Fallout 4 allows you to choose between a plethora of companions who act as buddies in the game, lending a hand as you explore the vast wastelands of the Commonwealth but some are better than others.
Fallout 4 offers a total of 13 companions to choose from in the base game with four others available as add-ons in a DLC. Each companion in the game offers a variety of perks, and you can even romance some characters.
That being said, you can only have one by your side at a time. However, once you have recruited them all you can choose to switch between them but some are better than others. Here’s a full ranking of every companion in Fallout 4.
Contents
- All companions in Fallout 4 ranked
- Paladin Danse
- Curie
- Nick Valentine
- Strong
- Cait
- Preston Garvey
- Robert MacCready
- Dogmeat
- Piper Wright
- X6-88
- Deacon
- Porter Gage
- Codsworth
- John Hancock
- Old Longfellow
- Automatron
- Ada
Fallout 4: All companions ranked & how to recruit
1. Paladin Danse
If you’re looking for a companion who will have your back during combat, Paladin Danse is your best bet. Equipped with his power armor and laser rifle, he is one of the best companions to have if you value combat prowess. Danse’s perk, Know Your Enemy is damage based as well as it allows you to deal 20% more damage against feral ghouls, super mutants, and synths.
You can recruit him by finding him and the rest of the brotherhood at Cambridge Police Station once you’ve progressed through the main story and completed the quests, Call to Arms, and Semper Invicta. You can even romance Paladin Danse if you so wish.
2. Curie
Curie is one of the best companions to have in Fallout 4 owing to her high HP. While she isn’t as varied in ability as some of the game’s companions, she is highly reliable and useful in a fight. You can recruit her by completing the quest Hole In The Wall and Here Kitty Kitty within Vault 81.
She is the only companion in the game who comes in two distinct forms. The first is as a Mr. Handy who scorches enemies with a flamethrower. The robot is surprisingly effective but not the best way to take advantage of Curie’s strengths. To do that you need to transfer her to a synth body which can only be done by finishing her personal quest. You can also romance Curie in Fallout 4.
To be able to do this quest you need to gain some affinity with her. Her affinity perk, Combat Medic is quite useful as well as it gives you +100 HP if your health is below 10%.
3. Nick Valentine
Nick Valentine is a companion you will encounter as you progress through the main story. You can recruit him by entering his office in Diamond City upon which you will have to rescue him.
As well as being known for his dialogue, he’s got great prowess as a companion and is certainly one of the most interesting NPCs to bring along for the ride. His strong moral compass can be a little limiting depending on your playstyle but he is an effective operator who can breeze through terminals the player might struggle with.
He fares well in combat with his handy revolver equipped. However, his affinity perk Close to Metal gives you one extra hacking attempt with 50% shorter lockouts from terminals which is another useful feature if you struggle with hacking.
4. Strong
As you can see from his mutant looks, Strong is a bulky companion that will violently run toward enemies giving you more time to take down enemies from a distance. You can recruit him by completing the quest Curtain Call and finding him at the top of Trinity Tower.
Strong is a bit of an enigma in a Super Mutant body, gaining affinity with the player when they show generosity or a propensity for violence. He usually uses either an assault rifle or a sledgehammer and his ability to cripple enemies with the latter is unparalleled.
He can even pick up guns from random dead bodies to aid in combat. Apart from that, his affinity perk Berserk is combat-focused as well as it gives you a temporary +20% boost to melee damage when your HP drops below 25% of the total amount.
5. Cait
Cait is a cage fighter making an income by living in the Combat Zone. You can recruit her by simply entering the Combat Zone and taking out all hostile raiders after which Cait’s companion will offer her to be your companion.
While Cait isn’t that useful when it comes to combat, her lockpicking ability can come in clutch if you’re looking for valuable loot. Her Affinity Perk, Trigger Rush allows your character’s AP points to regenerate 50% faster when your health is below 25%. It’s also possible to romance Cait.
6. Preston Garvey
Preston Garvey plays a huge role in the Minutemen questline and the resurrection of the organization in the Commonwealth. He is also pleasant and personable to be around if a little heavy on the constant requests for fledgling colonies.
You can find him in Concord and recruit him by talking to him as he asks you to help him and his band of Minutemen. He will then ask you to help clear Concord and build settlements to help the Minutemen. He’s morally consistent and likes it when the player shows mercy and general good virtue. Preston can also be romanced by the player in Fallout 4.
Armed with his Laser Musket, Preston Garvey fares well in combat. However, his affinity perk is quite unique as it gives players damage resistance against more than three opponents (which happens fairly well) and +20 % damage.
7. Robert MacCready
Robert MacCready feels like the quintessential Fallout companion, perfectly suited to the morally questionable decisions the wasteland foists on the player. You can recruit MacCready by offering him 250 caps in Goodneighbor, at The Third Rail. You can even negotiate the amount down to 200 if you have good charisma. You’ll also have the option to romance Robert if you want too.
He is armed with his sniper rifle and is perfectly suited for laying down early damage in combat. Once you reach high enough affinity with him, his perk, Killshot will increase your headshot accuracy in V.A.T.S. by 20%. It’s one of the most effective combat boosts in the game and MacCready is a solid choice for players who don’t want to be judged every five minutes.
8. Dogmeat
The goodest boy in the entire commonwealth, Dogmeat is an excellent companion to have. While he’s not that good at outputting damage in combat, he is brilliant at pinning down enemies and making them a lot easier to hit, in VATS or otherwise.
He can find loot for you with his adorable nose and is also one of the earliest companions you encounter in the game. You can recruit him right outside Red Rocket Truck Stop, simply by walking up to him and interacting. Apart from sniffing out loot for the player, his perk Attack Dog allows him to be stronger in combat. This is a special perk that you can unlock by leveling up and not by raising affinity.
9. Piper Wright
Piper Wright is yet another companion you will encounter as you progress through the main quest. You can recruit her by meeting her at the entrance to Diamond City. You will then have to agree to give her an interview and complete her personal quest Story Of The Century.
Wright is unimpressive in combat, but her affinity perk Gift Of Gab offers +100% XP for any successful charisma check and when finding new locations. This can be immensely useful while leveling in the earlier game and discovering new locations comes easily. You can romance Piper if you want in the game.
She’s also easily one of the most fleshed-out characters in this list and acts as a good foil for characters who tend towards grey or dark-grey decision-making in the Commonwealth. Her relationship with her little sister is also quite a sweet dynamic to follow.
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10. X6-88
Similar to Curie, X6-88 is a synth with little to no emotion. He is almost the exact opposite of Piper in terms of alignment, disliking acts of kindness and enjoying acts of selfishness. All in all, he’s fairly unpleasant to be around, but he is a great example of a Synth’s prowess in combat.
You can recruit X6-88 only if you side with the Institute and complete the Mankind-Redefined quest by attending the Directorate meeting in the Institute.
He is quite useful in combat as his Laser Rifle deals a significant amount of damage. His affinity perk on the other hand Shield Harmonics gives you +20 energy resistance which isn’t that useful but remains a nice thing to have in lieu of better benefits in this list.
11. Deacon
Deacon’s ultimate purpose in the Commonwealth is a bit weirdly ambiguous, particularly when players notice that he had been following them around disguised in different outfits since the start of the game. You can recruit him by completing the quest Tradecraft and joining the Railroad.
Deacon isn’t the best companion for combat, but his dripped-out look and witty charm will make you want to have him. That being said, if you’re going for a stealth build, his affinity perk, Cloak & Dagger, will be right up your alley. It provides a 40% boost in Stealth boys’ duration and a 20% boost in sneak attack damage.
12. Porter Gage
Porter Gage is one of the most powerful companions added in the much-maligned Nuka World DLC. He was previously the lieutenant to a powerful raider Overboss and his background there makes him extremely tough to take down.
His handmade rifle is particularly potent and he’s pretty accurate with it, proving a worthy ally in combat. His affinity perk Lessons In Blood gives you +5% XP per kill and a +10 boost to damage resistance.
To recruit Porter Gage you have to complete the Taken for A Ride quest. However, remember to not attack any of the Nuka-World Raiders as this will then make Gage hostile. You’ll also be able to romance Porter if you like.
13. Codsworth
Codsworth is one of the first companions you encounter in the game which is probably why he is one of the weakest. He’s the former butler to the player character, having tragically waited at the property since the bombs dropped for his family to return.
You can find him by finishing the Out of Time quest, where he is waiting in Sanctuary Hills as you escape Vault 111. He has the usual Mr. Handy abilities that make him a nightmare for radroaches and mole rats, but foes beyond that often make short work of him.
Codsworth’s Affinity Perk gives players +10 resistance to energy attacks from robots which is quite negligible as the game progresses.
14. John Hancock
John Hancock is one of the weakest companions in the game. His standard shotgun weapon usually forces him to be at close range during combat, and his relatively low health pool means he doesn’t often last very long.
If you still want to take him on and complete your collection, you can find him in Goodneighbor in the Old State House. Recruiting him is simply a case of completing some relatively easy tasks until he agrees to join the player on their adventures. It’s possible to romance John Hancock in the game.
Hancock’s affinity perk Isodoped offers a temporary +20% boost to critical hit accumulation when your radiation damage is 250 or higher, making it too niche to be worth having.
15. Old Longfellow
Both Old Longfellow and John Hancock above are relatively similar in combat. Old Longfellow probably has a slight edge in that department, thanks to being armed with his lever-action rifle. That said, his grumpy mariner stylings can wear thin quickly.
Old Longfellow is a useful companion to have while you’re in Far Harbor. Longfellow’s affinity perk Hunter’s Wisdom permanently reduces the damage and energy resistance of animals and sea creatures by 25%.
To recruit him, all you have to do is find him sitting around at the Last Plank and finish the quest Walk In The Park. Doing so will also give you access to his cabin outside of Far Harbor as a settlement.
16. Automatron
As the name suggests, Automatron was part of the Automatron DLC. Unlike other companions, you can’t recruit an Automatron; instead, you have to build one by hand. Doing so is a real perk nightmare that requires players to have Robotics Expert, Science!, Armorer, and Gun Nut of at least rank 1.
To get your own robot buddy, simply head to a robotics workstation in a settlement and start constructing one. If done correctly and armed to the teeth, it can be an impressively devastating force, but it never really feels like a true companion.
It is also important to remember that Automatron has no affinity perk, but you can make him specialize in lockpicking or hacking.
17. Ada
Ada is a unique companion who won’t judge you for your actions no matter what you do. However, her benefits seem to end there, as she is slow, ineffectual, and, above all else, immensely boring to be around once you get used to the charismatic stylings of some of the other entries on this list.
Ada also doesn’t have an affinity perk, but after being upgraded she can specialize in lockpicking or hacking. She will even bring you useful junk from time to time.
You can recruit her by going to Wattz Consumer Electronics and finishing the quest Mechanical Menace.
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