Path companion

Retired Content

• The subject of this article was retired or removed from the game in patch 2.0, and is no longer available to players.
• Retired items may still be kept in inventory but can no longer be renewably obtained. Tradable items may still be obtained from the Market Board or directly trading with other players.
• The information in this article is kept and maintained for historical purposes.

A Path companion was an NPC chosen by the player that was featured in the Path of the Twelve Main Scenario Quests in Patch 1.0. Path companions shared some similarities with the Adventuring Fellows of Final Fantasy XI in that players could choose their race, appearance, class, and personality, and they would appear in cutscenes. However, Path companions could not be summoned in the open world.

Meeting a Path Companion

During the Main Scenario Quest Fade to White, players would speak with Tataru at the Waking Sands to begin the process of selecting a Path companion. The steps were as follows:

1. Class Selection - Players first chose the starting class for their companion. The available classes were all 1.0 classes (which would exclude Arcanist and Rogue)
2. Appearance - Tataru then introduced four randomly generated NPCs of various races and genders for the chosen class. Each came with a short personality description. Players could either choose one or re-roll by selecting the class again.
3. Nickname Assignment - Once a Path companion was selected, players were prompted to give them a nickname.

Initially, players could not reroll a path companion after finalizing their choices; later 1.x patches added this ability.

Main Scenario Quests

Path Companions featured prominently throughout the Path of the Twelve questline, spanning from level 18 to level 46. They were involved in many 1.0 Main Scenario Quests, particularly:

• Together We Stand: Helped investigate Garlean incursions into sylph lands.
• Toll of the Warden: Joined negotiations with beast tribes and fended off primal summonings.
• Forever Taken: Gathered unaspected crystals and learned more about the Paragons.
• Lord Errant: Witnessed the summoning of Ifrit and survived an Amalj'aa ritual.
• Of Men They Sing and Futures Perfect: Aided the Ala Mhigan Resistance and faced the Empire directly.

Narratively, the Path Companion hailed from Ala Mhigo, and a family member - randomly generated as either a sibling or parent - was said to have died resisting Garlean occupation. Motivated by this loss, the companion ultimately joined the Resistance in an ill-fated mission to steal an imperial airship. This culminated in an encounter with Legatus Gaius van Baelsar, from which the player and their companion narrowly escaped with the help of a mysterious stranger.

Following this, the Path Companion faded from the story and was absent during the events leading up to the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Their ultimate fate remains unknown.

Removal

Path companions were removed with the A Realm Reborn relaunch in 2013. No current player retains access to their Path companion, and the system has never been reintroduced nor any references made to the player's former Path companion outside of flavor text from minions like the   Princely Hatchling.

Hopes by some players that Path companions might function similarly to Adventuring Fellows never materialized. Instead, A Realm Reborn introduced Chocobo Companions as a permanent open world-based ally.