Companions play a huge part in Fallout as they travel with you through dangerous terrain and provide support in firefights. There was never a dull or lackluster companion in Fallout. Exploring the wasteland can be lonely, so having them make a comment or talk to you makes the experience more immersive and authentic. Although they have arguably improved over time, companions still have their own personalities, wants, and goals.
There are many companions in Fallout whose goals are purely monetary, such as those you hire, or they leave a bad impression, but a few stand out. Companions are sometimes seen in later games because they are well-liked. Being a likable companion may not mean you’ll come back, and sometimes, the story ends there. Companions are the ones you keep returning to whenever you replay the game or think about it.
You can lose companions in the game, and they can turn against you, but if you mix well with a companion, you can use them whenever you replay the game.
Below are the best companions in the Fallout series and the games they appeared in.
Fallout’s best companions
Ian, Fallout 1
Ian was a Caravan guard but became a Shady Sands guard after he was hurt. He is one of the first companions found in the original Fallout and is more than willing to help the player. While Ian was a great companion, most players remember him because giving him a machine gun was incredibly irresponsible. He would often shoot too wildly and hit friendly targets far too frequently. The problem with Ian was that he required players to watch over him or he would die. It’s still difficult to forget him because he devoted his time to supporting the team and was fun to be around.
Butch DeLoria, Fallout 3
Butch starts out a huge pain when you first get into Fallout 3 because he’s your bully. When you’re leaving the vault, he asks for your help to save his mother, which most players do. You can recruit Butch when you return to the vault later. A vault dweller teaming up with another vault dweller may not seem like much at first, but it’s pretty fun to work with someone your character has known their whole
John Cassidy, Fallout 2
John Cassidy is an older man who becomes a companion in Fallout 2. He is a veteran of the wasteland and has some of the best stats to show for it. He is one of the rougher companions and does not hold back on his bigotted rants. After he leaves the main character in Fallout 2, he settles down and has a family.
His daughter would end up being a companion in Fallout: New Vegas.
Related: How to play all the Fallout games in order
Marcus, Fallout 1
Marcus is easily one of the most likable companions in the Fallout series. Although a super mutant, Marcus is friendly and very nice to talk to. When you first meet Marcus in Fallout 2, he is protecting the citizens of Broken Hills. When you end up in Jacobstown in Fallout: New Vegas, Marcus is watching over Jacobstown. His sense of right and wrong has not diminished since the second game, and he is still friendly. He could easily be a mayor or someone in a position of power if he were a person, but he must live in a world where others are prejudiced against him.
Paladin Danse, Fallout 4
Paladin Danse is a lot like Buzz Lightyear. He wears a big space suit and is noble, heroic, and dedicated to enforcing peace and protecting others. Danse believes so deeply in the Brotherhood of Steel’s ideals that he is willing to kill his friend when he becomes a super mutant. He hates synths and will immediately become hostile near them. In Fallout 4, his relationship with the Brotherhood of Steel is questioned, and his reaction to it is what makes players love him so much. He has the best storyline of most of the companions in Fallout 4.
Fawkes, Fallout 3
Fawkes was a fantastic companion to have because he handled all of the hard stuff. He is incredibly strong, can use any weapon you give him, and is basically a walking tank. Despite looking like every other Super Mutant, Fawkes is a very intelligent and soft-spoken individual. Although there is no real explanation for why he didn’t change like the other super mutants, he still has one of the most interesting companion stories of Fallout 3. One downside of Fawkes was that he would not go into the radiation to save your life at the end of the game, but this was fixed in a patch.
Lily Bowen, Fallout: New Vegas
Lily is a Nightkin that has lost a lot of her mind. She is slowly losing her sanity and falling further and further into her belief that she has grandkids. She normally has a second personality, Leo, who takes over whenever Lily is in danger. Leo wants Lily to be angrier and more aggressive, and if she refuses to take her medicine, Leo will take over completely.
It depends on the player which personality wins, but Lily is one of the best characters in Fallout: New Vegas because she acts like a real grandmother.
Sharone Cassidy, Fallout: New Vegas
Sharone Cassidy is the daughter of John Cassidy mentioned above.
She always has a comment on every situation and will always fight as hard as you do against the bandits and raiders you come across. She is a great companion to have and is more alive than many in the series. There is a quest she can go on that will determine the kind of person she will be for the rest of her life.
One of the bigger benefits of having her as a companion would be how well she shoots. Although she isn’t as good as Boone, she is easily the second-best rifle user in Fallout: New Vegas.
Nick Valentine, Fallout 4
Nick Valentine is one of the coolest companions in Fallout. Nick is a private detective who solves crimes in Fallout 4. When the player meets him, he’s trying to find a runaway who’d fallen in love with a crime boss. The player can help Nick discover some harsh truths about himself and how he became a synth, but he still keeps his good attitude.
Nick is a more than capable gunman and provides enough support to keep the player alive. He is a very popular character in Fallout 4 and is a big part of the player finding their son.
Deacon, Fallout 4
Deacon is a lot of things, but he’s definitely not honest. Deacon follows the player as they go through the wasteland in Fallout 4, appearing in different disguises and trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Once the player finds the Railroad, he becomes a recruitable companion. When it comes to combat, he is a fantastic companion.
There are many theories about why he is such a good fighter and spy, including that he is one of the previous main characters, but none have been proven. People care so much about finding out more about Deacon because of how interesting he is as a companion.
All dogs, all Fallout games
The Dog has been a recurring character in every Fallout game.
Every Dog is likely a descendant of Dogmeat, the first dog from Fallout 1, but only Dogmeat from Fallout 2 is confirmed to be.
The Dog normally acts as the first companion a player meets, except Rex from Fallout: New Vegas. Fallout 4 counts the dog as a full companion, but in previous games, they were treated as extra companions.
The most notable dog was Rex, who players found long after the first hours of Fallout: New Vegas. Using Rex’s unique disease, players could find a brain for him to meld with and alter his personality. An evil player could find the brain of a more hostile dog, or a peaceful player could find the brain of a friendly dog in a junkyard.
Other dogs in the series are truly man’s best friends, and they will go out of their way to find objects for you, protect you, and put themselves in harm’s way to win a fight.
Boone, Fallout: New Vegas
Boone is the best character ever to enter a Fallout game. He is a guarded former NCR special ops sniper who keeps to himself. He asks you to find the person who sold his wife into slavery, and when you do, he dedicates himself to protecting you and helping you take down Caesar’s Legion.
It takes a lot for him to open up, and bringing him with you to kill Caesar will help him reveal more of his past. He gives you the spotter perk, meaning enemies will be highlighted in red when they’re close enough. While his personality doesn’t seem as cool as you’d think, he is more memorable than any other character in the Fallout series. His comments always make it feel like he’s a part of the adventure, like who you’re killing or, if he’s shot, anyone.
He is also one of the best shooters in the Fallout franchise, often shooting and killing enemies before they can reach you.
