Companion Leveling Points?

[FQVBSina]

I initially wanted to ask this question after noticing companions leveling up to only receive 1 trait and 1 skill point while they receive less XP, which means they may be much weaker for the areas I will be exploring (I have not yet made it that far into the game yet).

But then I read there may be balancing issues as one person replied his Adaon has 40 DPS at level 25, and I just want to understand more about why that may be the case. Right now for my warrior character I plan to keep Adaon as companion and make him an archer, would he have enough damage in this case?

Thanks

 

[Roukan]

Because they lack advanced skills and the extra trait points, companions seem designed to be weaker than offensively-built player characters. If you're expecting them to do damage comparable to your character, the results might be disappointing. Perhaps you might want to think of them as support-DPS instead?

If it helps any, my experience with Adaon as an archer had him stunning enemies pretty frequently. Never had him score many kills on his own though.

On a side note, the 40 DPS example is likely the result of Adaon using the jester's bow. Character sheet DPS from high speed weapons tend to be somewhat inflated, due to the flat subtraction of damage per hit when the target's armor is factored in. If you value damage over stun procs, consider using a composite bow instead. Even with the lower displayed DPS on the character sheet, it tends to pump out more actual DPS.

 

[VDX_360]

You ask several commingled questions, so lets try to break them down:
1) Companion Skill and Trait Points: Yes, Companions get less XP than the hero and they get less Skill and Trait points per level. That reduction is so that Companions are side-kicks and not over-powered. Keep in mind that Companions have unlimited regeneration, which means even if they're knocked out, they pop up a few seconds later.

2) Adaon having 40 DPS at Level 25: First, Level 25 is an insanely high level to reach. The game's main quest is getting designed to be completed at around Level 20, so anything above that is overkill (per Developer). So, yeah, Level 25 Companion is pretty high. Second, depending on the equipment (weapon and off-hand weapon), skills and trait distribution, it seems possible to get 40 DPS out of Adaon but I'd have to see the exact build to make a more exact response.

3) Archer Build Companion: Adaon as an archer build was one of my first builds with him. Plus side is that he can deal extra damage from a distance, help take out archers, and since he's using a range weapon, he tends to avoid getting eating alive by every dragon you come across. It's not a bad build. Down side is that Grissenda as a Companion offers more crowd control (Cleave!), can take more melee abuse and you know, has never stolen from you when you were sleeping.

Keep in mind that your playing style, and what you think is fun, is far more important than a nerdy side-by-side comparison between builds. If you like Adaon as an archer, by all means, play him as an archer.