With the limited amount of mod slots available on every item in Warframe, it can be hard to get utility-based effects for certain builds. Luckily, this is where companions shine.
These sidekicks can provide bonuses ranging from grabbing every item near the player to granting status immunity. Companions are crucial to getting the most out of any build, granting nice bonuses that would otherwise not be possible. Some robotic companions, named Sentinels, can also bring unique weapons with them that can deal with reasonable damage or be built around stunning targets consistently. Here are some of the best companions players can use in Warframe.
Updated June 10th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: While companions haven’t seen many changes since we last updated this article, the true value of Vulpaphylas and other companions has become much more apparent in today’s meta. We’ve overhauled this list by rewriting every entry and reranking most entries, giving more value to companions and pets that grant utility and can revive themselves.
10 Dethcube
Don’t let this Sentinel’s name fool you. Despite being named Dethcube, this Sentinel is better used as a utility companion than a weapons platform. Dethcube Prime has above-average survivability for a Sentinel and comes with a machine gun tuned for fire rate.
The weapon on Dethcube and its Prime variant should only be used for status application, although other Sentinel weapons do this better. The real use for Dethcube is the Energy Generator Mod, causing an enemy to spawn an Energy Orb after Dethcube assists you with ten kills. That requirement sounds high on paper, but Dethcube can tag quite a few enemies in a mission without much issue. If you’re looking for a means of spawning Energy Orbs to benefit from Arcane Energize or Energy Conversion, Dethcube isn’t a bad pick.
9 Carrier
As far as starter companions go, you can’t go wrong with Carrier. This Sentinel can increase your ammo reserves, convert ammo types into what you’re currently using, break storage containers with a certain Mod from Cephalon Simaris, and it comes with a rather strong shotgun.
Carrier’s main use is to keep your ammo reserves full while you’re progressing through the Star Chart. Having ammo mutation for all of your guns is quite handy if you’re using AoE weapons or snipers, freeing up a Mod slot while in the early and mid-game. Carrier’s Sweeper shotgun can also put in some work in low-level content. For how early you can build Carrier, this Sentinel will prove useful for most of the Star Chart, although consider getting a Sahasa Kubrow or Djinn when you can.
8 Helios
Helios is the only Sentinel in the game that comes with a melee weapon. Instead of firing bullets or lasers at targets, Helios will detach a part of himself and throw it at enemies.
This means that melee mods can be used to create a rather powerful Sentinel weapon or stat stick. Better yet, Helios can also scan targets to fill out a player’s Codex, granting additional enemies to test against in the Simulacrum. If an enemy is fully scanned, players can also use the Detect Vulnerability precept to have weak points be revealed on enemies, making them take extra damage. Helios loses value when you’ve scanned everything in Warframe, but you’ll save so much time scanning objects if you pick Helios up. Everyone should have one in their inventory.
7 Djinn
As a companion, Djinn is terrible. It has terrible EHP, a preset Mod that actively gets it killed, and its weapon is only useful for applying Toxin procs on targets. So why is it ranked higher than Carrier and Dethcube? This Sentinel can revive itself.
Cephalon Simaris sells the Reawaken Mod for Djinn, allowing your Sentinel to revive itself after 90 seconds. This Mod doesn’t have a usage limit, meaning you have a guaranteed way of bringing your Sentinel back if it dies. This is incredibly useful since Sentinels are used mainly for their utility. You’ll have better uptime on Vacuum and other QoL effects than with any other Sentinel. If Vulpaphyla Kavats couldn’t do the same thing with a shorter cooldown, Djinn would be ranked higher on this list. As it currently stands, Djinn is a solid Sentinel if you don’t use Fatal Attraction and get Reawaken as soon as possible.
6 Sahasa Kubrow
If there is one type of Kubrow we recommend, it is the Sahasa variant. Sahasa Kubrows have a unique ability called Dig, allowing them to dig into the ground about every 15 seconds to spawn items for you. These items include Health Orbs, Energy Orbs, and ammunition.
The main use of a Sahasa Kubrow is to fill up your Energy reserves when they get low. Whenever your Kubrow starts to dig, the items they spawn will bias what you currently need. So if you have minimal Energy, your Kubrow will always spawn Energy. This is especially useful if you’re playing a Warframe that uses a channeled ability and can’t passively regenerate Energy; your Kubrow will just keep giving you free Energy. It loses quite a bit of its value once you level Zenurik and get Arcane Energize, but new players that want a tankier pet and a solution to their Energy woes should consider getting a Sahasa Kubrow.
5 Adarza Kavat
As far as pets go, you can’t go wrong with an Adarza Kavat. This companion grants a passive, additive 60% critical chance to all nearby allies every 20 seconds. The buff itself lasts for ten seconds, although you can extend this with the Tek Enhance Mod.
Adarza Kavats excel when you pair them with single-target DPS loadouts. Bringing an Adarza to an Eidolon hunt or Profit-Taker can give you a sizable DPS increase, allowing you to farm these missions a little bit faster if your squad isn’t optimized. Just be sure to upgrade their defenses with Mods so they don’t immediately drop dead.
4 Crescent Vulpaphyla
The Crescent Vulpaphyla is a Kavat variant of the Helminth Charger, a pet that wants to charge head-first into your foes. Its Crescent Charge preset is lackluster, dealing mediocre damage while getting your Vulpaphyla right into a cluster of enemies. The good news is that Crescent Devolution makes them unkillable.
Should your Vulpaphyla fall in battle, it will convert into a Sentinel for 30 seconds before transforming back into a Kavat. The Sentinel form itself fires projectiles that deal Puncture damage, but the real benefit is that you have a companion that cannot die. Should it die in both its Kavat and Sentinel form, it will still respawn after 30 seconds. This means you have constant access to Fetch, Animal Instinct, and other utility Mods that make companions worth using. The other two Vulpaphyla variants are much better than the Crescent version, but any Vulpaphyla will serve you well in Warframe.
3 Sly Vulpaphyla
The same pros we mentioned about the Crescent Vulpaplyla apply here, except the Sly variant has passive bonuses that are much more beneficial. This pet can give you Evasion periodically—or constantly if it’s a Sentinel—giving you a chance to avoid any damage that would otherwise affect you.
Beyond that great passive effect, Vulpaphylas cannot die permanently. If they die in their Kavat form, they’ll morph into a Sentinel for the next 30 seconds. They can still die in this form, although the Vulpaphyla will come back to life after 30 seconds, even in Arbitrations.
2 Smeeta Kavat
If players are going to farm resources, the Smeeta Kavat is the uncontested best companion in the game. This is one of two companions that can increase your loot gains, the other being the Chesa Kubrow. Unlike the Chesa, Smeeta Kavats don’t interfere with loot-generating abilities and stack with just about every loot-enhancing source in the game.
Smeeta Kavats have a preset called Charm that grants you one of six random buffs every so often. These buffs can give you an instant reload, cause the next source of damage to not hurt you, or set your weapon’s critical chance to 200%. More importantly, the Smeeta Kavat can double all Affinity and resource earnings for the next two minutes—something you can extend further through the use of Tek Enhance.
This buff stacks with Resource Boosters and even the Charm buff itself. If you’re lucky enough to have this resource buff proc multiple times in quick succession, you’ll be earning far more resources and Affinity. It’s the best companion for those who just want to increase their loot gains without any hassle.
1 Panzer Vulpaphyla
The Panzer Vulpaphyla is effectively an AI-controlled Saryn that can accompany you on any mission. This Kavat variant can release quills that spawn spores on targets, similar to how Saryn’s first ability works. These spores are fantastic for spreading Viral onto targets. Should the Kavat die, it’ll turn into a Sentinel that spreads even more spores. It can’t die permanently, has tons of utility, and it can spread Viral with ease. If you’re looking for a fantastic companion that won’t die on you, this is it.
