Companion Spotlight: Hoodoo Cornelius!

With the addition of the Hoodoo Bundle, a new companion has made its way to the game: Hoodoo Cornelius. This companion is very different than any others we have seen thus far, due to a certain power that makes him a great asset to any team.

A Melee Witchdoctor?

Although it may not be very common, Hoodoo Cornelius is a melee Witchodoctor. Companions like these have been seen before (such as in the case of Nurse Quinn and Doctor Noh), though other melee Witchdoctors up to this point haven’t been so useful. Hoodoo Cornelius, however, changes that. Although he has several similarities to other melee Witchdoctor companions, most notable of which being his low stats, he has some original additions that make him quite a large threat in combat.

Epics

Hoodoo Cornelius starts with Relentless and can train three more Epics. Relentless 2 is clearly a very good choice on him, and, although he cannot train Relentless 3, he has other useful Epics in his pool. One tier of both Repel Boarders and Second Chance work very well; Repel Boarders will allow him to attack enemies who approach him and possibly follow through with several more Relentless hits, while Second Chance can give him another opportunity to hit an enemy that he misses. With his very low accuracy, Second Chance is a crucial Epic to have on him.

Unlike most companions, Hoodoo Cornelius can only learn four possible Epics, and, due to the other one being Witch Hunter (which is not so useful under normal circumstances), there isn’t a lot of room for variety on him. The Relentless 2, Repel Boarders, and Second Chance build seems to be very popular on him, and it definitely works rather well. An attack on a Musketeer enemy with low dodge can successfully trigger several Relentless Hits, and, if he does end up missing, Second Chance will let him keep attacking.

The Game-Changing Power

Although his power has an original name that hasn’t been seen before, the effect is exactly the same as an existing one: Reckless Frenzy. However, due to Hoodoo Cornelius being a companion as opposed to a pirate, as well as him being a Witchdoctor instead of a Buccaneer, you may find its use to be slightly different.

As Hoodoo Cornelius has very low accuracy, using his Reckless Frenzy power with a Swashbuckler in range is not such a good idea; it is likely that they will dodge early on, ending the series of attacks. Therefore, try to either increase his accuracy or lower the dodge of enemies before using his power. Bonnie Anne’s Scatterblast or El Toro’s buff are great examples of what you can use beforehand. Additionally, if you are a Privateer yourself, you can use even more buffs first so that it is very likely for none of the enemies to dodge a Reckless Frenzy attack.

Health is also something to consider when using this power. Unlike a Buccaneer, Hoodoo Cornelius does not have high health and cannot use Leviathan’s Call to protect himself against the incoming damage from each successive hit. At his highest level, you’ll find him taking roughly 100 damage per hit, which, clearly, adds up after several attacks. Even if he isn’t defeated by the time he finishes using Reckless Frenzy, enemies could finish him off very quickly due to his low dodge.

An effective way to deal with his low health is by using Valor’s Fortress on him before Reckless Frenzy. Doing so will half the amount of damage he takes from each attack - making it around 50 - so that he could theoretically attack twice as much as he normally could. He will also have much more health left afterwards, so that enemies would not be able to defeat him so easily, despite his lack of defenses. Even if you are not a Privateer, Valor’s Fortress can be found on many pieces of unauctionable boss gear. At least one item with that power is definitely worth farming for to maximize the potential of Hoodoo Cornelius.

Usability

In higher level worlds, Hoodoo Cornelius is a viable choice, though sending him out into the fight right away may not be such a good idea. Using some buffs first will help him to not be defeated until he can severely damage opposing enemies with his Reckless Frenzy.

However, his uses are not limited to questing - in fact, he becomes especially useful for farming. With so much unique looking gear dropping from lower level bosses, Hoodoo Cornelius is a great choice for speeding up these fights. Higher level Musketeer or Witchdoctor bosses are also great for him, as you will not even have to buff him much, if at all, in order for his Reckless Frenzy to take them out.

Whether you’re using him for farming, questing, or even for PvP, Hoodoo Cornelius is definitely a highlight of the Hoodoo Bundle. If you’re interested, be sure to check your local Walmart for a game card! More information on the Hoodoo Bundle and all of its contents can be found here.

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out Duelist101's coverage on Hoodoo Cornelius - they have some great tips that are sure to help you out!