Care and feeding of Consular companions (spoilers)

[Allronix]

A running theme I noticed when looking through these threads are people who are having trouble understanding/influencing/utilizing their companions. I've got 10000 with all of the above, so I'd be happy to share what I know.

 

Qyzen: The big, green guy is a little hard to read, and slow to gain influence with. It's not impossible, though. Trandoshans are usually bad guys in the Star Wars universe. Remember, these guys hunt and kill Wookiees for "points." Most of them are depicted as Always Chaotic Evil. Qyzen is the closest you get to Lawful Good as far as Trandoshans are concerned. You meet him after his humiliating defeat, which has destroyed a lifetime's worth of hunting.

 

If you've ever played or seen the Light Side Bounty Hunter, you have an in on how the guy thinks. Heck, Qyzen used to work for Old Man Braden. Like the Hunter, his primary stats are Aim/Endurance, and he wears heavy armor.

 

What makes Qyzen happy? He likes a dangerous fight and killing (NOT CAPTURING) strong enemies. Madame Scorekeeper doesn't seem to count live captures towards a man's lifetime score. He also approves of honor and honesty. A great example of this is the Esseles run; he will approve of you stopping Asara and telling her that the Captain set her up, and then agreeing to take her back to the Esseles. He also likes sparing the engineeers; part because it's the honorable thing to save them, part because running the conduits is the harder option and, therefore, more points. He hates thugs and criminals, because they aren't hunters. There is no challenge in shaking down refugees for their last credits. He does not like it if you do someone's hunting for them, but he loves it if you support the prey in fighting back, either by having them support you while you hunt enemies, or giving the prey the means to fight back; for example, he sees nothing wrong with Force-wielding rakghouls. If they're more dangerous, then the hunters will have to work harder to defeat them - more points for everyone!

 

Qyzen's soft spot? Yuon Par. He REALLY likes your master, so being nice to her in his presence is worth a lot of points. The other masters, not so much. Also, you may not understand his devotion to Madame Scorekeeper, but at least respect it.

 

Gifts: He likes weapons (Cool, I can use this to hunt more prey!), Underworld Goods (Cool, I get to hunt criminal prey), Military Gear (Tools to hunt prey), and technology (for when I'm not hunting prey). A common mistake is to give him trophies, but remember above - he is all about EARNING trophies.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Allronix

[Allronix]

Tharan Cedrax:

 

OK, I'm a Shadow Tank. Tharan's my right-hand man. But it's not just his healing that keeps him in my party constantly. At first, I figured the guy was a shallow, frivolous dillitante and pervert (a fact not helped by his breathy, holographic "assistant" or his incessant flirting with my female Shadow). However, there is a lot more to this guy than you'd expect. He actually reminds me a bit of Augur from the Canadian Sci-Fi series Earth: Final Conflict, a colorful, luxury-loving polymath who isn't as cowardly, shallow, or jaded as he likes to think he is.

 

First of all, he is definitely a scientist. He trusts what he can see, hear, taste, touch, feel, chart, and prove. He does not trust the Force, which is something completely alien and frustrating to a muggle like him. (He's equally disturbed by the Voss's faith in their Mystics) He especially has a hatred of Force Persuade, since it is not only overt use of something he can't analyze or understand, but it is a violation of someone else's capacity to reason. Speaking of reason, that's what he likes. When a questgiver starts talking about needing to fight an enemy head on, suggest a technological and/or logical approach, like jamming their sensors or sending the enemy misleading data. Tharan believes thinking your way out is better than fighting your way out.

 

For that matter, he also approves when you try to reason with your enemies by pointing out the flaws in their logic. I racked up an insane amount of points with him on Malestrom/Taral V by simply telling Killran that his strategy had gaping holes, and he was losing his mind as much as losing the battle.

 

The one spot where he will make an exception to his relative aversion to head-on fighting is if there is some cool new weapon, research data to retrievem or scientific team to rescue. He is of the belief knowledge is morally neutral, and knowledge for knowledge's sake is a good idea. The more untested, unethical, or insane it is, the more he would like to keep it and share it with the wider galaxy. (The man's a pretty classic Chaotic Neutral) So, if you plan to destroy that WMD or Artifact of Doom, or if you plan to introduce a crazy scientist to your lightsaber, swap him out of the party before you reach the point of picking that option.

 

His soft spots? He adores Holiday. You quickly find out that she's a lot more than a pretty face, and he's head over heels for her. Yes, the fact she's a sentient hologram means he has to get his physical needs satisfied with short-term flings. This is a standing arrangement with them. When you pry out his story, you realize that he has risked a lot for her and is willing to give up a lot more in order to make her happy. And while he's annoyed by the Force, it does not stop him from being fond of Master Syo (this makes for some REALLY cool scenes on the Corellia class quests).

 

Armoring? Think Scoundrel class. Cunning, Endurance, and Power. Medium armor, blaster and scattergun. If you are a Shadow, especially a tank-built? Gear him up and gear him well. He has some amazing interrupts and stuns he can use in addition to his heals, which makes him a great go-to for the nastier fights.

 

Gifts? He likes luxuries most of all. Fine wines, shiny gems, status symbols. Next is technological toys. He probably takes them apart in his quarters and reassembles them into something cooler than before. Underworld goods have a minor affection boost, as this fellow is a long-term resident of Nar Shadaa.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Allronix

[Allronix]

Zenith:

 

I described him to my guildie as "sniper rifle, head-tails, and a bad attitude." He's a man of few words, and even less forgiveness. I had the hardest time with him out of all of the crew. However, Dark Side inclined Consulars will do well with him, as his short fuse, well-earned paranoia, unforgiving nature, and flaming hatred of Imperials, Imperial collaborators, and anyone who was even NICE to an Imperial will fit the cold-blooded playstyle.

 

This is a guy who has made his life on the war-torn, bug infested, polluted @#$@%-hole that is Balmorra. Being a Twi'lek, he's on the receiving end of the nastiest parts of Imperial policy. So, armed with a sniper rifle and pure hate, he quickly becomes a top-notch Resistance fighter. Sniping imps? All in a day's work. Bombing civilian collaborators? They deserve what they get for aiding the enemy. Innocents in the crossfire? Regrettable, but this is war. Any means necessary.

 

He's all about the cynical, ruthless options, and hard pragmatism. If it hurts Imperials, he's signing up. His time in the Resistance gave him a paranoid streak that puts Carth Onasi's to shame, so picking options that express cynicism and distrust will sometimes earn a few points. He does not give a rip that the Children of the Emperor are possessed and not acting of their free will. They're Imperial collaborators and deserve only a shot between the eyes. He also doesn't trust Ty, the fellow who is giving you the Balmorran class quests. Justified in that Ty did make him an ambassador to get him on your ship and away from Balmorran politics. But justified in Ty's case, as the last thing Balmorra needs when trying to assemble a government is a guy who thinks ANY help to the Imperials, even under duress, warrants a one-way ticket to death.

 

I suspect that if you asked Zenith how he wanted to die, he'd reply "Kaas City, one hand holding a nuclear detonator. Other holding a blaster. Using my last breath to call down orbital bombardment." He'd neglect to mention that his lekku would be making an obsene gesture all the while (yes, Twi'leks can do that).

 

His soft spot is Balmorra. It's a bug-infested, polluted !@#$%-hole, but it's HIS bug-infested, polluted #!@@#%-hole. He loves his homeworld and wants nothing more than to see it free. Chasing the Imperials off any other world is a nice bonus.

 

Armoring: He's VERY close to Tharan in terms of equipment. Endurance, Cunning, scattergun in the offhand, medium armor. He favors sniper rifles for his main weapon and where Tharan uses Power, Zenith seems to do better with Accuracy, Critical, or Surge enhancement.

 

Gifts?: He loves Imperial memorabilia. I guess it's the same reason Thrawn kept an art stash - know what they value, and you know what to hit. He also likes weapons and military gear, all the better to keep the fight going.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Allronix

[darksidechemist]

Very well done and much appreciated! I just got Tharan and am still learning what makes him tick. Keep up the good work!

[Allronix]

Felix Iresso:

 

Was not expecting to like this guy, but he turned out to be a pleasant surprise on several different levels. There's a bit of Jacob Tayor in him; both in his character design and in the fact that Iresso is just too nice of a guy for the kind of stuff he does. His biggest problem, I'm convinced, is being in the wrong universe. The Republic Fleet doesn't seem to like him much, but Sisko and Sheridan would get into a bidding war over the guy, with Shepherd sniping both of them at the last second.

 

If you've played a light-sided Trooper that couldn't get much of anywhere with Jorgan, you'll probably like Iresso. (Iresso even mentions Jorgan as one of the many commanders he's had. The two had some clashes over policy.) When we meet him, he's stuck on Hoth with a bunch of jumpy privates and an assignment he was probably set up to fail. His establishing character moment? One of those jumpy privates pulls a blaster on him and talk mutiny. Felix plays it cool, decking the private, snatching the blaster that was aimed at his head not a second before, and then giving the kid advice not to leave himself open next time. This followed by assigning the would-be mutineer the duty of chipping ice off all the communicator dishes for a couple weeks.

 

Iresso is a loyal, talented officer, a good fighter, and even a war hero. But, he's also been bounced around from rear-end outpost to rear-end outpost. Some of this is due to his less-than-strict adherence to protocol (see above - the kid would have ended up dead or in the stockade with most Republic commanders). Some of it has to do with that incident on Althir, and the fact that he really does have a time bomb in his head. Either way, it doesn't bother him much. He's pretty darned cheerful, laid back, and glad to be where he's needed. He's Neutral Good, bordering on Chaotic Good.

 

A light-sided Consular will be able to rack up points with him effortlessly. Felix loves the Republic. He loves the Republic military. If you can volunteer to help out a fellow soldier, he's happy to come along. He also gets a big smile on his face when you volunteer for all those dangerous, nasty, and crazy missions that the Republic military needs done, but can't find anyone crazy enough to volunteer.

 

He's the love interest for female Consulars, and I'll have to admit he's got his charms. He manages to flirt like crazy with Lady Consular under the guise of battle strategy (Mind you, Tharan will take a slight affection loss if you pick flirty options with Felix in his presence.) He's also a pretty good option to accompany you on Voss, since he's not skeptical like Tharan or confused by the Voss's apparent pacifism like Qyzen.

 

Armor? Heavy Armor, Endurance, and Aim stat like the Trooper he is. The only main difference between his equipment and Qyzen's is that Qyzen uses a techblade (melee Aim weapon) and Felix uses a blaster rifle. Make sure to crank up his Endurance, as he draws an insane amount of aggro. Shadows will have to use their taunt and combat technique to keep all the incoming fire off him. Healer Sages will be a perfect team with him as all they'll have to do is sit back and throw heails while Felix blasts away.

 

Gifts: The guy likes Trophies for some reason. Maybe he liked to go out and hunt wampa in his spare time. Not like there was much else to do on Hoth. He also thinks Republic Memorbilia, weapons, and military gear are cool. Female Consulars who activate the romance option can also throw him courting gifts.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Allronix

[Allronix]

Nadia Grell:

 

You meet her at the top of Act 2, but sadly have to wait until the bottom of Act 2 to recruit her. That's pretty much all of what I don't like about her. If I had to name a character she reminds me of, it's Quorra from Tron: Legacy; cheerful, naive, curious about everything, but shouldering a big load under all that.

 

She's a near-human (Skahari), and the only known Force Sensitive on her planet. Making things harder for her is that she has a telekentic ability of "yes" and a tendency to make things go boom with it. Her father, loving daddy he was, decided that if he couldn't get help for his baby girl on his own home world, he was going to seek that help elsewhere. So, Daddy Grell ends up doing massive amounts of heavy lifting, and manages to gather some impressive allies. He and the impressive allies get hijacked, and Nadia is able to send out a distress signal to you. You go in and rescue them like the Big Damn Hero you are, and end up with a boatload of diplomats. However, it's on Quesh where you get to see what the kid can do - and it's pretty freaking impressive. Had it been me, I would have recruited her right there, but the best I could swing was asking Daddy Grell nicely if I could give Nadia a little unofficial training.

 

Well, things go south very quickly at the bottom of Act 2, and Daddy Grell makes one of those last requests to formally train Nadia. Nadia is honored, but she's taking what happened to Daddy very hard. Being an outcast on her own homeworld due to her Force abilities, she's now looking to you for support. She thinks you are wise, good, and brave.

 

Don't screw it up.

 

Like Felix, Nadia is ridiculously easy for a Light Sider to impress. She's taking that first step into a far greater world. She wants to learn, explore, test her abilities, and do what's right. Volunteer for dangerous assignments, risk your neck for others, go out and save lives, act with mercy - she will love every second of it. Her self-confidence is in the gutter due to a lifetime's worth of being a pariah, so gentle encouragement really goes a long way. The downside is that she struggles a lot with the "There is no emotion, there is peace" part of Jedi training. But all of the good ones have that struggle, anyway. It was hard not to be all Mama Bear when she drew aggro and/or grinning ear-to-ear with pride watching her go from scared girl to full-blown Jedi.

 

Nadia is the romance option for male Consulars. I play female, so I can't give the guys a lot of advice other than she comes to the same conclusion about love as Jolee Bindo, and that she thinks you're wise, brave, and good - don't screw it up.

 

Armor: She uses the same stuff as a DPS Shadow - light armor, double-bladed saber, focus. Save some level-appropriate adaptable armor and double-bladed saber in the carge gold, as the boss fight where she's formally recruited is a total bear. I was Level 50 before leaving Hoth, and it took me several tries to nail the guy. You'll want to boost Nadia's Endurance because the girl is a classic glass cannon. Her attacks are usually area based (so much for crowd controls!), and do massive damage, but unless you boost her endurance, she'll fall down fast.

 

Gifts: If you have to bribe her (again, a light sider won't need to), then she LOVES Cultural Artifacts. Remember, the kid hasn't been off-planet much, and wants to learn everything about the big galaxy. She also like Republic Memorabilia, and a Lord Consular who wants to court her can also throw courting gifts her way.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Allronix

[sir_star_wars]

Thanks so much! This was great.

[Allronix]

Bumping this back up due to some recent questions about Qyzen and Tharan.

 

I'd also like to ask everyone if they have any other advice or if there's something I left out.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Allronix

[slafko]

I'll just say that Nadia is my favourite companion of all. As a companion to my shadow tank, she's best suited for that close quarters AoE playstyle. Gearing Nadia is also very easy as you'll want to have a dps set for situations when you're not tanking. She makes great use of it and obliterates everything in a matter of seconds. The fact she's a glass cannon becomes an advantage since she's in no danger of picking up aggro off a shadow tank.

 

Soloing events and dailies is great fun with Nadia at your side. She will not aggro patrols as Tharan's Holiday can, she will not stand far behind you nad pick up a straggler. No. She will be by your side ripping your target to pieces.

 

Best. Tank. Companion. Ever.

[Allronix]

I trade off between Nadia and Tharan. They're both in 162/168, some of it augmented. (Nadia gets my old gear, aside from swapping out the Shield and Absorb enhancements for Power/Critical/Surge, but I have to grind for Tharan).

 

If you're running dailies and plowing through general trash that you just need to kill quick, then definitely pull out Nadia. My issue with her, though, is that she does break CC with her explosion attacks, and sometimes aggos nearby mobs in the process. Not a real big deal when it comes to lower-level planets or something like CZ 198, but can be trickier on harder areas and bosses.

 

If I have a tough fight or plan to solo a heroic, that's where Tharan comes in. I sometimes have to disable his "deploy Holiday" option, as the stun isn't going to fly on champion level bosses. His attacks don't break crowd control like Nadia's will, either. So soloing a Heroic with Tharan, like the Oricon heroic or Ambria's Fury, involves a lot of hit/run/CC/stealth attacks.

 

Felix can put out a devastating amount of DPS for a tank, but he's like Nadia in that he will break CCs and aggro anything in sight. Even a tank like me has to taunt sometimes to keep the aggro balanced between the two of us. So if you have a Healer Sage who shouldn't be taking aggro, Felix is your man. Qyzen actually doesn't generate as much aggro, so he might be a better option for a DPS Shadow/Sage who can make use of divide and conquer on the trash. I sometimes break out Qyzen if there's two elites in an area. I can hit one, he hits the other.

 

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a good niche for Zenith. He's often sent on Treasure Hunts unless I feel like invoking a challenge or know I'm going to be picking a "good ain't nice" option on a quest. HK's the same way, as gearing him up is proving an expensive headache, and I just got Treek (who fits in GREAT with my healer Mercenary, but haven't found a niche with the Shadow)

Edited February 21, 2014 by Allronix

[slafko]

Nadia has my back even in the Oricon heroic mission. It's just stealthing around with a few champion kills. Nothing really demanding when your gear is good enough.

[DomiSotto]

That's a nice and a funny write-up, but knowing what the companions like while helpful doesn't guarantee anything, unfortunately. I find wheel options misleading at times.

 

And, heh, I am going to have to trade my Smuggler for group play with a very LS Knight (Riggs should do just fine in a LS environment) and corrupt my Consular some when we get to Balmorra. I specifically picked a Consular to play with Zenith