The Best Fallout 4 Companions, Ranked

The wastelands of Fallout 4 are a dangerous and lonely place to wander in. The enemies in this game are more fierce than ever before, and some players may find themselves overwhelmed as they explore the game by their lonesome. If players don’t opt for the Lone Wanderer perk and get terrified at night by lurking ghouls and other critters, having a companion tag along might be a good option. It’s a great way for players to enjoy some much-needed companionship during the game’s lengthy run time and also form a great bond with the many followers the Sole Survivor can recruit.

As a player’s relationship with their companion of choice evolves, they unlock special Affinity Perks that give them awesome bonuses during their journey. Some of them are even available as romance options, and some are just kind of fun to bring along when players feel a bit lonely. Not only are companions are a great way to enjoy some extra firepower against the many enemies that stand in a player’s way, but hanging out with them is a great way to uncover even more content in Fallout 4 that can keep players busy for quite some time. That being said, some companions are arguably better than others, with fans loving the personalities and abilities of these characters. What they bring to the table is important for players who want to be stuck with deadweight for a substantially long time.

Updated April 14, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra:Fallout 4 is an excellent game that was criticized a tad too much at launch. It may not be Bethesda’s finest product, but players who explored every corner of this game uncovered the amount of love Bethesda put into ensuring that players would be entertained for hours on end. The release of Starfield has further hammered home the positives of a handcrafted open world that respects the player’s time. In this regard, Fallout 4 is a blast to play through for players who love this series. During their adventures in the Commonwealth, players will find a wealth of companions. Some of these partners are romanceable too, further incentivizing players to spend time with these unique characters and uncover their backstories in the process.

17 Automatron

Needs To Be Built At A Robot Workbench

• Location: Any settlement
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: None
• Romanceable: No

If none of the human companions in Fallout 4 seem worth the effort, the Automatron DLC gives players the chance to create their own ideal robotic companion. This process requires players to have perks in Robotics Expert, Gun Nut, Science!, and Armorer to make various modifications to each part of the Automatron.

To start building one, the Sole Survivor simply needs to head to a settlement with enough materials gathered and start building their Automatron on a robotics workstation. With the right perks, it’s not too difficult to create a slaughtering machine with a Nuka launcher. The Automatron has no affinity perk, but it does give the Sole Survivor junk whenever spoken to and held as a companion.

16 Ada

Complete The Quest ‘Mechanical Menace’

• Location: Near Wattz Consumer Electronics (later at Red Rocket truck stop)
• Personal Quest: Part of the Automatron quest line
• Perk: None
• Romanceable: No

Assaultrons are feared slayers of the wasteland, packed into a humanoid robotic form. In the Automatron DLC, the Sole Survivor has the opportunity to meet a unique Assaultron named Ada and hire her as a companion after completing the quest Mechanical Menace.

She can be found at Wattz Consumer Electronics to start the quest. Like the regular Automatron that needs to be built, Ada has no Affinity Perk. She’ll regularly offer the Sole Survivor junk, and eventually, she can even be upgraded to either lockpick or hack terminals.

15 John Hancock

Complete The Quest ‘The Big Dig’

• Location: The Old State House In Goodneighbor
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Isodoped
• Romanceable: Yes

Hancock is without question one of the most interesting characters in terms of his design and story. However, he’s pretty lackluster compared to some of the other characters. The Sole Survivor might hit it off with him since he was technically around when the bombs fell, but he’s not the best to have in battle.

Hancock can be found in Goodneighbor, which he leads. After running a few errands for him, he offers to join the player on their adventures. Hancock uses a shotgun as his go-to weapon, which makes him essentially useless in most combat situations. Moreover, his Affinity Perk is very niche: the Isodoped perk boosts the critical meter’s filling speed by 20% when the player has suffered 250 radiation damage.

14 Old Longfellow

Complete The Quest ‘Walk In The Park’

• Location: The Last Plank on the Island
• Personal Quest: Shipbreaker
• Perk: Hunter’s Wisdom
• Romanceable: No

The Far Harbor DLC introduces players to cranky and seasoned mariner Old Longfellow. He knows the island like the back of his hand and acts as the player’s guide when they first venture out into the fog to find Acadia and DiMA.

Old Longfellow favors a lever-action rifle, which is a decent weapon to have. His Affinity Perk is useful for those entering Far Harbor for the first time at a low level, who might have trouble against many of its sea monsters. The Hunter’s Wisdom perk lowers the damage and energy resistance of beasts by 25%.

13 Deacon

Complete The Quest ‘Tradecraft’ And Join ‘The Railroad’

• Location: The Railroad HQ
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Cloak & Dagger
• Romanceable: No

Deacon is the go-to follower for anyone who likes a funny guy, or just prefers the Railroad out of the three factions in the game. As a spy, he doesn’t come across as very trustworthy, which is why some players might not hit it off with him immediately. He’s a bit of a habitual liar.

Deacon prefers to use a sniper rifle or pipe gun to take down his enemies, which means he’s more of a long-range fighter. His Affinity Perk is great for specific character builds. The Cloak & Dagger perk boosts sneak damage by 20% and the duration of stealth boys by 40%.

12 Codsworth

Visit Concord In The Quest ‘Out Of Time’

• Location: Sanctuary Hills, near the Sole Survivor’s ruined house
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Robot Sympathy
• Romanceable: No

Don’t be fooled by Codsworth’s appearance or his kind personality. He’s useful early in the game when the player has barely anything, and they’re fresh out of the vault. He’s the first companion the player can recruit in Sanctuary Hills.

Codsworth uses a buzz-saw and a flamer to kill his enemies, which can be surprisingly devastating. He can pull enemies toward him, allowing the player to take them down from a distance. His Robot Sympathy perk is extremely versatile and works for any character build, as it boosts energy resistance by 10.

11 Porter Gage

Complete The Quest ‘An Ambitious Plan’

• Location: Fizztop Grille
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Lessons in Blood
• Romanceable: Yes

One of the most powerful companions in the game comes from the last DLC that Bethesda released for Fallout 4. In Nuka-World, the player will rub elbows with a bunch of raiders, one of which is Porter Gage, the previous Overboss’ right hand.

He’s a great follower due to his questionable ethics, and works well with morally ambiguous character builds. Moreover, he’s an absolute beast in combat, favoring the handmade rifle, which is iconic to Nuka-World’s raiders and deals a ton of damage. His Lessons in Blood perk is a must-have for any Sole Survivor. It grants 5% more XP per kill and a 10-point boost to damage resistance.

10 Piper

Complete ‘Story Of The Century’ Or Start ‘Dangerous Minds’

• Location: Diamond City
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Gift of Gab
• Romanceable: Yes

Piper is a reporter for the paper Publick Occurrences, working from Diamond City. Players will first meet her when arriving at the city gates, where she’s struggling to get inside. After giving her an interview, she’ll become available as a companion.

Piper’s weapon of choice is a pistol, and players who reach a high enough relationship level with her will enjoy the benefits of the Gift of Gab perk, which gives them double experience for successful charisma checks or when arriving at a new location. She’s decent in combat and has a rebellious personality, and she dislikes any form of authority.

9 X6-88

Join The Institute And Complete The Quest ‘Mankind – Redefined’

• Location: The Institute
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Shield Harmonics
• Romanceable: No

If players decide to side with the Institute, X6-88 becomes available as a companion later on in the game. He’s a synthetic with very little human emotion. He’ll dislike any acts of kindness, and will like it if players act selfishly.

In combat, X6-88 will use an energy weapon, a Laser Rifle, and he’ll do significant damage, making him one of the better fighters among the many Fallout 4 companions. Once players have reached the maximum relationship level with him, he’ll grant the Shield Harmonics perk, which gives players an additional 20 energy resistance.

8 Robert MacCready

Hire Him For 250 Caps (200 With A Speech Check)

• Location: The Third Rail in Goodneighbor
• Personal Quest: Long Road Ahead
• Perk: Killlshot
• Romanceable: Yes

If players are looking for a companion with similarly questionable ethics and principles, MacCready is ideal. As a mercenary and once a Gunner, players will find him at Goodneighbor, where they can hire him for a couple of caps. However, keep in mind that the player’s relationship with him won’t level up until they’ve completed his quests.

MacCready is an extremely skilled shooter and will use a sniper rifle to take down his enemies. After players have gained his affection, he’ll grant the Killshot perk, which gives players 20% higher accuracy with headshots while in V.A.T.S.

7 Preston Garvey

Complete The Quest ‘The First Step’

• Location: Museum of Freedom (later at Sanctuary Hills)
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: United We Stand
• Romanceable: Yes

If players value kindness above all, then Preston is their man. He can be found in Concord, where he’ll ask the player to help him and his band of what remains of the Minutemen. As their leader, he’ll ask the Sole Survivor to help clear Concord and continue to ask them for help with new settlements.

His favorite weapon is a Laser Musket, which is quite effective despite its long reload time. He’ll appreciate any kindness that players show to others, as well as a willingness to help the innocent. He’ll grant players the United We Stand perk, which gives them +20% damage and damage resistance against more than three opponents. It’s among the best affinity perks out there.

6 Cait

Clear The Combat Zone

• Location: Combat Zone
• Personal Quest: Benign Intervention
• Perk: Trigger Rush
• Romanceable: Yes

Cait might not have her life completely together, with drug addiction plaguing her. However, she’s an incredibly powerful and skilled companion, and can hold her own in a fight with a shotgun. She used to be a raider, so expect her to applaud any violent acts.

One of Cait’s greatest perks is that she can pick almost any lock that needs opening, which greatly improves life in the wasteland. After gaining her trust, she’ll grant the Trigger Rush perk, which helps players get their Action Points back faster when their health is under 25%.

5 Dogmeat

The Goodest Boy Requires No Convincing

• Location: Red Rocket truck stop
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Attack Dog
• Romanceable: No

The first companion players meet in the game is Dogmeat. This friendly dog might not be able to do that much in combat, but is more useful than most would imagine. Dogmeat doesn’t count as a companion, so players can unlock the Lone Wanderer perk freely while he’s around.

He can find hidden items and can incapacitate enemies in fights. He’s not too concerned with ethics, which makes him a handy companion in that regard. Sadly, he’s not too useful in combat, other than as a distraction.

4 Nick Valentine

Complete The Quest ‘Getting A Clue’

• Location: Vault 114 (later in Diamond City)
• Personal Quest: Long Time Coming
• Perk: Close to Metal
• Romanceable: No

In Diamond City, the main quest will lead the Sole Survivor on a hunt to find and rescue Nick Valentine, a detective who turns out to be an old synth prototype with free will. He would like a companion that will be nice to others and seek to find out the truth by asking questions.

In combat, he’ll prefer his revolver, but his greatest asset is his capacity to hack into terminals that players struggle with. After players have leveled up their relationship with him, he grants the Close to Metal perk that gives the Sole Survivor a 50% lower wait between hacking a terminal and one extra try during the actual hack.

3 Strong

Complete The Quest ‘Curtain Call’

• Location: Trinity Tower
• Personal Quest: None
• Perk: Berserk
• Romanceable: No

Strong’s appearance shouldn’t fool anyone. He might look like any other Super Mutant waiting to bash someone’s skull in, but he’s completely loyal after being recruited at Trinity Tower. Due to his nature, he’ll like both generous and violent acts, and will defend himself with assault rifles in combat.

He’s incredibly strong with a sledgehammer, and can sometimes even pick up a gun from a body to take down the next enemy. His Affinity Perk gives players a 20% boost to weapon damage if their health is below 25%.

2 Paladin Danse

Joins During The Quest ‘Tour Of Duty’

• Location: Cambridge Police Station (later on The Prydwen and at Listening Post Bravo)
• Personal Quest: Blind Betrayal
• Perk: Know Your Enemy
• Romanceable: Yes

A man from the Brotherhood of Steel and a capable fighter always seen in his power armor, Paladin Danse is by far the best Fallout 4 companion when it comes to combat. He can tank incredible amounts of damage while dishing some back. Acts of kindness, but also violence, will be tolerated as he’s a man of the military.

He uses a Laser Rifle to protect himself, and can be recruited once the Sole Survivor has joined the Brotherhood of Steel. His Affinity Perk gives players a 20% damage buff when fighting ghouls, super mutants, and synthetics. Paladin Danse’s story is quite fascinating, and poses certain moral quandaries for players who see his plotline through to the very end.

1 Curie

Complete The Quest ‘Hole In The Wall’

• Location: Vault 81
• Personal Quest: Emergent Behavior
• Perk: Combat Medic
• Romanceable: Yes

When the Sole Survivor first meets Curie, she doesn’t look anything like a human being. Instead, she’s in her original Mr. Handy form. She isn’t much use in combat, but once players transfer her consciousness into a synthetic body, she becomes the strongest companion in the game. Curie offers a sturdy health pool and damage output.

She appreciates acts of kindness and generosity, and in her Mr. Handy form, will use a flamethrower on her enemies. Her Affinity Perk, Combat Medic, restores 100 HP once every 24 hours if the Sole Survivor health drops under 10%. Her combat benefits, coupled with Curie’s unique story, makes her a great companion for players to adventure around with as they try to find their son in Fallout 4.