Weird West's game world is filled with potential threats everywhere you go. Not only can you run into terrifying creatures like Zombies or Sirens, but you can accidentally start a Vendetta and have a person ambushing you every time they can. Moreover, the game features randomized encounters with creatures that want to take a chunk out of you, like bears or coyotes.
As you can see, there's danger in every corner of Weird West, so keeping your eyes open for any potential threat might not be enough. Don't worry, as the game allows you to add NPCs to your party to help you during combat situations; keep reading to find out how to do this.
How To Recruit Companions
Very early in the game, while you are still playing as Jane the Bounty Hunter, you will get a message from Sheriff Flora Albright offering her deputy Monte as an extra "set of irons." This means you can go to the town of Grackle and talk with Monte to recruit him to your party. Most likely, he will be the first companion you will have in this game.
After recruiting him, you will learn that you can talk to any NPC with a diamond shape cowboy icon and recruit them to your posse.
Keep in mind that you can only have two companions at a time (this doesn't include Friends for Life, those are a completely different mechanic). But companions are not forever, they can die during fights, or you might find someone along the way that's a better option. Either way, if you have an available spot, you can always recruit new companions at the nearest Saloon.
Once someone is your companion, you can talk to them to:
- Dismiss them.
- Order them to equip a different weapon.
- See what items they have in their inventory (yes, you can take any valuable items they have and then sell them to profit).
- Order them to fight unarmed.
- Give them valuable items like vests or bandages that they can use to protect or heal themselves during combat.
When your companion dies, you will be able to loot their body to retrieve any important item you might have given them.
How to Heal Companions
Just like you, companions can get injured and even die during combat. To heal a companion's wounds, you can take them to a town doctor (this will cost you some dollar coins), heal them yourself using bandages or sleep to replenish everyone's health. Moreover, every time you cook something, eat cacti fruits or drink their water, you will gain some health as well as your companion.
Types of Companions
There are four types of companions you can come across while playing this game: followers, mercenaries, special companions, and past heroes. Below we'll discuss these types in more detail.
Followers
Followers are NPCs that are attracted by how honorable you are and will ask to accompany you in your adventures. In other words, if you have a high enough reputation, people will want to follow you.
Mercenaries
Mercenaries are hired guns you will find in the nearest Saloon passing the time. They will join your party, but it won't be cheap as they usually cost $100 or more. You can see which available mercenaries are in a specific town just by going to the travel map and moving your cursor or pointer over the town you want to check.
Before recruiting a mercenary, keep in mind that they will have lower health than special companions or past heroes. Not only that but mercenaries have a chance of becoming followers if you increase your reputation, so there's no need to pay them.
Special Companions
Special Companions are NPCs who want to join your party out of gratitude or because you have enemies in common. This means Special Companions have a "more involved" recruitment process, meaning you will usually need to do something for them before being able to add them to your posse.
A good example is Pigman Joe from Weird West's second journey. Before you can recruit him, you will need to complete first the side quest "The Bard's Bargain," where you go and kill the Wraith that cursed Joe with only speaking in rhymes.
While special companions take a little more effort, they're totally worth it as they will usually have more HP than other companions.
Past Heroes
One thing that sets Weird West apart from other games is that you will play as five different protagonists, and while their journeys are different, all of them occur in the same game world. This means that when you start a new journey as a new hero, you will be able to open the travel map to find the previous hero and recruit them.
Previous heroes can make excellent party members; not only will they retain any special ability you gave them using Nimp Relics, but they usually have more HP than regular companions.