All humanoid companions can be Promoted by spending Exploration Points. Animal companions can be similarly promoted, but only with the Animal Whisperer perk exclusive to explorer Alexandra David-Neel.
There are 4 possible levels of promotion, and all companions start at Level 1. A companion's current level is shown next to their title at the heading of their stats screen.
Leveling-up a companion increases their Toughness permanently and enhances a humanoid's primary perk. Leveling-up can also give a companion upgraded and/or additional combat dice.
Costs for promoting are the same for all companions:
Promotion |
Exploration Point Cost |
---|---|
Level 1: | None - Base |
Level 2: | 1 point |
Level 3: | 2 points |
Level 4: | 3 points |
Total: | 6 points |
You can view a companion's promotional perk on their stats screen. The perk that can be promoted is indicated by a green + symbol next to the companion's other perk and ailment icons. Once the primary perk is promoted to Level 4, it is maxed out. Companions only have one upgradable perk, even if they come with extra perks.
Once the player acquires the required points, they can promote a humanoid companion at any time during an expedition simply by clicking the Promote button on their companion's stat screen. This button also indicates the number of points that will be spent for the next promotion.
Tips[]
- Exploration points and promotions cannot be transferred from one companion to another, and are lost when the companion is dismissed or killed.
- Points accumulate across expeditions, so they can be saved up from multiple trips and used to upgrade a new companion all at once.
- Promoting animals with Alexandra David-Neel affects only their toughness and dice, as they do not have perks. Promoting a pack animal does not increase its capacity – that requires buying Animal Improvement in London, or promoting a Native Animal Handler.
- Promoted perks for a humanoid companion are permanent for as long as they are part of the expedition party.
- Explorers are not promoted through Exploration Points. Instead, they can choose one Perk from a selection of three and gain +3 Toughness each time they complete an Expedition, even if they failed to find the pyramid.
For details on specific perk upgrades, see: Companion Perks