DragonSword: Awakening Familiars and Mounts
Quick answer
Familiars in DragonSword: Awakening are collectible companions that assist you as you travel, with some doubling as mounts. They are found in the world, earned from content, and redeemed from the exchange vendor using Adventurer's Emblems. The Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle is a strong early pick because its stamina passives pay back across every hour of exploration.
Updated · Verified on Patch 1.0.x · Sources: in-game testing, Steam store page, Hound13 announcements
Familiars are one of DragonSword: Awakening's three main collection systems, alongside Heroes and Karma Imprints. They are also the one most likely to be treated as decoration when several have real practical value.
What Familiars do
| Function | Detail |
|---|---|
| Companions | Accompany you as you travel the Continent of Orbis |
| Mounts | Some are rideable, changing traversal speed |
| Flight | Some are flight-capable, which changes map navigation entirely |
| Passives | Several carry passive effects — stamina is the most immediately useful |
| Collection | Tracked as one of the game's main collection categories |
| Cosmetics | Some Familiar skins are sold as cosmetic DLC — purely visual |
How to get Familiars
Found in the world. Several are located across Orbis as exploration rewards. See world and exploration.
Earned from content. Quests and activities grant Familiars as rewards.
Redeemed with Adventurer's Emblems. The exchange vendor sells Familiars for Emblems earned through activity rewards — see farming.
Cosmetic DLC. Familiar skins are sold, but these are appearance-only variants, not new Familiars with new function. Nothing in DragonSword: Awakening that affects gameplay is behind a purchase — see is it gacha.
Start with the Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle
The Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle is redeemable with Adventurer's Emblems at the exchange vendor, and it is the best early Emblem spend for a simple reason: its stamina passives pay back across every subsequent hour of exploration.
Traversal is most of what you do outside combat in a 30–40 hour playthrough, and stamina is the thing gating it. A passive that improves stamina compounds in a way that a cosmetic or a situational effect does not. Spend your first Emblems here.
Which Familiars to prioritise
In order of practical value:
- Anything with stamina passives — Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle first. Compounding benefit.
- Flight-capable Familiars — they change map navigation more than raw speed does, letting you cross terrain rather than route around it.
- Ground mounts — a real speed improvement over walking, easy to obtain.
- Everything else — collection value, achievement progress, and personal taste.
Do not spend Emblems on cosmetic variants before you have the functional Familiars. Cosmetics are always available later; the practical ones improve every hour you play from that point on.
Familiars and exploration efficiency
Familiars matter most in the middle of DragonSword: Awakening, when you have opened enough of Orbis that traversal time becomes a real cost. Getting a mount and a stamina passive early converts directly into more content per hour:
- Faster travel between waypoints you have not yet activated
- Less time lost gathering cooking ingredients between objectives
- Faster daily world boss circuits
If you are trying to reach Tower of Trials quickly to unlock your Karma economy, a mount is a genuine accelerant rather than a nicety.
Familiars do not affect combat
Worth being clear about: Familiars assist your journey but are not a fourth combat slot. Your combat power comes from your three heroes, their Karma, gear and food buffs. A Familiar will not fix a team missing its break role — see best team comps.
Familiars and the collection achievements
Familiars are tracked as one of DragonSword: Awakening's main collection categories, so they feed achievement progress alongside their practical benefits. None of them are missable, which means you can safely defer collection to endgame and prioritise the functional ones during your first playthrough.
FAQ
What are Familiars in DragonSword: Awakening?
Collectible companions that assist you as you travel the Continent of Orbis. Some are rideable mounts, some can fly, and several carry passive effects.
How do you get Familiars in DragonSword: Awakening?
By finding them in the world, earning them from quests and activities, and redeeming them with Adventurer's Emblems at the exchange vendor.
What is the best Familiar in DragonSword: Awakening?
The Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle is the best early pick because its stamina passives improve every hour of exploration afterward. It is redeemed with Adventurer's Emblems.
Do Familiars help in combat?
No. Familiars assist with travel and carry passive effects, but your combat power comes from your three heroes, their Karma and their gear.
Are Familiars paid content?
No. Familiars themselves are earned in-game. Some cosmetic Familiar skins are sold as DLC, but these are appearance-only.