Load boone up with good armor and good weapons and he is a great combat charedter. I play in hard/hardcoe so he isn't super overpowered but he is very helpful.

On normal: CHA 1, later with implant 2.

If you happen to browse this thread again: why ain't companions level up with you but having their stat determine at recruit instead? I am interested in the philosophy behind it

I play Very hard + hardcoe mode and I find Boone to be a pretty crappy sniper, he wastes ammo like crazy!! The only time he actually scores a kill is when something is 10 feet in front of him. With his default weapon, as well as the best money can buy. 95% of the time he keeps telling me that I should let him aim for me next time because I'm taking down hostiles that are 300-400 yards out before he even sees them. Annoying as [censored]!! :flame:

Another thing, I tell him to be passive and follow my lead, he runs off and starts killing if things are in range and I'm trying to sneak... weak ass AI :\

Companions are only good for gear hauling! Devs should have added a robot companion that just follows you with cargo capacity and no combat features and no quests attached to it. In case it gets nuked, you could loot your gear and just buy a new one from some robotics merchant... meh...

He's got a hunting rifle when you're still packing a varmint rifle ... that might explain some of the feelings of OP.

That being said, at later levels I found him to be par or lackluster. If you hand him an Antimaterial Rifle, it's a different ballgame entirely but, frankly, anyone of the companions I've gotten so far is a Walkalypse if you hand them one of those or a Gauss Rifle, even Arcades.

Because Arcade suppose to have 50(!) points of special......

We discovered why companion skills were all over the place (mostly low) and why Boone was the god among scrubs. One issue was a bug related to calculating the leveled skills of characters once they were set to followers (they were reset to 1st level values). The other problem was that Boone, specifically, was having bonuses applied to his skills through his script. This resulted in Boone always having over 100% Guns regardless of when you recruited him. Weapon skill not only increases damage, but reduces weapon wobble during movement, which is why regardless of where Boone was moving/what he was doing, he was able to pull off running headshots that drop the target in one attack.

Boone's very good offensive, but if the enemy gets close, they'll rip him to pieces.

Tried and tested.

My only complaint about Boone and ED-E is that in close quarters, they'll usually run off and kill enemies IN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WINGS OF THE BUILDING! I mean, not just in the room next to the one I'm in. But through that room, through a door, down the hall, through another door and into a different room. And that's with them set on passive!

But that's fine. Gives me more time to explore and scavenge in peace, or to head to a different part of the building to clear out enemies there.

J.E. Sawyer: Since my character is about Speech and doesn't care to fight if she doesn't have to, I hope Boone's skills won't change. I need him the way he is or I'll die; I just know it. I've kept Boone and ED-E since the beginning and will choose new companions in the next play-through.

I'm still going to travel with the other companions but please don't change Boone in a patch.

And while you're here; thanks for a great game.

I always do this with raul....

Does no one else find it funny that we are also talking about Haku from spirited away here? Put a new spin on things for me.

Yeah Boone is overpowered. Ever since I got him, anything combat related became surprisingly easy. Point in example...I got him at about level 6/7 and went exploring South East of the map. He mopped the floor with all the Lurkers and Golden/Fire geckos I could find there as well as effortlessly dispatching the Legion at Cottonwood Cove ...and I almost doubled my level without getting much of a chance to do any shooting.

svcks because once you use him, you kind already opened pandora's box as it's not so easy to toss him for a weaker character.

Yeah but at least in hardcoe mode, Boone isn't invincible. He can get himself killed.

I never ONCE (not exaggerating, not one time) lost Fawks or Dogmeat to the baddies. On the other hand, Star Paladin Cross dies on me every time.....quickly.

I hear you. I said the same thing to myself my first play through (not on hardcoe). He got knocked "unconscious" countless times.

BTW, I don't get the complaint that hardcoe isn't "hardcoe". I got jumped by raider types in that little canyon outside of Nipton (level 4 ish, just started 2nd play through). After dying once (got pwnd by a landmine) I fought through it but with a crippled leg, two crippled arms and a concussion. It was pretty funny watching the character limp and lurch Quasimodo style with badly blurred vision all the way to Novac.

That said think I'll leave Boone in Novac. Or pick him as a companion then have him "wait" in my safe house (like the spotter perk).

Damn straight.

Boone is a beast no doubt, but I do agree with his less-than acceptible fail close quarters combat.

I had him on my second playthrough in hardcoe mode, and he died 5 minutes after getting him *Sadfase*

BUT I had my

Haven't thought of this before, thanks for the tip. Bye Boone, go wait in the Gommorah and enjoy yourself... ED-E... never mind.

Even better!

Lily is a good choice for Stealth characters, yes?

Glad to hear I was not insane. I assume this will be (or was) fixed in a patch? Thanks for your candor about it.