Seriously, if they arent completely absent then they are blocking your progress forwards

ive had instances where the companion is nowhere to be seen, yet i can still here there distant chat about being overencumbered.

or im trying to be stealthy and yet they are blocking my route up a flight of stairs forcing me out of stealth to try and jump over them or wiggle my way around them.

next time im playing as totally solo, not because i want to per se but because i feel im forced to until this absolute [censored] ai is fixed.

and dont get me started on curie. shes utter rubbish. doesnt fight back, doesnt heal, dies and/or just blocks, disappears or incessantly talks in that faux francais accent of hers.

what an infuriating mess youve come up with this time bethesda.

Aside from Codsworth being OP they seem alright. Dogmeat isn't nearly as useless as the dogs in the previous Fallout games or Skyrim. Strong was the only one that I found to be to frustrating to use. I would rather have them be a bit more scarce than be annihilating death machines like Boone who would head shot every enemy before I even knew they were there. No other NPC has made me feel like such a man baby than Boone.

I like it so far. They are not to overpowered, though a few are quite useless. Cait with a Sledgehammer is pure gold in this game, and Dogmeat with the Charisma perk is amazing. Sure they block the door from time to time, but now its a simple command and they move away. Some can even open locks and hack computers.

My only real gripe with companions is how often they'll just stick to your back while in stealth. Like, just right up on you, invading your personal space so much they are shoving you forward. BACK OFF, Piper!

For the most part, unless I'm forced to bring them along, I leave all companions in settlements. The negatives to companions (blocking me, blowing my stealth, getting lost/stuck) far outweigh the one positive (extra carrying capacity). I travel alone whenever possible, even though it means I have to make a few more trips back to settlements to unload. Being occasionally overencumbered is a small price to pay for being able to travel unencumbered.