These RPG Companions Are So Overpowered You Can Just Sit Back And Let Them Win For You

Companion characters are a mixed bag in video games. Some, like Ashley in Resident Evil 4, can be a nuisance, while others, like Ellie in The Last of Us, are welcome additions to the narrative but don’t really help you out much when it comes to gameplay (although props to Ellie for dropping all those ladders).

Then there are RPG companions. They’re typically a lot more versatile, adding flavor to the story while bringing a unique skillset to combat. Now and then, you’ll come across a party member who’s overpowered, and it’s up to you if you keep them in your squad or maintain the game’s challenge by swapping them out. However, very few party members in gaming are as strong as these characters. These RPG companions are not just overpowered, they can basically play the game for you, winning most combat encounters and trivializing any difficulty curve that may be present in the experience.

Wakka (Final Fantasy 10)

That’s Blitzball, Baby!

Possibly the most unassuming companion on this list, Wakka is a carefree guy who just wants to have a good time. His casual nature belies the fact that not only is he wildly overpowered, but he can trivialize some of the toughest end-game boss fights in Final Fantasy 10 with just one move.

With his Overdrive ability, Attack Reels, Wakka targets random enemies in battle, dealing big damage to each. However, when there is only one enemy that he’s fighting (like in a boss battle) all of those hits target that one enemy. With some precise inputs and a decent weapon, like World Champion, Wakka can make what should be challenging late-game bosses look like little more than a showcase of what playing too much blitzball does to a person.

Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

Get Out Of This Canvas

Image via Sandfall Interactive

It could be argued that Maelle is the main character of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but since she begins as the game’s third member to join Gustave and Lune, we’ll consider her a companion here. Right from the outset, Maelle’s ability to stack the Burn effect and then exploit it with Virtuose stance can trivialize most fights. However, her end-game form is something else entirely.

By equipping a clever blend of Pictos—such as those that increase her damage at low health, when she’s alone in the party, or after dying—and her most powerful abilities, Maelle can take down pretty much every end-game boss on her first turn. On the off-chance that she needs a second turn, just keep Sciel on the roster so she can give her teammates a immediate second turn. While Sciel can also be pretty overpowered if she’s built well, many players simply use her as a tool to give Maelle more chances to attack.

Nidoking (Pokemon Red, Blue & Yellow)

The Speedrun King

Pokemon Blue

Systems

Released

September 28, 1998

ESRB

Everyone

In a game with 151 “companions,” there are bound to be some that are broken. While speedrunners have their share of preferred Pokemon to any% the Gen 1 games with, Nidoking has become the undisputed favorite when trying to steamroll Pokemon Red, Blue, & Yellow.

There are several reasons for this. First, a male Nidoran is very easy to catch early in the game, and levels up into Nidorino at level 16. Then, as soon as you find your first Moon Stone in Mt. Moon, you have your Nidoking. You can have one in your party before you get to Cerulean City. Second, Nidoking can learn a versatile array of moves that mean it can handle Psychic, Dragon, and Rock-types with ease, making tougher late-game opponents simple to defeat. Third, Nidoking can learn the most broken move in the game: Horn Drill. When combined with the Accuracy-X item, Horn Drill is capable of one-shotting even the toughest late-game opponents. This blend of frankly broken benefits makes Nidoking the undisputed king of Gen 1 Pokemon games.

Cidolfus Orlandeau (Final Fantasy Tactics)

All Hail The Thunder God

As far as overpowered RPG companions go, Cidolfus Orlandeau is arguably the purest example. He’s unlocked in Chapter 4 of Final Fantasy Tactics, which is relatively early in the game, and from that moment on, he can pretty much win the game for you with his multi-target skills. The way that his celestial-rank abilities let him dispatch multiple foes at once makes him the only party member that even needs to show up to battle.

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The thing about Cidolfus is that there are no special builds or tricks needed to make him overpowered; that’s just the way he is. Lots of players deliberately leave him out of their party because of how much he trivializes the game’s tactical challenge. It’s not just an early game thing either. Cidolfus can carry you right through to credits if you want him to.

Viola (Eternal Sonata)

You Look Like A Good Target

It’s a common theme in JRPGs that unbalanced ranged characters can break their game’s combat. A perfect example of this is Viola from Eternal Sonata. With nothing but her bow, Viola can deal a ton of damage in any situation. However, there are ways to make her even more powerful. For example, she deals more damage the further she is from her target, which basically means keeping her out of danger also makes her more powerful.

That tactic sends Viola’s survivability through the roof, as she dances around the outskirts of battle, dishing out ridiculous damage while taking none herself. The kicker is that she also has a massive AOE healing ability that she can use on the whole party. Therefore, while Viola stands far away from the action and keeps herself alive, she can also make the rest of your party virtually invincible as well.

Idrial (The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age)

Brave Elf Of Lothlorien

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is a notoriously exploitable RPG, even if it’s not exactly a popular one. The most busted charater of all, though, is Idrial, the party’s healer. She has an ability called Aura of the Elves, which will preemptively revive any teammate and give them an immediate turn. Idrial can cast this on herself, and then use that post-revive turn to cast it on herself again, essentially making her unkillable.

Then there’s Haste of the Elves, an ability that moves a teammate up in the turn queue. If Idrail casts this on herself in succession, she can essentially remove the ability for enemies to take their turns by continually pushing her next turn to the front of the queue, all while she slowly whittles down their health. This combination will guarantee victory in almost every encounter, even if Idrail is the only party member taking her turns.

T3-M4 (Star Wars Knights Of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords)

Let The Droid Handle It

T3-M4 is a droid companion in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2, and he’s surprisingly easy to unlock. You just need to buy him in the Taris Undercity. He’s important for unlocking one key door a bit later, but otherwise, he’s pretty easy to overlook. The thing is, he’s also completely broken.

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Okay, not completely, but his shock arm weapon is ridiculously overpowered. It can be used infinitely and it hits every time. It doesn’t deal crazy damage (although it’s not bad, either), but because you can spam it so effortlessly, and it hits so consistently, most standard enemy encounters can be cleared with T3-M4 alone, especially if you load him up with healing items beforehand on the off-chance he loses too much health.

Deadpool (Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2)

It Helps That He Knows He’s In A Video Game

Technically speaking, Green Goblin is the strongest character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, but he’s unlocked so late in the game that he just doesn’t fit this list. However, a character that does fit is Deadpool, who is available right at the outset. His “Best One Ever” ability is a general stat buff that simply makes him stronger, and while it’s pretty useful early on, once you upgrade it, it becomes completely overpowered.

This ability buffs Deadpool’s stats so much that he starts one-shotting smaller enemies, taking huge chunks of health out of larger enemies, all while receiving basically no damage himself. Sure, Deadpool is a fourth-wall breaking character, so there’s some sense in looking at this like he’s just “seeing the matrix” of the game and exploiting it, but in this case, his strength pushes him closer to godhood, which is saying something considering he’s fighting alongside literal gods.

I Don’t Have To Know What You Are To Kill You

Most Skyrim players know that Lydia is one of the strongest companions in the game, but she’s useful beyond her brawn as well. Lydia basically acts as a pack mule, able to carry all of your collected loot so you don’t become encumbered with it in your inventory. More loot means more versatility, more gold, and being better prepared for enemy weaknesses, not that you need to be with Lydia around.

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This Nord is also a walking tank. When in combat, Lydia will charge to the fore and immediately engage. She’s very hard to take down, and if you equip her with decent gear, she can handle most fights all on her own. If you really want to engage, you can just hang back and casually choose which spell or weapon you want to use while Lydia “softens them up,” then charge in for the killing blow. Or, you can just let her take care of it, because she’s more than happy to.

Eduardo Carnela (Stygian: Reign Of The Old Ones)

Did You See That Eldritch Monstrosity’s Face When It Saw The Gat?

Let’s be clear: the combat in Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones isn’t great. It’s not even well explained at the start, but it’s also just needlessly slow and not particularly satisfying. Luckily, if you want to avoid all of it, or at least breeze through it, make sure you recruit Eduardo Carnela to your squad.

That’s actually not a guarantee. His “approach” is pretty unnerving, but in a world like this, so is everything else. Suffice it to say, when the strange “well built dark-skinned man” walks up and asks to join your party, welcome him in. Eduardo has a gun, but it’s not just any gun; it’s an automatic pistol. This weapon alone will help you breeze through the vast majority of combat in the game. Its damage is off the charts, and its crit chance is ridiculously high. He’ll do most of the fighting for you, and you can instead invest your energy into enjoying the wild and terrifying writing, world-building, and narrative of Stygian while avoiding its frustrating combat.

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