Fallout 4 Guide: How to Romance Piper, Cait, and Other Companions

Sure your wife/husband was just murdered in front of your eyes, and yeah your son is missing in a post apocalyptic wasteland, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right time to start dating again. Fallout 4 has a bunch of companions that you can choose from for your romantic interests too, so you have a few options. The big questions is how to romance them in Fallout 4. Below you’ll find a guide explaining how to romance a few of the more popular companions, including Piper and Cait.

First up, let’s answer the question of who you can romance in Fallout 4. Codsworth, Nick Valentine, X6-88, Strong, Dogmeat, and Deacon are all off the table, for various reasons of course. Everyone else is available to be wooed by the player, regardless of your character’s sex or theirs. Want to romance Cait, but you chose a female character? That’s just fine in Fallout 4.

So, how do you actually romance a companion in Fallout 4? Essentially you just do a bunch of stuff that they like, and avoid doing stuff that they don’t while they are around. For example: Piper likes good guys who help everyone around them. If you’re taking missions from strangers and helping them out then you’ll see “Piper liked that” pop up in the top left of the screen, showing that her affinity for you has gone up. Conversely, Cait likes it when you are violent and steal stuff, so you’ll see “Cait hated that” if you do the same with her.

Do enough of the stuff that they like and you’ll begin to see Flirt options pop in in dialogue with them. These perform a Charisma check, so be sure to have that a bit high, and/or throw on some clothes that raise that stat, such as the Red Dress (which works for male characters as well). Each time you flirt successfully you raise the affinity again, and will get another chance to flirt later on. Do it enough times and you’ll get a fade-to-black scene signifying the completion of your romance.

Figuring out what your companions like and dislike is a big part of the experience, so I won’t list them all out here. Here’s a few tips though, along with the ones above for Piper and Cait. Preston Garvey and Curie are similar to Piper, John Hancock and MacReady are more like Cait, Paladan Danse is all about the Brotherhood of Steel,

Finally, let’s answer the question of why to romance characters. Aside from just being an interesting mechanic that opens up some story choices and enjoyable dialogue, romance offers a few other perks. I use that word specifically, because that’s exactly what they unlock. Each character that you romance unlocks a special perk that will be permanently unlocked. Also you will gain an additional experience boost for a short time after sleeping in a bed with them nearby.

These special perks aren’t only for romance options either, as you can gain one by maxing out your affinity with any companion, excluding Dogmeat. Some examples include: Piper – Gift of Gab (You receive double XP for speech challenges and discovering new locations), Cait – Trigger Rush (Action Points regenerate faster if your HP falls below 25%), Paladan Danse – Know your enemy (You deal 20% more damage against Feral Ghouls, Super Mutants and Synths), Curie – Combat Medic (Once per day, Curie will heal you for 100HP when your health falls below 10%), and Preston Garvey – United We Stand (You deal 20% more damage and gain +20 Damage resistance when facing three or more opponents).