Followers: who fires each weapon

A weapon can be carried by your main champion, an existing follower or a new follower. Its attacks originate from its bearer. An aura around a Sister following behind you therefore leaves a different protected area from the same aura centered on your controlled character.

Read the offered bearer

The Squad System assigns equipment according to the champion’s weapon capabilities. Picking a weapon associated with a named champion does not guarantee that champion joins: someone already in the retinue may be able to wield it.

This is why the five-follower objective needs more care than simply selecting five different weapons. Check the character presented with the offer and the resulting retinue after taking it. The character database lists starting weapons, but starting ownership is not a promise that every other champion must summon that owner.

Position for the actual attack origin

Weapon behavior	Positioning consequence
Close aura carried by a follower	Stay near its bearer rather than expecting protection around your own feet
Directional firearm carried by a follower	Check that follower’s facing before committing to a narrow firing lane
Short-range attack carried by the main champion	Your own position determines which enemies enter its reach
Nearest-target attack	Target selection can differ from the direction you are moving

Players describe Shield of Faith and Chainsword shifting onto a Sororitas follower while playing Tor Garadon. The same thread describes directional followers taking time to turn. These are useful reasons to check the attack’s origin in your current retinue; they do not establish a fixed turning delay for every follower.

Equipment count and follower count

Malum Caedo gains Strength from equipped items. The Castellan gains Skill from followers. A new item and a new follower can happen together, but they are different triggers.

Upgrading Lasgun can add more troops. That behavior is useful to a follower-based build, yet it should not be used as a substitute for checking the distinct-follower objective. The five-follower route explains the reported difference between extra Lasgun troops and the required retinue.

Preserve the role you need

Before spending a weapon slot on another follower, decide whether the missing function is close protection, a directional attack or a new counted companion. An additional gun that stays on an existing bearer may improve damage while doing nothing for the objective you entered the run to finish.