Let’s be real. Wandering the Commonwealth alone is a death sentence. Or at the very least, it's incredibly lonely. You’re trekking through a radioactive hellscape, scavenging for glue and desk fans, and sometimes you just need someone to watch your back while you’re picking a Master-level lock. That’s where the Fallout 4 list of companions comes into play. It isn’t just about who has the biggest gun or the highest carrying capacity. It’s about who you can actually stand to be around for forty hours of gameplay.
Bethesda really leaned into the personality aspect this time around. Each companion has their own moral compass, their own "likes" and "dislikes," and a perk that you can only unlock by basically becoming their best friend. Some are straightforward. Codsworth loves it when you're a decent human being. Strong? Well, Strong wants you to smash things and eat people. It’s a spectrum.
The Core Crew: Who Actually Makes the Cut?
You start with Dogmeat. He's the goat. He doesn't judge you. You could walk into Diamond City and start stealing every piece of jewelry in sight, and Dogmeat will just wag his tail. Plus, he doesn't count against the Lone Wanderer perk, which is basically a cheat code for extra damage and carrying weight while still having a furry friend by your side.
Then you’ve got the heavy hitters.
Piper Wright is usually the first human (well, reporter) you’ll meet in Diamond City. She’s spunky, she’s obsessed with the truth, and she loves it when you pick locks in unowned houses. Her perk, "Gift of Gab," gives you double XP for discovering new locations and successful persuasion checks. If you’re a completionist who wants to level up fast, get her early. Honestly, her combat skills are just okay—she uses a 10mm pistol—but her personality carries the weight.
Nick Valentine is the soul of the game. I’ll fight anyone on that. He’s a synth detective with the memories of a pre-war cop, rocking a trench coat and a dry wit. He can hack terminals for you, which is a godsend if you didn't invest points into Intelligence. His personal quest, "Long Time Coming," is arguably the best-written side story in the entire game. You’re hunting down holotapes left by a mobster from 200 years ago. It’s noir, it’s gritty, and it makes Nick feel like a real person rather than just a bundle of code.
The Heavy Guns and the Moral High Ground
If you want pure firepower, you look at Paladin Danse. The man is a walking tank. He lives in his Power Armor. He’s the embodiment of the Brotherhood of Steel’s "shoot first, ask questions never" policy regarding synths and mutants. His perk, "Know Your Enemy," gives you a 20% damage boost against Feral Ghouls, Super Mutants, and Synths. It’s incredibly powerful, but there’s a catch. Without spoiling too much for the three people who haven't finished the main quest, his storyline takes a massive turn that forces you to choose between your loyalty to the Brotherhood and your loyalty to him.
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Then there’s Preston Garvey. Poor Preston. He’s become a meme because of his constant "another settlement needs our help" routine. But if you look past the annoying radiant quests, he’s a solid companion. He uses a Laser Musket, which hits like a truck if he actually manages to fire it. His perk, "United We Stand," is fantastic for defensive players, granting +20 Damage Resistance and +20% damage when facing three or more opponents.
The Weird, the Wild, and the Radioactive
The Fallout 4 list of companions gets stranger the further you go.
- Strong: A Super Mutant searching for the "milk of human kindness." He hates it when you pick locks or enter Power Armor. He loves it when you kill things. He’s a pain to travel with if you’re a "good" character, but he can carry more junk than anyone else.
- Curie: Starts as a Miss Nanny robot with a French accent. If you follow her quest "Emergent Behavior," she can transfer her consciousness into a synth body. She’s adorable, brilliant, and has the highest health pool of any companion once she’s in her human form.
- Hancock: The Mayor of Goodneighbor. He’s a ghoul who loves drugs and chaos. If you’re playing a "renegade" style character, Hancock is your guy. His perk, "Isodoped," makes your Critical Hit meter fill 20% faster if you have at least 250 rads. It’s niche, but for a radiation-based build, it’s lethal.
Cait is another fan favorite. You find her in the Combat Zone. She’s an Irish pit fighter with a serious chem addiction. She can pick any lock in the game, provided you give her enough bobby pins. Her quest to get clean at Vault 95 is actually quite touching, and it changes her "likes" and "dislikes" moving forward. Suddenly, she won't like it if you’re popping Psycho every five minutes.
The Faction Specifics
Your choice of faction usually dictates who you’ll spend the endgame with.
Deacon is the Railroad’s master of disguise. He changes his outfit every time you fast travel. He’s a liar, he’s cynical, and he provides the "Cloak & Dagger" perk, which boosts sneak attack damage by 20% and increases Stealth Boy duration. If you’re a stealth sniper, Deacon is non-negotiable.
On the flip side, if you’re a fan of the Institute, you get X6-88. He’s a Courser. He’s cold, efficient, and honestly a bit boring. But he’s a beast in a fight. He uses high-tech energy weapons and has high natural damage resistance. Just don't expect a lot of "heart-to-heart" chats by the campfire.
The DLC Additions: Don't Forget the Outsiders
When Bethesda dropped the DLCs, they added some of the most complex characters to the Fallout 4 list of companions.
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In Far Harbor, you get Old Longfellow. He’s a grizzled hunter who knows the Fog better than anyone. He’s perfect for the atmosphere of that island—bitter, whiskey-soaked, and rugged. His perk reduces damage and energy resistance of animals and sea creatures, which is useful given how many mutated lobsters are trying to eat your face in Maine.
Nuka-World gave us Porter Gage. Finally, a companion for the bad guys. Gage is a raider strategist. He’s smart, pragmatically evil, and he lets you play the "Overboss" role without constantly whining about you being mean to settlers. He also runs a shop right out of his inventory, which is incredibly convenient when you’re loaded down with loot in the middle of a theme park.
Maximizing the Mechanics: Affinity and Perks
Understanding how affinity works is the key to mastering the Fallout 4 list of companions. It isn't just a bar that goes up. It fluctuates based on your actions.
Every companion has a baseline of 0 and a max of 1,000. At 250, 500, 750, and 1,000, you usually trigger new dialogue options. When you hit 1,000 (and usually finish their personal quest), you get that permanent perk. The beauty of Fallout 4 is that these perks are "forever." Even if you dismiss the companion or make them hate you later, you keep the bonus.
This leads to "perk farming." A lot of veteran players will rotate through companions just to collect the perks. They’ll spend a few hours with MacCready to get "Killshot" (which used to be bugged to give 2,000% headshot accuracy, though it's patched now to a still-great 20%), then swap to Codsworth for "Robot Sympathy."
MacCready is worth a special mention. He’s a mercenary you find in the Third Rail. He’s actually the same kid from Little Lamplight in Fallout 3, all grown up and miserable. He’s a crack shot with a sniper rifle. If you’re playing on Survival Mode, his perk is one of the most valuable because it makes those long-distance headshots much more reliable.
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Dealing with the AI Jitter
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The AI.
Companions in Fallout 4 have a tendency to stand in doorways. They will trigger floor traps you’ve spent five minutes carefully navigating around. They will fall off bridges. It’s part of the Bethesda charm, or "jank," depending on your patience level.
If you’re playing on PC, there are mods like "Everyone’s Best Friend" that allow you to have Dogmeat and a human companion at the same time. This was actually intended by the developers early in production but cut for performance reasons. Using this mod makes the world feel much more alive and balances out the combat difficulty, especially on higher settings.
Summary of Companion Perks (Prose Edition)
If you're wondering who to prioritize, think about your build. Sniper players need MacCready and Deacon. Tanky players who like Power Armor should run with Danse or Codsworth. If you're playing a high-Charisma build and want to talk your way through the wasteland, Piper is your best bet early on.
For those who want to be a "mad scientist," Curie’s "Combat Medic" perk is a literal lifesaver. It heals you for 100 points once per day if your health drops below 10%. It’s like having a built-in auto-Stimpak.
The Fallout 4 list of companions is diverse enough that there’s someone for every playstyle. Whether you want a synth detective, a drug-addicted pit fighter, or just a very loyal German Shepherd, the Commonwealth has you covered. Just remember to give them a decent weapon and some ammo, or they’ll just be standing there with their default "pipe pistol" while a Deathclaw closes the gap.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Playthrough
- Head to the Combat Zone early. Even if you don't keep Cait, getting her unlocked early gives you a companion who can bypass locked doors and chests, saving you skill points in the early game.
- Park your companions at a central hub. Use a settlement like Red Rocket or Hangman’s Alley to store your inactive companions. This makes it way easier to swap them out based on the mission you’re about to start.
- Invest in the "Inspirational" perk. If you plan on using companions for the whole game, this perk prevents you from damaging them in combat and increases their carrying capacity. It makes "Fat Man" launches a lot less risky when your companion decides to run in front of the mini-nuke.
- Complete Nick Valentine’s quest before the endgame. His story adds massive context to the main plot involving the Institute and the history of the Commonwealth. It shouldn't be missed.
- Don't ignore the robot workbench. If you have the Automatron DLC, you can build your own custom companions. They don't have the deep backstories of Nick or Piper, but you can turn a Sentry Bot into a mobile artillery platform that carries 500 pounds of gear.