Soon after starting Fallout 4, we’re sure you’re going to think it’s dangerous to go alone out there in the wastelands of Boston. As you progress through the game’s story, you’ll be given the opportunity to recruit a number of companions, the first of which is your trusty canine companion, Dogmeat. There are a total of 13 companions you can join forces with, each of which will offer unique perks, their own associated side quest, and even romance possibilities, that is, if you play your cards right, you sexy Vault Dweller, you.

The following guide highlights all of the companions you’ll be able to recruit during your adventure through the wastelands. We’ll highlight where you can get them, what their turns ons and turn offs are, and more.

Cait

• Location: Combat Zone
• Associated Quest: Benign Intervention
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: Trigger Rush

Cait is a chem-addicted Irish pit-fighter who’s located in the Combat Zone. She knows her way around picking locks, making her quite an invaluable resource if you’re only considered a novice in this field. Even though Cait appears to be harsh and wild, she can be persuaded to change her attitude and outlook on life itself once her associated quest is complete.

Cait’s Trigger Rush perk gives your character the ability to regenerate their Action Points 25% faster, so long as your health points below 25% of its maximum total. This could be helpful in disposing of enemies while using V.A.T.S., or can help in running away to fight another day.

Codsworth

• Location: Sanctuary
• Associated Quest: None
• Romance: No
• Perk: Robot Sympathy

After leaving the cozy interiors of Vault 111, the first “living” thing you’ll come across is Codsworth, your family’s faithful robot butler. Thankfully, he doesn’t hold a grudge for being left behind when the bombs started to drop, causing you and your family to rush to the protection of a local vault.

What Codsworth lacks in weaponry or cool abilities, he makes up for with his perk: Robot Sympathy. While he’s your companion, your character will gain +10 Damage Resistance against robot’s energy attacks. That alone makes him quite the valuable ally when you’re preparing to face off against an army of Synths or other robotic baddies. He’ll also sometimes interact with other robots during your journey, such as the Noodle Chef in Diamond City.

Curie

• Location: Vault 81
• Associated Quest: Emergent Behavior
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: Combat Medic

Curie is a sentient Mrs. Handy robot who assisted in various laboratories over the years who has a degree in science, medicine, and in speaking French. She set out into the wasteland to perform some independent research who enjoys long walks in the beach, and using her flamethrower to burn any adversaries to a crisp.

Curie’s Combat Medic perk allows the player to heal 100 Hit Points of damage if their health is less than 10%. While this perk doesn’t make you invincible against getting killed, it can certainly help you die a lot less so long as you’re able to activate prior to biting your last bullet.

We’d also like to note Curie is the only non-human companion that can be romanced. So be sure to treat her extra nice as you attempt to swoon her.

Paladin Danse

• Location: Cambridge Police Station
• Associated Quest: Call to Arms
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: Know Your Enemy
  

Paladin Danse, in case you couldn’t tell from his title, is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel who is an experienced tactician and warrior. He will be the player’s way to join the Brotherhood of Steel, so long as they are able to pass his trials.

Paladin Danse’s Know Your Enemy perk gives the player the ability to deal 20% more damage against ghouls, super mutants, and synths. Considering there are a ton of these enemies lurking around the Bostonian wasteland, it’d be in your best interest to recruit Danse as quickly as possible so you could enjoy that bonus damage.

Deacon

• Location: Old North Church
• Associated Quest: None
• Romance: No
• Perk: Cloak & Dagger

Deacon is a spy who was initially sent to keep an eye on you and your activities by The Railroad. Being a spy, he favors the use of disguises and prefers to take a more stealthy approach to most situations. He’ll start off by keeping track of you, but will eventually want to partner up with you.

Deacon’s Cloak & Dagger perk grants your character with an increase in sneak attack damage and the duration of Stealth Boy by 20%. He should be an obvious partner for those who like to sneak around the wasteland to attack without anyone noticing.

Dogmeat

Location: Red Rocket Truck Stop

Associated Quest: None

Romance: No

Perk: None

Dogmeat is one of the first companions you’ll add to your stable as he’ll partner up with you as soon as you make it to the Red Rocket truck stop. Not much is known about Dogmeat’s past or who his previous owner was, but one thing is for sure: he’s a completely loyal companion.

Dogmeat doesn’t have a Perk players can learn, but what he lacks in his abilities, he more than makes up for with what he can do when you talk to him. Players can command him to look for an item, point out where enemies are located, and even to perform some tricks. Dogmeat can also latch onto enemies to make them easier to attack.

John Hancock

• Location: Goodneighbor
• Associated Quest: The Silver Shroud
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: Isodoped
  

After Diamond City banished all ghouls from within its walls, many of them took up residence in Goodneighbor where John Hancock servers as its self-elected mayor. Hancock has been known to break a leg or two of those who even think about crossing him, although he can be considered a good friend and prominent ally for those who treat him with respect.

Hancock’s Isodoped perk can be seen as a double-edge sword. The reason for this is it gives players the ability to recharge their Critical Hit meter by 20%, although it requires players to have a Radiation value of at least 250. We recommend you increase your hit points if you want to get the most out of the Isodoped perk as battles can turn dangerous very quickly with that much Rads in a player’s system.

Robert Joseph MacCready

• Location: The Third Rail (Goodneighbor)
• Associated Quest: Long Road Ahead
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: Killshot

We were first introduced to Robert MacCready back in Fallout 3 as he served as the Mayor of Little Lamplight at the time. In Fallout 4, he’s 22 years old and has journeyed from the Capital Wasteland to The Commonwealth in search to find a cure for an unknown disease. He’s a mercenary who is skilled with rifles and is able to make precise headshots. In order to bring MacCready as a companion, you need to fork over 250 caps for his services, although he can be talked down to 200 caps if your Charisma level is high enough.

MacCready’s perk gives players a 20% improved chance to hit an enemy’s head in V.A.T.S. He’s the ideal companion for those who prefer to do their fighting from afar with the support of a long-range rifle.

Nick Valentine

• Location: Vault 114 (Park Street Station)
• Associated Quest: Long Time Coming
• Romance: No
• Perk: Close to Metal

Nick Valentine finds himself between a rock and a hard place when you first meet him. He’s a Synth detective who operates a small agency within Diamond City’s walls. Being a synth, Nick is quite experienced at hacking computers, while his detective side allows him to attack with revolver and his fists.

Valentine’s Close to Metal perk gives players an additional guess at choosing a password within a terminal while also giving a 50% faster terminal cooldown. Even though he could help you out with hacking terminals, when he can’t crack the case, his perk will help you do it yourself.

Piper

• Location: Diamond City
• Associated Quest: Story of the Century
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: Gift of Gab

Piper doesn’t give the best first impression as she can be seen arguing with a security terminal as she finds out she’s been kicked out of Diamond City, which just so happens to be where she lives. She uses you as a way to get back into Diamond City by saying you’re a traveling merchant, which the mayor is none too pleased about at first.

Once she becomes your companion, she’ll become a valuable asset as her Gift of Gab perk allows your character to receive double XP for speech challenges and when visiting new locations. If you’re still exploring much of the Bostonian wasteland, keep her around to earn double the XP as you discover new locales.

Preston Garvey

• Location: Museum of Freedom
• Associated Quest: None
• Romance: Yes
• Perk: United We Stand
  

Preston Garvey is the leader of the Commonwealth Minutemen, who continues to see its ranks dwindling at an alarming rate. Once you clear the way for him and his group to head to Sanctuary, you’re asked to help build up the settlement to make it a more liveable environment, which you’re then tasked to continue spreading the Minutemen’s influence all over The Commonwealth.

Garvey’s United We Stand perk provides the player with +20% Damage Resistance and +20% damage if facing three or more enemies at once. This perk can be quite useful when attempting to clear out a structure filled with enemies as they tend to congregate inside of them.

Strong

• Location: Trinity Tower
• Associated Quest: None
• Romance: No
• Perk: Berserk

Strong is an unusual super mutant, both in his attitude and his appearance. He searches to find a bit of “milk of human kindness” as he learns about William Shakespeare’s plays. But on the other hand, he can use his brute strength to completely level a battlefield through the use of giant weapons, like the missile launcher.

Strong’s Berserk perk allows the player to deal 20% more melee damage, so long as your health is below 25%. This is another one of those tricky perks to perfect as you don’t want to accidentally go too low and die prior to being able to dole out some serious punishment to your enemies. But if you feel confident you can keep your health between 0% and 25% during battle, then by all means, berserk away!

X6-88

• Location: The Institute
• Associated Quest: None
• Romance: No
• Perk: Shield Harmonics

X6-88 is a highly-developed synth who was created specifically for combat. He’s described as the “Institute Courser” and has been trained to sense enemies from a great distance and attack them with his energy weapon.

X6-88’s Shield Harmonics perk helps the player defend against energy-based attacks as you’re given a 20% increase in your Energy Resistance. If you’re going up against synths, X6-88 would be a good choice for a companion as not only can he attack them from far away, but he can make sure your character is protected from any incoming energy-based attacks.