Star Wars The Old Republic Companions: Complete Guide

Introduction

If you play Star Wars The Old Republic, one of the most personal and rewarding parts of the experience is your squad: the companions. In this guide, we unpack star wars the old republic companions — how to recruit companions, build relationships, optimize companion abilities, and use companion gifts and gear to make every mission feel cinematic. Whether you’re level-grinding, exploring companion stories, or pursuing a romance subplot, this guide covers the systems and practical tips you need to get the most out of your SWTOR companions.

How Companions Work in SWTOR: Basics and Terms

Companions are AI-controlled allies that join your character for story beats, combat support, and personal quests. Understanding the core systems helps you use them effectively:

• Recruit companions: Most companions join through story progress, class quests, or planet missions.
• Companion abilities: Each companion has combat skills, roles (tank, healer, DPS, support), and unique abilities that can be customized.
• Companion influence and loyalty: Your actions, dialogue choices, and gifts affect companion influence, unlocking deeper companion stories and romance options.
• Companion gear and customization: Companions can equip gear that scales with level; cosmetic options may be available for personalization.
• Companion missions and crew skills: Some companions can be sent on missions for rewards, often tied to crew skill mechanics.

Tip: Think of companions as both narrative partners and mini-characters you can level and outfit to match your playstyle.

Who Are the Best Companions? Roles, Strengths, and Examples

“Best” depends on your goals: story depth, combat effectiveness, or romance. Here’s how to evaluate them:

• Combat roles: Identify if a companion is built for tanking, support, healing, or ranged/melee DPS. Use companions whose roles complement your class and playstyle.
• Story value: Some companions have long companion stories and meaningful romance arcs. If narrative is your focus, prioritize companions with rich dialogue trees.
• Utility: Companions with useful passive bonuses or crew skill synergies can boost your legacy, crafting, or credits earning.

Examples of how to choose:

• If you play a tank and want more survivability, pair with a healer companion for tougher fights.
• Solo DPS players often choose a strong support or healer companion to balance damage and survivability.
• Players seeking romance or a strong narrative should experiment with dialogue options to learn companion preferences and unlock companion stories.

Increasing Companion Influence: Gifts, Dialogue, and Actions

Influence (sometimes called affection or loyalty in other games) unlocks extra dialogue, personal missions, and romance paths. Increase influence with these methods:

• Dialogue choices: Choose responses that align with the companion’s personality. Some companions prefer direct honesty, others prefer sympathy or moral ambiguity.
• Companion gifts: Gifts are powerful — they grant large influence boosts when matched to a companion’s preferences. Learn which gifts each companion likes and keep an eye on your inventory.
• Quest actions: Your in-mission choices (who you spare, how you handle negotiations) affect companion influence.
• Completing companion missions: Personal missions often give significant influence and reveal more of the companion’s backstory.

Tip: Save high-value gifts for companions you want to romance or who provide critical utility. Don’t waste rare gifts on companions you’ll bench.

Companion Gear, Mods, and Customization

Companion gear affects survivability and damage. Treat companion customization like optimizing a second character:

• Gear tiers: Equip companions with level-appropriate armor and weapons. Higher item ratings improve their combat effectiveness.
• Mods and enhancements: Fit mods to the companion’s role — accuracy and critical for DPS, defense and shield for tanks, alacrity or power for healers if applicable.
• Appearance: Many companions can wear cosmetic armor or outfits to match your character’s theme. Use this to reinforce storytelling or roleplay.

Pro tip: Keep companion gear updated during level-ups and flashpoints. A neglected companion will underperform in higher-tier content.

Companion Abilities and Combat Tips

Understanding how companion abilities interact with your skills is crucial for tougher content:

• Ability synergy: Coordinate your rotations so companion cooldowns complement your own. For example, use a companion’s crowd control before your big area attacks.
• Positioning and targeting: Companion AI targets enemies differently than players. Use pull or taunt abilities to focus enemy attention when needed.
• Cooldown management: Some companions have long-cooldown powerful abilities — time them for boss phases or when you need burst healing.
• Specialization: Some companions level into stronger versions of their roles. Learn which level brackets unlock important companion abilities and plan accordingly.

Example: If your companion has a healing burst, time it for a predictable boss mechanic to reduce consumable usage and improve raid efficiency.

Companion Missions and Crew Skills: Passive Benefits and Rewards

Beyond combat, companions in SWTOR often contribute to crew skill missions or companion missions that return gear, credits, or crafting materials:

• Assigning companions: Match a companion’s strengths and traits to the mission requirements for higher success rates.
• Rewards: Regularly send companions on missions to farm reputation, crafting mats, or credits. These resources are valuable for gearing and upgrades.
• Cooldowns and timing: Some missions take real-time to complete. Stagger missions to ensure steady reward flow.

Tip: Use a rotation of companions for missions so that rare mission slots are always occupied and productive.

Romance and Personal Storylines: Navigating Companion Relationships

Romance options are a signature feature of star wars the old republic companions. They add emotional weight and unlock unique scenes:

• Consent and alignment: Romance often depends on your class, decisions, and the companion’s orientation. Not every companion is romancable by every class.
• Influence thresholds: Many romance beats require high influence or completing companion story missions first.
• Dialogue consistency: Keep your dialogue choices consistent with the relationship you’re building — sudden betrayals can reset progress.

Example romance tips:

• Save key influence gifts for the companion you intend to romance.
• Complete companion personal missions early — these often unlock critical romance choices.
• Use affectionate or supportive dialogue options when favored by the companion.

Optimizing Your Companion Loadout: Practical Tips

Practical, task-oriented tips to make companions more effective:

• Balance roles: If you’re soloing, bring a healer or strong support. In group content, tailor companions to fill gaps (extra DPS, utility).
• Upgrade often: Check companion gear when you hit level milestones or finish a hard fight — small upgrades matter.
• Save gifts: Use high-value companion gifts strategically on companions with the biggest payoff (romance or major story influence).
• Understand traits: Some companions have traits that help with crafting or mission success. Match them to crew skill missions for bonuses.
• Experiment: Try companions in different roles to see how their companion abilities change your fights.

FAQs — Common Questions About Companions

Q1: How do I recruit companions?

A1: Most companions join through main story quests, class-specific chapters, or planet quests. Progress through your class story and side missions, and you’ll meet companions naturally. Some companions require specific questlines or reputation requirements.

Q2: Can I romance any companion?

A2: Not every companion is available for romance with every class. Romance options depend on your class, dialogue choices, and companion influence. Building high influence and completing personal missions increases your chances.

Q3: Should I equip companions with the best gear?

A3: Yes. Keep companion gear up to date to maintain combat effectiveness. Focus on mods and enhancements that match their role (e.g., defense for tanks, power for DPS).

Q4: How do companion gifts work?

A4: Companion gifts boost influence when they match a companion’s preferences. Save rare gifts for companions you want to develop or romance. You can earn gifts through missions, vendors, or event rewards.

Q5: Do companions gain experience or level up?

A5: Companion stats and effectiveness scale with player level and gear in SWTOR. Some companions have abilities or upgrades that unlock at certain thresholds. Use companion missions and quests to improve their usefulness.

Conclusion

Star Wars The Old Republic companions are a core part of what makes SWTOR memorable: they bring personality, mechanical depth, and narrative stakes. From recruiting companions and managing companion abilities to giving gifts and pursuing romance, the companion system rewards players who invest time into relationships and optimization. Use the companion influence system, keep companion gear updated, match companions to missions and combat roles, and don’t be afraid to experiment. With the right approach, your companions will feel like trusted allies on every planet and in every conquest.

Final tip: Treat companions as living parts of your legacy — they’ll return the favor with loyalty, powerful abilities, and some of the best stories SWTOR has to offer.