Lookit Light on Aug 6, 2022 wrote:

Alright, so earlier today I wrote about the Skull Island Companions and Hawkules, and now I'm doing the Beast Companions. It's a Saturday and I don't have that much to do, OK? Anyway.

Before I go any further into this post, it's worth nothing that the Beast Companions have actually already received an improvement. Before June 2021, these companions has nothing to their name. After, they got a signature power called Ravenous Strike, which does normal attack damage and heals for 50% of what was dealt. This was interesting, but more still needs to be done to our little critters to make them more than just de facto Pets.

The Beast Companions are rather interesting in that many of them are pretty much the sole wielders of the rare Fly Epic Talent, which does exactly what it says and allows them to move over empty air spaces and ignore obstacles. This is also interesting, but again still needs more to back it up.

Time for some particulars about each Companion:

• The Batacuda is another early-game Skull Island Companion, and needs lots of Promotions like the others do to remain in the minds of Pirates. It also needs Epic Strike to actually gave it a chance to use Blade Storm; Ravenous Strike doesn't always do that. Turn the Tide should also advance to Rank 2 as the game advances.
• The Sky Snake is the one of the only two Beast Companion that isn't a Buccaneer, and that distinction needs to be made apparent. I would suggest a rank or two in the Elusive Epic Talent, just like I suggested for Monkey King, to make it as cunning and slippery as... well, a snake. Also, Promotions.
• Scorpius is the other Swashbuckler and holds a rare distinction in being able to learn ranks of both Vengeance Strike and Riposte. For it, the fact that it is poisonous needs to be obvious. To than end, I would suggest the power of Back Stab (get the pun?), to be able to cause some residual damage. It also needs an extra innate Epic Talent to try to match other Companions. I'm thinking Riposte?
• The Crokagator is gotten around Marleybone, and thus doesn't need as many promotions (only one, really). What the big lizard does need is innate Epic Talents, lots of them. Turn the Tide 2 and Riposte is great, but alongside that it also needs two other Epic Talents. I'm thinking of Blade Storm and First Strike, but other options are also good. To prevent things for getting a bit bland with Epic Strike everywhere, I'm thinking of either Brutal or Vicious Charge for our friend here (it is a crocodile/gator thing, after all).
• Nikeeta is somewhat special in that she already has Epic Strike (because anything can be beaten by a metric ton of bird droppings). Everyone's favorite killer parrot also has Vengeance Strike, Riposte and Second Chance, so she has some potential within her. She just needs at least two more Promotions and Turn the Tide 2 to unlock that potential.
• Madclaw has two copies of Ravenous Strike and the same uncommon Epic Talent selection as Nikeeta, with Repel Boarders added into the mix! A lack of Epic Strike hurts it, though, as does only one rank of Turn the Tide. It needs these benefits thrown into the Promotions it receives.
• El Tiburon also has two ranks of Ravenous Strike and is the only one of this bunch with access to Relentless. That matters, because El Tiburon can use that to become a big mean feeding machine that's worth more consideration. It needs more Epic Talents for that to be possible, though, so Promotions are key. With them, the dream of having a deadly Great Storm Shark on your side can be realized.