The fourth game in Fallout series offers 8 permanent companions and a few of temporary ones. There are also unique followers from add-ons but they are available only in DLC areas. We will cover basic mechanics of companions including differences from followers presented in Fallout 3. Detailed info about each follower comprises short story, conditions of hiring and firing, specific perks and quests.
At the start, let’s discover main features related to all teammates.
Basic info about companions
Like in Fallout 3, you can acquire one humanoid follower and one non-humanoid one at the same time. There are 2 different non-humanoids presented in the game as well as 6 humanoids. All companions have their own stories and quests which you can complete to enhance teammates or gain some valuables, e.g. certain powers or loot. Each follower provides a unique perk to your hero. Perks are active only when companions are on the team.
Here are main features you should know about partners in New Vegas:
- All companions have their weapons and armor but you can give them better equipment. They don’t require ammunition only for their native guns.
- All companions have their quests which can be activated by triggering specific events in the Wasteland or by collecting positive points by finishing missions or tasks.
- All companions will come back to native places in case of firing or separating due to scripted events. Also, you may order them to wait or send to the suit in Lucky 38.
- Some companions have strong believes and principles, so they can leave you after certain actions or replies. Departed companions cannot be re-hired like fired ones.
- Companions cannot die unless you are in Hardcore Mode.
It may happen that you forget native locations of companions. These places will be described below. But what if you ordered a mate to wait for you and then forget about the place where it happened? Don’t worry. There will be an arrow on your map with the companion’s name, so you should simply follow this mark. Otherwise, you can go to Gun Runners or Lucky 38 and fire the teammate via the terminal there. In this case, your friend will travel to the native place immediately.
Permanent companions
This section is divided into two parts where the first one features all available permanent humanoid followers and the second one provides info about non-humanoids. Note that some teammates require specific conditions to hire them and can leave you after rash actions. We will not spoil exact events, replies or quests related to companions to keep an intrigue. Instead of this, there will be only slight hints about factions and story episodes.
Humanoids:
- Arcade Israel Gannon.
This guy is a doctor in Freeside, he tries to help people to survive in the dangerous Wasteland but he isn’t sure about his way. Arcade’s father was an Enclave officer, so this companion’s quest reveals an interesting story of Enclave remnants. To start this mission you should collect positive points and find at least one key NPC.
Unique perk: Better Healing. It enhances all consumables, so they recover 20% more health. It’s highly suggested using this perk with Fast Metabolism and Cardiac Arrest.
Native location: Old Mormon Fort right in the northernmost part of Freeside.
How to recruit: EITHER help Followers OR have 75+ Speech level OR have 3- IN level OR have Confirmed Bachelor.
How to lose: EITHER say stupid things OR abuse Followers OR side with Caesar’s Legion OR activate Archimedes I.
- Craig Boone.
Here we have a brave soldier, a former sniper who worked for NCR but left this organization. Boone is good both at both range and melee combat but he prefers his unique riffle. This teammate can wear NCR armor. To find him, enter the dinosaur statue at night. To activate its main quest, collect positive points by taking missions against Legion.
Unique perk: Spotter. It highlights all foes when you are in the regime of active aiming. For this, simply use regular scopes, night-vision scopes or iron-sights.
Native location: Novac near Gibson Scrap Yard southeast of your starting location and also southeast of New Vegas.
How to recruit: complete Boone’s starting quest AND have good NCR reputation.
How to lose: lower your NCR reputation to Vilified.
- Lily Bowen.
She is an elite super mutant warrior, i.e. nightkin, with wonderful stealth skills. Lily was in the Master’s army during events of Fallout 1. Now she is a schizophrenic, so she has to take pills. Her mission can be started randomly after a battle during which you can notice bursts of rage. Lily is a perfect melee warrior but it’s possible to increase her power during the quest.
Unique perk: Stealth Girl. It increases the lasting of Stealth Boys to 4 minutes instead of 2 ones and adds extra 10% damage to stealth crits.
Native location: Jacobstown northwest of New Vegas on the rightmost side of the map.
How to recruit: simply complete Lily’s quest.
How to lose: Lily will never leave the Courier.
- Raul Alfonso Tejada.
This ghoul is old enough to remember pre-War times. He is an engineer and a gunslinger captured by mutants and imprisoned in Black Mountain. You must talk with elders in Novac, Camp McCarran, and Nellis AFB to finish Raul’s mission. Be sure to keep these NPCs alive to receive final rewards.
Unique perk: Regular Maintenance. It makes all your equipment degrade slower by 50%. At the end of Raul’s mission, you can improve this perk to Full Maintenance with 75% boost or unlock an additional feature called Old Vaquero to increase Raul’s rate of fire by 33%.
Native location: Black Mountain east of your starting location. Neil’s Shack is located at the foot of Black Mountain.
How to recruit: free him from Tabitha’s captivity during the related quest.
How to lose: Raul will never leave the Courier. Note that after firing Raul will move to his shack slight east of New Vegas.
- Rose of Sharon Cassidy.
This girl really loves alcohol and really doesn’t love fights. She owns the caravan company but her business is far from ideal. There are 3 related quests and the unique one available only when Cass is your companion. To start it, just talk to her. Note that this follower is probably the weakest one.
Unique perk: Whiskey Rose. It disables all negative effects from drinking alcohol and from alcohol addiction. Also, it increases Damage Threshold after drinking whiskey or tequila. Cass can get Hand of Vengeance to increase her Guns damage or Calm Heart to increase her HP after finishing the companion-related mission.
Native location: Mojave Outpost in the lower left part of the map.
How to recruit: have neutral or good karma AND start a sub-quest during You Can Depend on Me in which you must find Cass and speak with her about the caravan.
How to lose: Cass will never leave the Courier.
- Veronica Santangelo.
The girl is a scribe loyal to Brotherhood of Steel, so she can wear the armor of this fraction. She is good at unarmed battles and pretty tolerant to normally hostile legionaries. Veronica has 2 quests with one of which is activated by certain triggers around the Wasteland and the other is related to pre-War dress, the girl’s cherished dream.
Unique perk: Scribe Assistant. It lets you to create or recycle items via the dialogue with Veronica and without a real workbench. Bonds of Steel with DT bonus or Causeless Rebel with attack rate bonus can be obtained via Veronica’s quest.
Native location: 188 trading post slightly southeast of New Vegas and west of Boulder City.
How to recruit: talk to this NPC in a friendly manner AND have good Brotherhood of Steel reputation. It’s really important to accept this fraction during the first dialogue.
How to lose: lower your Brotherhood of Steel reputation to Vilified
Non-humanoids:
- ED-E.
It’s a cute eyebot prototype originally created for Enclave but deactivated somewhere across the Mojave. ED-E holds valuable data about Enclave and past wars, so some fractions are interested in this robot. Its quest can be started by triggering ED-E with specific words heard from NPCs. Then Brotherhood or Followers can upgrade your robot.
Unique perk: Enhanced Sensors. It enhances the detection radius and lets you to target even cloaked foes. Try to combine this feature with Craig Boone’s unique ability.
Native location: Nash residence in Primm right south of your starting location.
How to recruit: have 65+ Repair level OR 55+ Science and 35+ Repair level OR several pieces of scrap and electronic.
How to lose: ED-E will never leave the Courier.
This augmented dog was born in the pre-War world and served as a police dog in Denver. It united with Legion later before siding with the King. We know that Rex is really old so far as its brain was replaced with a cybernetic one. Rex is the only follower which quest must be completed before final hiring.
Unique perk: Search and Mark. It highlights various consumables including food, pills, ammo, and guns as well as all chests with such items. You can enhance Rex with other perks increasing its damage, movement speed or health and DT during the companion-related quest.
Native location: King's School of Impersonation in the center of Freeside.
How to recruit: complete the King’s mission related to this dog.
How to lose: Rex will never leave the Courier.
Temporary companions
There are various NPCs which can follow you during short periods so far as they are related to specific missions. All followers from add-ons are also temporary, you cannot take them to the Mojave. Though, there is an improved version of ED-E which you can hire and return to the main Wasteland. This teammate is available via the Lonesome Road DLC.
Here we will provide brief info about each temporary follower:
- Big Beard and Little Beard – bodyguards from Freeside available during Bye Bye Love.
- Cannibal Johnson – a former member of Enclave available during Arcade’s quest.
- Deputy Beagle – an official from Primm who can help you during My Kind of Town. Beagle is the only temporary teammate with whom you can swap equipment.
- Logan – a scavenger from Camp Searchlight available during Wheel of Fortune.
- Orris – a bodyguard from Freeside that you must hire during G.I. Blues.
- Private Halford – an NCR mercenary, the only survivor in Camp Guardian.
- Rhonda – a disabled robot in Black Mountain that can be repaired with 60+ Science.
- Ted Gunderson – a poor victim of cannibals that can be saved during Beyond the Beef.
The Dead Money add-on includes 3 temporary followers who can be invited to your team only in DLC locations. There is a ghoul-singer in the Residential part, a prisoned human in Medical part, and an elite super mutant in the Police Station.
The Honest Hearts add-on also includes 3 teammates which cannot come with you to the main Wasteland. There is a scout of Dead Horses, a midwife of Sorrows, and an ex-legionnaire and present leader of Dead Horses. All mates will team up with you independently.
The Old World Blues add-on feature only one possible follower named Roxie. It’s a dog similar to Rex but this one available only in the X-8 research center. The Lonesome Road DLC features an improved version of ED-E and surprisingly you can take it to the Mojave. Another temporary mate in the Lonesome Road DLC is Ulysses which is the part of the main story.
In addition, you can hire nameless NPCs to protect or help you. For example, there are bodyguards and Kings in Freeside, securitrons during last stages of the main quest or NCR followers available via emergency radio. There’s an option of turning any temporary companion into a permanent one. You only should not finish the related quest, so NPCs will travel with you forever. But remember that they are less powerful than regular teammates and they cannot be enhanced with extra items or perks.
Choose the best combination of followers and start your journey!
