The dangers are nothing short of plentiful, and with enemies awaiting ‘round every corner, companions are a gift from God in a world that seems as desolate as hell itself. The search to find the right companion to accompany you on your journey can prove to be quite extensive – especially if you’re new to the game or if you’ve been playing with the same companion for a while(looking at you, Dogmeat players). If you’re looking to freshen things up and you want some recommendations on a new Fallout 4 companion, well then read on!
20. Cito
Cito is a born survivor. He lost his parents when he was just a very young kid, and was then raised by ghourillas in the Nuka World. As such, Cito developed into quite a strong and likable character. And even though he isn’t a permanent companion, he is still one of the best companions in the game. Cito, who is known by the full name of Marcosito, aids you during the Safari Adventure quest by murdering a whole bunch of gators that are running around the place. That’s what I’d call a true blue friend.
19. Pearl
Pearl is a merchant and temporary companion that works in the Vault 118. The robot was originally designed as a Miss Nanny with the sole purpose in life to take care of the wealthiest residents that lived in the Vault. Originally Pearl approaches you to ask whether you are part of the law enforcement forces. If you decide to confirm, then Pearl will become a companion and start a quest called Brain Dead. She will stop following you around once the quest is completed.
18. Automatron
Automatrons are crafted companions that you can create at any point of the main story as long as you’ve got the necessary materials to craft them in a robot workbench. Automatrons can be designed, upgraded, and modified to fit your own particular needs. For example, an Automatron can be made to talk as a male or female, and their armor can be improved and upgraded to fight alongside you. Pretty cool! There are various types of parts that can be added to the robot, making it more or less suited to perform specific tasks. It’s up to the sole survivor to choose which parts are most beneficial to them!
17. Ada
Ada was part of Jackson’s Caravan, a community of traders that roamed the lands of the Commonwealth in hopes of finding goods and trading them with the remnants of civilization. She’s an assaultron robot with a ton of power modifications, easily making Ada one of the most powerful companions in the game. You must help her kill and destroy the robots that slaughtered Jackson and his Caravan if you wish to have her as your companion.
16. Porter Gage
Porter Gage was born to be a raider. He was raised by his parents in a small farm where he saw countless raider attacks. And he witnessed how his parents just gave in to the demands of criminals without putting up a fight. Annoyed at first, Gage ran away from his home at 12 years of age but later joined the raiders when he was 16. Gage grew up to be a powerful warrior and a useful companion who knows how to get around the desolated lands of America. He’s an optional companion in Nuka-World but certainly someone you’d want on your team.
15. Old Longfellow
Old Longfellow is arguably one of the most damaged companions in the game, as his life has been nothing but a constant trauma. He lost his fiancé to the Children of Atom. Not to mention the poor woman miscarried their unborn child. Longfellow is a bodyguard and an overall shady figure that you can choose to have as a companion, giving a darker atmosphere to the game but bringing a lot of useful skills to the table.
14. Travis Miles
Travis Miles might not be a permanent companion, but boy is he fun to have around. He’s the radio host of the Diamond City radio, but he has a personality lacking in confidence. However you can change this by completing the quest “Confidence Man” which will see his interactions on the radio change as well.
13. X6-88
If you want to work with X6-88 you need to join the Institute and complete the “Mankind Redefined” quest first. As such, he’s not an obligatory companion but rather an optional one. And certainly one worth looking into. This synth raises your energy by a total of +20 once the affinity is maxed between you and X6-88. He’s meant to be used in some pretty risky situations and that’s exactly what makes him so valuable in battle.
12. Deacon
Deacon is the most enigmatic companion you can have in this game. He works for the Railroad, but there’s not much know about him other than that. Deacon himself has a backstory that he supports, but he claims that he’s mostly lying about it. In fact, members of the Railroad even claim that Deacon is the legendary John D, the sole survivor of a Railroad raid that occurred years prior to the events of Fallout 4. He’s a great companion to have if you like to execute stealth kills as he boosts stats by a generous percentage once max affinity is reached.
11. Cait
Once you clear the Combat Zone you may ask Cait to join you as a permanent companion. She’s a drug addict, but she’s quite the strong character. You can find Cait as a cage fighter performing in the Combat Zone upon which hell opens up and raiders attack the area. Once saved, the owner of the Combat Zone allows you to carry on with Cait’s contract and keep her as a permanent companion. She will fight bravely and provide useful aid at all times – even though she isn’t completely over her psycho addiction. But I say forgive and forget if she can save my butt a time or two.
10. Preston Garvey
Preston Garvey is a valiant solider that acts as a senior officer of the Minutemen organization. He looks to maintain the peace in what’s left of the human civilization. He was actually one of the Minutemen responsible for evacuating some of the survivors of the Quincy massacre, and is thus deemed as one of the most reputable members of the organization. He can become your companion after you save him and the other survivors from imminent danger when first encountered. He has a very cool perk that can be used when fighting groups too. It increases the power of your attacks if you’re outnumbered three-to-one in a fight.
9. Robert Joseph MacCready
MacCready, the hired gun. This mercenary has a very sad backstory too(I’m noticing a pattern here). His wife was murdered by ghouls and he had to come to the Commonwealth to try to find a cure for an illness that he contracted. You might have heard of RJ MacCready if you played Fallout 3, as he’s actually a character in the game. His perk in Fallout 4 increases your percentage of headshots in V.A.T.S. by 20%!
8. Curie
Curie is a combat medic robot that can be maxed out in affinity after completing the “Emergent Behavior” quest. She will heal you by 100 pints if your health drops below 10. And, as most floating robot companions in Fallout, she was originally a Miss Nanny that got modified to serve a better cause. It’s always great to have a healer by your side and that’s why Curie ranks so high on this list.
7. Codsworth
Codsworth is one of the most popular companions in Fallout 4. He can actually be purchased if you have enough coin for him. He was originally a Mister Handy and Codsworth becomes your companion after completing the Out of Time Quest. His ability to grant damage resistance makes him one of the best companions to keep around during the main story. As you might know, Codsworth had been with your family since before the war. So if you happen to encounter him during Fallout 4 you would be reunited with the robot after 200 years of being apart!
6. John Hancock
John Hancock, the trusty Ghoul. This man is the mayor of Goodneighbor but he may also become a companion should you complete all the necessary quests. He’s not a bad guy at all, but he happened to become a ghoul after taking an experimental drug sometime near the beginning of the Fallout 4 story. As you’d expect from a ghoul, he boosts critical hits with radiation damage. He became mayor of the city without any elections, but most citizens acknowledge him as their leader as he’s proven that he’s more trustworthy than many inhabitants of the place. In fact, many Goodneighbor residents are constantly looking for him whenever they have a problem since he usually helps out as best as he can. If you want an inspiring presence in your party then Hancock’s your guy!
5. Nick Valentine
Nick Valentine is a synthetic detective that lives in Diamond City where he also owns his own agency alongside his assistant. This man is incredibly efficient at hacking terminals so he’ll do wonders for you should he become your companion. Valentine also holds memories of a detective that lived long before the war, so he knows his way around many useful things. Some of those things are his unique combat skills which you’ll find rather impressive. Valentine is a very decent individual and has been accepted into society thanks to how useful he is, and how kindly he treats his peers.
4. Piper Wright
Paper Wright allows you to obtain twice the experience when persuading any NPC in the game, at least when you reach maximum affinity. As you can probably guess, that’s one heck of a perk. Have you read the Publick Occurrences newspaper when visiting Diamond City? Well that’s completely run by Piper herself! She’ll do anything in her power to expose the truth. But the problem is that she often gets in trouble for it. She’s responsible for calling out the mayor for being a synth, which no one really knew before her investigative work. So if there’s anyone you can count on to deliver the raw truth it’s going to be Piper.
3. Strong
Strong will pass on some of his abilities to you if your health drops below 25%, and he will gain additional strength which increases his unarmed combat damage. Strong’s main skills, though, are his abilities to use heavy weapons. Furthermore Strong is quite a kind-hearted supermutant. You don’t see this kind of personality every day so it’s worth snagging him when you get the chance. You can find him locked up by other supermutants that are about to kill him(and his mentor, too). Saving his life earns his never-ending gratitude and he will follow you on your command.
2. Dogmeat
I think Dogmeat is everyone’s favorite companion for most of the game. This trusty canine companion has helped detective Nick Valentine on multiple occasions, and he was also part of Preston Garvey’s group that was heading to Concord. He’s one of the sweetest dogs in what’s left of the world and most players tend to grow very fond of Dogmeat early in the game. He also has the Attack Dog perk which makes him cling on to certain enemies, allowing you to shoot them more accurately.
1. Paladin Danse
Danse allows you to deal much more damage to unnatural beings such as enemy superhumans, synths, and ghouls. He earns the first spot in this list because of his unnatural strength, but also because of his awesome backstory and his ability to help you out so much during the Fallout 4 storyline. He was proven to be an independent person since a young age after he set up his own shop in Rivet City. But he quickly rose through the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel as soon as they began recruiting new members. Danse will become a trustworthy companion that will share blood and steel with you once the Shadow of Steel quest is completed and you join the Brotherhood.
