What are the five strongest companions?

[Remove skull merchant]

DLC included

[Revan619]

Depends. Each companion has a different function that the others tend not to be able to cover.

In terms of support you have officer and operative. So cassia, jae, Idira, pasqal, yrliet.

Cassia has very good damage on lower difficulties but even on higher difficulties where her damage is non existent she still has an aoe stun. Her unique navigator origin also has unique infusing buffs or castigation debuffs. Focusing on her unique navigator stuff like it is a class means you can go grand strategist to skip turn order.

Jae can build up fellowship higher than anyone due to her gunslinger origin giving her additional free pistol attacks. With her higher attack economy she is a very good master tactician. Whilst not a good damage dealer early, with the right gear by mid to late game she can solo even chaos war machines. She unfortunately has the bad finest hour upgrade.

Operative is probably the least impacting class in the game. Low damage. Low buffs. Low debuffs. However idiras unsanctioned psyker origin means she is a very very strong buffer and damage dealer. Sometimes explodes herself and the party.

Pasqal has some unique tech priest stuff that makes him stronger than player made operatives but has Low attack economy as he isn't a fortress world origin.

Yrliet prior to 1.3 couldn't use most of the gear. She has been buffed but overall has the worst impact in and out of combat. As a bounty hunter you can pair her with pasqal or idira also as a bounty hunter to do fun things but overall probably skip yrliet.


Damage is where it gets interesting. As a psyker warrior heinrix is the highest damaging companion and it isn't even close. Bio pyro executioner with a chainsaw can do millions of damage a turn.

Argenta is held back by not being fortress world but can still make a strong heavy gunner arch militant.

Abelard is just a weaker heinrix. Navy officer can have a turn 1 knockdown gimmick but that is about it.

Kibellah is a bladedancer that when paired with drukhari weapons and executioner is the highest non psyker damage option. Her void world is terrible for combat however.

Ulfar is unironically the weakest companion due to his gear limitations. On easy difficulties his high strength and toughness might seem impressive. But he is a soldier with no melee talents. He has no equipment to improve using heavy weapons and has locked in talents for area weapons like flamers. He is probably the biggest mess of a companion. My vote for weakest as someone that grinds unfair and max sliders.

Due to poor talent choices and design: Every melee damage companion vastly out damages Ulfar in melee. Every range damage companion vastly out damages Ulfar in ranged. He is bad at every possible role. Even support characters like Jae, Pasqal, Yrliet and Idira do more damage than Ulfar.

Marazhai had a gimmick build. With 1.3 buffing him to use pretty much all human gear. He now has one of the strongest setups for act 4 but it is heavy gear reliant. He can essentially make a death aura where he can clear the map by walking near enemies that rapidly increases his lethality.


So if you were to tier them for their roles
S - Heinrix, Cassia
A - Idira, Kibellah, Jae, Argenta
B - Marazhai, Pasqal,
C - Abelard
Skip - Yrliet, Ulfar

Abelard is good early but drops off. Marazhai would be higher if he could use chainsaws. Jae would be higher if she had the right finest hour. Argenta would be higher with pasqal if they had never stop shooting.

However all can beat the game on unfair. Ulfar is still my favourite companion even if one of the weakest two.

[Riblion]

Really depends on the build but i would say Cassia and Kibellah are the strongest right now. After them, Heinrix, Pasqal and Argenta, maybe Abelard too. Ytrliet felt pretty weak/niche. Havent really played with jae, Ulfar and Marazhai so cant say anything about them, but i heard Jae is good too.

[Azure]

Ulfar is greatly stymied by being large and the hassles that it brings to mobility, when that is not a factor he is as good as you let him be being a Lone Wolf Grey Hunter ~ the balance of not being melee heavy like the Young blood claws or Heavy focused like the Older Long Fangs are.

[komarteresa1]

Cassia

[Hidetsugu]

Revan already did a pretty nice reply, although I guess it depends on your builds. But don't limit yourself from it - play however you like.
Anyways - strongest is Cassia, because of her utility. With her unique talents she can become a strong buffer, tank and cc-er all in one in the latter game. And even deals good damage in the early game.