Companions give you permanent passive bonuses, and they never leave your side. Picking the right one for what you're doing is one of the most powerful decisions you can make in VvW. This guide ranks every companion and tells you exactly when to use each one.
Quick Reference Rankings
| COMPANION | PvP | DUNGEON | GATHER | RACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Hawk | S | A | B | Any (P1) |
| Arcane Sprite | A | S | B | Any (Lv35) |
| Iron Bear | B | A | B | Wolf |
| Death Wraith | B | A | C | Vampire |
| Moon Sprite | A* | A* | S* | Any (Event) |
| Stag of the Grove | D | D | S | Wolf |
| Owl Sage | D | B | B | Any |
| Wolf Spirit / Bat Familiar | B | B | B | Race-locked |
* Moon Sprite ratings are during active events only; outside events it drops to C/C/B.
Companion Switching Strategy
Remember: switching companions has a 24-hour cooldown. So plan your switches around your weekly schedule:
- Monday (weekly reset): Activate your combat companion. You want to be combat-ready for the new week's quests and the dungeon cooldown reset.
- Wednesday/Thursday: If you have gathering sessions planned, switch to Stag of the Grove or Owl Sage.
- Pre-event: Switch to Moon Sprite at least 24 hours before a Blood Moon or Eclipse event starts.
- Raid Boss week: Keep your combat companion active the whole week. Raid damage matters more here than any other activity.
When to Unlock Each Companion
- Level 1: Unlock your race starter (Bat Familiar or Wolf Spirit) right away. It builds XP from the start.
- Level 10: Unlock Owl Sage. Its +12% XP bonus speeds up your progress a lot from this point on.
- Level 25: Unlock Death Wraith (Vampire) or Iron Bear (Werewolf). This is your first true combat companion.
- Level 35: Switch to Arcane Sprite as your main companion if you're running a skill-heavy build.
- Prestige 1: Unlock Storm Hawk. Many players consider it the best PvP companion in the game.
BUDGET RECOMMENDATION
If you can only afford one companion beyond your starter, invest in Owl Sage (2,000 Gold). It levels you up faster, and that speed pays for itself within a single play session by getting you into higher-level content sooner.
Related: Subclasses Wiki · VvW Tier List 2026 · Skills Reference