Are you curious about the best buddies in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time? Your companions perform certain roles in your party, and each one provides their own unique boons and benefits. That said, there are those who are also head and shoulders above the rest.
The best buddies in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time – Buddies and companions tier list
When discussing the best buddies or companions in the game, we have to consider several important factors:
- Buddy perks are unlocked as you increase your affinity–i.e. relationship–with them. This is done by giving them gifts, completing their requests, and adventuring with them for prolonged periods.
- Companions that are unlocked earlier tend to have an advantage since you’re more likely to level them up as you tackle main quest objectives. That said, certain mid-to-late-game recruitable companions are viable, too.
- You’ll want to prioritize combat roles, for the most part, since you need to defeat enemies and farm the materials that they drop.
- Next, you should also take note of gathering/harvesting roles, particularly those that help you obtain the resources that you need–i.e. Miner and Woodcutter.
- Lastly, crafting lives/classes are only viable insofar as the frequency in which you’d make use of these actions/processes. This means the Blacksmith life has an edge given all the weapons and tools you could craft. The Artist life, meanwhile, takes a backseat since it’s mostly used to create fixtures and cosmetic effects.
Note: Before we continue, we encourage you to check our Strangeling locations guide and Shrine locations guide. These should give you a clear idea as to where you can find certain companions.
Best buddies for melee combat
Odin (Paladin) is easily one of the best buddies in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and that’s because of his perks. At affinity level 2, he boosts the attack and defense of allies. At level 3, he’s more likely to be targeted by enemies, turning him into your party’s tank. Then, at level 5 affinity, he gains a +50 physical defense boost if Daemon is also in your group. After unlocking Odin, you’re going to want him in your squad for the rest of your playthrough.
Best buddies for ranged combat and healing
We feel that Daemon (Magician) is the one who truly excels when it comes to ranged combat. That’s because all his affinity perks are meant to boost his offensive capabilities, including the darkness-infused energy beams that he periodically casts once you have rank 2 affinity. Granting a boost to the aforementioned Odin, who’s already a melee/tanky powerhouse in his own right, is just icing on the cake.
Next, as far as healing options are concerned, Sloane (Magician) is definitely one of the top picks out there. Sloane’s affinity perks at ranks 2 and 3 are restoration-focused, while others provide magic attack buffs. Sloane is also a better choice compared to Hilda (Paladin), as the latter tends to rush into the fray given her life/class.
Note: As an aside, we have to add that Yuelia might just be the best Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time buddy overall due to her special skill at rank 2 and her item drop rate boost at rank 5. Unfortunately, you can only recruit her after beating the campaign and obtaining 50x Golden Celestia’s Gifts. This whole process can take you a while, so her usefulness really depends on how invested you are in post-campaign activities.
Best buddies for gathering resources
As mentioned earlier, the Miner and Woodcutter lives ought to be prioritized due to the resources that you need in the long run. Now, when talking about Miner-type characters, we feel that Sylvia and Duglas are the two best buddies for this role.
Duglas is the second companion that you unlock in the campaign, which means you’re bound to level him up as you go along. He also boosts the SP regeneration of all Miners in the party. That said, if you can beeline straight for Lun’li Shrine in Scorchrock Mountain–i.e. all the way to the north of Ginormosia–then you should be able to unlock Sylvia. Her rank 2 affinity boon prevents boss ore deposits from regenerating HP, while her rank 3 perk increases the Mining skill for every Miner-type character in the party.
Next, for Woodcutters, you can’t really go wrong with Monica, whose Strangeling object comes from Ba’reng Shrine. She’s basically the Woodcutter equivalent of Sylvia.
Best buddies for crafting-related tasks
Lastly, let’s talk about the best companions for crafting-related tasks. Naturally, the Blacksmith life takes priority here, which leaves us with three choices: Magmia, Bray, and Ian. Their perks are generally similar, though Bray has the edge since his rank 3 boon improves your capabilities when crafting metal weapons.
When it comes to the Carpenter life, the ideal choice here is none other than Kunugi. Although other Carpenter companions–i.e. Cormell and Cherry–offer generally similar benefits, Kunugi has an advantage due to two reasons:
- She’s the first buddy that you recruit in the campaign, so you’re likely to level her up a lot.
- Her rank 3 perk helps you when crafting wooden weapons.
That does it for our guide on the best buddies in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Don’t forget to check our Strangeling locations guide so you know where to recruit these party members. We also have a Legendary Recipes guide to help you create some late-game goodies.
