Warframe Companion rework in Abyss of Dagath update, explained 

One of the earliest quests all Warframe players have to tackle after completing the prologue act is called 'Howl of The Kubrow', where the player is introduced to the canine pet system. Animal companions are an essential staple feature in all MMOs, and they were likewise added very early on in Warframe's lifespan. However, their role in the game has often been a highly debated matter within the community.

Between the several types of robotic and organic sidekicks, there are over 20 unique pet types you can take on your journeys, and that is discounting the bespoke MOAs you can build from Fortuna. Despite their variety, only a handful of them have niche use cases. Most companions are tossed by the wayside after they have contributed to your Mastery Rank XP.

Even the handful that were considered useable in the majority of this game's patches only acted as a vessel for the Vacuum and Fetch mods. However, the latest Abyss of Dagath patch aims to correct this with a series of reworks coming on October 18, 2023.

---

Major changes to Companions in Warframe: Abyss of Dagath

Companions are roughly 50% more durable now (Image via Digital Extremes)

The biggest complaint about a companion's useability, in general, has been their fragile nature. Especially in Steel Path missions, even the most durable companions get downed in two or three hits from stray enemies. Sentinels instantly die and trigger the Regen mod, granting them only a few total lives even if you have Primed Regen.

Non-sentinel companions enter a bleedout state when they die. Like Warframes, they can be revived within a timer, but the opportunity cost is often too high for this in the heat of battle.

The fickle AI of these companions leads them to charge headlong into danger. As a result, even the Kavats, the most elusive of them all, are prone to frequent knockouts.

While the Abyss of Dagath update does not make their AI better, it does address this issue in two ways.

• Firstly, all companions and sentinels are roughly 50% more durable in a series of buffs to their health, armor, and shields across the board.
• Secondly, instead of dying, companions will now be incapacitated, and they will be put into a 60-second downtime before they respawn again.

Additionally,

• All abilities that heal you now also heal your companion, including those from your Operator.
• Mods such as Regen will now decrease this base cooldown of 60 seconds.
• All benefits from companions, including Vacuum and Fetch, will be disabled when they are incapacitated.

Companions on the ground can be revived as before, while Sentinels will continue to hover over your Warframe's head before they come back up. On the other hand, Khora's Venari, as well as the Deimos Vulpaphylas, will retain their previous respawning behavior.

---

All new Companion mods coming to Warframe in Abyss of Dagath update

Four new Companion mods are coming with the Abyss of Dagath update (Image via Digital Extremes)

A series of stat adjustments and quality-of-life changes have been given to a number of companion mods. This includes a buff to all of the direct defensive mods: Calculated Redirection, Enhanced Vitality, and Metal Fiber. The big ones are:

• Djinn's reawaken now advances his respawn timer by 6 seconds for every energy orb you collect. Additionally, each point adds 300 Overshields to Djinn for the next spawn.
• Loyal Companion now adds 50 health to the companion per melee hit and adds Overguard instead when health is full.
• Spare Parts is now replaced with 'Salvage Scanner', which makes the companion mark an enemy every 15 seconds. If you kill this enemy within 5 seconds, they drop extra loot.

Additionally, Abyss of Dagath will add four new companion mods in Warframe:

• Duplex Bond
• Tenacious Bond
• Reinforced Bond
• Aerial Bond

Dubbed the 'Bond' mods, these are meant to enhance cooperative gameplay and interactivity between Warframes and their Companions. Specifically, Duplex Bond and Curious Bond finally enable the Sentinels to have significantly higher uptime and allow them to do meaningful damage and provide energy.