Expeditions: Samurai Companions Tier List

This Expeditions: Samurai companions tier list is a planning tool for Early Access, not a solved multiplayer ladder. Without a full patch of community DPS logs, we rank by role clarity from trailers, interviews, and stated kits: who opens the stealth game, who wins the doorway, who wins the room of lords.

How to read the tiers

S-tier means “first-pick coverage for a balanced captain.” A-tier means excellent when your Flynn already fills another gap. B-tier means situational specialists you rotate in for quest synergy. Everyone can matter on their personal chain—romance players should ignore pure combat snobbery and open the Romance Guide.

Stealth & infiltration lane

Antje sits at the top for lockpicking and quiet pathing. If your captain is loud steel, she is nearly mandatory on infiltration contracts. Pair with gadgets from Weapons & Gadgets and tactics from How to Stealth.

Steel & frontline lane

Johan’s sword-first identity makes him a default A/S candidate for captains who hate being under-gunned. Tora-Hime belongs in the same conversation whenever missions celebrate martial prestige over burglary. Check Combat and Builds when you convert these picks into loadouts.

Diplomacy lane

Étienne Durand is the named diplomatic superpower. Rank him S for political campaigns and high for mixed runs that still want a speech escape hatch. Ignoring him while playing a mute berserker is a self-imposed hard mode.

Named specialists beyond the headliners

Piet Ruisch (brawler) ranks high when missions reward aggressive pressure and mixed sword-and-pistol fantasy. Kage (ronin) is an A-band martial flex when honor-coded steel matters more than burglary. Fuma Ishiko (shinobi) joins Antje in the infiltration conversation—use both when vision cones and silent routes define the map. Raina (sawbones) is A for attrition campaigns and B if you never take damage you cannot prevent. Re-test all four after Act One hours, then rewrite letters; until then prefer Crew Spotlight verbs over mythology.

Sample parties

• Quiet privateers: stealth Flynn + Antje + Fuma Ishiko + Étienne.
• Honorable blades: martial Flynn + Johan + Tora-Hime + Kage, Étienne as conscience.
• Attrition crew: Piet Ruisch + Raina + steel flex + speech flex.
• Co-op twins: split speech versus steel—see Co-op.

Tiers exist to start arguments you can test in EA, not to end them.

Updating tiers after patches

When armor, crafting, or skill tweaks land, re-evaluate lanes separately. A stealth nerf does not automatically demote Antje if locks remain unique. A diplomacy buff might elevate Étienne even if his damage stays modest. Record the patch date beside your personal notes.

Anti-tier advice

If a companion’s personal quest is the reason you bought the game, start them. Efficiency culture is optional. Use tiers to fill holes around your favorite, not to bully you out of joy. Cross-check joy picks with Crew Spotlight.

Party templates beyond the samples

Night raid: maximum stealth weight, minimal ceremony. Court day: Étienne plus speech-capable Flynn, steel in reserve. Co-op duel of affection: both twins bring social tools and agree on boundaries via How to Co-op.

Metrics we refuse to fake

We will not invent DPS tables before EA. Rankings here are role clarity rankings. When community parsers exist, we will cite methods rather than vibes alone.

Scenario scoring method

Score a companion 0–2 in stealth, steel, and speech for a given chapter. Highest combined score for your chapter goal gets the slot. This method beats static S/A/B lists once EA reveals more kits, because chapter goals change. Recalculate after major story turns rather than worshipping a single graphic.

Page takeaway

Recalculate only after three mission types, not one highlight clip; romance priorities can legitimately ignore a letter grade.