You’ve found your kidnapped child, your settlements are all doing fine, and—perhaps most importantly— you have Dogmeat at your side. What’s next for your Fallout 4 playthrough? How about dating? Your dead spouse would want you to move on with your life, after all, and you’ve gotta do something to distract yourself from the Radscorpions and Super Mutants all over the place.
There are 10 characters in Fallout 4 you can romance—”romance” here means anything from a long-term relationship to a one-night stand—and each option comes with a unique backstory and a nice perk for you! But which relationships are worth the effort? Lucky for you, we’ve ranked all 10 of the Fallout 4 romance options.
10. Gilda
In the world of Fallout, humans caused a nuclear war that wiped out the planet but they ALSO made robots bangable! Hooray!
Gilda is one such robot. Once upon a time, she was a beautiful actress, but greed and privilege led her to extend her life by becoming a Robobrain in Vault 118. She’s not the most aesthetically pleasing bot, it has to be said, but you can romance her if you really, really want to.
You need the Fallout 4 “Far Harbor” DLC to meet Gilda. Once you’ve encountered her in the vault, flirt with her via speech checks and you’ll get a date! What happens on the date is left to your imagination, but it grants you the temporary perk Lover’s Embrace, which boosts your experience points for a few hours. But, because she’s not a fully fledged companion, she’s bottom of the list. Sorry Gilda!
Romance tips for Gilda
Romancing Gilda is easy—all you have to do is select the “flirt” and “flirt more” options when you speak to her. Your character will compliment her on her acting skills, and she really enjoys that. Eventually, the “go on date” option is revealed, and all you’ll have to do is select it.
9. Porter Gage
Porter Gage is introduced in the “Nuka World” DLC, a fun but (in my opinion) not very substantial add-on. He’s pretty much your typical Raider: vicious, mean, aggressive, and rude. If you want him as your companion for a violent rampage across the wasteland, find him at the Fizztop Grille and complete the quest “An Ambitious Plan.”
Fun fact: Gage is the only companion you can buy items from! You have to be inside Nuka-Town to do this, though. He also gives you the “Lessons in Blood” perk, which grants you five percent more experience points per kill and +10 to your damage resistance. However, he’s only really good at committing violence, hence his low position on the list.
Romance tips for Gage
Gage enjoys it when you’re mean, so be as mean to others as humanly possible to win him over to your side and get him interested. Interestingly, he dislikes chems and alcohol, so don’t take any around him or he’ll turn his nose up at you.
8. Magnolia
Magnolia is beautiful. She’s a synth who sings at the Third Rail in Goodneighbor, and she’s voiced by Lynda Carter! Wonder Woman herself! She would be higher up the list on that basis alone, but alas, she’s not a “proper” companion, just a one-night stand.
If you flirt with Magnolia enough, she’ll take you to the Hotel Rexford for the night, but then she’ll tell you she’s too dedicated to her career to consider a relationship. Aww. You get the Lover’s Embrace perk from her and that’s that.
Bear in mind that if you’re in a relationship with your companion, they won’t be happy when you flirt with Magnolia. Piper, on the other hand, will attempt to flirt with her too! Can you blame her?
Romance tips for Magnolia
You need to pass three charisma checks to be able to romance Magnolia. Compliment her on her singing, tell her how much you love music, and she’ll start flirting back. Choose “flirt” as an option to seal the deal.
7. John Hancock
Don’t let his looks fool you, Hancock is a worthy romantic partner. He hangs out in the Old State House in Goodneighbor, serving as mayor of the town. Once you do the quest “The Big Dig” to rob him, he won’t hold it against you but instead offers to accompany you, since he feels he’s “getting too comfortable” as mayor.
Once you’ve reached the maximum affinity level with Hancock, he’ll give you the “Isodoped” perk, which increases your critical hit 20 percent faster if you have 250 rads or more. He also sometimes randomly gives you chems, which is very considerate of him. He’s only this far down the list because he only works well for rad, chem-based, and aggression-based builds.
Romance tips for Hancock
Don’t try and be a Raider with Hancock, he won’t like it. Commit any cruel acts around him, or steal too much, and he’ll stop considering you as a potential love interest. But he does like it when you take chems.
6. Paladin Danse
Paladin Danse is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, so how well you take to him will probably depend entirely on how you feel about the Brotherhood. He’s also prejudiced against ghouls, synths, etc., which is somewhat of a turn-off, and he keeps his Power Armor on all the time. If you’re playing a chem-based or peaceful build he’s not the ideal choice.
Find him on the upper deck of the Prydwen. You have to side with the Brotherhood and become a knight before you can romance Danse. If you choose to do so, you’ll get the “Know Your Enemy” perk, which gives you 20 percent extra damage against synths, Super Mutants, and ghouls—and you also get what I personally think is one of the most interesting companion stories.
Romance tips for Danse
Danse is a pretty neutral guy—he doesn’t like overly violent or overtly peaceful acts. He also digs it when you use power armor or mod your weapons, and he hates chem use or stealing. You basically need to act like (or be) a Brotherhood member to win him over.
5. Piper Wright
Piper Wright is a cute, badass reporter who lives in Diamond City with her kid sister Nat. After you complete the quest “Reunions,” she’ll be able to join you in your adventure and you can romance her. Once Piper becomes your girlfriend, you get the “Gift of Gab” perk, which grants you double experience points after completing persuasion checks and finding new locations. Oh, and she calls you “Blue,” which is ADORABLE.
The only reason Piper isn’t higher up the ranking is because having her as your companion means she leaves Nat behind in Diamond City, and while Nat can take care of herself, I simply cannot condone post-apocalyptic child abandonment.
Romance tips for Piper
Piper is very anti-authority. If you’re too submissive, she’ll be put off. Behave kindly to people weaker than you, don’t steal anything or murder an innocent, and eventually, the two of you will grow closer.
4. Preston Garvey
The king of Fallout memes. Preston is much more than the guy who pops up to tell you “Another settlement needs your help,” though. He’s potentially one of the first people you meet in the game, at the Museum of Freedom in Concord, and he proves to be intelligent, noble, and witty once you get to know him. He has a hidden sadness to him as well, and if you romance him, he’ll eventually reveal that you were the only thing that kept him from giving up on life altogether. It’s very poignant.
Preston gives you the “United We Stand” perk, which is very useful—it increases your damage by 20 percent and increases your damage resistance by 20 points when facing a group of more than three enemies.
Romance tips for Preston
Preston is definitely on the morally good side. He dislikes murder, stealing, selfishness, and even chem use. Make sure you don’t attack any Minutemen when you’re with Preston or he’ll immediately leave you! He’s very loyal to them, you see.
3. Curie
Remember how the Fallout franchise lets you bang robots? Curie is another one of these! She may not look like one, but that’s only because she’s a Miss Nanny bot who uploaded her consciousness into a synth body. You can’t romance Curie until after this transition, but she can still be your traveling companion. Find her in Vault 81 during the “Hole in the Wall” quest, get to know her, and then do the “Emergent Behavior” quest to get her a new body.
Curie is a fan favorite thanks to her intelligence and compassion, and she gives you an excellent perk. Reach maximum affinity with her and you receive “Combat Medic,” which once per day will restore you to full health once you fall under 10 percent. She also gives you healthpaks sometimes!
Romance tips for Curie
Curie is not a companion to romance if you’re anti-synth. She likes it when you speak well of synths, so keep doing that, and ensure you behave kindly and respectfully to everyone around you (which you should be doing anyway!).
2. MacCready
You might have met little MacCready back in Fallout 3 and here he is all grown up, plus now he’s a dad! And if there’s one thing every apocalyptic wasteland needs, it’s a dad. His wife is dead—if you choose to romance MacCready, he’ll give you a toy soldier she once made for him, aww—but his son survived. You can meet him drowning his sorrows in the Third Rail bar in Goodneighbor.
MacCready is a mercenary and a killer but also lots of fun. Keep him happy by stealing things, don’t attack Goodneighbor no matter what and he’ll stay loyal to you throughout the game. Eventually, he’ll give you the “Killshot” perk, which makes it 20 percent more likely that you’ll score a headshot while using VATS.
Romance tips for MacCready
MacCready’s a rogue, so he likes it when you make selfish or mean decisions. Pick locks, steal, be greedy, and he’ll start to fall in love with you. Just don’t outright murder an innocent and you’re all good.
1. Cait
Cait is number one because she has it all: an interesting backstory, a useful perk, and lots of character development. She was sold into slavery by her god-awful parents and is now a chem addict with a fully justified grudge against the world. Her moral compass is all out of whack, but if you romance Cait, her worldview changes. You can find her at the Combat Zone near Diamond City. Defeat the raiders before talking to her.
Once you’ve become Cait’s romantic partner, you’ll get the “Trigger Rush” perk. This makes your action points regenerate 25 percent quicker if your health falls below 25 percent. With Cait, however, you probably won’t romance her for the perk but for the pleasure of her company.
Romance tips for Cait
Cait’s preferences change depending on whether you’ve done the “Benign Intervention” quest. Before that, Cait loves it when you take chems. Afterwards, she hates it. Regardless of whether or not you’ve done the quest, however, Cait enjoys it when you’re selfish and mean to others.
Which companion should you choose?
So, when you choose one of the aforementioned companions to accompany you throughout the game, you want to consider your build (if you’re not as worried about the character implications of romancing them, that is!). What perks did you choose? What weapons? Are you in Power Armor or out of it? This guide will inform you which romanceable companion corresponds to what build.
| Type of Build | Best Character to Romance |
| Aggression | Cait / MacCready / Porter Gage |
| Charisma | Piper |
| Chems | Hancock / Cait |
| Gunslinger | MacCready / Preston |
| Peaceful | Curie / Piper |
| Power Armor | Paladin Danse / Preston |
| Rad | Hancock |
| Sneak | MacCready / Cait / Danse |
| Tank | Curie / Preston |
- Aggression build: Cait is your girl here. She likes violence and has a perk that works well with popular perks including Better Criticals, Critical Banker, and Grim Reaper’s Sprint. MacCready also has a good perk for aggression builds, as does Porter Gage. Gage is probably who you want if you’re playing a Raider.
- Charisma build: This is where Piper shines. Her Gift of Gab perk will get you more bang for your buck when you pass persuasion checks.
- Chems build: If your character is a heavy chems user, Hancock is your ideal companion—he likes chems. Cait is another option, but she will start to disapprove of your drug-taking after the Benign Intervention quest.
- Gunslinger build: MacCready will give you ammo on the go without needing any himself, which makes him the perfect choice. If you’re playing as a Minuteman, though, you’ll probably want Preston, whose perk makes him perfect for fighting large groups of enemies.
- Peaceful build: Want to bring a sense of peace to the violent and chaotic wasteland? Choose Curie. She’s kind, helpful and all-round lovely. Piper is also good if you want to talk your way out of situations instead of resorting to violence.
- Power Armor build: There’s only one place your mind is going to go to when you want a power armor companion: Paladin Danse! He’s a fellow power armor lover and he has high strength, just what you need. Preston, with his “United We Stand” perk, also works well.
- Rad build: Hancock is your dearest friend when it comes to a rad build. His perk gives you a critical hit value increase of 20% when you hit 250+ radiation. This works best with the Ghoulish perk, but avoid Nuka-World’s Ghoulish rank 4, which slowly restores rads and negates what Hancock provides for you.
- Sneak build: To be honest, it’s best to sneak solo, and very few of the companions are genuinely good at sneaking. However, if you really wanna do it, MacCready is your man—you’ll most likely be aiming for headshots and his perk makes you a deadlier assassin. Bear in mind that Cait can pick locks for you and that Danse is good for one-shot kills.
- Tank build: Curie is great for tank builds because of her perk, which restores health, her ability to give you healthpaks, and the fact that she has the highest HP out of all companions. Preston isn’t quite as good but he has a useful perk for tanks too. Don’t forget to put on the Toughness perk to help you out even more.
That’s all the info you need for a healthy post-apocalyptic love-life!
Published: Dec 20, 2024 08:58 am