Revision 1

Overview

AI companions are automated assistants that fill the roles of absent human players during dungeons and boss encounters. Every piece of PvE content in Honor of Kings: World can be completed solo thanks to this system. Lead Designer Simen Lv confirmed at GDC 2025 that solo players will not be locked out of any content or rewards.

The system is designed as an accessibility feature for players who prefer solo play or who cannot find a group at a given time. Whether running story dungeons, challenge dungeons, or 8-player raids, AI companions step in to provide whatever support the encounter requires.

How AI companions work

AI companions are drawn from the game's hero roster and behave according to their hero archetype. A support hero companion prioritizes healing and buffing. A warrior companion engages enemies directly and draws aggro. Ranged companions maintain distance and deal sustained damage. The companion AI adapts to the encounter type, adjusting its behavior to match whether the fight demands single-target focus, crowd control, or AoE damage.

Players can customize their AI companion selection to complement their own build. If the player is running an aggressive melee setup with two damage-focused Flow styles, they can bring support-oriented AI companions to cover healing. If the player is running a more defensive or support-oriented loadout, they can fill the party with damage-dealing AI heroes.

Support ability interactions

Support abilities like Cai Wenji's healing affect both the player's active Flow style and AI companions in the party. This means that running a healer companion provides genuine survivability to the solo player, not just token assistance.

Summoning system

A summoning system lets players call for help during difficult boss fights without disrupting an encounter already in progress. This bridges the gap between solo and cooperative play. If a player starts a boss fight solo with AI companions and hits a wall, they can summon other human players to join mid-fight rather than restarting from scratch.

Design philosophy

In interviews, the development team described Honor of Kings: World as offering "quite a lot of single-player experience with a non-invasive multiplayer option." The AI companion system is central to that philosophy. Rather than gating the best gear or most challenging encounters behind mandatory group content, every reward is accessible to solo players. The difference between solo and group play is social, not mechanical.

During story content, the player's Flowborn character also fights alongside story NPC companions who are familiar heroes from the Honor of Kings franchise. These narrative companions serve a different role from the system-level AI party members, appearing in scripted sequences and cutscenes rather than being selectable party slots.