Affinity | Fallout 4 Wiki

Companion Approvals and Disapprovals

Companion reactions are measured in 4 levels. Below, you will find the amount increased/decreased depending on the response shown by the companion:

• "(Name of Companion) liked that" is equal to +15 Affinity Level
• "(Name of Companion) loved that" is equal to +35 Affinity Level
• "(Name of Companion) disliked that" is equal to -15 Affinity Level
• "(Name of Companion) hated that" is equal to -35 Affinity Level

Approvals and Disapprovals in Fallout 4 may be earned and lost through General Behavior, NPC Interactions, in-game Activities, Faction alignment, and specific quest outcomes. When Affinity Level reaches 249, 499, 749, and 999, it will sometimes be temporarily frozen, while the companion in question will try to talk with the Sole Survivor. 

General Behavior and NPC Interactions

General Behavior in Fallout 4 refers to the actions that you will be doing anywhere, or how you interact with NPCs. In dialogues, you are given options to respond in general behavior, and those dialogues will affect Companions. Take note that companions also have their faction alignment so always consider their faction if available, when it comes to increasing their Affinity Level.

• Generous
• Selfish
• Nice
• Mean
• Peaceful
• Violent
• Give Drugs
• Give Item
• Murder Non-Hostile
• Flirting with Others (while pursuing Romance with them)

In-Game Activities

These are activities that you will be conducting while traveling with companions. The Sole Survivor may act morally to gain the approval of others, while doing the right thing may earn the disapproval of some. 

• Chems Addition
• Chems Usage
• Consume Alcohol
• Corpse Eating (Cannibalism)
• Naked
• Hack Computer Terminals
• Heal Dogmeat
• Lockpick (Owned)
• Lockpick (Unowned)
• Modify Armour
• Modify Weapons
• Pickpocketing
• Speech Success
• Theft
• Use Power Armour
• Use Vertibird

Faction Preferences

There are factions ruling certain zones in Fallout 4. Depending on where you are currently traveling, you will be doing quests within that zone. For some companions, helping out another faction different from theirs is detrimental to increasing their Affinity. Consider switching companions if you are in a zone that is not liked by the current one you're traveling with. This is most especially true for Old Longfellow where you will be doing quests in Acadia. A lot of these quests will be given by NPCs who are aligned with the Children of Atom, so in this scenario, it is best to leave him behind and have a different companion follow you. 

• Brotherhood of Steel
• Minutemen
• Railroad
• The Institute

Companion Affinity Basics

• Companion Affinity Measures your progress with a Companion and tells you where you currently stand with them. 
• Affinity has 4 different Levels that will be shown through dialogues. A companion may hate, tolerate, admire, or idolize you depending on the current Companion Affinity Level.
• Companions will react to specific dialogue choices, in-game actions, and faction alignment depending on their character's perspective.
• When the Affinity Level is raised enough, players may pursue Romance options if available and earn a unique Companion Perk.
• An unlocked companion perk is permanent even if they may disapprove of your actions later on.

How to Increase Affinity for All Companions

You can raise companion affinity by doing actions, choosing dialogue, and completing quests that are aligned with a specific companion. Each companion in Fallout 4 has their preferences and they will react differently to the same activities, dialogue choices, and NPC interactions. The table above can be used as a reference to increase the affinity of your companions. However, make sure to consider the context of your actions because some companions will not like it if you donate your items to other NPCs, but they will like it when you are generous with them. Additionally, it is important to consider the background and story of the companion when you are making decisions. Your actions and inactions throughout will affect the main companion, and thus, switching out is necessary.

NOTE: When your affinity with a companion gets low, they may refuse to travel with you. On that note, once the Affinity has reached the maximum level and the Companion Perk has been unlocked, companions will still react and disapprove of disliked actions, but this will not take away the unlocked perk.

Romance Options and Companion Perks

As your Affinity Level reaches the maximum in Fallout 4, the Sole Survivor unlocks additional interaction with that companion like Romance options (if available) and Companion Perks. Each companion comes with a unique perk that can be earned by reaching 1000 Affinity Level and usually requires a specific companion quest. For some, you can also pursue romantic relationships with them. You may visit Romance Guide for more info on each companion.