Pillars of Eternity Companion Tier List Analysis

Hey folks, Aestus here with another tier list video. Today I’ll be ranking all of the companions from Pillars of Eternity 1 on a tier list. This continues my series covering the Pillars of Eternity series - I actually started with Deadfire and now I’m on Pillars 1, all in anticipation of the forthcoming release of Avowed.

A companion tier list is something people often request, but I don’t believe I’ve done one since I started my YouTube channel. I think I did have a companion tier list in written format before I was ever a YouTuber - it’s been that long. The reason I don’t do them is because I find them, especially in the games I cover, to be somewhat redundant. I always do class tier lists - I always rank classes, and in pretty much all of these games, what a companion offers is like 95% determined by their class.

If you just watch my class tier list, you can have a pretty good idea of what my companion tier list is going to be like. Honestly, Pillars of Eternity is not that different. Take Durance for example - Durance is a priest. If you go to my class tier list, you’ll see I have ranked priest in the S tier. Correspondingly, Durance is an S tier companion strictly speaking, if we’re just talking about what he brings to a party. Because he’s still a priest, and you need a priest in your party, you might as well have Durance there. It’s that simple.

Mercenaries and Ranking Methodology

That said, I’ve decided to do this one a little differently because of the inclusion of mercenaries in this game. In Pillars of Eternity, you can hire mercenaries which are custom-made units that you make just like your main character. The only real downside of hiring a mercenary is there are two costs:

A gold cost - an initial sum determined by the level of mercenary you hire
An experience cost - you can only hire a mercenary up to one level below your main character

Both of these costs are mitigated if you just hire your mercenaries very early in the game. If you hire them as soon as possible (right when you get to the Blackhound), you should be around level three and can hire a level two mercenary. The cost for that is quite low, and the experience cost is quite low because the difference between a level three character and a level two character in terms of flat experience value is not very much.

So how am I going to be ranking these companions? I’ll be asking the question: How likely am I to replace this companion with a mercenary from strictly a tactics perspective? The tiers break down as follows:

S Tier: A companion that is pretty much just as good as a mercenary of the same class, maybe even better in some ways due to unique features
A Tier: Just as good as a mercenary, maybe without unique features that make them better
B Tier: Companions I sometimes replace with mercenaries
C Tier: Companions I’m very likely to replace with mercenaries

Individual Companion Analysis

Aloth

Wood Elf Wizard
Attributes: Might 12, Constitution 10, Dexterity 15, Perception 12, Intellect 16, Resolve 13
No unique features compared to mercenary wizards
Wood Elf racial bonus good but not optimal for typical wizard builds
Ranking: B Tier - Sometimes replaced with mercenary wizards

Eder

Human Fighter
Attributes: Might 16, Constitution 16, Dexterity 11, Perception 12, Intellect 10, Resolve 13
Decent fighter stats but human racial feature not very useful
Ranking: B Tier - Can be replaced but solid fighter overall

Durance

Human Priest
Attributes: Might 14, Constitution 13, Dexterity 9, Perception 9, Intellect 15, Resolve 18
Stats poorly optimized for priest role despite narrative fit
Ranking: C Tier - Often replaced with mercenary priests

Kana

Island Aumaua Chanter
Attributes: Might 16, Constitution 12, Dexterity 9, Perception 14, Intellect 17, Resolve 10
Good attribute spread for chanter role
Ranking: A Tier - Rarely needs replacement

Sagani

Boreal Dwarf Ranger
Has unique companion Itumaak (fox)
Strong perception and might stats
Ranking: S Tier - Best ranger option available

Hiravias

Hearth Orlan Druid
Well-balanced stats with good intellect
Unique spirit shift form
Ranking: S Tier - Excellent druid implementation

Pallegina

Avian Godlike Paladin
Unique Paladin subclass (Brotherhood of the Five Suns)
Good balanced stats
Ranking: S Tier - Unique features make her irreplaceable

Grieving Mother

Human Cipher
Good intellect and dexterity stats
Solid cipher but can be improved upon
Ranking: B Tier - Sometimes replaced for optimization

Devil of Caroc

Construct Rogue
Unique features from construct nature
Gets some interesting immunities
Ranking: C Tier - Often replaced due to limitations

Maneha

Coastal Aumaua Barbarian
Strong might and constitution
Good stats for repost barbarian build
Ranking: A Tier - Very capable barbarian

Zahua

Human Monk
Excellent might and constitution stats
Nearly optimal monk build
Ranking: A Tier - One of the best monk options

Narrative Rankings

While tactical value is one thing, the narrative design of these companions deserves special mention. Here are some standouts:

S Tier Narrative Companions

Durance - Possibly the best companion in CRPG history, written by Chris Avellone
Eder - Written by Eric Fenstermacher, perfectly embodies the game’s themes
Sagani - Written by Carrie Patel, excellent character arc with powerful emotional moments

Notable Mentions

Aloth (B Tier) - Good introduction to game themes but lacks strong emotional payoff
Pallegina (B Tier) - Strong worldbuilding but less dramatic impact
Devil of Caroc (A Tier) - Compelling revenge narrative
Grieving Mother (B Tier) - Complex backstory though sometimes difficult to engage with

The writing quality of these companions, even at their worst, maintains a high standard. The best among them are some of the finest examples of character writing in the genre.

Note: This is based on Aestus’s tier list video analysis of Pillars of Eternity companions, focusing on both tactical and narrative aspects of the characters.