A Pirate101 Guide to
Skull Island’s Lesser Companions

Class: Musketeer

Recruits at: your level +3

Promotes at: N/A

Buy for: 2,995 Crowns

How to unlock: Complete The Soggy Crusade in The Gold Mine

Summary

This rebellious, randomly-named Water Mole is sadly lacking in all departments.  Between his low range, limited Epic pool, and the fact that he deals physical damage with his attacks – making him even less effective against armoured opponents – there is little reason to recruit this little guy.

Suggested Builds

Class: Musketeer

Recruits at: your level +2

Promotes at: levels 30 and 56

Buy for: 4,495 Crowns

How to unlock: Complete The Great Infestation in Gullet

Summary

A surprisingly effective companion unlocked early in your pirate’s journey, Tricky Vinny is only held back by an unimpressive starting epic, as well as a lack of anti-melee firepower in the form of Overwatch or Burst Fire.

That being said, over time this ornery frog can grow into a respectable counter-Musketeer, with both Quick Draw and True Grit in his epic pool.  He also packs a rare Mega Hit Power after his second promotion, and he starts with the even rarer passive ability Jump – allowing him to potentially evade melee pursuers by leaping over obstacles and gaps on the battleboard.

Suggested Builds

Summary

A former Monquistador Crossbowman who’s a few bananas short of a barrel, this ex-cultist’s unfortunate starting Epic and lack of later promotions puts him in a rough spot.  While he does eventually gain access to a variety of rank 3 Epics, he never quite gets enough of them to be useful.

Suggested Builds

Summary

This scrappy Water Mole can be a real thorn in your enemies’ side with his array of pre-emptive and movement-based Epics, but his lack of raw damage means that he’ll struggle to deal with opponents one-on-one.

Suggested Builds

Class: Buccaneer

Recruits at: your level +2

Promotes at: level 37

Buy for: 4495 Crowns

How to unlock: Complete Rite of Passage in Valley of the Gold Monkey

Summary

Romba is a unique companion that, I must admit, I overlooked for a long time.  But aside from the fact that he gets a promotion when many others don’t, he is one of the *very* few Buccaneer companions who are able to learn Witch Hunter.

Sadly, he lacks the damage-dealing Epics to really capitalize on this – but he may still have a niche use in certain battles.

Suggested Builds

Summary

Ah, Bones McGee. While I’ve always had a soft spot for this bony fellow, it’s hard to recommend buying him on account of his lacklustre selection of Epics. That being said, the fact that he can be promoted at all, let alone twice, is quite surprising – as is his usefulness for Witchdoctors at higher levels.

Will he out-shoot Bonnie Anne? Not a chance. Will he occasionally surprise you in the mid-to-late levels when you bring him in after forgetting to renew his crew task? Absolutely.

Suggested Builds

Summary

The humble Batacuda, despite never promoting, has a few things going for it.  It can function as a respectable melee counter-punch unit with access to Vengeance Strike 3, and it has the rare ability to Fly over terrain and obstacles during battle – even hovering over inaccessible areas to frustrate melee opponents.

Furthermore, with the recent buffs to Beast companions, the Batacuda can find a home in a Beast-heavy gimmick team as a brawling Buccaneer tank.

That being said, there isn’t much else that this companion can do to outshine other options you’ll come across.  If you’re looking for a dependable Buccaneer to watch your back, you can probably do better than this fish.

Suggested Builds