10 Facts You Might Not Know About Fallout 4’s Companions

Fallout 4’s roster of companions are a varied and distinct group, coming from all walks of post-apocalyptic life to help the Sole Survivor. With faction-specific friends alongside mercenaries, ghouls, and Synths to recruit, there is no shortage of backup when out exploring the Commonwealth looking for Shaun. But with 16 companions to meet in Fallout 4, there are some details about them that even long-time fans might have missed.

Every companion in Fallout 4 has a perk that is unlocked after reaching maximum affinity with them, which means spending time getting to know them. Each companion has their own likes, dislikes, goals, and opinions which the Sole Survivor can learn as the companion opens up to them. While some of the facts here are learned during companion personal quests, others require a little more digging to notice, but all help bring these characters to life.

10 Dogmeat & Nick Knew Each Other Before Meeting The Sole Survivor

Two Of The Best Companions Have A Prior History

As part of the main questline the Sole Survivor will need to find Kellogg in Fort Hagen after breaking into the mercenary’s Diamond City home. To reach Kellogg, Nick Valentine will suggest using Dogmeat to track him using his scent and will mention that he has worked with Dogmeat in the past. This line is quick and easy to miss but is expanded on slightly if the Sole Survivor hasn’t met Dogmeat by this point in the game.

It’s never explained how and in what capacity Dogmeat and Nick worked together previously, but considering the detective calls Dogmeat a “specialist” for tracking, it’s safe to assume it was something similar to finding Kellogg. Bearing in mind that Dogmeat ends up helping the Quincy survivors, it’s hard to say who influenced who, as both Dogmeat and Nick go out of their way to aid others in the Commonwealth.

9 Codsworth Was Brand New When The Bombs Fell

Clues In The Player's Home Tell The Story

Codsworth is the Sole Survivor’s faithful robot butler and the first companion met in the game during the pre-war opening sequence. However, taking the time to look around before the Vault-Tec Rep comes knocking can yield some interesting clues about the Mr Handy. After finishing character creation and stepping out of the bathroom, the first room the Sole Survivor will see is the family’s small laundry room.

Inside, along with the washer, dryer, and lots of towels is a large Mr Handy box and fuel canister. The presence of the box in the house has led many to believe that Codsworth was brand new and probably activated shortly before the bombs fell. Dialogue between the Sole Survivor and their spouse seems to confirm this as they will discuss how they got the robot specifically to help with Shaun.

8 Deacon Might Be An Early Railroad Member Named John D

Could He Be The Power Behind The Railroad?

After spending any amount of time with Deacon, it will become very clear that the Railroad agent has an odd relationship with the truth. While traveling with him and upon reaching certain affinity milestones, Deacon will tell the Sole Survivor various stories about his past, with all of them turning out to be lessons in some way. However, if the Sole Survivor goes digging around in the terminals in Railroad HQ, they might be able to find some clues about Deacon’s true identity.

On PAM's mainframe terminal, there are a series of entries from past leaders of the Railroad, starting with a man named Wyatt. Wyatt frequently mentions an agent named John D who helped save the organization from extinction and whose behavior sounds a lot like Deacon. Later, the entries shift to another leader named Pinky, who first mentions Deacon acting in the same capacity as John D along with the note: "That's what he's calling himself now." Finally, Desdemona will comment in one of her entries that Deacon and John D might be the same person.

7 MacCready Tries Not To Swear

MacCready Wants To Be Better For His Son

One of the companions with the best perk, MacCready can be hired in Goodneighbor and will watch the Sole Survivor’s back for a price. Although he is slow to open up and trust, there are hints throughout MacCready’s dialogue and comments that demonstrate the kind of person he is. And in spite of his generally snarky attitude, there are subtle clues to the dedicated family man underneath, as MacCready will often correct himself mid-sentence so he doesn’t swear.

Anyone who played Fallout 3 will remember the foul-mouthed young mayor of Little Lamplight who would greet the Lone Wanderer as they tried to gain access. In the 10 years since, MacCready has grown up and become a father, pledging to his son to clean up his language. This small detail adds so much depth to MacCready and shows his promise to change was a sincere one.

6 Piper Used To Have An Advice Column

Five Anonymous Entries Can Be Found On Piper's Terminal

Piper is not a companion who is shy about sharing her thoughts and opinions. The intrepid reporter has no issues with hunting down a good story and sharing her conclusions in each issue of Publick Occurrences, despite receiving complaints and threats. However, if the Sole Survivor checks her personal terminal in her Diamond City home, it reveals another surprising side to Piper’s usually serious publication.

Listed under the title Publick Perspectives Archive are a series of letters to Piper from Diamond City residents, all using pseudonyms, asking for her advice. Knowing Piper had at one time an advice column really speaks to her desire to help those around her and make her community a better place. It’s also a little heartbreaking as Piper obviously cares, but by the time the Sole Survivor meets her, she has become somewhat isolated from those around her, probably prompting her to stop the column.

5 Porter Gage Is Much Smarter Than People Think

Despite Appearances This Clever Raider Stays Informed

When playing the Nuka-World DLC, the Sole Survivor will meet Porter Gage, the right-hand man to former Overboss Colter, and guide for the Sole Survivor when it comes to the Nuka-World raider gangs. However, when speaking with him, it’s very apparent that Gage is much more intelligent and informed than the average raider. This is clear when first meeting Gage after becoming Overboss, where he will comment on the four main factions the Sole Survivor can be a member of, noting that he’s heard of their Commonwealth activities.

As Gage opens up to the Sole Survivor, he will explain that he chose the raider life, and it was his idea to bring together the gangs to take Nuka-World. However, it hasn’t always been plain sailing, and he also has a story about times his intelligence has gotten him into hot water with his fellow raiders. Gage is a fascinating character as there is clearly far more to him than he allows people to see and more than meets the eye.

4 Danse Was Already A Paladin During Fallout 3

Danse Has Been In The Brotherhood For Over A Decade

Danse is perhaps one of the slowest to open up to the Sole Survivor of all the companions, with him often commenting about how personal talks are not easy for him. During his first affinity dialogue, Danse will mention his sponsor was called Paladin Krieg, who was especially tough on him. He will go on to explain that Krieg was killed at Adams Air Force Base, during the Brotherhood assault which takes place in Fallout 3.

With Danse mentioning that he had been already promoted to Paladin by that point and had served with Krieg for years, this means that Danse was already a Paladin before the events of Fallout 3. Looking closely at the timeline of Fallout, Danse was most likely one of the first Gen 3 Synths and probably one of the first the Railroad helped. All of which makes Maxson’s reaction during “Blind Betrayal” all the more extreme.

3 Danse's Only Friend Was Killed By Super Mutants

Danse Finds It Hard To Connect To Others Because Of The Loss

Staying with Paladin Danse, later during his second affinity dialogue, Danse will speak to the Sole Survivor about his life before joining the Brotherhood. He will explain that he joined along with his best friend Cutler and both of them rose through the ranks. However, one day, a year after being posted to the Prydwen Culter and his squad went missing, with Danse eventually finding them in a Super Mutant hive.

All of the squad had been killed, except for Cutler, who had been exposed to FEV and transformed into a Super Mutant. Danse will tell the Sole Survivor that he was forced to kill Culter and confess to them his mixed feelings about the act. This tragic tale explains so much about Danse’s distant behavior during Fallout 4 and intense dedication to the Brotherhood of Steel.

2 Preston Was Suicidal At The Start Of Fallout 4

The Quincy Survivors Were The Only Ones Keeping Him Going

Preston Garvey is often the subject of jokes or even hatred within the fanbase, due in no small part to him being the character who will send the Sole Survivor out to assist settlements. These frequent radiant quests prevent a lot of people from getting to know the kind-hearted Minuteman and learning more about his life before he arrives at the Museum of Freedom with the Quincy survivors. One of the most shocking things Preston will share as he gets to know the Sole Survivor is that when they first met him he had given up on life.

Preston will explain that after Quincy he was at his lowest point and the only thing keeping him going was that Sturges and the others needed him. Having lost all hope, Preston will confess that while he might not have actively taken his own life, he had reached a point of not caring if he lived or died. The Sole Survivor's friendship is the driving force that brings Preston out of his depression and restores some of his faith in people.

1 Nick Had Personalities Prior To Being Rescued

The Synth Had Many Different Personas Before Being Nick Valentine

Fallout 4’s Far Harbor DLC has lots of fantastic quests, areas, and new characters to meet with one of the most fascinating being DiMA. DiMA was another prototype Synth created at the same time as Nick as a way for the Institute to experiment with giving their Synths personalities. While DiMA’s was allowed to organically develop based on his experiences, Nick was actually an unnamed blank model which had many different personas uploaded into it for years.

These personalities came from pre-war volunteers who'd had their brains scanned for a different study centuries earlier. It is unclear how many different people the Synth had been before the memories of a pre-war cop were installed and DiMA decided to leave with him, unable to watch his ‘brother’ suffer any longer. However many it was, it is fortunate that DiMA acted when he did as it’s hard to imagine Fallout 4 without Nick Valentine in it.