Well Raul just can't keep himself from switching to his trusty magnum, even though I gave him a minigun. He started using it for a while and then randomly switched back while we were fighting some centaurs. No problem with the armor though, I have him in recon armor with the space suit helmet, looks awesome. What am I doing wrong?

On a side note, what are all of your most over the top, most powerful, and just plain cool looking companion set-ups?
:foodndrink:

Bullets. Companions use them.

yea they have infinite ammo for their default weapon, but for anything else you have to supply

While that's true there are times when companions still won't use the weapons you give them. Sometimes the AI for companions doesn't work too well and even though they may have a fully repaired weapon and the ammo they may switch to another weapon anyway.

I've never really gotten my companions to do what I want them to 100% of the time.

My Raul uses the mysterious magnum, he uses pistols not miniguns (that might have something to do with it) (:

they go by DPS, i believe

so Boone would use a 9mm over an Anti-Materiel Rifle

I think Raul has a preference for revolvers and lever-action weapons, one of his quest bonuses gives him a rate-of-fire boost with them anyway. When I gave him a pristine assault carbine w/ammo he refused to equip it, preferring his default .44 Mag instead, so I just let him keep using that now. I've succesfully had him use the Mysterious Magnum, but tbh I'd rather not have to keep him in ammo for it.

Companions really piss me off. I have Veronica right now. I gave her the best Energy weapon and totaly removed her defaut weapons including the Ballistic Fist. I also have her on USE-RANGED. So what does she do...? She finds pool cues and kitchen knives all on her own and switches to melee!!! ARG!!!!!

I guess I'll try to give him a hunting revolver or something, thanks

Companions seem to take Strength requirements of the weapon into account. Veronica prefers Pushy to Ballistic Fist, for example, because Ballistic Fist requires ST9 and hers is only 7. Raul's ST is 6, which is way short of the minigun's requirement of 10.

Raul is best used with a Brush Gun and handloaded ammo.

again, like i said with raul they use what they like! raul uses a .44 mag. SO DONT GIVE HIM A MINIGUN! Veronica uses a power fist SO DONT GIVE HER A GUN! Wiki the weapon "pushy" as stated above me^ and give that to her!

I've never had that problem with her. I let her keep Pushy and her default power fist, give her an energy weapon and plenty of ammo for it, and she always uses the energy weapon when I put her on ranged.

She's pretty good with it too, despite her complaints.

If I give my companion a unique version of their default weapon, they usually use it. Veronica uses the Paladin Toaster, which looks pretty cool. Boone will use the Bumper Sword (not unique, I know) for his melee and I'm sure would use the Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle, and Lily will use Oh Baby! if I give that to her. They'll use explosives too. It just depends on what they like.

I only used Lilly for the nightstalker quest, but I didn t have a melee weapon big enough for her to use. I gave her the assult carbine, and when it was on her back I swear to goodness it had a big giant silencer on it.

The dude is right about the strength thing. I noticed that right away. Veronica seems the most picky. She will not use a shot gun, but hook her up with a plasma rifle and she s all about it. I ve never seen boone use an energy weapon. They will all use the All American over anything. Well I dont know about Gannon.

if you ask the characters about their fighting style they will normally tell you - for example: Veronica will tell you that she prefers melee weapons (hence the ballistic fist issue noted above) while Gannon will run with energy weapons. Cass likes all types of cowboy weapons while Raoul is a gunslinger. It's a question of preference.

Boone uses the Q-35 Matter Modulator and pretty much anything I give him as long as it's better than his default rifle and I remove any other weapons, and I've seen Raul pick up a Flamer or Incinerator (can't remember which) and use it when we were fighting Fiends. He toasted ED-E a little though. I think their skills level up (with a multiplier) depending on your level so maybe that has something to do with it? I don't know...maybe someone else does.

Yes, skill is one factor in weapon selection. And as the skill levels up, the preference may change - it's non linear. For example when I was doing some testing with Boone, Guns and melee skills were equal. Some companions lose their Ranged or Melee combat style setting when you reload the game, always, and sometimes when teleporting, and revert to DEFAULT, which allows both types of weapons. When in this mode, at a lower skill level he preferred the gun. But around 50-55 skill he preferred the machette. Then when the Guns/Melee skills got higher (still equal) went back to the gun.

I haven't had enough time lately to keep learning the GECK but when I do GetAv on Boone for his skills at my level of 26, he's Guns 100 and Melee 100. His EW skill is still the original 19 and his Unarmed is the original 15. I don't understand why this is so but I hope to learn why as time goes on. His original Guns stat is 48 so something is affecting it. I think his original Melee stat was about that number also. My character is high in Unarmed/Melee/Explosives/EW. If my stats were affecting his, wouldn't his EW be higher? Thank you for the info...I'm always hearing him draw his machete behind me but when it comes time to fight, he switches to the All-American.

It's not that your stats are affecting his. Your level is. Boone's tag skills level up as the player levels up. Boone is tagged with Guns, Melee, and Sneak, so they go up as the player level goes up. His other skills don't.

My Raul lost his pistol in a Casino, so now he picks up whatever weapons he needs.

::::lightbulb:::

I did notice that Boone's Sneak was higher, as would be appropriate for a Sniper...ok. I see that Raul has tagged Repair, Science and Guns so his levels are high on those. It sounds like Raul might use that Minigun once the OP's level is higher? Thanks for helping me get it.

I just wanted to let the OP know that I did see Boone use a Minigun last night after I gave him one in the Fiends area. He was ok with it.

I later gave him a Missile Launcher with missiles and we went out by Motel Hell where I put him on Melee since the ghouls are not armed. Instead of a melee weapon, he used the Missile Launcher and hit me with a missile twice in the backside. I'd suggest not giving him a Missile Launcher. He seems to think it's a melee weapon.

:fallout: