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The guide explains all Fallout 4 companions, stats, abilities, unique quirks, perks, personal quests, and how to get them.
As in every RPG, Companions play a vital role in Fallout 4. They offer players guides, immersion, romance, friendship, and enhanced gaming experience. Fallout 4 has a notable set of fantastic, complex, well-written characters that can join you on your journeys. This guide explains all Fallout 4 companions, their stats, unique quirks, perks, and how to get them.
All Companions and How to Get Them in Fallout 4
You can get seventeen companions in Fallout 4, including Dogmeat, your best dog friend. Thirteen of them are base game NPC with their storyline. DLCs and Add-ons introduce four companions. (Automatron DLC + 2, Far Harbor DLC +1, and Nuka-World DLC +1). All companions have SPECIAL stats, perks, and unique personalities.
However, not all companions can be romancable, and not all have personal quests. When a player acts in a specific way that the companion approves of, it will increase their affinity, unlocking their personal quest. Upon completing that special mission, some companions will unlock special perks and skills or become a possible romance option. If you behave in a manner that is not pleasing to your companions, it will reduce your bond with them.
All Fallout 4 companions list:
- Cait
- Codsworth
- Curie
- Paladin Danse
- Deacon
- Dogmeat
- John Hancock
- Robert MacCready
- Nick Valentine
- Piper Wright
- Preston Garvey
- Strong
- X6-88
- Ada (Automatron DLC)
- Automatron (Automatron DLC)
- Old Longfellow (Harbor DLC)
- Porter Gage (Nuka-World DLC)
Cait
Cait Companion Features:
- Location: Combat Zone
- Prerequisites: Complete the Combat Zone
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma –7
- Intelligence – 7
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 7
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: Benign Intervention
- Perk: Trigger Rush
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: None
- Ability: Lockpicking
With her sad and violent past, Cait is one of the more captivating companions and even characters in Fallout 4. She was sold as a slave, and while not always chatty or open about it, if you gain her trust, she will slowly open up and tell you more about all the horrible things she experienced in her life. While struggling with her addictions and past, regardless, she is a fighter. Nothing can stand in her way.
Her SPECIAL perk, called Trigger Rush, causes Action Points to regenerate faster when health falls below 25%. While she is not the strongest on the battlefield among all her companions, Cait specializes in melee weapons and shotguns. Consequently, she is an excellent companion if you want someone for close-range combat and exploration. Her high luck ability and lockpicking skills allow her to pen any even master locks.
Moreover, to increase your affinity with Cait, you should act selfishly and violently when solving problems and quests. However, never act rude or generous near her because this thought lady doesn’t like it. She is a bad girl and a former raider, and she will bring hectic times and chaos with her.
Recruit her in the Combat Zone. You must kill the Raiders in the location and speak with Tommy.
Codsworth
Codsworth Companion Features:
- Location: Sanctuary Hills
- Prerequisites: Visit Concord during Out of Time
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 9
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma – 7
- Intelligence – 16
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 7
- Hit Points: 195
- Personal Quest: none
- Perk: Robat Sympathy
- Romance: No
- Gift: 1 Purified Water
- Ability: None
One of three Mr Handy robots who can join you, Codsworth is the first companion you will meet even before the nuclear bomb starts to drop. You will probably find him helpful only at the start of the game due to his high health pool and ability to modify your weapons and armor, but limited weapons. The perk Robot Sympathy gives him +10 damage resistance against robot energy weapons. Which has a specific use, and better companion options are available.
Opposite to Caith, Codsworth loves it when Sole Survivor acts generously and with kindness. All Selfish interactions and actions will lower affinity with this robot companion. As a result, if you plan to do an “evil” main character, this is not the best companion option for you.
To get Codsworth as your companion, you must return to Sanctuary Hills after you complete the Out of Time quest.
Curie
Curie Companion Features:
- Location: Vault 81
- Prerequisites: Complete Hole in the Wall
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 4
- Endurance – 4
- Charisma – 4
- Intelligence – 11
- Agility – 4
- Luck – 4
- Hit Points: 440
- Personal Quest: Emergent Behavior
- Perk: Combat Medic
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: Stimpack
- Ability: None
As a Combat Medic, Curie is a valuable companion with a perk that heals for 100 HP when health drops below 10%. Sadly, this can happen once per day, but it is still a good backup option for challenging fights. Interestingly, she can be upgraded from a Miss Nanny unit to a synth body, boosting her combat performance. She wields a laser rifle and has a very high health pool compared to other humanoid companions.
This second Mr. Handy robot on the list is a bit of an eccentric character. She likes rude behaviors but simultaneously peaceful actions and acts of kindness while despising when the sole survivor acts selfishly. It sounds confusing, as it truly is.
Head to the Vault 81 to find Curie. However, you must complete the Hole in the Wall mission first. To upgrade Curie to her synth form, you must complete her personal quest, Emergent Behavior. Once you reach the required affinity level with her, she will give you the mission.
Paladin Danse
Paladin Danse Companion Features:
- Location: Cambridge Police Station
- Prerequisites: Complete Semper Invicta
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 8
- Charisma – 6
- Intelligence – 8
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 7
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: Blind Betrayal
- Perk: Know Your Enemy
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: None
- Ability: None
As a member of the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 4, he is an excellent combat companion if you need a tank in power armor, especially on builds like sniper. You can defeat enemies from the back lines, while Paladin can take significant damage in the front lines. He uses a laser rifle, and with high enough affinity and his unique perk, Paladin Danse offers 20% more damage to Feral Ghouls, Super Mutants, and Synths.
To increase affinity with Paladin Danse, you should present kindness but know when to become more violent and deal with problems using weapons. He prefers nonpeaceful solutions. Regardless, he doesn’t like rude behavior. He will be extra happy with you if you modify an armor or weapon.
Head to Cambridge Police Station. Join the Brotherhood of Steel, and after you complete the Tour of Duty quest, you can recruit him at the Cambridge Police Station.
Deacon
Deacon Companion Features:
- Location: Railroad HQ
- Prerequisites: Complete Road to Freedom
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma – 9
- Intelligence – 8
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Cloak and Dagger
- Romance: No
- Gift: None
- Ability: None
Perfect for stealthy jobs, hacking, and shade missions. Deacon constantly changes his appearance to blend in easily. If you are going to use a stealth build and like sneak gameplay, he is the companion for you. Thanks to his affinity perk Cloak and Dagger, which increases Stealth Boy perk duration by 40% and deals 20% more sneak attack damage. However, he is not as strong in direct combat if you have a different playstyle.
As a result, Deacon despises violence and rude behavior because he prefers to sneak in rather than directly confront and kill. Show kindness to increase his affinity. You can also pick any lock or hack a terminal to impress him, gain his favor, and possibly romance him.
You must head to the Old North Church and start the Railway questline there, and during the Tradecraft quest, he will join you. When you complete this mission, he will become a full companion.
Dogmeat
Dogmeat Companion Features:
- Location: Red Rocket Truck Stop
- Prerequisites: Talk to him and ask him to follow
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 4
- Perception – 14
- Endurance – 4
- Charisma – 4
- Intelligence – 8
- Agility – 14
- Luck – 4
- Hit Points: 150
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Attack Dog
- Romance: None
- Gift: None
- Ability: Finds items
Your dog companion isn’t technically a companion. Dogmeat can join you and help you during combat like all others, but he doesn’t interfere with the Lone Wanderer perk, which grants you additional bonuses, defense, and offense when traveling alone. So, if you want to take advantage of this fantastic perk, you should consider taking this cute dog with you for extra damage.
To find Dogmeat, head to the Red Rocket Truck Stop, where you can easily find your animal companion. Interact with him and select the “Let’s Go” dialogue option to recruit him.
John Hancock
John Hancock Companion Features:
- Location: Old State House in Goodneighbor
- Prerequisites: Complete the Big Dig quest
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception –10
- Endurance – 8
- Charisma – 9
- Intelligence – 14
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Isodoped
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: Chems
- Ability: None
As his appearance suggests, John Hancock is a Ghul. He uses a shotgun and thus will fight in close-quarter combat, making him very prone to taking damage. While he has decent resistance to damage, he lacks Paladin’s tackiness, making him a less appealing choice for combat. His Isodoped perk, while useful in many situations, also lacks usefulness. It grants you 20% faster critical hits when receiving 250 radiation damage. Ideally, you don’t want to take any damage from any source, making John Hancock’s perk weak.
What he lacks in combat, he makes up with his personality. His questline is interesting, and his being a different race from humans opens up exciting dialogues. In Fallout 4, you should act peacefully and generously to increase affinity with John Hancock. Any rude or selfish behavior will result in his disapproval. However, if you use them, become addicted to them, or walk around naked, you will also gain his friendship.
Head to the Goodneighbor and complete the Big Dig quest to recruit John Hancock.
Robert MacCready
Robert MacCready Companion Features:
- Location: The Third Rail in Goodneighbor
- Prerequisites: Hire him for 250 Caps
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 9
- Charisma – 7
- Intelligence – 7
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: Long Road Ahead
- Perk: Killshot
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: Ammo
- Ability: Steal Items
Increasing affinity with these companions grants you one of the best perks. It’s an absolute must-have, especially on sniper builds. The Killshot perk increases headshot accuracy in V.A.T.S. by 20%. He uses sniper rifles. After years of a tough lifestyle, he developed a knack for using sarcasm and humor to deal with tough situations, turning him into a hardened fighter.
Robert MacCready is a romance option in Fallout 4, and to increase the relationship with this companion, you should solve the problems violently. He also likes it if you steal, pick owned locks, or ask for extra caps during the quests.
Like John Hancock, Robert MacCready can be found in The Third Rail in Goodneighbor. However, to recruit him, you must pay him 250 Caps. If you have high charisma and pass the successful persuasion check, that sum drops to 200.
Nick Valentine
Nick Valentine Companion Features:
- Location: Vault 114 then Diamond City
- Prerequisites: Complete Getting a Clue quest
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 8
- Charisma –8
- Intelligence – 16
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 225
- Personal Quest: Long Time Coming
- Perk: Close to Metal
- Romance: No
- Gift: None
- Ability: Hacking
While you need specialization in hacking terminals, he can provide the upgrade, which is the Close to Metal perk. It gives 50% faster terminal cooldowns and one extra guess when hacking. This is a valuable perk because hacking can sometimes be more difficult than lockpicking. You can’t change his outfits, and he cannot wear any armor. Consequently, Nick has 30-40 more HP than other companions, excluding robots Strong and upgraded Curie. He uses a Pipe revolver pistol in Combat.
Nick Valentine is considered a prototype between the second and third generation of synth development. This may explain why he has sapient intelligence and is not inherently hostile to non-Institute humans. However, his exact origin is unknown. With memories of a police officer before the Great War, Nick also became a detective before the events of Fallout 4. Consequently, he will like kindness and rude behaviors, while peaceful and violent will lower his affinity.
You can find him in Diamond City. He is a crucial main quest character, so you won’t miss him. Nick will join you when you complete the Unlikely Valentine quest.
Piper Wright
Piper Wright Companion Features:
- Location: Diamond City
- Prerequisites: Complete Story of the Century Quest
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma –10
- Intelligence – 8
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Gift of Gab
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: Sweet Foods
- Ability: None
Paper is a journalist of the Publick Occurrences newspaper in Diamond City, in the Commonwealth in Fallout 4. Her career started when her father was found dead and killed under suspicious circumstances. Piper Wright is a lone wolf with a strong sense of justice and believes in a better world for all residents. She likes it when the main character acts generously and peacefully and despises violent or “evil” interactions. Moreover, she has nothing against picking unowned locks and will approve if you heal Dogmeat.
In combat, Piper uses a simple pistol, which doesn’t deal significant damage. When you reach high affinity, her Gift of Gab perk will grant you Double XP for successful speech checks and discovering new locations. While not the strongest in combat, she is great for “good” playthroughs.
Similar to Nick, who she has an interesting banter with, you won’t miss her as a companion in Fallout 4. After you complete the Story of the Century quest in Diamond City, she will join you.
Preston Garvey
Preston Garvey Companion Features:
- Location: Museum of Freedom
- Prerequisites: Complete The First Step Quest
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 10
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma – 9
- Intelligence – 8
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: United We Stand
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: None
- Ability: None
As an officer of Commonwealth Minutemen, Preston Garvey represents their beliefs and dedication to helping the people in Fallout 4’s post-apocalyptic world. This companion will like you if you are generous, especially if you give away an item. Additionally, you can act peacefully and heal Dogmeat to get his affection. He will dislike it if you are selfish, violent, or commit murder.
His unique perk, United We Stand, allows you to deal more damage and gain +20 Damage Resistance when facing three or more enemies. It’s a fantastic perk you should unlock because, in Fallout 4, you will often need to defeat large groups of foes. In Fallout 4 combat, this companion is a decent choice. He uses a Laser musket, an energy weapon. You should consider Preston as your companion if you plan to focus on settlements, a significant feature of Fallout 4.
You will meet Preston Garvey in the Museum of Freedom, and he will become your companion after you complete the first step of the quest.
Strong
Strong Companion Features:
- Location: Trinity Tower
- Prerequisites: Complete Curtain Call quest
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 24
- Perception – 12
- Endurance – 8
- Charisma – 1
- Intelligence – 6
- Agility – 18
- Luck – 1
- Hit Points: 245
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Berserk
- Romance: No
- Gift: Meats
- Ability: None
The affinity perk you can get from Strong is fantastic for any melee build, but it also makes him a fantastic companion. The Berserk perk increases melee weapon damage by 20% when health drops below 25%. If you can maintain this value, it’s a robust playstyle. Strong fights at close range, specializing in melee weapons, such as heavy weapons like missile launchers and miniguns. With extra health, he is another good tank companion for almost any sole survivor build.
Moreover, this is the only Super Mutant companion in Fallout 4 with unique affinity preferences. He is the only companion that will like you if you commit a murder, while every other character will strongly disapprove. He also likes it when you eat corpses, be violent, and be generous. Isn’t that an interesting mixture? Strong is another victim and creation of the Institute. Over time, as you gain his friendship, he will make the sole survivor his leader.
Look for this companion in Boston, and you can find Strong near the Trinity Tower. Once you are there, you will receive a signal indicating that a man is being held hostage by super mutants. Lastly, you must complete the Curtain Call quest to get your new companion. At the end of this quest, Strong will be waiting for you at the top of the Tower.
X6-88
X6-88 Companion Features:
- Location: The Institute
- Prerequisites: Complete Mankind Redefined quest
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 16
- Perception – 18
- Endurance – 17
- Charisma – 8
- Intelligence – 10
- Agility – 18
- Luck – 8
- Hit Points: 185
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Shield Harmonics
- Romance: No
- Gift: Fusion cells
- Ability: none
This member of the Coursers is also an elite synth designed for high-risk assault missions in service to the Institute. Not much is known about him. He doesn’t have any strong likes or dislikes, but overall, he prefers to see the sole survivor behave mean and selfishly. The opposite actions will meet with his disfavor. You can also use power armor and modify any gear to please him. He will, however, attack you if you decide to attack synths in the Commonwealth, so keep that in mind.
He uses a laser rifle designed by the institute and grants the Shield Harmonics perk. While the e+20 energy resistance from the perk is useful the circumstances and cost of recruiting him might be too high for benefits.
Remember, if you are named the enemy of the Institute, X6-88 will not join you, so you must agree to join the Institute to recruit him as a companion in Fallout 4. He can be found in the Institute and joins you after the Mankind-Redefined quest.
Ada (Automatron DLC)
Ada Companion Features:
- Location: Near Wattz Consumer Electronics
- Prerequisites: Complete Mechanical Menace, Automaton DLC
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 9
- Perception – 5
- Endurance – 1
- Charisma –1
- Intelligence – 7
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 1
- Hit Points: Varies
- Personal Quest: Automaton Quest Line
- Perk: None
- Romance: No
- Gift: Junk Items
- Ability: Hack or Lockpick
Automatron DLC adds two new companions to Fallout 4, and Ada is one of them. She is unique compared to base game robots because you can customize her at Workbench, just like Curie and Codsworth. The Automatron DLC companions share some similarities with Dogmeat. They will not judge your behavior or give you any unique perks from affinity. She specializes in Hacking and lockpicking. As a result, this companion might be an alternative to Cait or Nick Valentine if your sole survivor doesn’t possess those skills themselves.
Ada will join you after you complete the Mechanical Menace quest in Wattz Consumer Electronics in Commonwealth during the Automatron quest line.
Automatron (Automatron DLC)
Automatron Companion Features:
- Location: Any Settlement
- Prerequisites: Build a robot at work bench
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 9
- Perception – 5
- Endurance – 0
- Charisma – 0
- Intelligence – 0
- Agility –10
- Luck – 0
- Hit Points: Varies
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: None
- Romance: No
- Gift: Junk Items
- Ability: Hack or Lockpick
As mentioned before, automatrons are unconditional companions. Like Dogmeat and Ada, positive or negative actions cannot change their affinity. They also don’t offer special perks and are a fun mechanic for players to create their personalized robot companions from scratch in Fallout 4.
You can get Automatron as your companion in Fallout 4 by heading to any settlement and building him in a workbench. You may customize their gender or even voice out of the 9 available. To create Automatron, you can find required parts, which may include a lot of farming, searching, and luck, or spend your SPECIAL points on crafting related perks. Perks useful when creating Automatron in Fallout 4 are Science!, Robotics Expert, Blacksmith, Gun Nut, and Armorer.
Old Longfellow (Harbor DLC)
Old Longfellow Companion Features:
- Location: The Last Plant in Far Harbor
- Prerequisites: Complete an Ambitious Plan, Far Harbor DLC
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 5
- Perception – 7
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma – 7
- Intelligence – 7
- Agility – 10
- Luck – 7
- Hit Points: Varies
- Personal Quest: Shipbreaker
- Perk: Hunter’s Wisdom
- Romance: No
- Gift: None
- Ability: None
The Harbor DLC was added to Fallout 4 Old Longfellow Companion. Unless you like him and his personality, he won’t be helpful outside of the content added in the expansion. His affinity perk, the Hunter’s Wisdom, can reduce by 25% the damage resistance and the energy resistance of animals and sea creatures.
His sadness is rooted in his tragically lost love. He becomes a hunter and, eventually, a legend for people living in Far Harbor. Now, in the company of his alcohol addiction, he is known for his experience and ability to guide people through the Fog. That’s how you meet him in Fallout 4. To increase your friendship with Old Longfellow, you should drink alcohol or gather junk. However, using chems will lower his affinity.
Head to the Far Harbor and look for old men sitting in The Last Plank. Complete the Walk in the Park quest, part of the Shipbreaker questline, which will not only grant you Old Longfellow as a companion but also his cabin outside of Far Harbor. You can then use it as any settlement in the game.
Porter Gage (Nuka-World DLC)
Porter Gage Companion Features:
- Location: Fizztop Grille in Nuka-Town
- Prerequisites: Complete an Ambitious Plan, Nuka-World DLC
- SPECIAL Stats
- Strength – 7
- Perception – 9
- Endurance – 7
- Charisma – 3
- Intelligence – 6
- Agility – 8
- Luck – 7
- Hit Points: Varies
- Personal Quest: None
- Perk: Lessons in Blood
- Romance: Yes
- Gift: None
- Ability: Access Merchants
Lessons In Blood perk from Porter Gage gives you +5% more experience per kill and +10 points of damage resistance. He uses a robust handmade rifle and prefers to stay in mid-range combat. For all those reasons, he is a versatile companion in Fallout 4, balanced and useful regardless of your build.
Do not steal or use drugs if you want to gain extra friendship points with Porter Gage. He will like it if you modify the weapons, lockpick, or steal. Porter Gage is the only DLC character that can be romanced. After you become the Overboss and complete the Gauntlet, he will become your main assistant. He is a raider and second-in-command of the Nuka-World raiders in Nuka-World DLC. With his past in gangs, raiders, slavery, and overall, he has nothing against if you murder someone. He is a good companion choice for “evil” playthroughs.
To recruit Porter Gage, you must go to the Fizztop Grille in Nuka-Town, known as Nuka-World. It’s an amusement park repurposed after the Great War. Complete the Ambitious Plan mission to get Porter Gage as a permanent companion, which is a part of the DLC’s questline.
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