Fallout 4’s nuclear wasteland is a dangerous place, although players don’t have to endure it alone. There are many different companions that players can recruit in the base game ofFallout 4as well as a few from the expansions, and players should be aware of the benefits they provide.
The main differences betweenFallout 4’s companions are their perks, combat performances, and sometimes personal preferences. Certain companions are capable of much more than just dealing damage, giving them a clear advantage over the competition.
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S-Tier
Curie: Curie is initially a Mrs. Nanny robot, who will generate Stimpaks for the player and can be modified if the Automatron expansion is installed. Curie’s other variant is as a synth, where they will gift the player unique Stimpaks that cure radiation in addition to healing. Curie will also heal the player once a day upon reaching below a certain health threshold, making them the best healer-type companion inFallout 4.
Danse: Paladin Danse’s companion perk gives players 20% increased damage against Synths, Super Mutants, and Feral Ghouls, which can be extremely helpful regardless of whether players are hostile to the Institute. Danse is also one of the few companions that can equipPower Armor inFallout 4, making them an absolute tank in any combat situation.
Dogmeat: Dogmeat isn’t the most powerful in combat since they can’t be outfitted with weapons, although other benefits of this companion make up for this. Dogmeat will stun enemies in combat, at which point players can have increased VATS accuracy against these enemies with the right perk. Additionally, Dogmeat can retrieve nearby valuable items, and this companion doesn’t interfere with the Lone Wanderer perk, which makes players more resilient and deadly while exploring without a companion.
Porter Gage: What makes Porter Gage such a universally good ally is their companion perk, which gives increased xp and damage resistance to the player. For this reason, players should prioritize completing theNuka World DLCto recruit this companion and benefit from their perk as early as possible.
Robert MacReady: MacReady is a throwback character from a previousFalloutfranchise game, but that’s not what makes this companion top-tier. This companion will periodically generate ammunition for the player, and will also grant them increased VATS headshot accuracy via their companion perk.
A-Tier
Deacon: Deacon is great forstealth builds inFallout 4as this companion’s perk gives players increased stealth damage and increased Stealth-Boy duration. Outside of stealth, Deacon isn’t anything special compared to other companions whose perks have permanent conditions.
John Hancock: While many players might be attracted to Hancock for this character’s personality, Hancock also offers a few good benefits forhigh-level players inFallout 4. Hancock’s secondary perk will periodically generate chems for the player, while their main companion perk is an increase to the player’s critical hit generation when beyond a certain threshold of radiation. Hancock is considered better for the endgame ofFallout 4due to available perks, armor, and increased max health, it’s much easier to manage the radiation required to benefit from Hancock’s main companion perk.
B-Tier
Ada/Automatron: These robots fromFallout 4’s Automatron expansion are functionally one and the same as companions, with the only difference being that Ada will occasionally generate junk resource items. These characters offer no companion perks, although their ability to be fully modded at a robot workstation means that they can make up for this with their combat efficiency and passive benefits granted by armor mods. These two characters are a good baseline to compare other companions to, due to their combat potential and that they don’t require players to invest in a predetermined playstyle.
Preston Garvey: Players will encounter Preston very early on and consequently, his universal companion perk can get a lot of use throughout the game going forward. Preston’s companion perk will give players increased damage and resistance when fighting groups of at least three enemies.
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C-Tier
Cait: The main draw of having Cait as a companion inFallout 4is this character’s ability to pick any level of nearby locks. Otherwise, Cait’s companion perk that increases the player’s AP regeneration below a certain threshold pales in comparison to other companion perks.
Codsworth: Codsworth from the base game isn’t always the most effective in combat, but withFallout 4’s Automatron expansioninstalled, players can modify Codsworth with better weapons and armor that provides powerful enhancements. Codsworth’s companion perk isn’t much, but it gives players increased energy resistance against robot attacks, which is great for the Automatron expansion.
Nick Valentine: Valentine is a stylish character, although his companion perk isn’t anything that players can’t do on their own. This companion can hack any level of terminals and gives players an extra attempt to hack, although being locked out of a terminal isn’t a permanent or severe consequence inFallout 4.
X6-88: X6 is a synth sidekick that players can recruit, who is practically a more universal Codsworth, because X6’s companion perk provides the player with increased energy damage resistance across the board, instead of just from robot attacks. Since X6 is a humanoid robot, it can use standard armor and weaponry.
D-Tier
Old Longfellow: Old Longfellow is a solid companion to use in theFar Harbor expansion, although the character is far too situational otherwise. This character’s companion perk reduces incoming damage from animals and sea creatures by a significant 25%, but this perk won’t get much use outside of this specific expansion.
Piper: Personality-wise, Piper makes for a great company inFallout 4’s wasteland, but her companion perks don’t quite compare to other allies. Piper’s companion perk gives players increased xp for dialogue skill checks and discovering locations, which is far too situational, especially compared to Porter Gage’s universal xp boost.
Strong: As a super mutant, Strong is a tank character, although their companion perk isn’t too practical. Strong’s companion perk is the premise behindFallout 76’s Bloodied build, as it gives players increased melee damage when below a certain threshold of health, which ultimately is a high risk to consistently use with melee builds.
Fallout 4is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
