Do you max out your companions (with gifts) to 50 or keep them lower to save money?

[DarkTergon]

That's not true.

 

When you get your companions back after starting KotFE (either through the storyline, or by using the companion return terminal) you can keep levelling them up normally.

 

There was a bug on certain companions, that effected it, so that could be what you were thinking, or hearing about, But i think that got sorted.

[DawnAskham]

What vendor sells the 0-50 boost? Where is he located?

 

Fleet - Crew Skill / Conquest wing - outer ring where guild registrar / guild ship directory are located.

 

The ones on the CM (even on-sale) are a rip-off compared to what CC converts to in credits as the in-game vendor sells them for 4.3 million + 3 dark projects (usually around 1 million if you cant make them yourself on a week like now, much less if Dark Projects are a conquest objective), whereas stuff you can buy for 1800 CC can sell for 80 million and up.

 

As to KotFE - you will lose all companions except those included in the story until you get to the base (a number of chapters into the KotFE storyline) and start getting alerts and / or can access the companion terminal.

 

Note that some companions can be re-obtained rather quickly (terminal / quick alert mission), while others are annoying AF to re-obtain (Lokin for agent requires doing an alert to open an alert plus requires the rhakghold event to be up to complete his missions).

Edited July 25, 2020 by DawnAskham

[codydmaan]

as was said before you can craft 3 dark projects and give them to the flert vendor for 4.25m and grt a token for a instant level 50 companion its super well worth your time!

[supercometl]

In purple companion gifts? I assume it would cost well over 5 million for each companion.

 

I usually will just spam greens for about an hour or two while watching something on my other screen. If I am going to make anything a crafter I just buy the 50 gifts from the conquest vendors.

[JediQuaker]

In answer to the title question:

Most of the companions I levelled up before Onslaught were done with a combination of gifts from Galactic Command crates and gifts bought from the vendors on the fleet. It usually ended up costing a few million credits, each.

Since Onslaught changed Galactic Command to Renown, the Renown packs don't contain any companion gifts. I've only needed to level up 2 companions since then though, so I've used the insta-50 thingie from the CM . (I bought a 3-pack, so I still have 1 left.)

All of my main characters have at least two level 50 companions (1 ranged, 1 melee) and the crafters have 3-6. There's usually no need to level up all your companions. Just pick the 1 or 2 you actually use.

With regard to saving "money" - I know people would like to save credits (which aren't real money) to buy the latest shiny from the GTN, but doing things like levelling up companions are what credits are basically for.

Edited July 27, 2020 by JediQuaker

[JediJoy]

There is a website (sorry I can’t find the link) that has a complete break down on how much it costs to lvl up your companions with different types of gifts. And it’s in spread sheet form to show the cheapest way to do it, which unfortunately isn’t the fastest because it requires giving lots of low lvl gifts.

 

You also have amplifiers on Armor now and if you get the ones for influence, it can save you about 20-30% because you get more influence per gift.

 

Stopped by to say this exact thing and to add a bit more.

 

1) Make sure you go to your legacy character perks and max out the boost for companion gifts.

2) If you want to do low level gifts, I highly recommend spending some money on the legacy character perk that ups the speed to which you give gifts.

3) Personally I aim to have 8 level 50 toons for each of my toons and have all the character perks maxed out. This way if you ever decide to switch crafters or if you need extra bits from gathering/missions, you are all set. Also its always good to have at least one level 50 on each toon for combat.

4) I always found it easier to use the green gifts till they are between 20 and 30, then switch to blues until they are 40 and then purples till the end.

5) Always check the guides online for which type of gift is best for each companion. In game when you scroll over a gift it will say moderate, large, etc. However they are not all equal (meaning that two purple gifts grade 3 which both say they give your companion large points will in fact not be the same amount of points). Each companion has a particular type of gift (cultural, imp mem, trophy etc) that they love the most which will give you maximum amount each time.

 

Best of luck!

[DzastinBiberi]

For some companions I've used gifts that I got from CXP boxes, gold and purple one's.

When that option went out of the window, I paid 3-4m for those 50 lvl boosts.

So I ended up boosting a few companions, since I have like 6-7 crafting alt's, so I always have minimum 3 comps at level 50 on each alt.

[Banthabreeder]

I still use Dulfy's website for some stuff. Don't know how much longer this will be up and available but here is the link:

 

http://dulfy.net/2015/10/21/swtor-fallen-empire-companion-influences-guide/

 

For any newer companions not listed, I just google their name and easily find it somewhere else.

 

As for if I max them out, yes. 100% yes. 9 for each of my alts. That way I have 8 to run missions and 1 left over to use for heal/dps/tank stuff.

Edited July 27, 2020 by Banthabreeder

[stoopicus]

I just did the Commander's Compendium thing last night and it was by far the easiest way to go. Total cost was about 5-6mil, counting the Dark Projects. So maybe 1-2mil more expensive than handing them all the gifts, but SO much better for time.

[TrixxieTriss]

I just did the Commander's Compendium thing last night and it was by far the easiest way to go. Total cost was about 5-6mil, counting the Dark Projects. So maybe 1-2mil more expensive than handing them all the gifts, but SO much better for time.

 

Here’s a hint to get them cheaper. Make them to keep costs down. Just use the jawa junk we get from everywhere to buy the mats. Then all you need to buy are the white vendor mats to craft and pay 4.25mil for the actual commanders compendium. It actually works out cheaper than buying gifts and saves you a butt load of time

An added bonus is if you make the Dark Projects during some conquest weeks, it can help you lvl up your conquest points really fast that you don’t even need to leave your strong hold. Then you get more Jawa junk for completing conquest on that character.

Edited July 28, 2020 by TrixxieTriss

[stoopicus]

Ahh cool, thanks for the tip. I think I have a bunch of Jawa Junk lying around.

[Tsillah]

In answer to the title question:

Most of the companions I levelled up before Onslaught were done with a combination of gifts from Galactic Command crates and gifts bought from the vendors on the fleet. It usually ended up costing a few million credits, each.

Since Onslaught changed Galactic Command to Renown, the Renown packs don't contain any companion gifts. I've only needed to level up 2 companions since then though, so I've used the insta-50 thingie from the CM . (I bought a 3-pack, so I still have 1 left.)

All of my main characters have at least two level 50 companions (1 ranged, 1 melee) and the crafters have 3-6. There's usually no need to level up all your companions. Just pick the 1 or 2 you actually use.

With regard to saving "money" - I know people would like to save credits (which aren't real money) to buy the latest shiny from the GTN, but doing things like levelling up companions are what credits are basically for.

Sure but I bet you could've gotten a LOT of credits for the amount of CC you spent on them in the CM. Enough to buy lots of them in game from the vendor. You could've easily bought 10+ from the fleet vendor if you'd spent them CC on something to sell on the GTN.

[HighInquisitor]

To take a comp from 1-50 via purple rank 5 gifts (easiest purchase from vendor for 10k ea) costs: $4,810,000.

The insta token from the vendor costs 3 Dark Projects and $4,250,000. A difference of half a mil.

I am in the process of getting 8 comps on all alts and crafters to 50 because the crit and failure rates have changed with the last update and the purple mats from missions are even more valuable now. I am going the insta token-route because of cost and I am already burned out clicking on gifts. All told, it will cost me ~$500,000,000 to get them up.

[phalczen]

I typically just use the Commander's Compendium. I am so happy that they are available on the Cartel Market ... and I'm sure Bioware is happy to take my money. The version you can purchase with Dark Projects and 4.25 mil credits really only saves you time at this point over gifts, since the resources for Dark Projects are as expensive as the difference between the gifts and the compendium. So the Cartel version is well worth my real life money to save 4 million in game credits, since I am credit and time-poor. But that's a choice that works for me, and my life circumstances, and may not be the best choice for other people. I'm not terribly interested in dissecting out the minimum influence rank necessary to handle Master Mode chapters, since that may vary quite a lot depending on role, utilities, gear, etc. So I'd rather just boost them and be done with it. The transition from 4.x to 5.0 and then again to 6.0 caused issues in challenging content designed to be solo-able with a good companion, for example Star Fortresses and The Eternal Championship. Having comps at rank 50 helped to mitigate some of those balance issues until they were sorted out by the Devs.

 

Regardless of the method of raising influence, I try to prioritize companions that I know are unlikely to be taken away from me or otherwise rendered unavailable by story. This would include "prepaid" reward companions like Shae Viszla, Nico Okarr, Master Ranos, Z0-OM, Darth Hexid, Paxton Rall, HK-55. Technically it also includes HK-51 and Treek, but currently both are bugged (since 5.5) and aren't as effective in combat as others. However, they do stay available for crew skills when you are going through early chapters in KOTFE, so if you are already at max level for crew skills prior to doing chapters and you need to keep your crafting going, it may be useful to boost them. I have chosen not to waste gifts/compendia on any of the cartel market ones (droids and beasts) since they cannot be used for crew skills, but technically they would fall into this category too.

 

Next, I prioritize companions that are used extensively in chapters or other parts of the story, in case I ever want to do Master Mode Chapters. This usually means at least Lana, Senya, Theron, and Koth. Torian was not a bad choice prior to 6.1.2 because KOTFE 14 was a conquest objective during Death Mark, but I think that was removed with 6.1.2 as a specific daily repeatable. Then I prioritize dual wielding range, then dual wielding melee, since they have been shown to generally out perform other companions, with the exception of Shae and Zeeyo. Those two are awesome dps and heals respectively, but if I need a tank companion a dual-wielder is probably best. If you like The Eternal Championship like I do, you need a ranged and a melee tank. Theron Shan can cover the ranged part, and Master Ranos can cover the melee part, but there are others than can substitute.

 

Taking into account all those factors, that usually gets me at least 9 companions at rank 50, which gives me the eight I need for crew skills and one summoned for playing. Often I'll chose to boost my in-game spouse as well if they aren't already one of the ones previously meeting criteria for boosting.

 

TL, DR:

Boost:

 

 

1. Lana Beniko
   
2. HK-55
   
3. Shae Viszla
   
4. Master Ranos
   
5. Z0-OM
   

If you don't plan on killing them, or even if you do but plan on replaying chapters a lot, add:

• Koth Vortena
  
• Theron Shan
  
• Senya Tirall
  

Otherwise you can substitute the following:

• Nico Okarr
  
• Paxton Rall
  
• Vette
  
• Raina Temple
  

Star Fortress companions are unlikely to be taken away from us, so you can consider the two dual-wielders:

• Veeroa Denz (she's necessary if you don't have access to Master Ranos or Ashara Zavros
  
• Heimdal Tre (or whatever his name is, he's the Arconan historian from the Hoth SF)
  

Class specific ones that return as alerts and are dual wielders:

• Mako
  
• Ashara Zavros (the only melee dual wielder in this group)
  
• Andronikos Revel
  

 

That's at least 14 there, add another if your romantic interest isn't among the lists above:

 

 

1. Kira
   
2. Doc
   
3. Nadia
   
4. Theran Cedrax
   
5. Felix Iresso
   
6. Elara Dorne (is she a dual wielder too, I can't recall?)
   
7. Aric Jorgan
   
8. Risha Drayen
   
9. Akaavi Spar
   
10. Corso Riggs
    
11. Malavai Quinn
    
12. Jaesa Wilsaam
    
13. Kaliyo Djannis
    
14. Vector Hyllus
    
15. Torian Cadera
    

 

So plenty of options to choose from to get your nine.

Edited July 28, 2020 by phalczen

[Tsillah]

I typically just use the Commander's Compendium. I am so happy that they are available on the Cartel Market ... and I'm sure Bioware is happy to take my money.

Did you ever think of buying something that's an easy sell via the GTN and be able to buy 10+ of them in game with the credits you make that way?

 

I mean, I keep saying it I guess but it just seems like you're robbing yourself.

Edited July 28, 2020 by Tsillah

[phalczen]

Did you ever think of buying something that's an easy sell via the GTN and be able to buy 10+ of them in game with the credits you make that way?

 

Yes. However, I prefer to save the credits for things that are truly only available for in-game currency. Amplifiers, repair costs, pulling mods out of acquired SoW pieces, the obligatory 1 million for each set bonus piece or tactical (from Kai or the regular vendors) ... these are things I can't pay for any other way.

[MingusPho]

I level up whichever ones I find interesting or that I feel fit the class I'm playing. Moreover, they come in handy to keep me from getting too bored during content droughts. I also like to max certain ones for specific roles -- Shae for dps, Senya for tanking, and Hexid for heals, etc but that's just my preference. It's always good to have a reliable 50 on standby for FPs when somebody drops or gets kicked. If everybody is geared, knows how to play, and your comp is at max it saves you from having to requeue with the exception of a few cases.

 

Oh last note.. It's a lot cheaper to level the creature and droid comps thanks to the jawa scraps that drop and it's considerably easier to make credits these days too for the rest.

Edited July 28, 2020 by MingusPho

[lukeisjedi]

There is a website (sorry I can’t find the link) that has a complete break down on how much it costs to lvl up your companions with different types of gifts. And it’s in spread sheet form to show the cheapest way to do it, which unfortunately isn’t the fastest because it requires giving lots of low lvl gifts.

 

You also have amplifiers on Armor now and if you get the ones for influence, it can save you about 20-30% because you get more influence per gift.

 

But the absolute fastest way to do it and the way I do it is using dark projects and then 4.5 mil credits to buy the booster from the vendor. Then you can take a lvl 1 companion to lvl 50 instantly.

 

What vendor do you get that from? The companion gifts vendor?

[ElZaguero]

But the absolute fastest way to do it and the way I do it is using dark projects and then 4.5 mil credits to buy the booster from the vendor. Then you can take a lvl 1 companion to lvl 50 instantly.

 

As usual, Trixx is right on the money.

 

Dulfy hasn't been active for months, but this -

http://dulfy.net/2015/10/21/swtor-fallen-empire-companion-influences-guide/

- is still a very useful resource. If you go to that link and hit Page Down 5 times, you should be looking at a link to a spreadsheet on Google Docs and a screenshot of that spreadsheet showing how it works. This will allow you to calculate costs.

 

But as Trixx said, 3x Dark Project and 4.5 million gets you the doodad for instant level 50 without burning your CC. Vendor is named V1ct0ry and he's a robot found in the last bay of the Strongholds and Crew Skills section of fleet.

[Sarova]

In purple companion gifts? I assume it would cost well over 5 million for each companion.

4,750,000 if bought at full price from the vendor to be exact (tested myself). I think I timed that it took me 22mins to get a companion from 1-50 giving purple gifts with the legacy speed boost.

Since 6.0 I've done the instant level 50 (to make sure my companion can actually heal me) usually by buying the instant item from the PvP/Stronghold vendor for x3 dark projects and 4,350,000 credits (I think it's that many), especially on my instant boost to 70 alts. When you have 50+ alts quick is good. Before 6.0 when gold & purple gifts were ridiculously cheap on gtn I usually bought them up & horded them to level my companions to 50 with a combination of those and the purple gifts.

Edited July 28, 2020 by Sarova