How does the augment system work post-Onslaught? I have gained Jakarro as a new companion and his bowcaster seems to have a slot for augments, but I can't manipulate it using the workbench like I normally would. Online searches only describe the old system. So what gives?

Augments work the same way now that they worked before, including that augments don't do anything at all in a companion's weapon(s) or armour(1), so there's no point in putting one in there.

 

(1) Ever since 4.0 launched in 2015.

As Steve is trying to say - companion weapons stats don't affect the companion's performance. Companion armor and weapons are purely cosmetic. Companion performance is determined by their Influence level and your Presence stat.

So falsely making me think I can add an augment is a con?!

Yet more evidence that this new system sucks.

So falsely making me think I can add an augment is a con?!

Yet more evidence that this new system sucks.

You're overstating the case here. Companion stats come entirely from a fusion of their effective level (equal to your character's effective level after the application of level sync or bolster) and your character's Presence (equal to a static quantity derived from your accumulated bonuses(1) *plus* a figure derived from your current companion's Influence rank), and not from gear at all(2), and they have done so ever since October 2015 when 4.0 was released.

 

There's no "con", just an oversight. For unrestricted gear, it has always been possible to have companions wear augments and normal mod-objects, but since 4.0, it makes no difference. For post-4.0 companion-restrricted gear, it *shouldn't* be possible to add augments because adding one will do *exactly* nothing except consume credits and an augment-slot kit.

 

(1) Presence bonuses are:

* Some base figure derived from your level, possibly zero.(3)

* +100 if you've levelled a human from 49 to 50.

* +X per Presence datacron that you've collected. (Legacy-wide since I don't quite remember when.)

* +Y for various companion-related achievements

* +Z for +Presence stims

* +W for some of the original armorings supplied with the Dark v Light +XP armour set(4)

* +V for "Command" enhancements, which are few and far between these days.(4)

* Possibly other things, but I can't think off the top of my head what they are.

 

(2) They have to *have* a weapon equipped, but its stats matter not at all.

 

(3) I've had loads of the other bonuses for so long that I can't see whether this is zero or not.

 

(4) On *your* gear, not the companion's, obviously.