Good afternoon.
I've been reading a number of forums and guides (mostly old), in the hopes that I can choose the right companion for soloing content.
I'm a ranger now, and I LOVE the class. I was hoping to stick with animal companions, but there's plenty that would benefit my class.
What are your opinions on the best "tanking" companion? Beast-type or otherwise? I'm curious to know your thoughts.
Thank you in advance.
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The best tanks I have found are the following;
Skeleton
Rimefire Golem
Cold Iron Warrior
Blacksmith
Dragonborn Brawler
Dread Warrior
Wandering Scarecrow
Zhentarim Warlock
Honey Badger
Galeb Duhr
These companions at rank 40 take a real beating in battle and seldom fall.
I can not speak on them being "best" by any means, though.
That was a long time ago. A lot has changed in the game since then.
Not a beast, but an earth elemental, so I felt that it was still on-theme.
The Honey Badger used to be popular. I never used it, and again, that was a long time ago.
There is going to be a 100% off companion coupon coming along and a change in companion pricing in the market, though, so I suggest waiting before making a C-Store purchase. This could affect AH prices as well, but if I wanted a companion right now I would go the AH route until the price change happens.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fP_cUugHdsObvQDzLFijGA-mVm_qLmSy0MI62aTLkDM/edit#gid=1786749120
referenced elsewhere in the forums gives the best overview I've found on all possible companion options.
If you're soloing, I've found the high DPS companions worked well for a ranger build - though some are a little too aggressive still and manage to pull mobs when you don't want the attention.
But if you need a tanky companion - just pick a fighter that you like and try it out.
https://youtu.be/fsfmjIxTvyo
Honey Badger is beast type. They are very AD expensive but you can buy them from the AH in a companion choice pack or listed under Honey Badger.
I used the Earth Archon for a long time before the big changes to the companion system. It can be a little slow to attack but as has been stated, sucker could take a pounding and keep going, as well as being immune to several types of attacks.
I've used a few other 'tank' types over the years as well and have to say that one of the best for getting in there quick was the Man-at-Arms (or Shieldmaiden, they seem to act/attack the same) and if you upgrade him to 40 he doesn't die real quick.
Lately tho I use Xuna when soloing. Yes, she can aggro extra mobs at times but she also often kills them all in the blink of an eye. I turn around and there are dead bodies and loot on the ground. The Shadow Demon was another good dps companion that I used quite a bit, that puppy has a wicked left hook that can do some major damage to a single target.
Bulette pup for groups. Deepcrow hatchling is good too.
PANIC!
The M16 rework removed most of the taunts, so companions usually do not grab the aggro or hold it if you join the fray. As I said, Cave Bear and Owl still have "taunt" in the tooltips, but I gave them a try and ended up as the main mob target anyway.
From the other point of view, Owl is fun to watch and somehow suits the ranger role-play.
Blood Magic (RELEASED) - NW-DUU2P7HCO
Children of the Fey (RELEASED) - NW-DKSSAPFPF
Buried Under Blacklake (WIP) - NW-DEDV2PAEP
The Redcap Rebels (WIP) - NW-DO23AFHFH
My Foundry playthrough channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ruskaga/featured
The only time I use augments is for stealth. If I am not on a mount, sneaking around, and avoiding combat. I don't play that way very often. If the people reading this are looking for a cheap (free) augment, they do drop out of the Juma Bags o' Chicken. It is a shame they are account bound, I would have given mine away. So far I got 2 bear cubs, polar bear cub, and bulette pup from those bags.
@sandukutupu I use augments on everything except the tanks. For tanks, the Abyssal Chicken is a blessing, because it really hits hard. Compared to Xuna it is more moody (the main attack targets 1-2 enemies and stops if they die - if they were the weakest guys of the group, you have half minute till the next burst)... but as you said, Xuna is rare and too expensive.
For the augments, it is a question of the stats - if you miss 100k combined stats, it hurts DPS more than losing the CA. Tanks have, however, a really crippled damage output, so the Abyssal Chicken/Xuna can make you a tactical nuke compared to swinging your sceptre around.
I was thinking about upgrading it to legendary, but i'm pretty sure Cryptic will mess this companion up in some way in the near future as well, therefore i'll just keep it as it is and enjoy the fun with it while it lasts...
Anyway, i tried several "tank" companions before, but it just felt like a waste of time in the end, even when they were more or less designed to "tank", they can't even hold the aggro of a few regular enemies, and die pretty quickly against bosses with AoE damage abilities too. So, chicken up if you want a cheap but pretty usefull companion, or go full augment for boosting your stats, but be carefull with spending any AD on other "regular" companions.