Familiars are more than just companions in DragonSword: Awakening. Besides helping you travel around the world faster, they also provide unique movement skills that make exploration much easier. Some familiars improve climbing, others help you fly farther, while a few give you better mobility during combat.
Although the game features 29 familiar entries, there are actually only eight main familiar species. The remaining entries are simply different variants with the same abilities. Unlocking more variants is still worthwhile since it strengthens your familiar by unlocking additional passive bonuses. To help you decide which ones deserve your time, here’s a complete DragonSword: Awakening Familiars Tier List.
DragonSword: Awakening Familiars Tier List
S Tier
- Direwolf
- Griffon
- Dragon
A Tier
- Squirrel
- Cat
- Bird
- Sky Wolf
B Tier
- Beetle
What Do the Tier Rankings Mean?
Each familiar has different strengths depending on how you play the game.
- S Tier – The strongest familiars with excellent movement abilities and useful passive bonuses for almost every activity.
- A Tier – Great choices that perform well but are more useful in specific situations like climbing or swimming.
- B Tier – Decent familiars for beginners but are eventually replaced by stronger options.
S Tier Familiars
These are the best familiars currently available and should be your top priority.
Direwolf
The Direwolf is widely considered the best familiar in DragonSword: Awakening thanks to its Boost Jump ability.
This skill allows your character to jump much higher than normal, making it easy to reach cliffs, rooftops, and other elevated areas. Since the ability has no cooldown, you can repeatedly use it to move across the map much faster.
The Direwolf also provides useful passive bonuses by reducing stamina consumption while increasing land movement speed for all familiars.
If you only plan to focus on one familiar, the Direwolf is one of the safest choices.
Griffon
The Griffon is another excellent movement-focused familiar.
Its Charged Jump launches your character high into the air, allowing you to glide farther than normal. While the skill has a five-second cooldown, unlocking additional Griffons can reduce the waiting time.
Besides the higher jump, the Griffon also increases your glide speed, making long-distance travel much more efficient.
Dragon
The Dragon focuses more on aerial mobility during both exploration and combat.
Its signature skill, Air Free Dash, lets you dash in any direction while airborne with only a short cooldown.
This ability is useful for avoiding enemy attacks, repositioning during boss fights, or simply traveling across difficult terrain faster.
A Tier Familiars
These familiars are still strong, although they shine in more specific situations.
Squirrel
The Squirrel is designed for climbing.
Its Climbing Jump reduces stamina consumption while climbing and increases climbing speed, making mountain exploration much easier.
If you frequently explore vertical areas, this familiar is a solid choice.
Cat
The Cat specializes in water movement.
It unlocks Swim Dash, allowing you to move faster through water while using less stamina.
Although extremely useful when crossing lakes and rivers, its abilities offer little benefit once you’re back on land.
Bird
The Bird is one of the better familiars to unlock during the early game.
Its Air Dash improves aerial movement while lowering stamina consumption during flight.
For new players without higher-tier familiars, the Bird offers excellent mobility.
Sky Wolf
The Sky Wolf provides similar water-based movement bonuses as the Cat.
Its abilities are nearly identical, making it another good option for exploring areas filled with rivers or large bodies of water.
B Tier Familiars
These familiars are useful early on but usually become less valuable later in the game.
Beetle
The Beetle is the first familiar most players unlock.
While its movement abilities are fairly basic, it becomes more useful after unlocking multiple copies.
At higher levels, its passive bonus increases familiar stamina by up to 30%, allowing longer travel before needing to recover.
Even though stronger familiars eventually replace it, the Beetle remains a decent starting companion for beginners.
Should You Unlock Familiar Variants?
Yes.
Although different variants share the same active abilities as their base species, collecting additional versions unlocks extra passive bonuses.
These upgrades can improve movement speed, reduce stamina consumption, shorten skill cooldowns, and increase the overall performance of your familiars.
If you enjoy exploring the world, collecting every variant is worth the effort.
Best Familiars for Exploration
If your main goal is moving around the world quickly, these familiars stand out:
- Direwolf – Best overall movement and unlimited Boost Jump.
- Griffon – Excellent for long-distance travel and gliding.
- Dragon – Great for aerial movement and combat mobility.
- Bird – Strong early-game flying option.
These familiars significantly reduce travel time and make reaching hidden locations much easier.
Choosing the right familiar can make exploration much more enjoyable in DragonSword: Awakening. While every familiar has its own strengths, the Direwolf, Griffon, and Dragon clearly stand above the rest thanks to their excellent movement abilities and useful passive bonuses.
Even if you already have a favorite companion, don’t ignore familiar variants. Unlocking multiple versions improves their overall performance, giving you faster movement, better stamina efficiency, and shorter cooldowns as you continue your adventure.