Starfield will have a variety of companions and/or crew members that you can recruit to join you on your intergalactic explorations.
These characters will have their own personalities, skills, and backstories.
They will also be able to support the player in both combat and non-combat situations (like outpost building).
While we don’t know all the details yet, there seems to be a distinction between companion who can join you on missions, and crew members who may only be assignable to an outpost or a ship to provide support.
It’s also likely that companions are the only truly romanceable characters.
But, let’s get into what we know so far.
Confirmed Starfield Companions
So far, Bethesda has confirmed the following companions in Starfield:
- Sarah Morgan: A scientist and astronaut who is a member of the Constellation, a group of explorers who are searching for lost technology from the First Civilization.
- Sam Coe: A space cowboy who is a skilled pilot and a talented geologist.
- Barrett: A starship engineer and a former soldier who is an expert in weapons and robotics.
- Heller: A geologist and an engineer who is skilled in building and maintaining outposts.
- Marika Boros: A mercenary and a weapons expert who is skilled in using shotguns and particle beam weapons.
- Vasco: A security mini-bot who is loyal and efficient, but also a bit chatty.
- Adoring Fan: a bit of a nuisance, but he’s also kind of endearing.
What We Know About Companion Skills:
Sarah Morgan
Sarah is an ex-soldier who now leads Constellation in its mission to find the artifacts and discover the origin of these objects.
She is also one of the romance-able characters in Starfield.
She comes with the following skills:
- Astrodynamics: 4 stars
- Lasers: 3 stars
- Leadership: 2 stars
- Botany: 1 star
If exploring the vast universe appeals to you, then having Sarah as a companion makes a lot of sense. Her astrodynamics skill should help you reach far away systems faster.
Having a boost to lasers will also come in handy for space battles and mining resources.
Sam Coe
The jacket, cowboy hat, and five o’clock shadow put Sam Coe squarely into the space cowboy archetype.
He projects the “I’m just a simple man” vibe, but I suspect there are some skeletons in his closet, which we’ll have to deal with.
And, I would guess that his skeletons are in Akila City, the main hub of the Freestar Collective, which Sam presumably left when he joined Constellation.
Sam Coe comes with the following skills:
- Piloting: 4 stars
- Rifle Certification: 3 stars
- Payloads: 2 stars
- Geology: 1 star
Sam looks like an ideal companion for a player who want to be a Smuggler or trader. His high skill in piloting is useful for space battles and his decent skill in payloads likely means your ship can haul more cargo.
Barrett
Barrett, like Morgan, is an ex-soldier and likely a senior member of Constellation (given that he greats you as “the new guy”).
Barrett comes with the following skills:
- Starship engineering: 4 stars
- Particle Beam Weapon Systems: 3 stars
- Robotics: 2 stars
- Gastronomy: 1 star
Barrett’s 4 stars in starship engineering likely makes him one of the best companions for those who want to prioritize ship building. His decent particle weapons systems skill will be helpful as well.
Heller
We don’t know much about Heller yet, but it seems like he is an Argos Extractors employee and got stranded on a distant moon or planet.
Heller comes with the following skills:
- Outpost Engineering: 3 stars
- Geology: 1 star
Heller’s skills don’t seem as impressive as Constellation members, but he’s the only companion we know of that has outpost engineering, so he’s still valuable and worth keeping around if you plan on building settlements on distant planets and moons.
Marika Boros
Marika looks like the perfect companion for those who want to go guns blazing everywhere they go.
Marika comes with the following skills:
- Ballistics: 2 stars
- Shotgun Certification: 1 star
- Particle Beam Weapon Systems: 1 star
Marika’s skill levels are not high, but she provides a nice variety of skills that boost weapons, making her ideal for combat focused playthroughs.
Vasco
We don’t yet know if Vasco has any skills, but given that he’s robot, he likely comes with some advantages that other companions don’t have (think immunity to toxic environments).
Unlike HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic, Vasco appears to be a friendly robot, and says things like “It is a shame exploration requires so much bloodshed.”
Maybe we’ll find a robot that views humans as meatbags, but until we do I’m excited to use Vasco as a companion.
Adoring Fan
The Adoring Fan is a throwback to the Elder Scrolls Oblivion, which had a character with the same name who becomes your follower once you become the Grand Champion in the Arena.
The Adoring Fan comes with the following skills:
- Weight lifting: 2 stars
- Concealment: 1 star
- Scavenging: 1 star
If you can tolerate the Adoring Fan’s grating commentary on everything, you might find him somewhat useful in the beginning of the game.
A player that wants to be sneaky or diplomatic might find it useful to have an idiot companion who provides a little entertainment.
How Companions Will Work in Starfield
Companions in Starfield will likely be similar to companions in other Bethesda games, like Skyrim and Fallout 4.
Players will be able to recruit companions to join them on their travels, and they will be able to assign companions to different tasks, such as piloting the ship, providing combat support, or helping to build and maintain outposts.
Companions will almost certainly have their own quest lines, which will develop their unique personalities and backstories.
Bethesda is especially good at making interactions companions interesting and meaningful, so I can’t wait to learn more about each character’s history and backstory.
Conclusion
The companions and crew members mentioned above are just a few of the ones that will be available in Starfield when it releases in September 2023.