Mastering Companions in Starfield: The Complete Guide

As a veteran player, companions are essential assets in Starfield. These NPC crewmates can join you on journeys, lend their talents to missions, and expand your spaceship capabilities.

In this extensive guide, I‘ll equip you with unrivaled intelligence for acquiring loyal companions, managing relationships skillfully, and unlocking their full potential.

Decoding Companions: A Primer

Before utilizing companions, you need a proper understanding of them. Here‘s an overview:

Companions are friendly NPCs you can recruit to join your crew. They serve many helpful functions:

• Combat Support – Companions accompany you on missions, contributing weapons abilities aiding you in battle situations. Their varied skills complement and enhance your own.

• Ship Assistance – You can station companions on your spaceship or outposts. There, they‘ll manage critical duties like repairs, research, resource gathering and more.

• Side Content – Some companions offer additional side quests and narrative content to enjoy. Learning their full backstories deeply expands Starfield‘s virtual world.

• Romance – A select few companions can even become romantic partners. This gradually boosts affinity and provides experience point bonuses upon intimacy.

There are 33 potential companions separated into two categories:

Main Story Companions (5)

These companions are crew members of the Constellation faction directly tied to Starfield‘s critical path storyline. They join you on your high-stakes mission to recover a mysterious extraterrestrial relic.

Side Companions (28)

The wider selection of Side Companions help populate Starfield‘s sprawling settlements. They have their own compelling storylines unrelated to the main quest.

Now let‘s do a deep dive on both companion groups!

Cultivating Main Story Companions

Starfield features 5 Main Companions that join the Constellation crew. Here‘s an expanded overview of each integral ally:

Sarah Morgan – The Determined Leader

As captain of the Constellation faction and a former military officer, Sarah Morgan spearheads your bold expedition into uncharted space. Resolute and loyal, she oversees all critical decisions faced by the crew.

I‘ve found her leadership abilities extremely useful for coordinating attack strategies with other companions. During chaotic firefights, Sarah rallies the crew effectively thanks to her prior combat experience.

Specialized Skills: Astrodynamics, Lasers, Leadership, Botany
Location: The Lodge, Planet Jemison
Recruiting: Joins automatically after first main quest

Sam Coe – The Stalwart Vanguard

As a descendant of Akila City‘s legendary founder, Sam Coe boasts unrivaled experience traversing and surviving Starfield‘s many hazards. His piloting mastery allows seamless navigation through asteroid belts and nebula storms. During ground assaults, Sam‘s rifle expertise eliminates threats quickly from a distance.

Director Todd Howard emphasized in interviews that Sam Coe‘s loyalty and nobility represents the virtues of Starfield heroes.

Specialized Skills: Piloting, Rifle Certification, Payloads, Geology
Location: The Lodge, Planet Jemison
Recruiting: Joins during "The Empty Nest" main quest

Barrett – The Methodical Genius

The ingenious chief engineer of the Constellation, Barrett offers indispensable upgrades and mod customization options for your spaceship and equipment. His brilliance also accelerates crafting of unique prototypes.

I highly recommend investing skill points into Barrett‘s Robotics affinity upgrades. This unlocks efficient harvester bots that automatically gather precious resources on planetary expeditions.

Specialized Skills: Gastronomy, Particle Beams, Robotics, Starship Engineering
Location: The Lodge, Planet Jemison
Recruiting: Joins after "Back to Vectera" main quest

Andreja – The Cunning Operative

Andreja remains coldly aloof and tight-lipped regarding her mysterious past. As an espionage and infiltration expert, her specialty lies in covert ops sabotage and gathering intel from well-protected complexes.

In conversations, gain Andreja‘s trust slowly by responding thoughtfully to subtle clues rather than prying aggressively. Eventually she reveals surprising personal details and unique insights into Starfield‘s history.

Specialized Skills: Energy Weapons, Particle Beams, Stealth, Theft
Location: The Lodge, Planet Jemison
Recruiting: Joins after "Into the Unknown" main quest

Vasco – The Loyal Synthetic

This dome-headed Lunar Robotics AI may lack emotions but it boasts undisputed loyalty. Vasco excels at defensive coordination, threat assessment, and fearless tactical maneuversSupport Vasco during challenging battles to unlock critical backup ability slot uprades. I eventually unlocked "Repair Matrix" allowing Vasco to rapidly restore shield function when disabled.

Specialized Skills: Aneutronic Fusion, Shield Systems, EM Weapons
Location: The Lodge, Planet Jemison
Recruiting: Joins during "One Small Step" main quest

These 5 main story companions provide you with indispensable expertise and combat upgrades essential for completing Starfield‘s main campaign successfully.

Next, let‘s examine the optional yet uniquely talented Side Companions available!

Side Companions: Recruiting Invaluable Specialists

Beyond the main allies, Starfield features 28 specialized Side Companions waiting to be recruited. They‘re spread across various stations and settlements. Let‘s overview them:

Hacker Aelyn can reduce district security allowing theft of rare weapon prototypes. However Officer Kalvin instead provides immediate bounties and patrol data.

Analyzing each companion‘s capabilities in this manner allows you to tailor your personalized crew strategically.

I target scouts like sniper specialist Simeon for reconnaissance operations or versatile medic Rosie providing injury treatment. Engineers including Rafael maintain my spaceships while fearsome gladiator Amelia has unparalleled swordsmanship.

You must determine which specialized abilities would best support your playstyle then deliberately recruit those side companions from the following list:

Sophia Grace – Hacker
Simeon Bankowski – Sniper

Rosie Tannehill – Medic
Rafael Aguerro – Engineer

Propulsion Specialist – Pilot
Payload Specialist – Weapons Expert

Outpost Security Chief – Guard
Outpost Management Specialist – Manager

Omari Hassan – Mechanic
Moara Otero – Marksman

Mickey Caviar – Chef
Marika Boros – Soldier

Lyle Brewer – Scientist
Lin – Administrator

Jessamine Griffin – Smuggler
Heller – Architect

Gideon Aker – Demolitionist
Ezekiel – Technician

Energy Weapons Specialist – Weapons Expert
Defensive Systems Specialist – Mechanic

Dani Garcia – Scientist
Damage Control Specialist – Engineer

Ballistic Weapons Specialist – Gunner
Astrodynamics Specialist – Navigator

Andromeda Kelper – Pilot
Amelia Earhart – Fighter Pilot

Adoring Fan – Supporter
Fusion Systems Specialist – Mechanic

These optional sidekicks provide specialized upgrades like improved energy weapons, medical treatment, piloting mastery, hacking speed increases and more.

While side companions aren‘t mandatory, they allow you to tailor your crew‘s capabilities towards your preferred playstyle. Let‘s examine tips for smoothly integrating new allies next.

Recruiting Companions: Tips and Strategies

Successfully recruiting companions relies on several key factors. Follow these expert tips:

• Check Upgrades First – Review which companion bonuses would most benefit current objectives before recruiting.

• Remember Requirements – Some companions only appear at certain times or have pre-requisite tasks.

• Monitor Capacity – Your ship, outposts and away teams have limited personnel space as you expand your crew.

• Persuade Through Dialogue – Passing persuasion checks allows hiring companions for fewer credits.

• Complete Side Quests – Certain companions won‘t join unless you first complete their related missions.

• Assign Multiple Roles – Station companions in different locations by navigating your Crew Roster.

For example, I station ingenious engineer Barrett on my spaceship for component fabrication while bold marksman Moara instead provides security at my planetary headquarters. Optimizing placement this way maximizes productivity across all holdings.

Approaching recruitment strategically allows you to onboard talented specialists most capable of supporting your current priorities in Starfield‘s sprawling universe.

Relationship Building: Unlocking Romance

You have the special option to transform basic camaraderie with select companions into intimate romantic bonds. This relies on gradually improving your affinity rating through dialogue.

Companions open to romance include:

• Stalwart soldier Sarah
• Hotshot pilot Sam
• Brilliant inventor Barrett
• Mysterious spy Andreja

When speaking with these characters, monitor your relationship standing through these key dialogue indicators:

• [Friendly] – Builds basic rapport
• [Flirt] – Indicates romantic interest
• [Romance] – Strengthens emotional intimacy
• [Commit] – Initiates actual relationship

If successful, you‘ll receive an experience point consumable reward and unlock the chance for physical consummation.

Note relationships can take real-world days developing naturally. Be patient, pay attention during conversations and carefully consider responses before pursuing romance with companions.

Final Advice: Maximize Companion Potential

As a Starfield veteran, I cannot overstate the incredible value companions contribute during your journey. They provide specialized skills, unlock unique upgrades, enable romance and most importantly companionship in an unforgiving universe.

I recommend players thoroughly explore recruiting all allies covered in this guide. Determine which capabilities would best support your playstyle then deliberately seek out those companions. Invest time speaking with them to uncover narratives enhancing immersion.

By mastering these tips, you‘ll lead a formidable crew towards glory in Starfield‘s farthest frontiers!

Boldly venture forth and explore infinity together!