The Weird West has some strange companions. Whether it’s pigmen, werewolves, or witches, we can gather a host of strange creatures to make the West our own. Just don’t betray your fellow monsters, or they’ll come for vengeance!
In this Weird West Companions Ranked Guide, I’ll review how to assemble the deadliest posse in all of the West! As a bonus, I’ll detail extra strategies to increase our companion’s health and defense.
Bottom Line Up Front: Hire Monte Clasp and Sherrif Flora Albright, then Pigman Joe when Flora becomes unavailable. Invest in the Posse Leader perk, equip your characters with protective vests, and give them medkits to keep them alive.
Companions Types
Deuterogonists
One of the Weird West’s quirks is visiting your previous self after completing their journey. Whether they’re raising a family or starting an eldritch empire, we can meet, greet, and recruit our past characters to aid us in the next journey.
Even if you don’t intend to involve yourself in your following characters’ misadventures and risk your past character’s death, I recommend meeting with them to reclaim your previous items and loot.
Pros
- Character saves all your gear
- Employ previous skills
- More commentary and unique character interactions
Cons
- Low healthÂ
- Their deaths ruin all our hard work
Unique Companions
Mutant sheriffs, escaped prisoners, and monstrous comrades can all join us in our Western odyssey. These companions have more health than deuterogonists, come pre-equipped with a powerful arsenal, and join us voluntarily for story or plot reasons. I recommend recruiting named companions over deuterogonists for the extra muscle.Â
Pros
- Increased health
- Powerful skills
- Interesting commentary
- Free of charge
Cons
- Deaths impact the story,Â
- Some are chapter exclusive
Expendables
Easily recruitable NPCs that we can conscript in salons for a few hundred dollars. As their name suggests, expendables die quickly and deal ineffectual damage.
Unless we want to roleplay as a lone survivor mourning the loss of our feeble friends, I recommend ignoring expendable comrades in favor of deuteragonists and unique companions.
Pros
- Can worry less about keeping them alive
- Easy to find
Cons
- Weak
- Overpriced
- Better companions are readily available
Protecting Companions
There are a few tips we can practice to keep our companions alive when combat get rough. I recommend employing these tactics if we grow attached to our strange friends or want to preserve our companions for future journeys.
Posse Leader
If we want to buff our companions’ health, the Posse Leader perk is a great start. With 15% more health at stage one, 40% more health at stage two, and 80% more health at stage three, we can worry less about a stray explosive wiping out our favorite pig people.
I recommend investing in this perk from the start to keep your beloved abominations alive.
Protective Armor
For increased protection against devasting attacks, we can equip protective vests to our minions to help them weather enemy attacks. To obtain these fantastic vests, we must skin a deer, bear, or snake with a skinning bag purchased in Grackle.
Next, interact with a tanning station at a trappers camp or lost fire nation village with enough pelts to create a protective piece of armor. To increase the pelt’s protection, gather more pelts and add to the vest to further its protective power.
After creating this vest or looting them from our foes, we can interact with our companions to equip them with protective armor.
Be warned that companions unavailable in future chapters, like Flora Albright, will take this armor with them, preventing us from using it on new companions. I recommend removing vests, as well as other equipment from companions, before each chapter’s end.
Equipped Medkits
If we’re struggling to keep our posse from death’s door, we can add several medkits to our companions’ inventory to use in high-stakes situations. While this won’t protect our companions from deadly explosives, administering a medkit when our companions are near death is a great way to keep them alive.
Sleep Often
For the least costly means of keeping our posse intact, sleeping regenerates our entire health at any bed nearby. Abusing beds is an excellent means to enable more reckless playstyles and beat back attrition from fights. However, I recommend sleeping away from unconscious enemies to avoid a deadly awakening.
Weird West Companions Ranked
10. Mathew Hill
Laughably the worst named companion in the entire game, Mathew Hill is an incredibly insecure mercenary who joins us to prove himself. Unfortunately for us, Matthew’s poor health, pitiful combat ability, and bubbling insecurity make him an exceptionally subpar companion to bring along.
I recommend using Mathew Hill as cannon fodder against enemies or prescribing him a sadistic death like feeding him to pigmen or turning him into a zombie.
Recruitment: During the Pigman journey, as we return to the fighting area to access the secret Oneirist lair, we’ll notice Mathew Hill, or a similar companion with a different name, next to the arena’s manager. Talking to Hill gives us the option to recruit him along for future journeys.
Special Skills: N/A
9. Jane Bell
A bounty hunter looking for vengeance, Jane Bell is our avatar for the first journey. Despite her gunslinger bravado, Jane’s reduced health can lead to her death in a bitter firefight or with a single misplaced piece of dynamite.
I only recommend Jane if we’ve killed off every other companion available or are okay with widowing her husband in intense combat. Getting Jane killed feels awful and ruins the first three hours we spent with the Weird West.
Recruitment: After completing the bounty hunter arc, we can recruit Jane after heading to her farm for a quick conversation. After recognizing the brand on our neck, Jane offers assistance in future misadventures.
Special Skills: N/A
8. Merideth Goldenseal
A proud member of the Oneirist faction, Merideth is a recruitable witch that aids us in our journey to unmask the puppets orchestrating our adventures. While she’s a late-game partner, Merideth’s low health complemented by her melee build make her a near suicidal companion.
I recommend recruiting Merideth to survive the initial struggle of the Oneirist faction and then ditching her for a more robust companion like Pigman Joe or Cecilia.
Recruitment: Immediately upon starting the Oneirist chapter, look for a missing piece of wall inhabited by several wraiths. Killing these wraiths and progressing further into the abandoned section of the Oneirist temple reveals an isolated area with a wounded witch begging for aid.
Offering your assistance grants you Merideth as a companion for the final leg of your journey.
Special Skills: Shift – Amidst combat, Merideth deceives her enemy and teleports herself to a nearby location. While this power is great for keeping Merideth alive, it does very little to enhance her combat potential.
7. Cl’erns Qui’g
A brothel owner turned penitent pigman, Cl’erns Qui’g is our avatar for the second chapter. While he lacks the health and firepower of better companions, getting to listen to Cl’erns Qui’g’s jovial pig puns and determined tone are arguably worth the sacrifice.
I recommend recruiting our piggy friend if we’ve killed off every other decent companion or are interested in a funny pigman for an extra wacky journey.
Recruitment: We can recruit Cl’erns Qui’g from the protector arc onwards after traveling to his marked location on the world map. If we asked Cecilia for forgiveness in Cl’erns Qui’g’s act, we’d find the pigman working at a jewelry shop in Cedar Flats. Otherwise, we’ll find our pig compatriot living as an outcast with Pigman Joe.
Special Skills: N/A
6. Red Thunderbird
Our cousin in the Protector Arc, Red Thunderbird, assists our journey to banish the spirit of greed. While he has higher health and does more damage than Cecilia and Monte, the fact that Red Thunderbird betrays us immediately after recruitment can turn him into a liability.
Recruitment:Â Towards the end of the Protector Arc, just as we confront the spirit of greed, Red Thunderbird offers to join our righteous quest to save the West.
After accepting his offer, delay completion of the main quest and dismiss Red Thunderbird before returning to Olvidado Pueblo. Venturing to the haunted mansion with our cousin in tow corrupts him, forcing us to kill him and travel elsewhere for another companion.
Special Skills: N/A
5. Cecilia Oscuro
Our traumatized ex-girlfriend from the pigman arc, Cecilia Oscuro has resorted to violence and butchery to get even with our pigman deuteragonist. With a mysterious eyepatch and short temper, Cecilia joins us in return for saving her from a pigman she assaulted.
Better yet, if we bring her to Cedar Flats, we’re treated to a short scene of Cecilia harassing our previous pigman deuteragonist. I recommend recruiting Cecilia later in the Protector chapter if we encounter her random event.
Recruiting: If we spared Cecilia at the end of the pigman chapter, we might encounter her in a random event in the next chapter. In the event, a pigman accuses Cecilia of burning his house, down to which Cecilia tells him that he deserves it.
If we assist Cecilia, we can kill the aggrieved pigman and recruit her afterward. WARNING: if we have Cl’erns Qui’g in our party, Cecilia will automatically turn hostile to us, and we’ll be unable to recruit her.
Special Skills:Â N/A
4. Monte Clasp
A pessimistic deputy with a grimdark interpretation of the law, Monte is our first companion to help us track down our missing husband. While he doesn’t offer special abilities or extended health, he’s still a decent friend to watch our back.
I recommend keeping Monte around until we can recruit more robust companions like Pigman Joe in the next chapter.
Recruiting: Fret not for the bounty hunter arc forces us to recruit Monte. After returning to Grackle, Sheriff Flora Albright suggests we recruit her deputy to assist in eliminating the Stillwater gang. In later journeys, we find him in Grackle defending the gunshop or other merchant locations.
Special Skills: N/A
3. Desidério RÃos
A devout werewolf absolutionist, Desidério RÃos is a previous Deuteroganist we can recruit for our witch playthrough in the final fifth journey.
With his terrifying werewolf transformation, Desidério becomes a ferocious fighter that tears his foes limb from limb. While he has less health than Pigman Joe and Sherif Flora Albright, he makes up for it with his high DPS attacks.
Recruiting: After entering the fifth and final chapter, we can meet with Desidério and ask for his help if we chose to destroy the blood moon in the previous chapter.
However, be warned that if we used the blood moon’s power, Desidério attacks us on sight. I recommend destroying the blood moon so that we can recruit Desidério for this final journey.
Special Skills: Werewolf Transformation РAWOOOO! Partway through combat, Desid̩rio turns into a furry monstrosity and charges his foes.
While this skill is excellent against ranged foes, high-health melee enemies can take advantage of this skill and bludgeon our furry friend. I recommend restricting Desidério to ranged, low DPS foes and recruiting someone else if we decide to go monster hunting.
2. Pigman Joe
A rhyming, riddling swine, Pigman Joe rescues us from the soul-devouring tree at the beginning of the second arc. Joe’s extraordinary health and sturdy melee make him a functional tank in combat. I recommend equipping our pig friend with a protective vest and putting points into the posse leader perk to make the most out of Joe.
Recruiting: After progressing halfway through the pigman arc, Joe asks us to help free him from his curse to eternally speak in rhymes. After murdering the wraith and imprisoning his soul, Joe offers to assist us on our righteous piggy quest.
Better yet, we can recruit Joe for the subsequent three journeys after returning to his hideout and asking him to join free of charge.
Special Skills: Pigman Stomp – Feeling surrounded? Practice proper crowd control with Joe’s special stomp attack. Enemies caught in his AoE circle take decent damage and get stunned. I recommend employing Joe against fragile enemies like zombies and witches.
1. Sherif Flora Albright
Our first friend in the bounty hunter arc, Sherif Flora Albright assists us in rescuing our spouse from the deadly clutches of a human trafficker. While she’s only recruitable in the first chapter, Flora’s swift sharpshooting skills combined with her deadly siren attacks make her a versatile ally in any situation.
I recommend recruiting Sherif Flora Albright and taking time to adventure with her before entering Copper Mountain Quarry; she’ll be unavailable afterward.
Recruiting:Â We can recruit Flora after discovering her secret identity as a siren at Albright Stead. After promising to conceal her monstrous nature, Flora offers to join us to save our husband. After escaping Copper Mountain Quarry with our husband in tow, Flora leaves our services to raise a family at Albright Stead.
Special Skills: Siren Transformation – Losing a significant chunk of health triggers Flora’s transformation into a deadly Siren that charges enemies and rips them limb from limb. While this state is temporary, Flora can quickly level the playing field in moments (I’m relieved she’s on our side).
Other Companions
Although there are nearly a dozen more characters we can recruit from saloons or rescue from traffickers, those companions tend to be much more deficient.
With lower stats and a high pricetag, we’re much better off investing our time in characters that can dominate a gunfight. I recommend hiring those companions only when a better one is out of reach and then dismissing them when a more promising partner comes along.
FAQs
Question: Who Should I Recruit in the Weird West?
Answer: Recruit Monte Clasp and Flora Albright near and around Grackle for the first journey. Recruit Pigman Joe and Desidério for later journeys.
Question: How Do I Heal My Companions?
Answer: Sleeping, eating, and using medkits are good ways to heal yourself and your posse. To heal your companions in advance, place several medkits in their inventory.
Question: Why can’t I Recruit Flora Albright?
Answer: After the bounty hunter arc, Flora Albright retires to her farm or becomes a wanted outlaw depending on our actions. While we can still visit her at Albright Stead, she’ll be a civilian for the rest of this indie game.
Question: How Do I Get My Previous Journey’s Items Back?
Answer: Meeting up with your last companion enables us to recruit their help and access their inventory to reclaim lost items. Be warned that turning a companion hostile, whether through forcing them to give in to the spirit of greed or using the blood moon, compels us to fight them to reclaim our equipment.
Final Thoughts
Well done. We’ve assembled the greatest fighting force of pigmen, witches, and werewolves ever to roam the Weird West. Zombies? Wraths? Bah! None can withstand the might of our monstrous posse. Now set a destination and get to roaming. Our Western odyssey awaits!
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