What’s a classic cRPG without a party of interesting personalities to travel alongside the main character? Pillars of Eternity 2 doesn’t skimp on those party options, including full companions with their own stories, recruitable sidekicks, and extra crew members to staff the Defiant.
Besides the obvious story line quests based around each character, picking companions based on the Watcher’s class and skill set is a critical part of your combat strategy.
Read on for a full breakdown of where every companion can be found while exploring the Deadfire Archipelago.
Pillars of Eternity 2 Companions
Relationships play a huge role in the Pillars sequel, as companions react to each other and to the actions of the Watcher.
Each companion has specific ideas and character traits that they like and dislike, which will change their opinion of the Watcher when you choose dialogue and event choices based around those traits.
Every companion can also be customized when recruited by picking from three class options — either pure classes or multi-classing for a broader range of abilities.
Edér
- Location: Vilario’s Rest
- Class Option: Fighter, Rogue, or Swashbuckler
- Likes: Anti-Leaden Key, animal kindness, pro-Eothasian, light hearted, traditional
- Dislikes: Animal cruelty, pro-Leaden Key, anti-Eothasian
Eder automatically joins the party as your main frontline fighter as soon as the game starts with the shipwreck at Vilario’s Rest.
If you decide to play through as antagonistic towards Eothas and the other gods or opposed to rigid adherence to tradition, then you may want to go with a melee-focused class for the Watcher, as Eder won’t want to stick around.
Whether you go with fighter or rogue for his class, Eder is all about battlefield positioning and quickly dashing around to take on threats. Keep him mobile and in the thick of the action.
Xoti
- Location: Port Maje
- Class Option: Priest, Monk, or Contemplative
- Likes: Pro-Eothas, lighthearted, impassioned, wordly
- Dislikes: Anti-religious, irresponsibility, skullduggery
After leaving Vilario’s Rest, you can find Xoti in the center of Port Maje with the Children of the Dawnstars gathered to follow after Eothas.
Xoti is the game’s primary healer, so unless you focus on healing abilities from Tekehu or Pallegina, she’s basically a requirement.
Sadly, she’s not going to be happy if you play a rogue or go full throttle into evil pirate mode, and she doesn’t appreciate anyone who is opposed to Eothas.
Serafen
- Location: The Defiant
- Class Option: Barbarian, Cipher, or Witch
- Likes: Skullduggery, lighthearted, impassioned, worldly
- Dislikes: Anti-Principi, racism
When you fix the Defiant and start sailing towards Neketaka, a Principi ship will approach you with information about the pirate who first attacked at the beginning of the game.
During this dialogue, you can choose to have the psychic pirate Serafen join your crew.
Serafen can take the role of frontline fighter if you go pure barbarian, but frankly, his cipher abilities are more useful since he can charm enemies to fight for you during battle.
Aloth
- Location: Engwithan Digsite
- Class Option: Wizard, Battlemage, or Spellmage
- Likes: Autonomy, dutiful, stewardship
- Dislikes: Irresponsibility, pride, traditional
If you open the doors at the bottom end of the Engwithan Digsite area before getting the Defiant fixed at Port Maje, Aloth is clearly visible among the people hiding from Eothas.
On his quest to follow the Leaden Key, he’s been hiding his identity to fit in with the digging crew.
If you don’t pick the wizard class for the Watcher, Aloth is your best bet for a pure damage spellcaster.
Maia Rua
- Location: Neketaka (Serpent’s Palace)
- Class Option: Ranger, Scout, or Geomancer
- Likes: Dutiful, lighthearted, provincial, resourcefulness, pro-Rautai
- Dislikes: Animal cruelty, pro-Huana
After visiting the luminous adra pillar in Hosonga, you will be prompted to return to visit the queen in Neketaka.
During the dialogue segment with the queen, the two major trading companies in the area will try to send their spies onto your ship to watch the situation directly.
Maia is the Rautaian spy who works for the Royal Deadfire Company. Her long-range gun attacks and animal companion can be quite useful in combat, and she offers a romance option for the Watcher (if you can find some shark meat to feed her bird first).
Pallegina
- Location: Neketaka (Serpent’s Palace)
- Class Option: Paladin, Crusader, or Herald
- Likes: Anti-religious, pro-Animancy, dutiful, pro-Vailian Republic
- Dislikes: Pro-godlike, piety, racism
During the same segment in which Maia is recruited, the Vailian Trading Company will try to send Pallegina as their spy onto your boat.
You can choose to take one, either, or both of them. This second option results in some inter-party conflict if you have Pallegina and Maia in your group at the same time, as they are working at directly cross purposes.
As an anti-religious paladin, Pallegina can lead to all sorts of interesting party combos if you picked the godlike race and choose to be opposed to the gods. Pallegina can pick up the frontline fighter or back healer positions as needed.
Tekēhu
- Location: Neketaka (Periki’s Overlook)
- Class Option: Druid, Chanter, or Theurge
- Likes: Progressive, pro-godlike, piety, pro-Huana, lighthearted, pride
- Dislikes: Anti-Huana, pro-Rautai
This druid water godlike is found arguing with his mother in the watershaper’s guild building found in Periki’s Overlook.
Another romance option, Tekehu will be particularly interested in the Watcher if you picked the godlike race.
Tekehu can potentially take the role of frontline fighter when he switches to his shark form, but that’s really best left to Eder or Pallegina. His crowd control druid abilities make him an excellent combatant who can pick up the slack if you don’t have Aloth or cipher-focused Serafen in the party.
Vatnir
- Location: Harbinger’s Watch
- Class Option: Option: Priest (Rymrgand), Zealot, or Celebrant
- Likes: Will Update
- Dislikes: Will Update
A new type of godlike dubbed the “endings godlike” because of his connection to the deity Rymrgrand, Vatnir works well as a combat support priest with his ability to summon allies and manifest dual frost battle axes.
If you’ve already got a couple of priests in the party, pick his Celebrant variant to add in Chanter abilities or Zealot to get some Rogue options. Obviously he’s not keen on blasphemy towards his deity, so expect a lot of friction if your party isn’t on board with the teachings of Rymrgrand.
Pillars of Eternity 2 Sidekicks
Besides the main companions, four sidekicks who don’t have personal quests or inter-party dialogue are also available. These sidekicks round out the party with different class abilities if you don’t like the storylines or personalities of the full companions who take up those class roles.
Ywdin
- Location: Neketaka (The Sacred Stair)
- Class Option: Mindstalker, Cipher, or Rogue
Sadly, Obsidian didn’t make the stretch goal to turn Ydwin into a full companion during the game’s crowdfunding campaign, which is a shame, as she’s clearly supposed to be some sort of animancer vampire performing insane experiments! Ydwin is found by traveling to the top of the Spire Of The Soul-Seers in the Sacred Stair area of Neketaka.
Konstanten
- Location: Neketaka (The Queen’s Berth)
- Class Option: Chanter, Barbarian, or Howler
This masseuse, who is tired of rubbing down every traveler in Neketaka, is found by going to the upper floor of the Wild Mare in the Queen’s Berth area.
Fassina
- Location: Neketaka (Perika’s Outlook)
- Class Option: Wizard, Loremaster, or Sorcerer
Fassina can be found in the Dark Cupboard shop in Perika’s Outlook. If you don’t bring Tekehu with you, taking the Sorcerer option gives you access to some druid abilities.
Rekke
- Location: Flotsam Event
- Class Option: Fighter, Brawler, or Brute
Rekke is found during an event while sailing over on the far east side of the Archipelago map.
Mirke
- Location: Fort Deadlight
- Class Option: Monk
Mirke is available in the Deadlight Court after completing the Blow the Man Down quest where you attack Fort Deadlight. If you talk to her during th quest, she can also help out in non-violent quest resolutions.
Pillars of Eternity 2 Ship Crew Members
While you can pay to recruit replacement crew members at any of the various city dockyards, plenty of shipmates can be found just by exploring the world.
Rum-Dumb Riggere
- Location: Port Maje (Jail)
- Role: Deckhand
- Traits: Ocean folk, old Vailia, drunkard
You can pick up Rum-Dumb in the jail at Port Maje (after leaving the first area) by either paying his debt, picking the lock, or stealing the key.
Oswald
- Location: Oathbinder’s Sanctum
- Role: Navigator
- Traits: Wood elf, Aedyr, chatty, drunkard, helmsman
Oswald is currently on trial for a centuries-old crime inside the Oathbinder’s Sanctum (found on the island southwest of Neketaka). The Lost Dues in Good Faith quest given by Kahn in the Wild Mare takes you directly to Oswald.
Giordu Red-Handed
- Location: Temple Of Tangaloa Ruins (unnamed island south of Port Maje)
- Role: Cook
- Traits: Mountain dwarf, deckhand
Inside the temple filled with stranded sailors who turned to cannibalism, look for this dwarf tied to a bloody pillar on the west side of the largest chamber.
Handsome Eliam
- Location: Crookspur
- Role: Helmsman
- Traits: Death godlike, Dyrwood, enigmatic, loyal, cook
When you reach the slaver city Crookspur, you can either buy Handsome Eliam for 1,200 coins, or offer him a place on your crew after you kill all the slavers.
Mother Sharp-Rock
- Location: Caverns of Xaur Tuk-Tuk
- Role: Deckhand
- Traits: Xaurip, Deadfire Archipelago, religious, wilder, cook
Opening the cage at the northwest side of the Caverns of Xaur Tuk-Tuk provides the option to recruit this xaurip to your crew. The Caverns can be found by sailing northwest of Port Maje, and you have to explore this area during the Mapping The Achiepelago quest line granted by Sanza in the Queen’s Berth.
Birta
- Location: Neketaka (The Gullet)
- Role: Helmsman
- Traits: Ogre, Deadfire Archipelago, fearless, impulsive, wilder, cook
Head to the back room on the main floor of The Hole (the tavern at the east side of The Gullet in Neketaka), and talk to the ogre cook. For 400 coins she will join your crew. You can also pick up a pig pet in this same room.
Vektor
- Location: Tikiwara
- Role: Cook
- Traits: Mountain dwarf, Vailian Republic, chatty, loyal
After exploring the ancient ruins and completing the Storms of Poko Kahara quest, return to Tikiwara and talk to Vektor again to recruit him to your crew.
Emeini
- Location: Neketaka (The Brass Citadel)
- Role: Cannoneer
- Traits: Coastal amuana, impulsive, irreverent, helmsan, deckhand
After completing several quests, Emeini will eventually be found standing outside the Fleet Master’s Office in The Brass Citadel. She’s being punished after assaulting her captain, but if you have a reputation of 2 or higher with Neketaka, she will join your crew as a free expert cannoneer.
Worthless Idiot
- Location: Neketaka (Periki’s Overlook)
- Role: Navigator
- Traits: Imp, greedy, primordial
Yes, this imp’s name is literally Worthless Idiot. His archmage master, Arkemyr, is kind of an ass, if you couldn’t tell. Worthless Idiot is found just to the west of the watershaper’s guild in Periki’s Overlook.
If you recruit Worthless Idiot, random people in Neketaka will chide you for bringing a gross, smelly imp aboard your ship.
Have you found any other crew members we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
Now that you’ve got all the companions and ship crew, be sure to check out our other Pillars of Eternity 2 guides below as you get started exploring the Deadfire Archipelago:
Published: May 7, 2018 04:39 pm