care how you feel about it. She's pretty angry with you when she first joins the team, but over time you gain her trust back.
Combat
Amelia is a Guardian, so I tend to give her the best mace and shield I can find/craft. She does a pretty good job of it too -- she does decent damage but, like David Ward, is best for basically just distracting a few enemies.
Passive
Amelia gives Resistance to Distruption +5%. Not bad, considering how important disruption is in this game.
Once you earn the Ally bonus, you get a +1 Crafting. I think this is one of the best Ally bonuses, as almost every player will do some crafting to upgrade their gear.
Quests
Amelia is similar to Scott in that she's involved in several quests. The main ones directly helping her are about repairing the rover and a quest involving Scott and her dad.
To wrap up this slideshow on the companions, let me end with a few tips.
- (Spoiler) - As soon as you get to Noctis and have all of your companions together, talk to each of them! I didn't, and ended up doing more repeat visits to areas than I should have.
- Base your Talent spending (partially) on your allies. If you love having Neisha on your team, there's no need to max out Traps/Lockpicking because she gives you an extra point.
- Treat companions as distractions rather than damage dealers. As the technomancer you'll always be the main damage dealer.
- When trying to romance a companion, something you say may not exactly have the result you expect. If you want to avoid screwing it up, you may want to save before flirting with them or finishing their quest.
That's all I've got -- I hope it helps, and enjoy The Technomancer!
Published: Jul 5, 2016 06:38 am