Verity Companion Best companions to unlock first

Why these three

The best companions page is the shortlist you read after the Tier List hub. Each of the three personalities below covers a track you cannot easily replace — together they unlock the rest of the tier list without forcing you to grind every route.

Empath (Seren)

Seren leads the soft-spoken routes. She reads your companion variable and surfaces a softer dialogue line that keeps the jumpscare threshold low. Pair her with the how to survive jumpscares guide for the easiest path through Room 4. Seren also unlocks a unique ending that closes the story without violence.

Skeptic (Vex)

Vex is the hidden-room specialist. She surfaces probe dialogue whenever you interact with optional objects, which is the trigger condition for the secret rooms. Pair her with the how to find secret rooms guide to map out every hidden door before you commit to a route.

Analyst (Tess)

Tess is the puzzle specialist. She unlocks an extra clue in every puzzle room, which means you skip the brute-force pattern-matching route. Pair her with the how to complete sidequests guide because the side-quests stack with her puzzle hints.

How to unlock them fast

1. Redeem every active code on the Codes hub; some codes unlock personality fragments.
2. Play the getting started walkthrough once with each of the three picks.
3. Time each run and post your times to the wiki Discord so the Tier List hub reflects fresh data.

Why not Guardian or Trickster?

Guardian (Brick) is a strong A-tier pick but his dialogue locks you out of two hidden rooms. Trickster (Loki) is a hidden-room specialist like Vex, but his jumpscare threshold is much higher. Pick Brick or Loki after you have unlocked Seren, Vex, and Tess so you can switch personalities mid-run.

Companion synergy in multi-room runs

The three recommended companions cover every room type:

• Seren handles Rooms 1, 3, and 5 — her soft dialogue keeps the trust variable above 70, which is the threshold for the pacifist ending. In Room 3 her soft line also triggers the lantern sidequest prompt documented in the how to complete sidequests guide.
• Vex handles Rooms 2 and 4 — her probe lines in Room 2 and Room 4 are the hidden-room triggers. You do not need to switch companions mid-run; Vex’s probes fire automatically when you interact with optional objects.
• Tess handles every puzzle room — her extra clue cuts 30 to 45 seconds per puzzle. If you are running a speed route, Tess is the fastest pick for the puzzle-heavy sections.

Early-game priority order

If you only have time to unlock one companion before your first real run, follow this priority:

1. Empath (Seren) — she covers the most routes and has the lowest skill floor. The getting started guide walks you through her first run.
2. Analyst (Tess) — pick her second if you want faster puzzle clears and higher Ink per hour. The progress calculator shows the time savings.
3. Skeptic (Vex) — pick her third if you want to chase the full clear leaderboard. Her hidden-room probes are essential for the speedrun leaderboards.

Pair with builds

The how to use the AI companion guide turns the three picks into a full build plan. Read it before you commit to a route.

Cross-check with scripts

The Scripts hub includes the dialogue decision map. Use it as a study aid to understand why each personality unlocks a specific branch.