For a balanced run, ED-E is the strongest all-around companion, with Boone close behind for direct combat. This is an editorial ranking of the eight permanent companions in the base game—not a canonical in-game list, and not a ranking of DLC companions or temporary followers. It weighs combat help, practical utility, recruitment conditions, and the character’s personal quest; players focused on story, stealth, or a specific build may reasonably order them differently.
How the ranking works—and who counts
Fallout: New Vegas has eight permanent base-game companions: Arcade Gannon, Craig Boone, Rose of Sharon Cassidy (Cass), Lily Bowen, Raul Tejada, Rex, ED-E, and Veronica Santangelo. The game also has add-on companions and temporary followers, which are separate categories; they are not included in this ranking. The game does not provide an official companion tier list.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Fallout: New Vegas - Xbox 360 (Renewed) | $26.71 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Fallout: New Vegas - Playstation 3 (Renewed) | $26.71 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Fallout: New Vegas - Xbox 360 Ultimate Edition | $149.79 | Buy on Amazon |
The order below is a practical overall ranking, not a measured score or the result of comparative testing. Combat contribution and useful bonuses carry the most weight, with recruitment, personal-story value, and quest-linked improvements also considered. A companion’s starting usefulness and what they can gain through a personal quest are noted separately.
All eight permanent companions, ranked
1. ED-E
Best for: A flexible companion who contributes in fights and offers useful exploration support.
#1 Best Overall
- Not even nuclear fallout could slow the hustle of Sin City. Explore the vast expanses of the desert wastelands
- Feuding Factions, Colorful Characters and a Host of Hostiles
- Enjoy new additions to Fallout: Special melee combat moves have been added to bring new meaning to the phrase "up close and personal"
- With double the amount of weapons found in Fallout 3
- In a huge, open world with unlimited options you can see the sights, choose sides, or go it alone
ED-E earns the top spot for combining combat help with utility beyond a straightforward damage role. The eyebot is a non-human companion, so ED-E can travel alongside a humanoid companion under the game’s party rules. That pairing flexibility makes ED-E a strong default choice for many builds.
ED-E’s personal quest can improve the companion, but the result depends on the choices made during the quest. Treat those upgrades as a reason to pursue ED-E’s storyline, not as an automatic starting benefit.
2. Craig Boone
Best for: Players who want a powerful humanoid combat partner.
Boone is a standout choice for direct combat support. His effectiveness makes him an especially natural fit for players who want help handling hostile encounters rather than a companion chosen mainly for a non-combat bonus.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchHis recruitment is tied to Novac and a task that asks the player to investigate what happened to his wife. Boone’s personal quest can change his equipment, making his later value partly dependent on following his story.
3. Veronica Santangelo
Best for: Players who want a capable fighter and a companion with a strong connection to the game’s factions and story.
Veronica brings useful combat presence and substantial characterization. Her personal quest gives her a meaningful story arc and can affect her equipment. She is a particularly rewarding choice for players interested in the Brotherhood of Steel and its place in the Mojave.
Her quest outcome involves a consequential choice, so her story is not simply a free upgrade. Consider the narrative trade-off before treating its reward as the sole reason to recruit her.
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Best for: Players who value a distinctive character and practical equipment-maintenance utility.
Rank #2
- Feel the Heat in New Vegas: Not even nuclear fallout could slow the hustle of Sin City. Explore the vast expanses of the desert wastelands from the small towns dotting the Mojave Wasteland to the bright lights of the New Vegas strip
- Feuding Factions, Colorful Characters and a Host of Hostiles : A war is brewing between rival factions with consequences that will change the lives of all the inhabitants of New Vegas
- New Systems : Enjoy new additions to Fallout: Special melee combat moves have been added to bring new meaning to the phrase "up close and personal"
- An Arsenal of Shiny New Guns : With double the amount of weapons found in Fallout 3, you'll have more than enough new and exciting ways to deal with the threats of the wasteland and the locals
- Let it Ride : In a huge, open world with unlimited options you can see the sights, choose sides, or go it alone. Peacemaker or Hard Case, House Rules, or the Wild Card, it's all in how you play the game
Raul is a dependable gunslinger whose companion perk helps with weapon condition, a benefit that can reduce the maintenance burden of an armed playthrough. His personal quest explores his past and can change how he approaches his role, with a corresponding effect on his perk.
Recruiting him takes more effort than picking up some companions: he is held at Black Mountain, and reaching him involves navigating the area and dealing with its threat. That makes him less convenient early on, but his utility and characterization reward the detour.
5. Arcade Gannon
Best for: Players drawn to the Followers of the Apocalypse, healing support, and late-game story consequences.
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Arcade offers a useful healing-related companion perk and a personal storyline closely tied to the Enclave and the game’s endgame. His quest can lead to a substantial change in his availability, so recruiting him is not just a matter of adding another combatant to the party.
Access depends on meeting his requirements and building enough rapport. He is a strong story choice, but the conditions around his quest and outcome make him less of a simple, always-on utility pick.
6. Lily Bowen
Best for: Players who want a durable, close-range fighter and a companion with a memorable personal story.
Lily is a powerful non-human combat companion with a personal quest that examines her memories and identity. The quest’s outcome affects her behavior and the benefit she provides, so the best result depends on the kind of companion you want rather than a universally correct choice.
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7. Rose of Sharon Cassidy (Cass)
Best for: Players who want a companion quest rooted in the Mojave’s caravan trade and a capable humanoid ally.
Rank #3
- Beyond the Wasteland: The world of New Vegas is more expansive than ever. Each new distinct area presents a fresh set of branching-quests, remarkable personalities and more chances to play the Savior or the Pariah to the natives of New Vegas.
- Dead Money: Lured into a trap masquerading as the Sierra Madre Casino, you are thrown into a high stakes game where you'll have to work with three other lost souls if you want to survive.
- Honest Hearts: An expedition into Utah's Zion National Park goes horribly wrong and you become embroiled in a war between tribes and put into a conflict between a New Canaanite missionary and the mysterious Burning Man.
- Old World Blues: Transported to the Big MT research crater, you are enlisted by the Think Tank to save them from their own science experiments that have gone horribly out of control.
- Lonesome Road: Ulysses, the original Courier Six, contacts you and promises to answer why he refused to deliver the Platinum Chip at the start of Fallout: New Vegas, but only if you make one last journey into the treacherous canyons of the Divide.
Cass brings personality and a storyline tied to the caravan companies. Recruiting her requires progressing through the Crimson Caravan and Van Graff-related situation, making her a less immediate option than companions found through straightforward exploration.
Her personal quest has meaningful consequences, but her overall utility is more situational than the companions ranked above her. She is an appealing story companion, especially if you want to follow the caravan conflict rather than optimize for broad utility.
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Best for: Players who want an animal companion and are willing to follow a quest to improve him.
Rex is a cyberdog recruited through the King in Freeside. His personal quest lets the player address his condition, and the choice of brain changes his resulting capabilities. That makes his quest a real build decision, not just a routine companion upgrade.
As an animal companion, Rex can pair with a humanoid under the party rules. He is enjoyable and useful in the right setup, but his more specialized role and quest-dependent improvement leave him last in this broad, all-purpose ranking.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which companion should you choose?
- For a versatile pairing: Bring ED-E with a humanoid companion; the game allows one of each category at a time.
- For direct combat help: Boone is a strong pick, while Lily offers a more specialized close-range role.
- For story and faction context: Consider Veronica, Arcade, or Cass, depending on which part of the Mojave’s conflicts interests you.
- For practical utility: Raul’s equipment-related benefit and Arcade’s healing support can matter beyond individual fights.
- For a companion whose quest changes their role: Pay particular attention to the choices involving ED-E, Lily, and Rex.
How the companion system works
The game manual says you can travel with one humanoid companion and one non-human companion at a time. That means a humanoid such as Boone or Veronica can join a non-human companion such as ED-E or Rex. Each companion provides individual bonuses, helps in combat, and has a personal storyline.
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Use the companion wheel to give commands, exchange inventory, adjust combat behavior, and start dialogue. The manual notes that talking with companions can open new quests and abilities. Permanent companions’ personal quests can also alter their gear or perks, so their benefits may differ from their baseline capabilities. See the Fallout: New Vegas manual for the general companion rules and controls.
The base-game roster and its distinction from add-on companions and temporary followers are summarized in the Fallout: New Vegas companions reference. Bethesda Softworks Global Community Lead Matt Grandstaff also described the one-humanoid, one-non-humanoid party limit in a PlayStation Blog post dated September 15, 2010.
Quick Recap
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