Whether you’re a hardened veteran of the Mojave Wasteland or a fresh-faced Courier stepping out of Doc Mitchell’s house for the first time, followers in Fallout: New Vegas can make or break your gameplay experience. Far from just hired guns or temporary allies, each companion brings unique perks, storylines, and combat capabilities that add layers of complexity—and amusement—to your post-apocalyptic adventure. Managing followers effectively not only enhances your survivability but also enriches the narrative depth of your journey.
TLDR: The Quick Rundown
Followers in Fallout: New Vegas are more than just backup in a shootout. Each comes with a specific perk that benefits the player and has preferences that affect how they respond in combat. To get the best out of your companions, it’s essential to manage their equipment, align your karma or faction choices, and explore their individual quests. Choose wisely—your companions can be your most valuable assets or your biggest liabilities.
Who Are the Followers?
In New Vegas, the Courier can have up to two active companions at any time—one humanoid and one non-humanoid (like a robot or dog). The game includes a total of 8 permanent companions, each with their own rich backstories, side quests, and powerful perks.
Here are the available permanent followers:
- Boone – Former NCR sniper with high combat efficiency.
- Veronica – A Brotherhood of Steel scribe with unarmed combat prowess and a taste for technology.
- Arcade Gannon – An intelligent doctor skilled with energy weapons.
- Raul Tejada – A ghoul gunslinger and handyman.
- Cass (Rose of Sharon Cassidy) – A whiskey-loving caravan merchant excellent with shotguns and rifles.
- Lily Bowen – A super mutant grandma with stealth and melee talents.
- ED-E – A floating eyebot that provides enhanced perception and radar functionality.
- Rex – A cybernetic dog with fast melee attacks and threat detection abilities.
How to Recruit Followers
Recruiting companions usually involves completing a short quest or meeting certain conditionals. Some are aligned with specific factions, karma levels, or require speech checks.
Key recruitment tips:
- Be patient: Some companions’ arcs are tied into the main story progression.
- Check factions: Companions like Boone do not tolerate Legion-friendly behavior.
- Meet their needs: Veronica, for example, is interested in pre-war technology and may need to discuss her Brotherhood allegiances.
Managing Equipment and Combat Roles
One of the biggest advantages of having followers is that they can carry extra supplies and engage enemies. However, poorly managed gear can turn a valuable ally into instant cannon fodder.
Tips for gear management:
- Upgrade their weapons: Give followers superior weapons and matching ammo to make them more effective in combat.
- Repair gear continuously: Use repair skills or spare weapons to maintain their gear.
- Choose armor wisely: Lightweight, high-durability armor minimizes encumbrance and maximizes survivability.
Understanding Companion Perks
Each companion provides a unique perk as long as they remain in your party. These passive abilities can influence your exploration, combat efficiency, and recovery.
Notable examples include:
- Boone: The “Spotter” perk highlights enemies for easier targeting.
- ED-E: Grants the “Enhanced Sensors” perk, which increases enemy detection range.
- Cass: Her “Whiskey Rose” perk lets you consume alcohol without negative effects and improves your Damage Threshold (DT) while drunk.
Be aware that these perks only apply when the follower is actively traveling with you. Dismissing them will deactivate the perks until they rejoin.
Commanding Your Followers
New Vegas allows relatively robust control over follower behavior. Using the companion command wheel (accessible by facing them and holding down the interact key), you can set their tactics and distance preferences. Combine this with your own combat style for greater efficiency.
Behavior settings include:
- Ranged, melee, or default weapons
- Follow closely or keep distance
- Aggressive, defensive, or passive mode
Setting these parameters correctly lessens friendly fire and chain-reaction aggression during faction-heavy quests.
Compatibility and Morality Alignments
Many followers come with strong moral or factional beliefs. These preferences can lead to conflict or automatic dismissal if incompatible with your choices.
For instance:
- Boone: Will leave if you align too closely with Caesar’s Legion.
- Arcade Gannon: Dislikes working with NCR or Legion sympathizers.
- Veronica: Her loyalty to the Brotherhood may conflict with some player actions.
Being aware of these allegiances helps prevent sudden losses of critical companions at decisive moments. Check your follower’s backstory before making major political or moral moves.
Image not found in postmetaQuests and Development Arcs
Each companion has at least one associated quest or subplot. Completing them can enhance their combat effectiveness or change their outlook—and sometimes even give alternate endings during the finale.
Example companion quests:
- Boone: “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” explores his past and lets you rebuild his morale.
- Raul: Has two upgrades to decide his future as either a mechanic or gunslinger.
- Arcade: Leads to one of the most rewarding Brotherhood-related story arcs with multiple NPCs involved.
Investing time in companion quests deepens the role-playing and often yields powerful combat benefits or morale boosts.
Dismissing and Managing Locations
If you decide to go solo temporarily, companions can be dismissed to specific locations. Most go to their original recruitment sites unless specified otherwise.
Once dismissed, companions usually wait at:
- Boon: Novac
- Veronica: 188 Trading Post
- Arcade: Old Mormon Fort or Lucky 38 (post-activation)
- Cass: Mojave Outpost
- Raul: Black Mountain or Lucky 38
- Lily: Jacobstown
- ED-E: Primm or Lucky 38
- Rex: King’s School of Impersonation or Lucky 38
After gaining access to the Lucky 38 Presidential Suite, it becomes a central hub for managing all companions. A clean, safe location to regroup, adjust weapons, or swap allies before planning major missions.
Final Thoughts: Building the Ultimate Team
There’s no universal combination that suits every Courier. It all depends on your playstyle—stealth snipers might favor Boone and ED-E, while melee tanks may prefer Veronica and Rex. The right companion combination can complement your strengths or compensate for weaknesses.
A few popular effective pairings include:
- Boone and ED-E: Long-range dominance and superior enemy detection.
- Veronica and Rex: Brutal melee devastation with early-game power.
- Arcade and Cass: Balanced support and powerful crowd control.
Ultimately, managing companions in Fallout: New Vegas is about more than combat utility—it’s about camaraderie, depth of story, and strategic versatility. By consciously developing your relationships and tailoring your companion choices, you can enhance your survival odds and unlock some of the deepest lore and richest experiences the Mojave Wasteland has to offer.
So grab your Pip-Boy, take command, and conquer the desert—not alone, but with allies you trust at your side.