The popularity of Pillars of Eternity says a lot about the roleplaying game (RPG) genre of the video game industry. For one, it proved that old-school Dungeons & Dragons style games are still not out of style. More than anything, it proved that it’s usually the excellent storytelling and worldbuilding that carries a good RPG, regardless of how great is the gameplay.
Of course, the companions players meet in-game are also responsible. Without them, the game definitely would not have been as interesting. After all, the spirit of D&D rests on the interaction between friends and multiple characters. While Pillars of Eternity doesn’t exactly use a D&D ruleset, it still takes after the formula.
Unfortunately, you can only bring a handful of companions in the actual gameplay (five to be exact) out of all the eight you can have. The choice is up to you who to level-up with or bring in a party. However, some companions are arguably better than others. So, in case you haven’t made up your mind yet on favorites, here’s a ranking for all eight of them.
8. HIRAVIAS
Continuing the tradition of misfits on an adventure popularized by Baldur’s Gate, Hiravias is fundamentally an interesting character. He’s a druid and a drifter, usually just wandering around. His personality is quite peculiar for the way he looks; he has a ravaged face, a broken ear, and actually lost his other eye. Despite this, the lad is quite energetic.
Then you realize he’s the equivalent of a werewolf, cast out by his druidic clan because his spiritshifting form was a bad omen. As a result, Hiravias was left alone and puzzled at the world. It’s also probably why there’s no shortage of vulgarity coming out of Hiravias’ mouth. It’s a welcome change from other companions’ vocabulary but can be a tad too boorish for some.
7. SAGANI
A quintessential huntress, Sagani. She has a pet fox and wears animal hide and fur for clothing. Sagani is quite distrustful the first time you meet her, which really doesn’t do much for her charm. However, much of her attitude was due to being conned too many times by people outside her huntress tribe. She seems to know animals better though.
What does set Sagani apart from others is her manner of speech and her accent, as if she was from a different era. That, and she is also a 57-year-old boreal dwarf. Still, one good reason to pick Sagani for your party is her potential for damage and her fox, Itumaak is quite handy in combat for keeping enemies busy.
6. PALLEGINA
Pallegina is a woman of conflicts. Despite being born as an avian godlike to human parents, she was resented by her father throughout her childhood. Also, despite having feathers for her hair due to her godlike heritage, she hates birds. Of course, all the hardships from the moment Pallegina was born did not deter her from developing inspiring wit, as is evident from her sarcastic banter.
Because of her natural athleticism, Pallegina also became a successful paladin of the Republic. However, she’s far from being “friend of the year” despite her paladin status, all that bad childhood experience has made her quite prickly. Regardless, you can’t go wrong with a paladin in your party.
5. KANA RUA
Bard bro. Kana is a tall, well-built, cool, and laid-back fellow, your typical Samoa– er, island aumaua. Much of his calm personality stems from his royal family origins. Every party needs some sort of a bard character and Kana is the one that best fits this role. He’s a Chanter or a special kind of bard who summons skellies that can trash the enemy. Quite useful.
Additionally, Kana is a Renaissance man, he has a lot of capabilities and is reliable in a pinch. Apart from his general usefulness outside of combat, Kana’s voice acting, banter, and interactions with other companions make him worthy of a permanent slot in the actual party.
4. GRIEVING MOTHER
The Grieving Mother is quite a tragic tale of the aftermath of the curse of the land, called Waidwen’s Legacy. It renders newborn babies dead and soulless. Unluckily for the Grieving Mother, her profession was that of a midwife and a cipher in a time of the said curse. That means she can also peer through the spiritual energy of the world and see souls both dead and alive.
Using her powers as a cipher, she put all the mothers in her village whose newborns died under a dream– a lie to convince the mothers that their babies were unaffected by the curse. This put a strain on her and the spell broke, leading to the village blaming and torturing her. Now she weeps and laments the dead babies.
Of course, being a cipher like you, the Grieving Mother’s dialogue can be rather cryptic. She also does not have much interactions with other companions, nor much banter. Still, learning more about her can be one of the most rewarding stories in Pillars of Eternity.
3. ALOTH
Every party should have a wizard– a wise practitioner of sorcery who performs the most miraculous spells to keep the party out of trouble. Aloth is a wizard, sure, but an unconventional one. You see, Aloth, the wood elf wizard is not by himself. He carries another soul: a woman named Iselmyr– a coarse and violent person who broke Aloth’s father’s arm while he was being battered as a child.
Despite Iselmyr shielding Aloth from his abusive father, he is not quite thankful for her. Iselmyr tends to contradict Aloth’s mild and gentlemanly demeanor and tends to manifest during stressful times, making Aloth look mentally disturbed. This does make for some interesting or hilarious banter and conversation with the elven wizard.
2. DURANCE
Durance is not exactly an ideal companion, but in a Baldur’s Gate-esque video game, no one tends to be. However, Durance is somewhat of an extreme example of a misfit– he is ugly, disheveled, and a priest, a murderous priest of a fire goddess. The previous wars and the curse have certainly taken its toll on Durance. As a result, he looks upon the Watcher (you) as salvation in progress, one that he needs to test.
Nevertheless, he is someone you will want in your party to spice things up with banter or interactions. That’s because Durance is naturally confrontational and usually angry. At times, he will also seek to offend or argue with others, especially with a certain female paladin, since he is a misogynistic priest. He’s a handful alright, and you’ll be missing out not including him in the party.
1. EDER
At first glance, Eder appears to be a typical warrior-type dude, being a veteran of war, but throughout the story and his character development, he proves to be more clever and observant than his simpleton appearance implies. He does seem to have one of the most humble origins here, growing up as a farmer but ending up on a world-saving adventure.
That’s not what makes Eder the best companion, however; his dark humor and laid-back outlook in life are what make him the least stressful or boring of all your companions in Pillars of Eternity. He also loves animals and will take every opportunity to pet them, with or without owners. The best part about him from a gameplay perspective? He’s an absolute tank, at least his based on his initial class. Eder can save your whole party and stay humble about it. There’s nothing bad you can say about Eder. Don’t you dare.
