Trekking across the vast expanse of Fallout 4’s Commonwealth can be a lonely - and dangerous - business without a companion but is it possible for them to die along the way? Fallout is a classic RPG franchise that debuted in 1997 and is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Bethesda Softworks took over the franchise starting with 2008’s Fallout 3, which followed the classic template of a survivor wandering out of an underground vault into a destroyed world and having to battle their way through raiders, monsters, and mutants, in addition to meeting new friends and factions.
Fallout is famous for its gigantic, open-world gameplay, dark sense of humor and retro-futuristic design. While 2015’s Fallout 4 was greeted with a (mostly) warm response for its gameplay refinements and creating another immersive world, the same can’t be said for 2018’s Fallout 76. This multiplayer-focused title received very average reviews upon launch for its bugs and glitches, in addition to a barren gameworld, and is easily considered one of the weakest titles in the franchise.
A key feature of most Fallout entries is the ability to recruit useful companions to accompany the player across the wasteland. The loveable and loyal Dogmeat is the star companion, with the canine being inspired by the title character’s dog in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Fallout 3 also featured memorable chums like bodyguard ghoul Charon or the super mutant Fawkes, with each ally providing a useful skill like being a crack shot. Fallout 4 is no different, with up to thirteen companions for the Sole Survivor to choose from.
Possible Fallout 4 companions include Irish cage fighter Cait, Miss Nanny robot Curie, and instant fan favorite detective Nick Valentine; of course, a new take on Dogmeat is also available. While previous titles like Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas allowed companions to die, Fallout 4 doesn’t allow this. If they take too much damage they will need to be revived, however, and if their faction becomes hostile to the Sole Survivor they may need to be killed, but otherwise, they can’t actually be killed during a fight.
Fallout 4 implemented this semi-immortality because in previous games in the franchise players tended to stop and reload their game if a beloved companion died, which led to annoyance and stalled progress. This was certainly true of the third game, so Bethesda made the smart choice in this design; after all, NOBODY wants to see Dogmeat get killed in the middle of battle.
Next: Why Fallout 4 Survival Mode Is The True Way To Play The Game
