DragonSword: Awakening builds its open world around movement, and familiars are the engine that drives it. These aren't just cosmetic mounts. Each one belongs to a specific category that unlocks a distinct traversal skill, from Air Dash to Underwater Dash to the coveted Air Free Dash. With 29 familiars currently in the game, split across eight types, knowing which to chase first and how each unlock works saves you hours of guesswork. Here's everything you need.
How do familiars work in DragonSword: Awakening?
The familiar system becomes available shortly after you join Johnny's Mercenaries early in the story. From that point, you can summon familiars to assist with traversal across the open world. Each familiar belongs to one of eight categories: Insect, Squirrel, Cat, Bird, Sky Wolf, Direwolf, Gryphon, and Dragon.
The category determines the traversal skill a familiar brings. Insects provide no traversal bonus, while every other type covers a specific movement ability. Squirrels give Climbing Jump, Cats give Swim Dash, Birds give Air Dash, Sky Wolves give Underwater Dash, Direwolves give Boost Jump, Gryphons give Charged Jump, and the single Dragon familiar offers Air Free Dash, the most flexible movement option in the game.
Bright Crowtit Air Dash unlock
Most familiars require you to meet an unlock condition first, then manually claim them through the Familiar Codex. A handful are DLC-exclusive or tied to the Deluxe Pack, so not every slot is reachable without additional purchases.
What are type passive effects and why do they matter?
Here's the system most players overlook early on. As you collect multiple familiars from the same category, you unlock type passives for your account. These are traversal abilities that become shared across eligible familiars in your collection, not just the ones that originally had them.
The practical result: you don't have to permanently switch to a less visually appealing familiar just to keep a movement ability active. Collect two Sky Wolves and the Underwater Dash passive activates for other eligible familiars. The system rewards breadth of collection rather than focusing on a single mount.
The Brave Baby Dragon is the one exception. It doesn't contribute to type passive unlocks, but its Air Free Dash makes it the single most mobile familiar in the game regardless.
All Familiars & How to Unlock Them
Below is the complete familiar roster, organized by type, with traversal skills and unlock requirements.
Which familiars should you unlock first?
Stormy Direwolf Boost Jump
Not all familiars are equal in terms of how quickly they become available or how much they change your movement options. After testing movement across different terrain types, these five stand out as the highest-priority unlocks for players without the DLC.
- Bright Crowtit is the first familiar worth going out of your way for. Reaching Novice Mercenary Corps rank is an early milestone, and the Air Dash it provides immediately changes how you navigate elevated terrain.
- Refreshing Canary doubles your Air Dash options and contributes toward the Bird type passive. Completing 20 Mini-Games is achievable well before the midgame.
- Snowstorm Sky Wolf is the best free route to Underwater Dash. The Captain's Scheme quest unlocks it without spending Gold, making it far more efficient than grinding toward the Sandstorm Sky Wolf's 300,000 Gold price tag.
- Stormy Direwolf requires reaching Veteran Mercenary Corps rank, which takes longer, but Boost Jump is one of the more useful skills for crossing wide gaps and rough terrain.
- Mist Wing Cat rounds out your movement toolkit with Swim Dash. Crafting 100 equipment pieces happens naturally if you're engaging with the gear system, so this one often unlocks without deliberate grinding.
For more strategies across the full game, the DragonSword: Awakening strategy guides cover everything from combat builds to boss encounters. DragonSword: Awakening sits firmly in the adventure games genre, and the familiar system is one of the better examples of how movement mechanics can make exploration feel genuinely rewarding rather than a chore.