Best Companions In Fallout 4

The wasteland of Fallout 4 is a dangerous and lonely place to wander in. The enemies in this game are fierce, and some players may find themselves overwhelmed as they explore on 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.

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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 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 the best Fallout 4 companions bring to the table is important for players who don’t want to be stuck with dead weight for a long time.

Updated on January 12, 2026, by Anastasia Maillot: The Fallout show on Amazon has brought a lot of attention back to the franchise, including Fallout 4, the latest entry in the series that’s been silent for too long. With rumors about remasters/remakes and even Fallout 5 circulating, it’s a great time in 2026 to hop back into the Commonwealth of Fallout 4 and replay through some of its unforgettable content. And of course, meet the companions. For new players, especially, I’ve added a bit more lore and another temporary companion that’s my personal favorite into the mix.

Every Permanent Companion in Fallout 4

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 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.

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.

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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. It might be hard to believe, but John Hancock is actually the estranged younger brother of Diamond City’s Mayor McDonough. The two stopped talking to each other when McDonough ran for mayor and rose through the ranks by promoting an anti-ghoul agenda, which John, naturally, took personally. After leaving Diamond City, John Hancock moved to the town of Goodneighbor, where he serves as the mayor and tries to save as many people, including ghouls, as he can.

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. His personal quest sends you hunting for a legendary fog crawler named Shipbreaker, but more tragic than that is his past related to the Children of Atom. Old Longfellow’s wife was once kidnapped by the organization of radiation-worshipping zealots when she was pregnant, which led to her losing her child. She was sadly brainwashed by the cult by the time Old Longfellow managed to try and get to her.

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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, as they 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. He’s a bit of a habitual liar, and that’s what makes it almost impossible to know what his true backstory is. One story is that he was once part of an anti-synth gang, but was shaken by the violence he witnessed and chose to leave. After marrying and settling down on a farm, his wife became the subject of a similar lynching, and Deacon took his revenge after his love was killed. Being part of the Railroad is sort of his redemption arc.

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 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

One mustn’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. Codsworth started his existence as a Mister Handy domestic model and was activated shortly before the fateful events of October 23, 2077, when the bombs dropped. His family (the Sole Survivor’s family) was originally in Sanctuary Hills, tending to their every need as per his programming. A fun fact and piece of Fallout 4 history is that Codsworth’s voice is actually that of famed Hollywood actor Sebastian Lesle, who, for a considerable amount of money, sold the rights to his voice so it could be used on Mister Handy models down the line. Although Codsworth might fall into the refined British butler cliché, he still manages to be a very interesting companion.

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 whom is Porter Gage, the previous Overboss’s right hand. Porter’s past is one that not many might remember being tragic, but it truly is. As a child, he watched his parents bow before raiders, unable to protect themselves. Rather than join the Minutemen, though, he chose to run away, work as a mercenary for some time, and eventually become a raider himself so he could never be abused like his parents.

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He’s a great follower due to his questionable ethics, and he 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. She’s a passionate reporter due to her past, where she uncovered a conspiracy in her settlement that was due to being raided with the local militia captain’s help. Her actions exposed the truth, and the locals were able to fight off the incoming attack. From then on, she has always valued truth.

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, disliking 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 but will enjoy it if players act selfishly. X6-88 plays a significant role in the main quest of Fallout 4, so I highly recommend going through the main quest at your own pace before deciding if he’s someone you’d like to travel with.

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 gamers 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: Killshot
• 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, one should keep in mind that the player’s relationship with him won’t level up until they’ve completed his quests. He’s an interesting companion that’s a callback to an earlier game, Fallout 3, as he was the mayor of Little Lamplight, a colony consisting of only children. Now, he’s looking for a way to help his sick son and has moved up to the Commonwealth from the Capital Wasteland in search of a solution and some extra caps.

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.