Companions

Companion Setup and Priority Guide

Pick companions by content first: Chapter Hunt, Stage Breakthrough, stage bossing, and Arena reward different main and sub companions.

Adapted from Rumii's companion setup threads in Mapleidle & Classic Guides. Korean/public pages were used only as cross-checks for content-specific framing, companion simulator surfaces, and reported-clear fields.

Before swapping

The best companion is the one that solves the current wall.

A Chapter Hunt companion can look bad in Arena, and an Arena specialist can be slow in repeated chapter clears. Start with the content, then compare rarity, level, and what you actually own.

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On this page Quick answer Own and level check New companions Chapter Hunt Stage Breakthrough Stage bossing Arena Unique notes Guide changelog

Quick answer

Use a different companion plan for each content type.

Ice/Lightning is the clean Chapter Hunt answer, Fire/Poison is the practical Unique default for many PvE setups, Bowmaster and Night Lord matter more for single-target boss work, and Dark Knight or Hero can be strong Arena specialists when rarity and level line up. For Bishop, Paladin, Buccaneer, and Corsair, treat the newer notes as test candidates instead of replacing the whole chart.

Check rarity Chapter Hunt: I/L General PvE: F/P Stage Breakthrough: balance Bossing: single-target Arena: utility

Reality check

Rarity and companion level can beat a cleaner tier answer.

The source notes are guide routes, not a lockout list. If your strongest on-paper companion is low level and another Unique is several levels ahead, test the higher-level option before forcing the chart.

Practical rule

A leveled "weaker" Unique can beat a low-level "better" Unique. Use the chart to choose candidates, then test your actual account.

Newer companion notes

Bishop, Paladin, Buccaneer, and Corsair need account testing.

The core setup charts were posted in early January, before the later companion pool had enough public testing. Newer Discord comments and testing shared by Korean-server players are useful for caveats, but they are still test evidence, not a replacement priority chart.

Buccaneer Looks like the most promising newer damage test. Korean-server testing placed a Lv.5 Buccaneer close to the top in body plus companion damage, so test it for boss-style walls if yours is leveled.
Corsair Do not assume the newer pirate is automatically better. In the May 3 Korean-server comparison, Lv.4 Corsair did not clearly beat the established boss picks, so compare it against BM, F/P, and NL before swapping.
Bishop Comments are mixed. Bishop can feel strong and tanky, but one Arena comment still preferred a lower-level DK because DK healed faster; Korean-server testing also did not make Bishop a clean main-companion winner.
Paladin One Discord comment reported Stage Breakthrough gains, and Korean-server testing had Paladin around the middle of the tested pack. Treat it as a high-level account test, not a general replacement for the established route.
How to use the newer data

If your newer companion is higher rarity or several levels ahead, test it in the exact wall you are solving. If the levels are close, the older content chart is still the safer starting point.

Chapter Hunt

For Chapter Hunt, Ice/Lightning is the cleanest main companion.

Chapter Hunt is about fast wave clear and KPM, not boss damage. The source notes put Ice/Lightning ahead because its skills help clear speed, area coverage, and repeat clears.

  • Use Ice/Lightning when the goal is Chapter Hunt KPM.
  • Do not carry the Chapter Hunt answer into Arena or bossing without testing.
  • If your Ice/Lightning is much lower rarity, compare it against your best leveled Unique.
Chapter Hunt companion setup chart
Use the Chapter Hunt chart only for KPM-focused repeated clears.

Stage Breakthrough

XX-1 to XX-9 needs both mob clear and final-target damage.

Stage breakthrough is awkward because regular mobs still matter, but the last monster in a chapter is treated as a boss in game. That means a Night Lord sub-companion can help the final target, while still risking slower mob clear if the rest of the setup is weak.

When mobs are the wall Keep enough normal or area clear value that the route reaches the final target consistently.
When the last target is the wall Move more value into boss-oriented subs such as Night Lord and test the clear timer.
When the result is close Run several attempts. Companion procs and target timing can make one clear misleading.
Stage breakthrough companion setup chart
Stage breakthrough setups balance mob clear with the final chapter target.

Stage bossing

XX-10 bossing rewards stable single-target damage.

Stage bossing is not a Chapter Hunt check. The source notes call out Boss Damage, consistency, and survivability as the key ideas. Bowmaster and Night Lord become more relevant here than they are in generic Chapter Hunt, while pure AoE picks lose value.

  • Start with boss-oriented companions before copying a Chapter Hunt setup.
  • Use Fire/Poison as a practical Unique PvE baseline when you do not have a cleaner boss route.
  • Test Buccaneer if it is one of your better-leveled newer companions; the freshest comparison made it look promising, but not universal.
  • Be careful using Ice/Lightning, Marksman, Hero, or Dark Knight as generic bossing substitutes.
Stage bossing companion setup chart
Use the stage bossing chart for XX-10 style single-target walls.

Arena

Arena is its own companion problem.

Boss Damage and Normal Monster Damage do not apply in Arena, so stage logic breaks quickly. Dark Knight and Hero show up as Arena specialists because healing, shielding, and crowd control can swing fights. At high-end evasion or stun setups, variance matters too.

Do not rank by CP alone

HP and survivability can inflate CP. Arena wins still depend on rarity, level, crowd control, evasion, and whether the setup survives long enough to use its value.

Bishop and Shadower caveat

Bishop can be durable, but comments still leaned DK/Hero when their healing or shield timing is stronger. Shadower can appear in high-end stun or evasion packages, but that is a variance setup rather than the default Arena route.

Arena companion setup chart
Arena setup is separate because boss and normal-monster damage do not apply.

Unique companions

Practical Unique picks by job they usually solve.

1

Fire/Poison

Best practical default for many Unique PvE setups, especially normal stage, guild raid, and emblem-style PvE.

2

Ice/Lightning

Best Chapter Hunt direction when KPM, clear speed, and area coverage are the goal.

3

Bowmaster and Night Lord

Move up when a single-target boss or chapter-end boss is the actual wall.

4

Dark Knight, Hero, and sometimes Marksman

Arena specialists or utility choices, not the default answer for every PvE route.

Unique main companion tips part 1
Unique Main companion tips part 1
Unique main companion tips part 2
Unique Main companion tips part 2

Guide changelog

How this page has changed.

Created from Discord companion setup threads, then checked against Korean/public companion simulator and reported-clear source surfaces.
Added date-aware notes for Bishop, Paladin, Buccaneer, and Corsair using relevant Discord comments through Feb 27 and Korean-server testing from May 3.
Artifact and Relic Priority Guide Equipment Presets by Content Stat Prioritisation by Source Back to guide hub
Sources referenced