The Outer Worlds Companions guide - where to find them and how to unlock companion quest perks

What's a holiday to The Outer Worlds without Companions to share the journey with? Obsidian's latest open-world(s) RPG provides you with six different Companions to bring aboard your ship, the Unreliable, and help you in the quests and battles you'll face time after time throughout your journeys. Each Companion has different personalities, skillsets, side quests, and combat powers - and our The Outer Worlds Companions guide will walk you through each of them in turn, so you know which companions are the best for each situation you find yourself in. We've even got a list of all the perks, including the ones unlocked by completing the Companion Quest.

The Outer Worlds Companions guide

• The Outer Worlds Companions overview
• The Outer Worlds Companions - Parvati
• The Outer Worlds Companions - Vicar Max
• The Outer Worlds Companions - Ellie
• The Outer Worlds Companions - Felix
• The Outer Worlds Companions - Nyoka
• The Outer Worlds Companions - SAM

The Outer Worlds Companions overview

The roster of Companions available in The Outer Worlds offer you a great deal more than just a helping hand in battle (though they are also very useful in this regard). I can't help but compare them to the companions of the Mass Effect series (particularly Mass Effect 2) in each of the things they bring to the table:

• You may bring up to two Companions with you at a time, to accompany you on your travels - but you can also choose to take just one, or no one at all.
• You'll find each of the Companions in different areas on different planets of the solar system, and often you'll need to complete a specific quest for (or involving) them before they'll agree to join you.
• Each companion starts with their own weaponry and armour, but you can switch them out for others if you wish.
• If you bring your Inspiration skill up to 20, then you'll unlock your Companions' special combat abilities. Each companion has one powerful ability which they can use in battle whenever it is off cooldown.
• Each Companion also has a Perks table much like your own (but smaller and split into 5 tiers instead of 3). Every other level-up, you'll be able to select a new Perk - and there are always three Perks within this table that are unique to that character.
• If you proceed to the final tab of a Companion's inventory menu, you'll find a list of stats; and you can also set their behaviours, including when to engage enemies, and whether to tend towards ranged or melee attacks.
• Outside of combat, Companions also offer various boosts and buffs to your own skillset, and they form an integral part of the story of The Outer Worlds, often chiming in with their own thoughts and views and companion quests of their own that you complete for a unique companion perk (Cheers to user "Dave Mongoose" for pointing this out, the game sure didn't!).
• You cannot romance Companions in The Outer Worlds - much as you may want to do so. You can complete companion-specific side-quests for them, but all this will really gain you is a memento - an item from each companion to place in their rooms aboard the ship. Tough luck.

You can choose whether or not to take Companions with you; if nothing else, they can serve very useful as cannon fodder. But if used correctly (using the commands to move to a specific location and attack a specific enemy) then they can prove very useful in battle themselves.

Now let's take a closer look at each of the six Companions of The Outer Worlds in turn, detailing where you can find them and what they may bring to your party.

The Outer Worlds Companions - Parvati

• Where do you find Parvati?: Saltuna Cannery, Edgewater (the largest building on the map, proceed to the top via the elevator).
• How to recruit Parvati: Speak to Reed Tobson, who you'll find talking to Parvati when you first see her. Simple as that!
• Companion Quests: "Drinking Sapphire Wine" (Dock at Groundbreaker with Parvati in your party), and "Don't Bite the Sun" (depending on how things go for Parvati in the previous quest).
• Companion Special Ability: Overload (Parvati slams down her hammer creating a blast wave that shocks enemies and stuns automechanicals).
• Unique Perks:
  • Bonus Support Engineering (+10 Engineering skill when Parvati is in your party).
  • Mod Finder (+10% chance to extract Mods in the field when Parvati is in your party).
  • Synchronicity (When Parvati performs her Ability, recharge 25% of your TTD meter).
  • Enchanted Evening: (Increases food and drink effects by 25%.) This perk unlocks after completing companion quest.

Parvati is almost certainly the first companion you'll come across if you stick to the main missions at the beginning of the game. She speaks the language of ships and machinery, and she has a rather sweet side quest all about helping her work up the courage to ask someone out. She's my go-to in combat as well, mainly because her Overload ability is tremendously useful, capable of disabling an entire band of enemies at once for a short time if used at the right time.

The Outer Worlds Companions - Vicar Max

• Where do you find Vicar Max?: The church in Edgewater (the X-shaped building on the right-hand side of the town map).
• How to recruit Vicar Max: Speak with him in Edgewater, and he'll give you the side quest "The Illustrated Manual". Complete the quest and return to him.
• Companion Quests: "The Empty Man" - simply speak with the Vicar at any time after recruiting him.
• Companion Special Ability: Trickshot (Max examines and evaluates his target and spiritually enlightens them with a blast from his shotgun).
• Unique Perks:
  • Bonus Support Hack (+10 Hack skill when Max is in your party).
    
  • Sermon (+20% Dialog Combat Effect Duration when Max is in your party).
  • Mad Max (+20% Science Weapon damage for you and your allies when Max is in your party).
  • Tuned In: (+50% Drug Effect Duration). This perk unlocks after completing companion quest.

Vicar Max is the other companion you can find in Edgewater, and is therefore likely the second potential companion you'll cross paths with. Without giving away spoilers for those who haven't yet got there, there's rather more to this unassuming vicar than meets the eye. I keep him around mainly because of the bonus to Hacking, which can come in handy wherever in the solar system you find yourself.

The Outer Worlds Companions - Ellie

• Where do you find Ellie?: The Medbay on Groundbreaker (next to the Spacer's Choice Vendor).
• How to recruit Ellie: Speak with Ellie to receive the side quest "Worst Contact". Complete this quest and return to her.
• Companion Quests: "Low Crusade" - activated upon docking at Byzantium with Ellie in your party.
• Companion Special Ability: Quick Draw (Ellie quickly draws her pistol and fires off a series of precision shots at her target).
• Unique Perks:
  • Bonus Support Medical (+10 Medical skill when Ellie is in your party).
  • First Responder (+20% Inhaler heal amount when Ellie is in your party).
  • CPR (When Ellie is in your party, any damage that would kill you instead heals 25% of your health - 5 minute cooldown).
  • Beyond The Grave (-50% cost of Bribes). This perk unlocks after completing companion quest.

Ellie is based on Groundbreaker, the sister colony ship of the Hope (the ship you begin the game in cryosleep on). You'll need to solve a problem for her before she agrees to come with you, but once you do you'll have access to what is most likely the most practical and useful set of Perks of any companion. High survivability is very important in The Outer Worlds, particularly on the higher difficulty levels; and Ellie is very good at keeping you alive once you unlock the three above Perks.

The Outer Worlds Companions - Felix

• Where do you find Felix?: Groundbreaker Docking Bays
• How to recruit Felix: Speak with Felix at the Docking Bays (he's busily engaged in a heated argument). Take his side in the matter, and he'll ask to join you there and then.
• Companion Quest: "Friendship's Due" - this one procs after spending some time with Felix in your party. He'll ask to speak with you, and provide you with the quest.
• Companion Special Ability: Dropkick (Felix charges his target, leaps into the air and slams into the target with both feet).
• Unique Perks:
  • Bonus Support Persuade (+10 Persuade skill when Felix is in your party).
  • Bootlickers! (Felix deals +20% Damage to Cowering enemies).
  • Rebellion (While Felix is in your party, you and your allies deal +20% damage to Corporate Military).
  • Self Governed (+50% Post armor damage to Corporate Military). This perk unlocks after completing companion quest.

Felix is also based on Groundbreaker, and you'll probably run into him very quickly after landing there for the first time, as he'll be busily having an argument with a soldier in the docking bays. While it may seem like he has a problem with authority, he insists it's simply that he doesn't suffer fools gladly - and he'll quickly prove himself a worthy member of your party, if only because that +10 to your Persuade skill is really wonderful for opening up hidden dialogue options.

The Outer Worlds Companions - Nyoka

• Where do you find Nyoka?: The Yacht Club Bar in Stellar Bay, Monarch
• How to recruit Nyoka: Speak to Nyoka and she'll give you the side quest "Passion Pills" (she needs you to cure her hangover, the lazy cow). After this she'll join your party.
• Companion Quest: "Star-Crossed Troopers" - activated upon exiting the Monarch Wilderness area.
• Companion Special Ability: Barrage (Nyoka uses her personally modified LMG to deal damage to her target and set enemies near it ablaze).
• Unique Perks:
  • Bonus Support Lie (+10 Lie skill while Nyoka is in your party).
  • Hunter (Reduce by 20% how far the sound of your footsteps travel while Nyoka is in your party).
  • Exterminator (Nyoka deals +20% bonus damage to Creatures).
  • The Crew: (+10% Critical chance). This perk unlocks after completing companion quest.

Nyoka resides a little further afield than the rest, busily getting absolutely hammered in a bar on Monarch. But once sobered up she'll quite readily join your party, and in combat she'll definitely prove her worth with her flashy Barrage ability, and a boost in damage against creatures - of which you'll fight plenty, believe you me. Plus, if deception is your character's forte, you'd be remiss not to include Nyoka and her +10 to the Lie skill in your party.

The Outer Worlds Companions - SAM

• Where do you find SAM?: Upstairs on the Unreliable (your ship).
• How to recruit SAM: Make SAM operational again by completing the side quest "The Cleaning Machine".
• Companion Quests: SAM has no post-recruitment companion quests.
• Companion Special Ability: Decontaminate (SAM jumps into the air and slams down near his target spewing out caustic cleaning fluids all around to get out those really tough stains).
• Unique Perks:
  • Bonus Support Intimidate (+10 Intimidate skill while SAM is in your party).
  • Cleaner (-20% negative reputation for kills while SAM is in your party).
  • Bad Samaritan (SAM deals +20% damage to Automechanicals).
  • Clean Sweep: (-25% Harmful Status Effect duration). This perk unlocks after completing companion quest.

Finally, there's SAM - the Sanitation And Maintenance automechanical that you'll find upstairs on your ship, the Unreliable. You'll need a couple of bits and bobs to get him operational, but after that SAM will be entirely fit to accompany you on your travels, and clean up after your messes. He also rounds off the holy trinity of personality-based companion bonuses, with a +10 Intimidate to enjoy. He's also a powerful ally in combat, particularly against fellow Automechanicals.

And there we have it! Your six The Outer Worlds Companions are out there, waiting for you to release them from their daily urban grind so they can accompany you on your interplanetary journey. Make use of them! They're not so bad. I promise.