OK, first off I almost always use Charisma as a dump stat. So I am thinking about doing a high Charisma character playthrough. But I wanted to make sure that Companion Nerve actually worked!

The Wiki is not really clear, and I do not see anything in the Geck. So has anyone noticed a big difference between a low and high charisma with companions? I may need to go do some tests here.

Yeah it works.

Companions on a high charisma character are more useful, companions on a low one are prone to dying.

It's an important stat...but they all are.

The ability to deliver damage and take damage is affected by a high Charisma because it affects Companion Nerve from +5 at CHA1 to +50 at CHA10.

You can give temporary boosts to Charisma with Alcohol and Mentats and a nice boost with Party Time Mentats (+5). Some clothing also boosts Charisma.

I keep my Companions strong.

Thanks for the feedback!

I got bored and went through and tested some using the console. Charisma defintely impacts DT and Damage. I gave Boone T-45 Power Armor(DT 27) and shot him in the chest with a hunting rifle. With a Charisma of 1 he was taking 25 damage a shot, with a Charisma of 10 he was taking 11 Damage a shot. Then I gave him an AMR and went Deathclaw hunting. With a Charisma of 1 he was hitting in the 105-110 range. With a 10 Charisma he was hitting in the 140-150 range.

One thing I did notice is that quickly boosting your Charisma(through Alchol) and then shooting Boone did not always apply the extra DT to him. It sometimes need some time.

So Charisma works well if you like companions.

Yeah, if followers are an important part of your play having 4-5 points in charisma makes a big difference. Likewise if you don't use them at all, or always have them waiting at whatever house that's your base, then charisma doesn't matter unless there is a related perk you really want.

That's me! The Companions may be my favorite part of the game. They keep me safe out there.

Thanks for those testing results you did with CHA1 and CHA10. Those were good to see.

With a Charisma of 1 or 10, it doesn't save Raul when I pick him up at level 2 and he gets blasted by Annabelle :/