Budikah 说:
Cheat or no cheat...
Is there any way to disable companions leaving your party? I don't want a party of 20 companions... I usually only bring enough to cover the skill tree.
I just really dislike having to ride around and find them. I wouldn't mind the penalties of losing battles if my companions also stayed with me afterwards.
I usually group all party skills in 2 companions (of initially low level, so they level up quicker), and develop the rest to be better fighters. You can have a set of 8 companions that don't hate each other (see FAQ), so that's plenty for any way you want to develop them.
The best way is to make a list of the ones you want and make a round of Pendor's taverns early to collect them, dismissing or ignoring the rest. The earlier you get them, the more XP/proficiencies they'll gain from battles.