Fallout 4 has seventeen companions in the main story and the expansions for you to travel with you in your journey across the Commonwealth. All of them possess unique personalities and attributes. Moreover, when you reach maximum affinity with them, unique companion perks will unlock that can help you in your post-apocalyptic adventure. Fifteen of them possess these perks that can be very useful in certain situations. They can be unlocked after the player reaches maximum affinity with them. So, with that in mind here is a comprehensive guide to all the companion perks available in Fallout 4.
Related: All Companion locations in Fallout 4 – Companion quest guide
Cait – Trigger Rush
Cait has the Trigger Rush perk which makes the player’s Action Points regenerate 25% faster if their Hit Points value is below 25% according to the official description. But, this perk doesn’t function like this. In reality, if the Action Points are below 25%, then they regenerate 50% faster.
The Trigger Rush Perk can be unlocked when you reach maximum affinity with Cait and after you complete her personal quest, ‘Benign Intervention’. Maximum affinity with Cait can be gained by doing various illegal and unethical tasks like picking pockets, lockpicking, consuming chems, getting addicted to chems, and being selfish, and violent in behavior.
Codsworth – Robot Sympathy
Codsworth has the ‘Robot Sympathy’ perk which gives the player +10 damage resistance against energy attacks of robots and other devices, after reaching maximum affinity with him.
To gain maximum affinity with Codsworth you’ll need to do tasks like modify weapons, attach armors, equip power armors, equip mods, being nice and generous, etc. Once maximum affinity is reached, you will need to converse with Codsworth to gain the perk.
Curie – Combat Medic
Curie has the Combat Medic perk which the player can use to heal themselves by 100 HP if their health is below 10% of the total amount. This can be used once per day.
In order to progress your affinity with Curie, firstly her personal quest, ‘Emergent Behavior’ needs to be completed. After that, you’ll need to do tasks like being nice and generous, hacking terminals, helping the Railroad and Synths, etc. to gain maximum affinity with her. Then, this perk will unlock.
Paladin Danse – Know your Enemy
Paladin Danse has the ‘Know Your Enemy’ perk which helps the player deal 20% more damage to ghouls, super mutants, and synths.
There are two things to do if you want to get this perk: maximum affinity with Danse and siding with the Brotherhood of Steel. After you complete the Brotherhood of Steel quest ‘Blind Betrayal’, this perk will unlock. But in order to get the quest, you’ll need to side with them in the main story. If you side with the Minutemen or Railroad, this quest will be locked and Danse will become hostile. In order to gain maximum affinity with Danse, you’ll need to do tasks like entering Power Armor, entering Vertibird, modifying armor and weapons, attaching mods, helping the Brotherhood of Steel, etc.
Deacon – Cloak and Dagger
Deacon has the ‘Cloak and Dagger’ perk which gives the player 20% more sneak attack damage and 40% more duration of Stealth Boys.
To gain maximum affinity with Deacon, you’ll have to do specific tasks like hacking, lockpicking, being nice and generous, stealth approaches, helping the Railroad and Synths, etc.
Dogmeat – Attack Dog
Dogmeat’s ‘Attack Dog’ perk isn’t unlocked by maximum affinity but is one that needs to be unlocked in the skill tree. There are four levels to this perk:
- Level 1 – Dogmeat holds enemies that gives you a great chance to hit them in V.A.T.S
- Level 2 – When Dogmeat bites an enemy, there’s a chance that he’ll cripple their limbs
- Level 3 – When Dogmeat bites an enemy, there’s a chance they’ll bleed
- Level 4 – When traveling with Dogmeat, you’ll take 10% less damage
Related: How to set up supply lines between settlements in Fallout 4
John Hancock – Isodoped
Hancock has the ‘Isodoped’ perk which makes the player’s Critical Hit value increase 20% faster if they have 250 Radiation value.
In order to gain maximum affinity with him and get this perk, you’ll need to be nice and generous, occasionally violent, consume a lot of chems, etc.
MacCready – Killshot
MacCready has the ‘Killshot’ perk which gives the player 20% increased chance of landing headshots while using V.A.T.S.
The Killshot’ perk can be unlocked when you reach maximum affinity with him and after you complete his personal quest, ‘Long Road Ahead’. To gain maximum affinity, you’ll need to do various tasks like lockpicking, picking pockets, being violent and threatening, speech checks for money, helping the minutemen, modifying armor and weapons, etc.
Nick Valentine – Close to Metal
Nick Valentine has the ‘Close to Metal’ perk which gives the player one more guess to input the password in the terminal along with 50% less time for them to reset after being locked out.
To gain this perk, you’ll need to gain maximum affinity with Nick and complete his personal quest, ‘Long Time Coming’. In order to gain maximum affinity with him, you’ll need to do tasks like being nice and generous, occasional being threatening, hacking, etc.
Old Longfellow – Hunter’s Wisdom
Old Longfellow from the Far Harbor DLC has the ‘Hunter’s Wisdom’ perk that reduces the damage and energy resistance of animals and sea creatures by 25%.
To gain this perk, you’ll need to gain maximum affinity with them through tasks like drinking alcohol, being nice and generous, helping settlements, etc.
Piper – Gift of Gab
Piper has the ‘Gift of Gab’ perk which gives the player double experience points when they persuade others to discover new places.
This perk can be unlocked after gaining maximum affinity with Piper via tasks like lockpicking, being nice and helpful, helping the Minutemen and Railroad, etc.
Porter Gage – Lessons in Blood
Gage from the Nuka-World DLC has the ‘Lessons in Blood’ perk that gives the player 5% more experience points per kill and 10% damage resistance.
In order to get this perk you’ll need to gain maximum affinity with him through unethical tasks and behavior like being violent and mean, killing mercilessly, locking picking and stealing, etc.
Related: The 10 best Fallout 4 mods – Essentials, overhauls, and more
Preston Garvey – United we Stand
Preston Garvey has the ‘United We Stand’ perk that increases the player’s damage resistance by 20% and helps them deal 20% more damage when outnumbered 3 to 1 in combat.
To get this perk, you’ll need to gain maximum affinity with Preston. This can be done by being nice and generous, helping settlements, recruiting people for the Minutemen, etc.
Strong – Berserk
Strong has the ‘Berserk’ perk which helps the player deal 20% more melee damage if their Hit Points are below 25% of the total amount.
You’ll need to gain maximum affinity with Strong to get this perk which can be done by doing tasks like cannibalism which can be gained via the ‘Cannibal’ perk, killing mercilessly, occasionally being nice and generous, etc.
X6-88 – Shield Harmonics
X6- 88 has the ‘Shield Harmonics’ perk which increases the player’s Energy Resistance by 20%.
This perk can be gained via gaining maximum affinity with X6-88. Maximum affinity can be gained by doing Institute missions, helping Institute scientists, entering power armor, modifying armor and weapons, speech check for money, etc.
