How Do You Develop Your Companions?

[DwayneGAnd]

All companions grant perks upon your character and they all have a quest to fulfill that upon completion allows you to upgrade them. But how do you know which is best for your build? What's the best way to develop them?

Arcade: Better Healing perk. Do you in the end have him fight alongside the remnants or stay with the followers?
Boone: Spotter perk. Which is better, the survival vest or assault vest? Do you have him become repentant or bloodthirsty?
Cass: Whiskey Rose perk. Which is better, Calm Heart or Hand of Justice?
Rex: Which Brain is best?
Ed-e: Increased Detection perk. Do you upgrade his armor or his weapons? Is it better to take him to the brotherhood or the followers?
Lily: Stealth Girl perk. How much of her medicine should she be taking?
Veronica: Scribe Bench Perk. Should she stay with the brotherhood or join the followers? Is it better to increase her attack rate or her damage threshhold? Do you give her Elijah's holodisc?
Raul: Half Maintenance perk. Should he return to his gunslinging ways which increases his rate of fire with lever action weapons or focus more on better maintenance?

 

[WeissYohji]

Arcade: I first had him stay with the Followers. Nowadays, I have him join the Remnants every time. The Remnants can't fight if they're injured or dead, and Arcade has kicked his share of ass at my Courier's side.

Boone: Most of the time, I make him repentant for Bitter Springs. Two playthroughs (including my last one), I had him become vengeful. I ALWAYS bring him to the Fort to kill Caesar when farming the trust points toward his quest. Last game, I had kept Vulpes alive so I could get three trust points for killing him and Caesar at once.

Cass: I did her quest the nonviolent way the first time. Now, I go for the violent route, since my Courier is a bit of an anti-hero (even then, she still ends up with Very Good karma).

Rex: I've gone with all the brains across multiple playthroughs. Mostly, I just give him Violetta's brain for the speed. Sometimes, I'll use Lupa's brain, and sometimes I'll use Rey's. No matter what, he's still the goodest boy.

ED-E: I've always given him to the Followers because they don't hoard technology like the Mojave BoS does.

Lily: Most of the time, she ends up taking her meds at half doses. I've only triggered the recording dialogue with her ONCE in all the time I've been playing. Even then, I had her go up to full doses to see what ending I'd get.

Veronica: I always have her join the Followers. I'd have more than appreciated the option of having her join at Old Mormon Fort, though. They could use her knowledge, and their goals are more in line with hers than the BoS. That Codex of theirs shoots them in the foot!

Raul: I've always had him take up his guns and vaquero outfit again. Even after all the man's been through, he's still tougher and much more dangerous than most people a fraction of his age. And he'd have to maintain his guns anyway, both so they don't jam and out of professional pride. My kingdom for a mod that lets you have him pursue both paths!

The Dead Money companions: I keep them all alive. Sure, Dean may be a dick but he's still a good singer 200+ years after a nuclear war; I like to believe he lines up a gig singing at The Tops. Christine, in my head-canon, reunites with Veronica; fights along with her against the Legion and NCR at Hoover Dam; and later marries her in Vegas with The King and Rex officiating.

The Honest Hearts companions: Follows-Chalk leaves Zion and explores civilization; he also joins my Courier and her Mojave Hit Squad at the dam and secures independence for Vegas. Waking Cloud gets closure on her hubby's death, remarries, then joins my Courier for more adventures at Big Mountain, the Divide (mods, remember), and ultimately Hoover Dam. Joshua Graham rejoins my Courier and, with Boone accompanying us, has a hand in killing his old boss Caesar; he also takes out many of his former colleagues at Hoover Dam. All three of them receive heroes' welcomes upon returning to Zion.

 

[Draitex]

Arcade *Bae* Gannon:
The best companion across all fallout titles in my opinion, Ideallistic and naive to a huge fault, but a good person, I almost always have him remain at the Followers, because I think it suits his character incredibly well.

Boone: I make him repentant nine times out of ten.

Ed-E: Followers, because usually my Couriers don't like BoS.

Rex: Violetta or Lupas brain in general, trying out Rey's brain this time, cause I've actually never done that.

Veronica: Usually joins Followers as well, I think it suits her to move on from the BoS.

Raul: Vaquero, I think it's too badass to pass up on.

Lily: Half Doses, don't want her to lose her memory or become a psycho.

Cass: Calm Heart, cause I usually go Independent or NCR.

Dead Money: Usually kill Dean, but I like him a lot so I often keep all of them alive too... depends on the character.