Pathfinder: Kingmaker Companions Guide - all the companions and where to find them

Like any good RPG, Pathfinder: Kingmaker is full of unique and diverse companions to travel with your player-character throughout the adventure. Companions also serve as possible Advisers for your fledgling kingdom once you do away with the Stag Lord in the game's first chapter, so it's extra important to make sure you ally with all of them. Even ones you don't find a home for in your favorite adventuring party can still pay high dividends in an important advisory position.

There are 11 companions in all, fighting over 5 party slots, so there's a good deal of flexibility once you manage to gather them all up, and thats not even considering the options for custom companions. Unlike many similar games, Kingmaker's companions often have to be sought out and aren't immediately allied with you for free, so here's how to track them all down.

Linzi

Linzi is a bard who is responsible for all of the journal entries in Kingmaker. She is a halfling ex-student of the Pitax Academy of Grand Arts, and she's interested in recounting the tales of your hero's adventure. She can use magic and ranged weapons, but her strongest asset by far is being able to buff the party with wide area-of-effect songs, ranging from increasing success chance at ability rolls, to increasing your hit chance, to mesmerizing her enemies. She comes with good Charisma and Dexterity, making her pretty set in being a great support character.  

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Good Bard

How to recruit Linzi: Linzi will join you after the prologue finishes as long as you select the Good dialogue options when speaking to Jamandi Aldori. If she doesn't join up right away, you can track her to the Ancient Tomb or during the main story events at the Old Sycamore in Chapter 1. 

Amiri

Amiri is a barbarian who is the most straightforward damage dealer of the lot. We kept her as a pure barbarian, and you can't really go wrong here. Amiri hails from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, a society where women are treated as mostly servants and domestic roles. Amiri is a central character in many of the Pathfinder tabletop game Adventure Paths. 

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Barbarian

How to recruit Amiri: Amiri values strength above all else, and will always join you permanently after the Prologue. 

Tristian

A servant of the god Sarenrae, Tristian is in the Stolen Lands researching the area's propensity for curses. Tristian is a cleric, specifically one of its subclasses. Ecclesitheurge. He has poor strength and can't wear armor outright, so he's mostly a pure healer or support character. Keep him away from danger and he'll be helpful to have along in most cases.

Class and Alignment: Neutral Good Cleric (Ecclesitheurge)

How to recruit Tristian: You can recruit Tristian once you clear the Temple of the Elk of all dangers, first available in Chapter 1. 

Valerie

Valerie is the party's tank. She comes with high constitution and a specialization in Tower Shields. You can't go wrong basically giving her anything and everything to up her AC and then slot her in the front of your formation to soak up as much damage and attention as possible. In this way, she serves as a contrast to the damage-focused Amiri. Valerie is an ex-Paladin of Shelyn, but ended up leaving the order after becoming fed up with vain notions of Chivalry and needless focus on 'useless' artistic expression. As a fighter, she holds onto her noble ideals, but in a more practical profession far more suited to her demeanor. You can't go wrong just leaving her in your party at pretty much all times.

Class and Alignment: Lawful Neutral Fighter

How to recruit Valerie: Valerie should join the party after the Prologue on the similar conditions as Linzi - that is, make the Lawful dialogue choices and she'll respect your moral compass and choose to serve you. Otherwise, she'll be at the Ancient Tomb or during the main story events at the Old Sycamore in Chapter 1. 

Harrim

Harrim is the second of the game's two Clerics, though plays significantly differently from Tristian. Harrim is an ex-servant of Torag due to not having any aptitude for craftsmanship. Thus he abandoned his homeland and old religion and became a somewhat fatalist devotee of Groetus. Harrim is a tough character to use, having high strength and constitution, but paired with a more support-style class in Cleric. As such, he's a serviceable front-line warrior or caster, but will likely not excel at either role spectacularly. If you don't need the pure support Tristian brings, he can serve as enough healing in low-pressure situations, but won't carry your team through the more difficult encounters.

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Cleric

How to recruit Harrim: Harrim may choose to join the party at the end of the Prologue if the player selects more Chaotic acts during the game's first couple hours, kind of the opposite of Valerie. If he doesn't join up right away, you can find him at the Ancient Tomb or during the main story events at the Old Sycamore in Chapter 1. 

Jaethal

Jaethal is an undead elf Inquisitor. While she doesn't exactly know her specific cause of death, she now finds herself as a servant to the goddess Urgathoa. You learn that she was originally exiled from her Elven tribe due to crimes against her own family. Her most significant feature is her undead-state, which makes her immune to several afflictions such as bleed, paralysis, poison, etc, it does make her susceptible to many healing spells (though Tristian's 'Selective Healing' ability will be a way to work around this weakness.) Outside of these specific characteristics, she makes a decent hybrid front-line fighter, which good Strength, Dex, and Wisdom.  

Class and Alignment: Neutral Evil Inquisitor

How to recruit Jaethal:  Jaethal seems to have similar recruitment requirements as Harrim, and will join you if Linzi doesn't. That is, she will join players that select Evil dialogue options during the Prologue. Otherwise, as before, you'll have to pick her up either at the Ancient Tomb or during the main story events at the Old Sycamore in Chapter 1. For us, she wouldn't actually join the party until the Stag Lord was defeated.

Octavia

Octavia is a Rogue-Wizard slave and longtime companion of Regongar. Unlike her companion, Octavia is consistently optimistic and light-hearted. She was taught magic at a young age by her captors as an effort to improve her trade value. She joins the party as a Wizard/Rogue hybrid, which is an interesting combination and gives her every skill as a class skill. With high dexterity, wisdom, and intelligence, she can really lean towards either role from the outset. While Ekundayo ends up a better pure archer and Amiri a better pure damage dealer, Octavia's high skill ability (or magic prowess should you level into Wizard) makes her a very useful secondary character to have in the party.

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Good Rogue/Wizard

How to recruit Octavia: Can be freed alongside Regongar by dealing with the slavers at the Technic League Encampment in Chapter 1.

Regongar

Regongar is a long time partner of Octavia, and is another ex-slave. Unlike Octavia, Regongar has an unpleasant demeanor and an aptitude for violent outbursts. He joins as a Magus, which is a sort of Soldier-Wizard hybrid. He takes a while to get used to but ends up becoming a serviceable front line fighter once he is able to trait into wearing better armor. Like Harrim, he doesn't really excel at much that other characters can't outperform, but can be an interesting companion if you enjoy his hybrid playstyle. 

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Evil Magus

How to recruit Regongar: Can be freed alongside Octavia by dealing with the slavers at the Technic League Encampment in Chapter 1.

Jubilost

Jubilost is a famous adventurer and writer who has a very high opinion of himself. He serves as a contrast to Linzi as both a published author and as a constant skeptic. As an alchemist, he serves as a support-damage role similar to a mage, though uses mostly bombs instead of spells. His specific arsenal will depend on some feat choices during level ups, but will often be able to deal high damage from afar with his mutagens and explosives, and can serve as decent support through mutagens if you decide not to bring Linzi or Tristian along.

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Alchemist

How to recruit Jubilost: Can be found in Chapter 2 at the Ford Across Skunk River area during the Troll Trouble part of the main questline.

Ekundayo

Ekundayo is a Ranger in search of revenge against the trolls that slaughtered his family. Ekun is a serious and brooding man, who takes naturally to his role as a ranger, having grown a personal hatred for all manner of beasts due to his family's fate. While he has low constitution and is best suited as a pure archer, his high Dexterity and pet companion make him a perfect fit for the specialized role. While not altogether very versatile, he does one thing and does it well. 

Class and Alignment: Lawful Good Ranger

How to recruit Ekundayo: Ekundayo can be found at the Ruined Watchtower in Chapter 2.

Nok-Nok

Once you save him from being a sacrifice in his own village, you'll be able to partner with the egomaniac Nok-Nok. Nok-Nok is a goblin Rogue that specializes in duel-wielding light weapons. He excels at the same sort of Trickery and Stealth abilities that Octavia does, but is instead a melee-focused fighter. He has average Strength but high Dexterity, meaning he will work well in a flanking role where he can get sneak attacks off and not be the focus of the enemy attacks. 

Class and Alignment: Chaotic Evil Rogue

How to recruit Nok-Nok: Nok-Nok is likely the last companion you'll find, and can be found in the goblin village during the Mother of Monsters quest in Chapter 2. 

Custom Companions

Not only are there 11 main companions to choose from in the game, but you also have the ability to purchase custom companions to join you if you want to extend beyond the class combinations possible with the written companions. By chatting with Anoriel Eight Eyes at either Oleg's Trading Post or your capital, you can hire new companions - but it won't be cheap. If you manage to stay at level 1, they'll only cost 500 gold each, but by level 6 or so you'll be dropping at least 20,000 a pop for your custom party members. The tradeoff is that they can be completely customized just like the player character.