The Capital Wasteland ofBethesda’sFallout 3is a sad, dangerous world to hoof alone, especially for a newly outcast vault dweller. Thankfully, those seeking an ally to join them on their quest are in luck, as the Zenimax-owned studio has provided 8 possible companions to join you on your quest, as long as the proper requirements are met.
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Not all companions are created equal, however, and some may prove to be more of a nuisance or annoyance than a helpful extra set of hands. Here’s a breakdown of the best-to-worst of Fallout 3’s companions.
Man’s best friend is no exaggeration and no lie —Dogmeat is as loyal and loving as they come.A dog named Dogmeat is a recurring phenomenon in the Fallout universe, withoneappearing in Fallout, Fallout 2, 3, andFallout 4. Found in the Scrapyard, Dogmeat sees a loving and responsible friend in the player when he’s discovered mourning his dead owner and is happy to join them on their quests around the ruins of D.C.
Dogmeathas no karma systemtied to his character and will stick by the Lone Wanderer’s side regardless of their karma or story decisions made during the events of the game. While he cannot equip or use weapons, Dogmeat can scavenge the wasteland for food and medical items, bark and growl when he senses enemies andcan be taken alongside one extra companion at any time, adding to the player’s ranks and giving extra safety in numbers.
The largest companion and one that’s far smarter than he looks. As a Supermutant, it would make sense to assume Fawkes would be as simple-minded and aggressive as his peers. Fawkes will quickly prove players wrong, as he’salmost as smart as he is strong and open-minded.Recruited during the Vault Dweller’s expedition through Vault 87, Fawkes brings insightful advice, a massive health pool,the largest on any companion in-game, and a loot-carrying set of hands to the player’s arsenal should they decide to bring him along.
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The catch, one that most companions carry, is that his loyalty is tied to the player’s karma rating and actions. Should the player lose too much karma or perform too many evil actions, or simply be too evil after your initial meeting, Fawkes will put his foot down and walk away, becoming unusable as a companion unless the player fixes their karma rating.
Charon is, by design, the most straightforward template for a video game companion. He’s a ghoulified mercenary that was brainwashed as a childto be subservient to the individual or group that he was contracted to,and will thus go along with whatever action, good or evil, the player decides to engage in with no back-talk or revolt.
He’s an otherwise standard character, with mid-game armor and a Chinese Assault Rifle as his starting gear, which makes him an efficient, if unassuming companion, gameplay-wise. If a basic, run-of-the-mill companion that won’t make a fuss is what players want, Charon can fill the role, and he fills it admirably.
5Butch DeLoria
The Lone Wanderer’s childhood bully can be spared over the course of the game, eventually making it to the surface if he survives the fallout of Vault 101’s growing tensions. Making a living for himself as a barber in Rivet City, Butch is more of a character companion than a helpful one, as he has a history with the player’s character and has more unique dialogue as he’s a newcomer to the surface world and will comment on the state of things semi-regularly.
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He is an otherwise middle-of-the-road character regarding his stats, and the player needs neutral karma to acquire him as a companion, so players may have to adjust their karma levels in order to have him agree to join the wanderer. Snarky and rather middle-of-the-road regarding his weapons and stats, Butch is fun to have along for roleplay-focused playthroughs or to bring along for some colorful small talk.
4Star Paladin Cross
Paladin Cross is very good regarding her stats, with solid power armor and a Super Sledge melee weapon, but she comes with strings attached that can drag down a player’s options for quest lines and avoid certain combat scenarios. As a Paladin for the Brotherhood of Steel,her loyalty is tied to that faction, so the player will have to devote themselves to the Brotherhood and never go against their agenda to stay in her good graces. She will alsobecome instantly hostile to Brotherhood Outcasts, Brotherhood members that have splintered off into their own group after a political division, rendering their quest lines impossible to access with her around.
She’s a hard-hitting menace on the battlefield, and players will appreciate having a heavily armored Paladin at their side, as long as players don’t mind conforming strictly to the Brotherhood’s goals in their playthrough, which willlimit the number of options the player can makeduring the main story and side quests.Destroying the Brotherhoodor otherwise cementingthe player’s allegiance to the Enclavewillturn her hostileagainst the Wanderer.
Jericho is basically Charon buta total jerk.He has the same armor, and Chinese Assault Rifle, similar stats, and mostly plays the same as Charon. The big differences are that Charon is a retired Raider that acts as a peacekeeper in Megaton, and theplayer must have an evil karmarating to initially hire him. To give Jericho some credit, he won’t morally oppose the player’s actions or quit if the player’s karma becomes more positive, and he can be rehired for free should he be dismissed at any point.
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Besides his karma requirement for initial recruitment, he is otherwise a bitter, spiteful drunkardthat prefers violence and pillagingbut isn’t interested enough to object when the player begins doing charity work, rendering Jericho as more of a nuisance and annoyance that should be replaced whenever possible.
2Sergeant RL-3
RL-3 is a rebuilt Mister Gutsy model that the player finds in possession ofa wandering tradernamed Tinker Joe. He can only be purchased ifthe player is at neutral karma; otherwise, his agitative personality will not let him work alongside someone of either a negative or positive disposition.
Thankfully, Sergeant RL-3 won’t walk away or become hostile to the player if their karma radically changes for better or worse, but his status as a Mister Gutsylimits his combat potential, restricted to his existing weaponry and a select few upgrades available throughout certain branching paths of the main game. His limited personality, a broken version of a military model Mister Gutsy, and weaponry make him a less than appealing companion compared to the likes of Charon or Cross, andhe can’t be taken with another companionat the same time like Dogmeat, rendering RL-3 a less than ideal companion at best, and a total non-entity at worst.
It wouldn’t be surprising if most players never knew Clover existed, or if they did, that she could be taken on as a companion. Clover is a prostitute-turned-slave in the slave-trafficking den of Paradise Falls. She can be purchased fromEulogy Jones for 1000 capsif theplayer has evil karma, but she will become hostile and unable to be recruited if the player storms the area guns blazing or is caught stealing too many times inside of Paradise Falls.
Her default outfit is simple pre-war clothes, and she carries a Sawed-Off Shotgun and the Chinese Officer’s Sword. Her broken, violent demeanor isn’t something players can change or rehabilitate, andher weapons fall off in reliability during the mid-game onwards, meaning players would have to stock and maintain her with stronger weapons and armor to keep up against deadlier enemies. The vile nature of her acquisition, her broken and devious personality from her violent life spent in the wasteland, and herlack of sufficient stats and weapons against mid-tier enemiesmake Clover a companion few know about, and even fewer that would take her as a companion unless their walkthrough was a tailored roleplay in the form of a slaver or raider-styled Lone Wanderer.
