Affection

Affection is a numerical value that represents how much a companion likes you. Increasing your companion's affection of you will improve the speed at which they perform Crew Skill missions, open up new conversations with that companion or even unlock companion-specific missions.

Increasing affection
Affection is primarily increased by giving gifts to your companion. Each companion has different likes and dislikes, although giving a companion a gift that they do not like does not result in negative affection, but awards no affection.

Affection can also be influenced by your choices during conversation. A companion does not need to be actively summoned in order to have their affection changed by your decision. Unlike gifts, your actions can result in negative affection, albeit in very small amounts.

Affection level and gift ranks
As you give your companion gifts, their affection level will increase. Companion gifts of a given level are only effective in certain affection ranges. Gifts will produce the maximum affection gain when that companion's affection is in the following range:


 * Rank 1: 0-2000
 * Rank 2: 2000-4000
 * Rank 3: 4000-6000
 * Rank 4: 6000-8000
 * Rank 5: 8000-10000

Affection gained from gifts
The amount of affection a gift of equal rank to your companion's affection rank will increase by:


 * Favorite gifts will produce an affection gain of +96.
 * Love gifts will produce an affection gain of +54.
 * Like gifts will produce an affection gain of +24.

Other factors
There are other factors which can change the amount of affection your companion can gain from a gift by the following:


 * Blue Gifts will produce an extra 166.66% bonus affection over a green gift.
 * Purple Gifts will produce an extra 400% bonus affection over a green gift.
 * Gifts two ranks higher than your companion rank produce an extra 130% bonus affection.
 * Gifts one rank higher than your companion rank produce an extra 110% bonus affection.
 * Gifts one rank lower than your companion rank produce 50% less affection.
 * Gifts two ranks lower than your companion rank produce 80% less affection.
 * Gifts three ranks lower than your companion rank produce no affection.

Efficient affection gain
Rank 2 gifts cost triple the money but only gives double the affection of a rank 1. When leveling up a companion's affection it is most cost effective to use rank 1 gifts until they achieve rank 3. It takes about 62 rank 1 gifts to go from 0 to 4000 affection costing 12400 credits. Similarly, going from rank 3 to rank 4 uses 42 rank 2 gifts costing 25200 credits.

The rule of thumb is a gift one rank below their current rank is the most cost effective.

Since affection received from conversations remains the same regardless of affection rank, but gifts lose their potency and become increasingly expensive, it is most cost effective to boost a companion's affection with gifts as early as possible and use conversation for the rest.

In short:


 * Purchase and use 62 of their favorite rank 1 gifts to go from 0 to 4000.
 * Purchase and use 42 of their favorite rank 2 gifts to go from 4000 to 6000.
 * Use rank 3 gifts to go from 6000 to 8000.
 * Use rank 4 gifts to go from 8000 to 10000.

Mission type crew skills such as Diplomacy and Underworld Trading, as well as the Galactic Trade Network, are sources of gifts below vendor price and for all gifts rank 3 and above.

Effects of affection
Upon gaining max affection with a companion you will get a +5 critical and +15 efficiency bonus to all crafting done by that companion. Max affection will also unlock stat bonuses for the first companion of each type and a +10 presence boost for each companion, even if they are of the same type. You can see the bonus and what companion unlocks it, in the table below.