This survey will take about 1 minute.
Your answers will help us to improve our website.
Outer Worlds 2
Tristan Companion Guide: How to Recruit and Best Build
This is a companion guide for Tristan in Outer Worlds 2. Read on to learn how to recruit Tristan, what his best build is, and what his best perks and upgrades are.
How to Unlock Tristan
Recruited After Arbitrary Measures
You first meet Tristan in the Free Market Station, where he is talking to the bartender at 2nd Choice. Talking to them will activate the quest Arbitrary Measures, which, upon completion, will allow you to recruit Tristan.
Arbitrary Measures Walkthrough
All Tristan Companion Quests
| # | Quest | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arbitrary Measures | Tristan Recruitment |
| 2 | Listening For a Clue | Tristan's Mod Kit |
| 2 | Casting Off the Veil | Tristan's Advanced Mod Kit |
Companion Quests not only tell you more about a companion, but can also provide Mod Kits that can upgrade your companion's weapon and armor. As such, always try to do Companion Quests when they become available.
Tristan Abilities and Traits
Overview
 |
Ability | Judgement Tristan charges at a target and attacks them. The target and nearby enemies take massive damage, are knocked back, and are taunted. |
|---|---|---|
| Traits | Supreme Arbiter Hammer Tristan wields the Supreme Arbiter Hammer, a powerful melee weapon that is also a grenade launcher |
|
| Observant Adjudicator While Tristan is in the party, he has a 25% chance of revealing hidden objects that you cannot reveal yourself |
Role in Party
Tristan can serve as either a Tank or a Bruiser based on the perks you take. As a Tank, Tristan can taunt enemies into attacking him, while also getting close to them to attack with his hammer. As a Bruiser, on the other hand, Tristan can jump into the fray and deal as much damage as possible while still being tanky enough to stay in the fight.
While Tristan's hammer can serve as a grenade launcher to attack distant enemies, he will mostly be in melee range to take advantage of his hammer.
All Tristan Perks
Default Perks
| Level | Perks | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Juggernaut Enemies are more likely to target Tristan and hostile effects on him last half as long. |
Explosive Strikes Every 3 melee attacks, the hammer's grenade activates, dealing bonus damage in an area around the target. |
| 10 | Shield of the Law When starting a fight using dialog, Tristan taunts enemies alongside other Speech Attack effects. |
Beg for Mercy When starting a fight using dialog, Tristan frightens enemies alongside other Speech Attack effects. |
| 15 | Zyranium Regeneration While Tristan is exposed to Zyranium, he rapidly regenerates health. |
Zyranium Energy While Tristan is in Zyranium, his companion ability recharges considerably faster |
| 20 | Aggressive Challenge Tristan's companion ability now Goads rather than Taunts. |
Frenzied Charge Tristan is frenzied for a duration after using his companion ability, increasing his Melee Weapon Attack Speed, Movement Speed, and Damage. |
| 25 | Steel Wall Tristan gains temporary health at the start of combat, doubling his total health. |
Demoralizing Entry After killing a target, Tristan terrifies human and creature enemies around him. Has a cooldown between activations. |
| 30 | Groundshaker When performing his companion ability, Tristan will slam the ground instead of knock his target down. This deals damage and knocks everyone down around him. |
Propulsion Rocket Tristan's hammer now has a rocket that propels him forward during his companion ability, increasing its damage and extending the knockdown duration. |
Additional Perks
| Protectorate Champion | Tristan's combat ability charges faster. How to Unlock: Execute Virgil during Casting Off the Veil. |
|---|---|
| Fair Guardian | Tristan automatically taunts in an area around him when your health drops to 25% or lower for the first time each combat. How to Unlock: Spare Virgil during Casting Off the Veil. |
Protectorate Champion and Fair Guardian are additional perks you can unlock based on your decisions during Tristan's companion quest Casting Off the Veil.
Casting Off the Veil Walkthrough
All Tristan Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades
| Supreme Arbiter's Hammer | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Plasma Grenades Tristan' weapon now deals Plasma damage. Slight weapon damage increase. |
Flamethrower Gauntlet Tristan now deals continuous Plasma damage around him. Significant weapon damage increase. |
|
| Shock Grenades Tristan' weapon now deals Shock damage. Significant weapon damage increase. |
Shock Emitter Gauntlet Tristan now deals continuous Shock damage around him. Weapon damage increases. |
Armor Upgrades
| Tristan' Arbiter Armor | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Grounding Plates Tristan becomes immune to Shock side-effects. Increases armor effectiveness. |
Powered Armor Tristan gains a damage bonus based on his armor value. Increases armor effectiveness. |
|
| Acid-Proof Plates Tristan becomes immune to Corrosive side-effects. Greatly increases armor effectiveness. |
Shrapnel Resistor Tristan gains immunitty to all AOE damage. Greatly increases armor effectiveness. |
Tristan Build
Best Perk Loadouts
| Jump to a Build! | |
|---|---|
| Tank | Bruiser |
Tank Build
| Perk | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Juggernaut | 5 | ・Increased aggro toward Tristan
・Harmful Status Effect Duration -50% |
| Shield of the Law | 10 | ・Tristan taunts enemies when starting a fight via dialogue
・Taunted enemies are forced to attack Tristan |
| Zyranium Regeneration | 15 | ・Tristan heals 2.5% HP every 0.5s while exposed to Zyranium |
| Aggressive Challenge | 20 | ・Tristan now Goads enemies
・Goaded enemies have reduced attack speed, step out of cover, and do not use cover |
| Steel Wall | 25 | ・+100% temporary health when combat starts |
| Groundshaker | 30 | ・Slams the ground when performing companion ability.
・Slamming the ground deals damage in an area and knocks nearby enemies down. |
| Additional Perk | ||
| Fair Guardian | - | ・Tristan automatially taunts enemies when your health drops to 25% or lower.
・Happens once per combat. |
Investing in the left side of Tristan's Perk tree turns him into a tank capable of attracting attention and staying alive. Juggernaut, Shield of the Law, and Aggressive Challenge all help Tristan generate Aggro and Goad enemies. Zyranium Regeneration and Steel Wall provide survivability, while Groundshaker gives Tristan great Crow Control.
Make sure to also take the additional perk Fair Guardian to allow Tristan to Taunt enemies when your health gets too low.
Bruiser Build
| Perk | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Explosive Strikes | 5 | ・Deals 45 Physical damage in an area around target every 3 attacks |
| Beg for Mercy | 10 | ・Tristan frightens enemies when starting a fight via dialogue
・Frightened enemies flee for 8s. Does not affect automechanicals. |
| Zyranium Energy | 15 | ・Tristan has increased companion ability recharge while in Zyranium |
| Frenzied Charge | 20 | ・+25% Melee Weapon Attack Speed while Frenzied
・+20% Movement Speed while Frenzied ・+25% Damage while Frenzied |
| Demoralizing Entry | 25 | ・Frightens nearby enemies whenever Tristan defeats an enemy.
・Frightened enemies flee for 8s. Does not affect automechanicals. ・30 s cooldown |
| Propulsion Rocket | 30 | ・Tristan's companion ability deals considerebly more damage and knocks the target down for longer. |
| Additional Perk | ||
| Protectorate Champion | - | ・Tristan's combat ability charges faster. |
Investing in the right side of his Perk tree, on the other hand, turns him into more of a Bruiser, dealing damage to everyone he can reach with his hammer while still having some survivability. Explosive Strikes, Frenzies Charge, and Propulsion Rocket increase Tristan's damage output through various means.
Beg for Mercy provides Crowd Control in the form of Frightened, while Zyranium Energy helps Tristan quickly charge his companion ability, which is buffed by Propulsion Rocket. Remember to also get Protectorate Champion so Tristan can use his companion ability more often.
Best Upgrades
| Equipment | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Supreme Arbiter's Hammer | ・Shock Grenades ・Flamethrower Gauntlet |
| Tristan' Arbiter Armor | ・Acid-Proof Plates ・Shrapnel Resistor |
Shock Grenades and Flamethrower Gauntlet are the upgrades for the Supreme Arbiter's Hammer, as they let Tristan deal a variety of damage types.
As for Tristan's Arbiter Armor, Acid-Proof Plates, and the Shrapnel Resistor are the best upgrades, as not only does it make him immune to Corrosive damage's side effects, but it also makes him immune to AOE Damage, further improving his tank capabilities.
It's important to note, however, that you can freely change upgrades during your travels, allowing you to adjust to what you need.
Outer Worlds 2 Related Guides
List of All Companions
| All Outer Worlds 2 Companions | ||
|---|---|---|
 Niles |
 VALERIE |
 Inez |
 Aza |
 Tristan |
 Marisol |
Author
Tristan Companion Guide: How to Recruit and Best Build
Please participate in our site
improvement survey
12/2025
improvement survey
12/2025
Would you assist in
improving Game8's site?
improving Game8's site?
×
We are listening to our users' valuable opinions and discussing how to act on them.
The information collected through this survey will be used for the purpose of improving our services. In addition, the information will only be disclosed a part of a statistic in a format that will not allow identification of personal information.
Begin Survey
Not Now
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Advertisements.
Amount of Ads
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Placement of Ads
Timing of Ad Display
Ad Loading Speed
Safeness of Ads
Content of Ads
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Quality of Articles.
Amount of information
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Frequency of updates
Speed of new information
Accuracy of articles
Understandibility of articles
Readability of sentences
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Usability of the Site.
Ease of finding information
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Loading Speed
Use of Color
Font Size
Visibility of Images
Easy to Understand Layout
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Message Boards, Comments.
Ease of Writing
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Readability
Ease in Finding Information
Comment Quality
Comment Quantity
Admin Response
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Site's new design.
Please rate our site's new design
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Do you think that the website's design change makes the site easier to use?
Has the new design made it easier for you to find information on the site?
Has the new design improved the overall visual appeal of the site?
How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the new design of the site?
×
How likely are you to recommend Game8 to someone you know?
Very Unlikely
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very Likely
If you have other opinions regarding potential improvement to the website, please share them with us. We would appreciate your honest opinion.
Note: This is a free response section, so you can proceed without entering anything.
Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
×
Thank You
×
Thank you for participating in our survey! Your answers will help us to improve the quality of our website and services.
We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
Close
Rankings
- We could not find the message board you were looking for.
Gaming News
![Octopath Traveler 0 Review [In Progress] | Familiar, But Better](https://img.game8.co/4357336/fcaf07d58cc243e6b7319ca9b118ba16.png/thumb)
Popular Games
Genshin Impact Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Umamusume: Pretty Derby Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Where Winds Meet Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Honkai: Star Rail Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Wuthering Waves Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Chaos Zero Nightmare Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon TCG Pocket (PTCGP) Strategies & Guides Wiki
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Elden Ring Nightreign Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Recommended Games
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Monster Hunter World Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Persona 3 Reload Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
All rights reserved
© 2025 Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. Obsidian Entertainment, the Obsidian Entertainment logo, The Outer Worlds 2, and The Outer Worlds 2 logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
The copyrights of videos of games used in our content and other intellectual property rights belong to the provider of the game.
The contents we provide on this site were created personally by members of the Game8 editorial department.
We refuse the right to reuse or repost content taken without our permission such as data or images to other sites.
He also gets one of 2 perks when you complete his questline depending on whether or not you have him execute someone. "Fair Guardian" or "Protectorate Champion". I don't know what Protectorate Champion does. Fair Guardian: "Tristan automatically taunts in an area around him when your health drops to 25% or lower for the first time each combat."