How to squeeze most from the companions quests?

[PtrPiotr]

spoiler warning

 

Hi, I don't like/ have time to perform multiple runs in the game, but I would like to squeeze most from the story. 

I finished Aloth, Eder and Kana quests. I thought that it is good idea to leave them in the hold, and take new characterless to the party. 

But then I heard that there is more in their stories.

Is that true? 

 

It there any guide where should I take each companion to explore their stories farther? 

[the streaker]

I think the grieving mother and durance are the only two companions that have to be in your party for an extended period of time in order to develop their quests. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the rest of the characters give you quests right away.

[Varana]

No, there isn't really more to their stories. All of them talk to you, now and then, and everyone has something to say during the end, but except maybe for Aloth, there isn't much to it. Having Aloth with you during the endgame will give you some update on him.

 

Usually, you can pick up a companion, go to the spot(s) where their quest takes place, do whatever is needed, and park the companion again, until you reach the next quest spot. Best for that is, of course, if you already know what's required, as it's sometimes not obvious until you get there with the companion in tow.

The exceptions to this, as the streaker said, are Durance and the GM.

[qweqwe]

1. Aloth: Finish his quest. Talk to him after Act 2 for an extra.
2. Éder: Finish his quest. For an extra, talk to him right before the last area of the game, pre-final boss.
3. Durance: The most complex side quest. You'll have to unlock his interactions along the game. Make sure to rest in Camps or inside Caed Nua's inn. I believe that most unlocks are either level-based or main quest-related. Take him to the Council of Stars after the tasks are completed, pray to a certain deity before finishing his sidequest.
4. Kana: Finish his quest.
5. Pallegina: Receive her quest. Take her through Stormwell Gorge, post-Act 2, for an extra. Finish her quest. Take her to Defiance Bay's First Fires for another extra. Take her to the Council of Stars after the tasks are completed.
6. Sagani: Finish her quest.
7. Hirávias: Finish his quest.
8. Grieving Mother: Finish her quest. Take her to the Council of Stars after the tasks are completed.

Basically you finish their sidequests and talk to them to hear their opinion, but some companions have these extras to complement their stories.

 

I don't know if Aloth, Kana and Sagani have anything else to say after you "jump in the pit" (You'll know what I'm talking about when you reach this part) because I didn't take them there.

Edited May 20, 2015 by qweqwe

[Aea]

Aloth has a few extra things to say for keeping him with you. He has an interjection after Never Far From the Queen that starts his personal Two-sided quest, another one after the end of act 2 (you can get the same dialogue by talking with him at the stronghold, but not the same ambiance) and there's another one if he's with you when you go to Twin Elms and start the Council of Stars quest, provided that you already completed his Two-Sided quest. To the best of my knowledge, the last one will not trigger on its own if he wasn't in your party at the time and it's the big one where you can finally push him to take a stand one way or the other regarding his...personal problem. You may be able to trigger it by talking to the sisters again while he is in your party but I haven't confirmed that. The decision you push him to determines his ending, though if you didn't trigger the conversation he will still make that decision based on which way you swayed him in the conversations you did have.  Generally, speaking, he's a good one to keep along if you want his full content.

 

Durance has significant interjections in the Cinders of Faith and Council of Stars quest (the latter when addressing team Galawain). Since his quest is progressed by taking rests with him and talking through key topics, he's good to keep along. You will also need to discover some things in conversation with him to finish the quest. Definitely a pain to clear if he's not a main party member.

 

Grieving Mother's quest requires setting specific triggers in conversation with her then resting with her in the party. Tends to resolve itself naturally if you exhaust all the conversation options with her and keep her along. She's also capable of helping you resolve the last part of Éder's personal quest and reach a more positive ending for a certain quest in Dyrford if she's in your party. Extra conversation if she's with you when you address Hylea in the council of stars. She's the one party member who can permanently disappear (outside of outright telling her or Durance to get lost) so it pays to explore her conversation tree in full if you're not a Cipher. The progression is easier than durance since each time a new event with her is ready to fire, you'll get a note in your quest log telling you that she'll probably say more later. Her outcome depends on what you choose to do based on what you learn about her and how you respond to her final request. Depending on what you do, her attitude towards ending choices and certain other things in the game will also change.

 

Kana's stuff is mostly tied to his quest, but you get to have a few extra conversations with him if he's in your party when you see particularly twisted animancy/Engwithan things (Sanitarium in particular). Sum total of the opinions you push in these conversations affects his ending.

 

Sagani will have an extra conversation with you the first time you interact with a spirit while she's in your party. She also has a number of conversations on rest while she's in the party, first when she joins and one extra for each checkpoint on her quest path. As with Kana, the stance you take on her conversations affects her ending, though what you say at the end weighs the most.

 

Hirávias's ending is entirely dependent on the answers you give him during his quest. He has some banter and short conversations with no particular triggers as far as I know, but they're purely flavor and don't have any impact on endings.

 

Pallegina's ending is determined by which way she goes with her quest and whether the ending you choose creates a weak or strong Dyrwood. She has a couple of encounters outside of her quest as mentioned above and some extra conversation if you bring her with you when addressing Hylea, but that's about it.

 

Éder has flavor conversations for a number of things, including your degrading mental state (these are rest out in the wild specific as far as I know) and some in reaction to events like encountering the Dozens for the first time or having him with you for the end of act 2. He also has a small conversation with you after you encounter a central plot NPC down in the pit and a fair bit of interjection if you take him with you to the Eothasian temple in Gilded Vale. His ending is determined by his personal quest, though it may be affected by which way you go in your overall conversations as well.

 

If you want to catch the absolute most conversations then the favored main party is Éder, Kana, Durance, Grieving Mother, Aloth, temporarily tagging in the others to clear their quest lines and trigger their conversations in the middle. Everybody has their own reactions to the NPCs in the pit and their own parting words to say in the end though, so on the whole you should go with the ones you like the best really. Quality over quantity and all that.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Aea

[PtrPiotr]

Thanks guys!

Well, if Obsidian released DLC, where companions trip form the hold to pursue their stories - count me in.