2 of my characters in the mid 30's level-wise and have acquired a few different companions. I am partial to some so they are the ones that get the new gear. As I level and go to different planets and get further into the story line I wonder if I should be using different companions based on the situation. Should I be gearing up all of the others along the way?

I only gear up a couple of companions that fit the role of my playstyle. For example a ranged DPS usually uses a tank companion. Melee DPS / tank might want a healer. I've only ever used two companions of a character in combat (with the exception being the quests where a certain companion is required) Edited May 16, 2012 by Owsley

The answer to this question really depends on you, your playstyle and how clever you are. My marauder (DPS character) leveled up to 50 using the two DPS companions (because the healing companion annoyed me greatly). This meant I had high DPS, but no heals and no one to take the big hits, so it made some parts of the game very challenging and forced me to become adept at using interrupts, stuns, roots, and my defensive cooldowns. If you're the type of person that likes those kinds of challenges, then it should be possible to get through the game using whatever companion you want.

 

If, however, you don't want that kind of a challenge, and/or want to take a more relaxed and low-pressure trip through the game, then you definitely want to keep you companions well geared so that you can swap them in and out based on the current situation. Also "well geared" is a relative term. They don't necessarilly need to have the best gear for your level, but they should have gear (with the appropriate stats) that is within 3 or 4 levels of your current level. Doing level 40 quests with a companion who's wearing level 36 - 40 gear should be doable. Doing level 40 quests with a companion in level 30 or lower gear, that's going to be tough or impossible.

 

Also, no matter what companion you choose, always make sure that they are in their "special stance" so that they can perform at their best potential. For instance, Bounty Hunters get Mako as a healing companion. In order to get Mako to do her best healing, they need to make sure that she has "Healing Watch" stance activated, which makes her heals much more effective. Sith warriors can get a DPS companion who has 2 DPS stances, one increases armor penetration and the other gives a base DPS boost. But if neither of those stances are activated, it leaves the companion doing significantly less DPS and makes it A LOT harder to DPS down the elite mobs before they DPS you down. So that's another thing to be aware of.

This helps a lot thanks so much. I'm not a very experienced player (didn't realize you should or could set the stance for your companion) so this info gives me some ideas to work with..