So, you finally realized that your companion is hitting like a wet noodle or taking three days to finish a single crew skill mission. It happens to everyone. You look at that Influence rank and see a pathetic "10" staring back at you. Honestly, it’s kinda embarrassing when you're trying to save the galaxy with a sidekick who basically just stands there and watches you do all the heavy lifting.
Getting that Influence to 50 is the goal. At max rank, they get a massive presence bonus, 75% time efficiency for missions, and a 25% critical rate. That’s the difference between a companion who fails half their missions and one who brings back the legendary materials you actually need. But if you just start spamming random items from your inventory, you’re basically throwing credits into a Sarlacc pit.
The SWTOR Companion Gift Guide Strategy Most People Miss
The biggest mistake players make is thinking every gift is equal. They aren't. Not even close. If you hover over a gift in your inventory while you have a companion summoned, the tooltip will tell you if it gives a "Small," "Moderate," or "Large" increase.
You want "Large." Always.
If a companion only "likes" a gift, you’re getting a fraction of the value. For example, a Rank 6 Legendary gift (those gold ones) that a companion loves can give over 2,000 Influence. Give that same gift to someone who only "likes" it? You’re lucky to get 400. Since those gifts cost 250,000 credits a pop at the Odessen vendor, that is a very expensive mistake.
The Cheapskate’s Path: Rank 1 Spams
If you’re broke or just starting a new toon, don't touch the expensive stuff yet. Go to the Fleet. Find the Companion Gift Vendor in the Galactic Trade Market section.
Buy the Rank 1 Premium (green) gifts. They cost 200 credits.
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- Rank 1 to 10: It takes about 70-80 of these to hit Rank 10.
- Rank 10 to 20: You can keep going, but the returns start to drop hard.
- Why do this? Because it costs pennies. You can get a companion to Rank 20 for less than the cost of a single high-end armor repair.
The Odessen Shortcut
Once you hit the Knights of the Fallen Empire (KotFE) storyline and get to Odessen, life gets easier. There’s a vendor in the cantina named Hylo Visz's Smuggled Supplies. This guy sells Rank 6 Legendary gifts for 250k credits.
Is it expensive? Yeah. But if you have the credits, it’s the fastest way to hit 50 without using a Compendium. It takes roughly 35-40 of these "Love" level gifts to go from Rank 1 to 50 if you have your legacy perks unlocked.
Stop Giving Courting Gifts (Mostly)
There is a weird bug—well, it’s sorta a feature now—with Courting gifts. Unless you are actively in a romance with the companion, Courting gifts often give zero influence.
People buy these up on the GTN because they're cheap. They're cheap because they don't work for 90% of the companions. Unless you're trying to woo Doc or Vette, just ignore them. Stick to the basics: Technology, Underworld Goods, Weapons, and Cultural Artifacts.
The "I'm Rich" Button: The Commander’s Compendium
If you have 4.25 million credits and 3 Dark Projects, go to the Fleet. Look for a droid named V1C-0RY in the Strongholds & Crew Skills area.
This droid sells the Commander’s Compendium. You click it. Your companion is Rank 50. Boom. Done. No clicking through 500 individual gifts. No spreadsheets. Just instant god-tier companion stats. Most veteran players don't even bother with gifts anymore; they just farm Dark Projects or buy them off the GTN to use this shortcut.
Secret Boosts You Need to Unlock
Before you give a single gift, open your Legacy panel (Y). Go to Character Perks and look for Legacy of Altruism.
- Tier 1: +10% Influence gain.
- Tier 2: +20% total.
- Tier 3: +30% total.
It costs about 90k credits total. If you don't buy this, you are literally wasting 30% of every gift you ever use. Also, grab Legacy of Promptness. It reduces the "channel time" of giving a gift. Without it, giving 200 gifts takes forever. With it, it’s almost instant.
Who Likes What? (The Heavy Hitters)
Don't memorize everything. Just remember the "Loves" for the most popular companions:
- Lana Beniko: Cultural Artifacts (she’s a nerd, basically).
- Koth Vortena: Luxury.
- Senya Tirall: Luxury.
- Theron Shan: Technology (obviously).
- HK-55 / HK-51: Weapons or Maintenance.
- T7-O1: Technology or Republic Memorabilia.
Where to Farm Gifts for Free
If you aren't trying to spend credits, you should be running Heroic Missions.
Once you hit level 61, Heroics stop giving gear boxes and start giving Locked Supply Crates. You turn these in to the Alliance specialists on Odessen (Oggurobb, Hylo Visz, etc.).
Each crate gives you at least one Rank 5 or Rank 6 gift. If you run a full planet of Heroics, like Tatooine or Corellia, you'll end up with a stack of 20+ gifts. It’s a great way to level up companions while also making credits and earning Legendary Implants progress.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your Legacy: Go to the Character Perks tab and buy Legacy of Altruism III right now.
- Clean your inventory: Sell any "Courting" gifts that aren't for a spouse; they're dead weight.
- Fleet Trip: Buy 100 Rank 1 gifts for any new companion to get them to Rank 15 instantly for under 20k credits.
- Dark Project Check: See if you have the materials to craft Dark Projects; it’s always cheaper to craft the Compendium than to buy 40 Legendary gifts.