Familiars are the traversal companions in DragonSword: Awakening, and they open up shortly after you join Johnny’s Mercenaries. Each one lets you move through Orbis in a specific way, whether that means gliding across gaps, dashing underwater, or climbing straight up a cliff. Pick up the right ones early and the open world stops fighting you.
Quick answer: There are 29 familiars total. Most are claimed from the Familiar Codex after you finish a set requirement, a handful unlock on their own, 11 are DLC-exclusive, and the Brave Baby Dragon comes only with the Deluxe Pack.
How familiars are unlocked in DragonSword: Awakening
The 29 familiars are split into eight types: Insect, Squirrel, Cat, Bird, Sky Wolf, Direwolf, Gryphon, and Dragon. The type decides the traversal skill, so any Cat moves the same as any other Cat, and the individual name only changes the look.
Apart from a few that arrive automatically, you claim each familiar through the Familiar Codex once you complete the requirement tied to it. Some ask for currency, some want you to grind an activity such as mining or opening chests, and several drop as you move up the Mercenary Corps ranks.
Note: Familiars carry no combat stats. Their value is purely movement plus the type passives they share with the rest of your stable.
Every familiar and its unlock requirement
Here is the full roster, the type each one belongs to, and exactly what you need to do to add it to the Codex.
| Familiar | Type | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Robust Stag Beetle | Insect | Automatically unlocked during Chapter 01 |
| Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle | Insect | 100 Adventure’s Emblems at the Familiar Codex |
| Cowardly Firefly | Insect | Mine 300 times |
| Red Ladybug | Insect | Clear 40 Puzzles |
| Cotton Flying Squirrel | Squirrel | DLC-exclusive |
| Acorn Flying Squirrel | Squirrel | Defeat 100 squirrels |
| Viola Flying Squirrel | Squirrel | DLC-exclusive |
| Marple Flying Squirrel | Squirrel | Reach Intermediate Mercenary Corps |
| Orchid Wing Cat | Cat | DLC-exclusive |
| Mist Wing Cat | Cat | Craft 100 equipment pieces |
| Shadow Wing Cat | Cat | Open 300 Treasure Chests |
| Dawn Wing Cat | Cat | Reach Advanced Mercenary Corps |
| Refreshing Canary | Bird | Complete 20 Mini-Games |
| Timid Hummingbird | Bird | DLC-exclusive |
| Diligent Sparrow | Bird | Collect 150 Bird Eggs |
| Bright Crowtit | Bird | Reach Novice Mercenary Corps |
| Frosty Sky Wolf | Sky Wolf | DLC-exclusive |
| Sandstorm Sky Wolf | Sky Wolf | 300K Gold at the Familiar Codex |
| Gale Sky Wolf | Sky Wolf | DLC-exclusive |
| Snowstorm Sky Wolf | Sky Wolf | Complete The Captain’s Scheme quest |
| Stormy Direwolf | Direwolf | Reach Veteran Mercenary Corps |
| Abyssal Direwolf | Direwolf | DLC-exclusive |
| Flame Spirit Fox | Direwolf | DLC-exclusive |
| War Direwolf | Direwolf | DLC-exclusive |
| Guardian Gryphon | Gryphon | Defeat World Bosses 30 times |
| Holy Knightage Griffon | Gryphon | DLC-exclusive |
| Exploration Squad Griffon | Gryphon | DLC-exclusive |
| Knightage Griffon | Gryphon | Reach Elite Mercenary Corps |
| Brave Baby Dragon | Dragon | Deluxe Pack-exclusive |
The five Mercenary Corps ranks hand you one familiar each as you climb, so Bright Crowtit, Marple Flying Squirrel, Dawn Wing Cat, Stormy Direwolf, and Knightage Griffon come naturally through Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Veteran, and Elite promotions.
Traversal skill for each type
The skill is fixed to the type rather than the individual familiar. Insects are the exception and carry no skill at all, while the Brave Baby Dragon is the only Dragon and holds the freest aerial movement.
| Type | Traversal skill |
|---|---|
| Insect | None |
| Squirrel | Climbing Jump |
| Cat | Swim Dash |
| Bird | Air Dash |
| Sky Wolf | Underwater Dash |
| Direwolf | Boost Jump |
| Gryphon | Charged Jump |
| Dragon | Air Free Dash |
How type passives work
Beyond its own skill, a familiar shares a type passive once you own more than one of the same type. When you hold two of a type, keeping a single one of that type in your party grants its movement skill to every familiar in the party.
For example, once you have two Direwolves, a single Direwolf in the party lets all of your equipped familiars use Boost Jump. That is why collecting duplicates within a type pays off, even though each familiar only lists one skill on its own. The Brave Baby Dragon is the exception and does not provide a type passive.
DLC and Deluxe Pack familiars
Eleven familiars sit behind DLC, spread across the Squirrel, Cat, Bird, Sky Wolf, Direwolf, and Gryphon types. They repeat traversal skills you can already reach for free, so their main use is variety and hitting the two-of-a-type threshold that turns on passives.
The Brave Baby Dragon stands apart. It is the only Dragon-type familiar, it ships only with the Deluxe Pack, and it grants Air Free Dash, the game’s freest aerial movement.
How to confirm an unlock
The Familiar Codex is where you claim and verify every familiar. After you finish a requirement, open the Codex and the entry becomes claimable, which is your signal that the condition registered. If the mount does not appear, the requirement is not fully met yet, so check the exact count listed on its Codex page such as 300 mines, 300 chests, or 40 puzzles.
If you are chasing the full set of 29, clear the ones tied to Mercenary Corps ranks and everyday play first, since mining, chest-opening, puzzle-clearing, and world-boss kills all pile up while you explore Orbis anyway. Treat the Codex as your running checklist and claim each familiar the moment its requirement flips over.
