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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xeviat" data-source="post: 8125852" data-attributes="member: 57494">Sorry to keep doing this, but you can command the beast to move for no action. Also, at 7th level, if you don't use your companion to attack, you can spend a bonus action to have it use the Help action. At 11th level, it makes 2 attacks when you command it to attack (and you make 1 attack, because you have the Extra Attack feature).The companion's attack gets your proficiency bonus to it. So, as long as the companion's attack is comparable or better than your ranger's attack, it's a gain.Wolf is super simple. 2d4+4 at 3rd level compared to your 1d8+5 (rapier and duelist) or 1d8+3 with +2 to hit (longbow with archery), but wolf has +6 to hit and pack tactics and possible prone (I'd give you Prof to DCs).We talked about Giant Wolf Spider a lot. But Giant Poisonous Snake has +8 to hit, 1d4+6 damage, +5.25 poison damage (or +10.5 if it fails the DC 11 con save). AC 16 isn't bad either, and it has blindsight 10 and a swim speed. (Technically, Giant Poisonous Snake is higher CR if you run it through the CR calculator, but that's the problem of leaving the Monster Manual open for player stuff).Flying Snake is silly. +8 to hit, 3 piercing damage, 3d4 poison damage (10.5 is better than the ranger's 9.5).Now, I will say that the new rules with the land/sea/air companion and the bonus action attacks are much more user friendly. The old abilities, though, weren't utter trash, they just took time to come online. They did totally suck at levels 3-4.Balancing companions is hard. Either it's free damage, free HP for the party (by absorbing attacks), or at best a balance between the two. The best case balance between the two is very hard to judge, though. If it takes 90% of it's HP in damage away from the PCs and deals out its damage in 90% of the rounds, that's a lot more than if it's 50/50. The ability to kill it to rob the ranger of its subclass abilities feels bad, but that also means the ranger (or the wizard) didn't take all that damage.</blockquote>

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