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Best Companions in Warframe (2026): Tier List and How to Get Each One
Panzer, Smeeta, Helios, Carrier: the pets that matter
Last Updated on September 11, 2026
The short answer
Panzer Vulpaphyla for anything hard, Smeeta Kavat for farming, Helios for scanning and armor strip, Carrier for launchers. Companions no longer die for good, get Overguard, and share Bond mods that buff you back, so the choice is about the job, not survival. Every one of them wants Vacuum or Fetch, Primed Regen or Pack Leader, and Primed Animal Instinct.
Reviewed September 10, 2026, current through Update 43.5. Iceblade of Narin lands September 23 and is not reflected yet; this page is re-checked after every major patch.
| Job | Companion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Steel Path, endurance | Panzer Vulpaphyla | Viral spread and self-revive |
| Farming | Smeeta Kavat | Charm doubles loot and affinity |
| Scanning, armor strip | Helios | Auto-scan plus Vicious Bond |
| Launchers and ammo | Carrier | Ammo Case |
| Grouping for nukes | Nautilus | Cordon pulls the room |
| Crit squads | Adarza Kavat | Cat’s Eye crit buff |
What the rework changed
- Companions cannot die permanently. At zero health they go down for a timer, then get back up with a few seconds of invulnerability.
- Beasts can be revived faster by holding interact on them; Sentinels wait the timer out.
- Companions gain Overguard and Overshields, and their abilities deal bonus damage to enemy Overguard.
- Pack Leader heals the companion per melee hit and overflows into Overguard.
- Base health, armor and shields went up across the board, and Kubrows and Kavats no longer need Stasis or feeding.
- Bond mods (Abyss of Dagath) give the companion a trigger and hand you a buff: sold by the conservation vendors in Cetus, Fortuna and the Necralisk for standing.
S tier: Take these everywhere
Panzer VulpaphylaVulpaphyla
Smeeta KavatKavat
HeliosSentinel
CarrierSentinel| Companion | Type | Why | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panzer Vulpaphyla | Vulpaphyla | Viral quills spread status and it revives itself; the most self-sufficient companion in the game. | Son on Deimos: capture a weakened Vulpaphyla, buy the Panzer Mutagen and Antigen, revivify at the Necralisk. |
| Smeeta Kavat | Kavat | Charm: double loot, double affinity, crit or energy at random; still the farming standard. | Incubator Segment plus 10 Kavat Genetic Codes (scan feral Kavats on Deimos). |
| Helios | Sentinel | Scans everything for Simaris and Vicious Bond turns Deconstructor into armor strip. | Clan Dojo Energy Lab; Helios Prime from relics. |
| Carrier | Sentinel | Ammo Case turns every pickup into ammo for whatever you hold; the launcher owner's pet. | Market blueprint; Carrier Prime from relics. |
A tier: Strong, more specific
NautilusSentinel
DjinnSentinel
DirigaSentinel
Adarza KavatKavat
Sahasa KubrowKubrow| Companion | Type | Why | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nautilus | Sentinel | Cordon pulls a room into one pile for your AoE, and it ships with the Verglas. | Ice Mine caches in Neptune Proxima (Railjack); Nautilus Prime from relics. |
| Djinn | Sentinel | Reawaken spends energy orbs to revive itself with an overshield. | Clan Dojo Bio Lab. |
| Diriga | Sentinel | Arc Coil tags nearby enemies with Electricity, feeding Condition Overload and Melee Influence. | Market blueprint. |
| Adarza Kavat | Kavat | Cat's Eye gives the squad a big crit chance buff on a timer. | Incubator Segment plus 10 Kavat Genetic Codes. |
| Sahasa Kubrow | Kubrow | Dig finds ammo, energy and health mid-mission. | Kubrow Egg from Earth dens, Incubator, imprint for the Sahasa trait. |
B tier: Good in a niche
DethcubeSentinel
Vasca KavatKavat
Sly VulpaphylaVulpaphyla
ShadeSentinel
WyrmSentinel
Crescent VulpaphylaVulpaphyla
Vizier PredasitePredasite| Companion | Type | Why | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dethcube | Sentinel | Energy Generator drops energy orbs on kills. | Market blueprint; Dethcube Prime from relics. |
| Vasca Kavat | Kavat | Transfusion revives you from its own health on a cooldown. | Get bitten by a wild Vasca on the Plains at night, then imprint. |
| Sly Vulpaphyla | Vulpaphyla | Drops a decoy on bullet jump and lowers enemy accuracy. | Son on Deimos, Sly Mutagen and Antigen. |
| Shade | Sentinel | Ghost cloaks you when no enemy is close. | Market blueprint; Shade Prime from relics. |
| Wyrm | Sentinel | Negate blocks a status proc; the budget defensive pick. | Market blueprint. |
| Crescent Vulpaphyla | Vulpaphyla | Throws a target into its friends for light crowd control. | Son on Deimos. |
| Vizier Predasite | Predasite | Spits ranged damage and heals nearby allies. | Son on Deimos. |
C tier: Mastery, then shelve
Pharaoh PredasitePredasite
Medjay PredasitePredasite
OxylusSentinel
Huras KubrowKubrow
Chesa KubrowKubrow
TaxonSentinel
Raksa KubrowKubrow
Sunika KubrowKubrow| Companion | Type | Why | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharaoh Predasite | Predasite | Crowd control and a buff that rarely matters. | Son on Deimos. |
| Medjay Predasite | Predasite | Status bites, outclassed by Panzer. | Son on Deimos. |
| Oxylus | Sentinel | Reveals resources and containers; weak in a fight. | The Business in Fortuna. |
| Huras Kubrow | Kubrow | Brief invisibility near enemies. | Kubrow Egg, Incubator, Huras imprint. |
| Chesa Kubrow | Kubrow | Retrieve loots nearby corpses. | Kubrow Egg, Incubator, Chesa imprint. |
| Taxon | Sentinel | A fine first Sentinel that stops scaling early. | Venus Junction reward or the Market. |
| Raksa Kubrow | Kubrow | Howl slows, Protect tops up shields; Vasca does the job better. | Kubrow Egg, Incubator, Raksa imprint. |
| Sunika Kubrow | Kubrow | Teleport strikes and bonus Overguard damage; opinions split. | Kubrow Egg, Incubator, Sunika imprint. |
MOAs and Hounds
Both are modular, so there is no single picture to show. MOAs are built at Legs in Fortuna from standing parts; the Nychus head has the best bite. Hounds come from vanquishing (not killing) a Sister of Parvos, with dozens of part combinations and above-average durability. Both sit around A to B depending on the roll.
Bond mods worth buying first
| Mod | What it does for you |
|---|---|
| Momentous Bond | Eximus kills give you a random elemental damage bonus and cut the companion's recovery timer |
| Tenacious Bond | Headshot kills cut recovery; a high-crit companion also hands you crit damage |
| Contagious Bond | Enemies the companion kills spread their status effects to neighbors |
| Duplex Bond | Spending energy spawns companion duplicates that drop energy orbs |
| Vicious Bond | Companion melee and ability damage strips armor; the Helios combo |
| Mystic Bond | Enough companion ability casts give you a free Warframe cast |
| Reinforced Bond | High companion shields give you fire rate; reloading restores its shields |
Bond mod cards
The ones in the game data, as cards. Hover or tap to read the full stats.
9
Momentous Bond
Momentous Bond
Killing Eximus enemies grants 120% bonus of a random Elemental Damage to your Companion for 30s and reduces Companion Recovery Time by 18s.
COMPANION
9
Contagious Bond
Contagious Bond
When your Companion kills an enemy afflicted with a Status Effect, 50% of the Status Effect spreads to other enemies within 9m. Max 100 stacks.
COMPANION
9
Duplex Bond
Duplex Bond
Companion will clone itself each time you expend 100 energy, up to 3 clones. Clones live 30s and cannot use Abilities. Their kills have a 50% chance of dropping Energy Orbs.
COMPANION
9
Mystic Bond
Mystic Bond
After your Companion uses Abilities with cooldowns 5 times, you may cast a Warframe Ability without expending Energy.
COMPANION
9
Reinforced Bond
Reinforced Bond
If the Companion exceeds 1200 Max Shields or Overshields then your fire rate is increased 60%. Reloading restores 150 Overshields to your companion.
COMPANION
9
Manifold Bond
Manifold Bond
Companion Precept Mods apply Status Effects from Companion weapons. Killing enemies with 3 or more unique Status Effects reduces Companion Ability cooldowns by 3s.
ROBOTIC
9
Restorative Bond
Restorative Bond
Health Orbs restore 60 more health and reduce Companion Recovery Time by 3s.
COMPANION
9
Seismic Bond
Seismic Bond
While a channeled Ability is active, Companion melee attacks create a 4m shockwave for 30% of their melee attack damage. Damage dealt by your Companion increases your Ability Efficiency by 3% for 12 seconds. Max 10 stacks.
COMPANIONCore companion mods
7
Vacuum
Vacuum
13.5m Companion Gather-Link. Detects and collects items, including mods.
ROBOTIC
7
Fetch
Fetch
13.5m Companion Gather-Link. Detects and collects items, including mods.
BEAST
14
Primed Regen
Primed Regen
Sentinel recovery time reduced by 35s. Revives with 10s of invulnerability.
Sentinel
16
Primed Animal Instinct
Primed Animal Instinct
+55m Loot Radar
+33m Enemy Radar
COMPANION
12
Link Vitality
Link Vitality
Increase Health by +125% of Warframe's Max Health
COMPANION
14
Link Fiber
Link Fiber
Increase Max Armor by +125% of Warframe's Armor
COMPANION
14
Primed Pack Leader
Primed Pack Leader
+183 Health per hit
+2,200 Overguard Max
COMPANION
9
Synth Deconstruct
Synth Deconstruct
Enemies injured by the Companions have 25% chance to drop a Health Orb when killed.
Holstering Primary and Secondary Weapons reload 20% of Magazine/s.
SET: COMPANIONHow to get each type
| Reward | From | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kubrows and Kavats | Incubator Segment (Howl of the Kubrow quest) | Kubrow Eggs from Earth dens; Kavats need 10 Genetic Codes from feral Kavat scans |
| Vulpaphylas and Predasites | Son at the Necralisk | Capture a weakened one on Cambion Drift, buy Mutagen and Antigen, revivify for credits |
| MOAs | Legs in Fortuna | Four standing parts built in the Foundry |
| Hounds | Sisters of Parvos | Vanquish, do not kill, the Sister |
| Sentinels | Market, Dojo labs, vendors | Carrier, Dethcube, Wyrm, Shade, Diriga from the Market; Djinn and Helios from the Dojo; Nautilus from Railjack; Oxylus from Fortuna; Taxon from the Venus Junction |
| Vasca Kavat | The Plains at night | Let a wild Vasca bite your companion, then use a Genetic Code Template |
Tips that save runs
- Vacuum on Sentinels, Fetch on everything else. Never run without one.
- A companion is a mod slot for you now: pick the Bond mod first, then the pet that triggers it.
- Helios with Vicious Bond is free armor strip on any frame.
- Panzer's quills are Viral; pair it with Slash or Heat weapons and the pet does the priming.
- Prime Sentinels are straight upgrades; farm the relics when they rotate through.
Mistakes that waste runs
- Still babysitting a Kavat like it can die. It cannot.
- Running Smeeta in Steel Path for the loot buff and dying to the lack of Panzer sustain.
- Forgetting the Sentinel weapon is its own mod build (Verglas, Deconstructor).
- Skipping Bond mods because they cost standing; they are the best mods in the category.
Related
- Weekly checklist
- Necramech guide
- Best Steel Path weapons
- Progression map
- Best weapons for 2026
- Warframe tier list 2026
- Weekly checklist: every reset worth doing
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