Fallout 4: All Companion Perks, Explained

There's no better way to tackle Fallout 4's unforgiving wasteland than by going in with a companion. Not only do they come in handy when it comes to lugging around all your junk and extra weapons, but they also have insightful reactions to a lot of quests and their own personalities. Many of them can also be romanced in the long run.

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Companions' affinity perks range from rough to superb, and their general damage output and usefulness in specific player builds gives them a wide range. We're analyzing every Fallout 4 companion, determining - subjectively, at least - the best of the bunch and the not-so-much.

John Hancock

Hancock is a cool chap with terrible combat potential. Shotguns never quite work well on companions in Fallout 4, and that's precisely what he's carrying.

That could be overlooked with relative ease if Hancock sported a good perk, but alas, he does not. Isodoped mandates 250 radiation damage to the player in order to trigger, at which point you regenerate Critical Hits by 20 percent.

If you're role-playing a highly irradiated sort of Sole Survivor, hey, more power to you. But even then, we're not sure it's all that spectacular a perk...

Codsworth

You'll meet Codsworth in quite literally the first few minutes of Fallout 4, and you'll get him back in swift order, too. He's got a bit more health than most human companions, and... not a lot of versatility on the weaponry side.

Robot Sympathy, Codsworth's affinity perk, increases hostile robots' energy attack resistance by ten points. Which, uh, yay. Sure, there are times you'll be glad you had it, but how many times? Not great.

Ada

Ada from Automatron DLC a bit stronger than most human followers, and is highly customizable on the workbench.

It's great that Ada doesn't give a single heck what you do, which means there will be no snap judgments if you go particularly vile during a quest - or particularly altruistic, for that matter.

You can get Ada's hacking skills to a full-on pro, or you can do so with lockpicking. Her versatility is duly noted, we suppose; but there's just not much to write home about here from a gameplay perspective. (Or a story perspective.)

Old Longfellow

The go-to companion in the Far Harbor DLC is Old Longfellow. He can be found sitting around at The Last Plank, and completing the quest, Walk In The Park, will also grant you his cabin outside Far Harbor as a settlement.

Old Longfellow's lever-action rifle is a solid piece of work overall, but his 25 percent bonus damage against sea monsters is pretty situational as far as perks are concerned.

It's dandy stuff in Far Harbor itself, and it surely has its uses elsewhere, but it's not enough for us to recommend the guy 24/7 unless you really love his personality.

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Cait

Find Cait at the Combat Zone; show up, eliminate raiders, and she's yours - just ask to speak with her manager.

Cait specializes in melee and shotguns, but she doesn't quite have the bulk to make melee an excellent "tank" role to keep enemies off your tail if you're range-oriented. Shotguns are, quite truly, hit or miss.

Her affinity perk, Trigger Rush, is handy in a pinch but overall quite niche. Regenerating AP points 25 percent faster if you're below a matching quarter of your health is wonderful when it counts, but it shouldn't be needed often.

Nick Valentine

Nick Valentine is shoved in your face during the main quest, so he isn't exactly easy to miss. That said, he's also the coolest dang Fallout 4 companion in non-gameplay regards, so you won't exactly lament his relevance, either.

Nick's pistol is another decent weapon, though in our experience, we swear he seems to zip through ammunition faster than most companions. Which makes no sense, we admit, but if you wind up feeling similarly, just know you're not alone?

Anyway, Nick's affinity perk is Close to Metal. You've got an additional attempt during hacking with Nick along for the ride, and you can hop back in there more swiftly. This comes in handy surprisingly often, but it never feels particularly strong.

Automatron

Automatron's wealth of customization options makes them a standout sort, but they aren't exactly the most compelling companion. Making the most of your robotic killer's capabilities is a great reward for maxing out several requisite perks. Still, it's "just" an Automatron.

But we're here chiefly to ascertain the gameplay-related value, and Automatrons might not be top-tier, but they sure are deadly.

The sheer variety of death-dealing weaponry you can hook into this thing makes it worth consideration under the right circumstances.

Strong

Strong's in Boston. The first step on the road to recruiting him involves the strange signal you'll receive from Trinity Tower involving a guy who's been kidnapped by super mutants.

From there, complete Curtain Call. Strong's atop Trinity Tower.

If you favor a melee build, Strong rules, but he's also solid for range-focused characters since he's inclined to charge head-first into danger. With so much health for his foes to shred, he'll keep them occupied.

20 percent bonus to melee damage if your health falls under 25 percent is handier than it sounds, since you run a greater risk of losing health at close-range, and the melee damage will do a better job of getting you out of it in a hurry.

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X6-88

Agree with the Institute's request for aid or else you'll never get X6-88 on your side. Kind of rough, but them's the breaks. Thereafter, complete his quest, Mankind Redefined.

X6-88's Institute Laser Rifle is among the most powerful weapons in Fallout 4. X6-88's affinity perk, Shield Harmonics, is fine, but its versatility is where it shines.

20 points of additional energy resistance is simply one of those things that's always welcome, seldom game-changing. But props to its reliability, right?

Dogmeat

Reach the Red Rocket right near where Fallout 4 first drops you off following the bomb drop, and Dogmeat will be glad to greet you.

Being a dog, he lacks a code of ethics, so you can do anything, anywhere, anytime, and he'll trust you're doing it for the right cause. Or... whatever he thinks, who can say?

More to the point, Dogmeat doesn't count as a companion. As a result, you'll retain access to the Lone Wanderer perk, which is only active when you're traveling "alone."

Lone Wanderer increases damage resistance and carry weight, and eventually, even action points. It's a valuable proposition for any build, but it otherwise comes at the cost of no sidekick to speak of.

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Porter Gage

You can't find Porter Gage unless you've got the Nuka-World DLC, but these days, Fallout 4's Game of the Year Edition - which comes packed with all DLCs - is on sale so often, you've really got no reason not to snag that version.

Once you're Overboss and get through the Gauntlet, Porter is your bad guy BFF. Porter's affinity perk, Lessons in Blood, grants five percent more experience per kill and ten points of damage resistance.

Like X6-88, then, Porter is a great all-rounder for any build. We'd argue he's a bit better for that five-percent EXP boost, but it's sort of a wash. They're both good.

Piper Wright

Piper, like Nick Valentine, meets you during the main quest, so don't worry about missing out on her. You will meet her at the entrance to Diamond City. Agree to her request for an interview, and then complete her story quest.

You can also recruit Piper by killing Kellogg, which is tied to the Dangerous Minds quest.

Piper's pistol is nothing to write home about. Her affinity perk, Gift of Gab, is far more useful. Gift of Gab provides 100 percent more experience points for successful Charisma checks, and when discovering new locations.

As such, it's best to recruit Piper as early as possible, to maximize the EXP boosts in the long run.

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Robert MacCready

MacCready is a powerful companion in combat, but pairs badly with characters that are specialized in sniping, since that's kind of his thing.

Consider using him if you want to be the Strong in your duo - you charge in while someone else picks off your foes from afar.

MacCready can be found in Goodneighbor, at The Third Rail. He asks for 250 caps to have him as your companion, but a solid Charisma score lets you haggle down to 200.

Killshot, his affinity perk, increases accuracy by 20 percent in VATS. If you don't use VATS often, it's still a neat little trick for when you do; if you rely upon it, it can make or break your odds of hitting weak spots on the regular.

Deacon

Deacon's pistol is passable, but his personality is peerless. His affinity perk Cloak & Dagger is one of the best ones in the game, especially for players who are going for a stealthy build.

He grants you a 20 percent boost in sneak attack damage and a 40 percent boost to Stealth Boy duration. Sneaking isn't quite as overpowered in Fallout 4 as in, say, Skyrim, but it's not far off!

To get Deacon as your companion, you'll need to join the Railroad and complete the quest Tradecraft. Finding the Railroad is part of the main quest, so it will be hard to miss out on meeting him.

Preston Garvey

Along the main quest, The First Step will introduce you to the Minutemen faction, and it happens quite early in the game. Help Preston's group to safely escape the Museum of Freedom in Concord.

Preston's laser musket is a great add to your indirect arsenal. Better still, United We Stand is a heck of a perk. It increases damage resistance and damage by 20 percent when facing three or more opponents.

Fallout 4 isn't exactly a game with a lot of one-on-one duels, if you catch our drift. You're typically going up against a gang of ne'er-do-wells.

Taking a fifth less hits to your health and clearing everyone out a bit faster adds up appreciably in almost any scenario.

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Curie

Upgrade Miss Nanny into a synth body, and suddenly, bam! You've got Curie. Curie's health pool is outrageous at 670 HP, which is in contrast to the standard 185 HP for most humanoid companions.

She's also got a laser rifle, and laser rifles rock. Kickstart your friendship by completing Hole in the Wall, a quest you unlock once you've found Vault 81.

But that's just Miss Nanny; complete Miss Nanny's personal quest, Emergent Behavior, to go the rest of the way.

Curie's affinity perk is Combat Medic, which grants you +100 HP once per day if your health dips below ten percent. You won't exactly want to have less than ten percent of your health often, though.

The thing is, Curie's damage output is phenomenal, and coupled with that sky-high health pool, she's borderline unstoppable in all but Fallout 4's toughest fights. Rather outweighs the middling perk!

Paladin Danse

Paladin Danse's Power Armor and Laser Rifle can turn him into a walking tank who slots in flawlessly for sniper builds.

In that sense, he's a lot like Strong, but 20 percent more damage against synths, ghouls, and super mutants makes him seriously stellar for so many sections of the Commonwealth.

You can recruit him as a follower after completing the Tour of Duty, and joining the Brotherhood of Steel. Join the Brotherhood of Steel after the opening volley of events at the Cambridge Police Station, and Danse will tag along when asked.

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