Every companion in Starfield is a little different, both when it comes to their personalities and the skills that they bring to the table. There are 26 of them in total, though players can also recruit a bunch of generic unnamed NPCs to man their ships and outposts by visiting clubs and bars throughout the settled systems. Some companions will need to be paid to join the player's crew, while others will tag along willingly.
Of the 26 possible companions in Starfield, players will only be able to romance four of them; these being Sarah, Sam, Barret, and Andreja. As is often the case in love, it's generally better to pursue a relationship with these characters sooner rather than later, as waiting too long can make it impossible for love to blossom. There are also two missable companions; one of whom is tied to a certain Trait and the other a decision that players make in one of Starfield's main story missions.
How to Recruit Every Companion in Starfield
Companion Name | How to Recruit | Stats |
|---|---|---|
Vasco | Vasco becomes available as a companion after completing the One Small Step main story mission. | Aneutronic Fusion ★☆☆☆☆ Shield Systems ★★☆☆☆ EM Weapon Systems ★☆☆☆☆ |
Sarah Morgan | Sarah Morgan becomes available as a companion at the beginning of the The Old Neighborhood main story mission. | Astrodynamics ★★★★☆ Lasers ★★★☆☆ Leadership ★★☆☆☆ Botany ★☆☆☆☆ |
Sam Coe | Sam Coe becomes available as a companion at the beginning of the The Empty Nest main story mission. | Piloting ★★★★☆ Rifle Certification ★★★☆☆ Payloads ★★☆☆☆ Geology ★☆☆☆☆ |
Barrett | Barrett becomes available as a companion during the Back to Vectera main story mission. | Starship Engineering ★★★★☆ Particle Beam Weapon Systems ★★★☆☆ Robotics ★★☆☆☆ Gastronomy ★☆☆☆☆ |
Andreja | Andreja becomes available as a companion during the Into the Unknown main story mission. | Stealth ★★★★☆ Particle Beams ★★★☆☆ Energy Weapon Systems ★★☆☆☆ Theft ★☆☆☆☆ |
Rafael Aguerro | Rafael Aguerro becomes available as a companion after completing the Entangled main story mission, though only if players choose to save Rafael's version of reality. After saving Rafael, players will be able to recruit him by speaking with him at the Viewport in New Atlantis. | Outpost Engineering ★☆☆☆☆ Starship Engineering ★★☆☆☆ Outpost Management ★☆☆☆☆ |
Mathis Castillo | Mathis becomes available as a companion after completing the Legacy's End side quest, though only if players choose to side with the Crimson Fleet and refrain from telling Delgado about Mathis' indiscretions following the excursion to The Lock. After the mission ends, players will be able to recruit Mathis by speaking with him on The Key. | Weight Lifting ★☆☆☆☆ Ballistics ★☆☆☆☆ Incapacitation ★★☆☆☆ |
Autumn MacMillan | Autumn becomes available as a companion after completing the The Hammer Falls side quest. After the mission ends, players will be able to recruit Autumn by speaking with her back at the Red Mile. | Pistol Certification ★★☆☆☆ Botany ★☆☆☆☆ Sharpshooting ★☆☆☆☆ |
Major Hadrian Sanon | Hadrian becomes available as a companion after completing the A Legacy Forged side quest. After the mission ends, players will be able to recruit Hadrian by speaking with her at the TMO Headquarters on Mars, which is on the SOL star system. | Energy Weapon Dissipation ★☆☆☆☆ Pain Tollerance ★★☆☆☆ Xenosociology ★☆☆☆☆ |
Amelia Earheart | Players will be able to recruit a clone of Amelia Earheart after completing the Operation Starseed side quest. After doing so, they'll be able to find the legendary pilot at the Crucible. | Piloting ★★☆☆☆ Rifle Certification ★★☆☆☆ |
Heller | Players will be able to recruit Heller by returning to Vectera after triggering the The Empty Nest main story mission. | Geology ★☆☆☆☆ Outpost Engineering ★★★☆☆ |
Lin | Players will be able to recruit Lin by returning to Vectera after triggering the The Empty Nest main story mission. | Demolitions ★☆☆☆☆ Outpost Management ★★★☆☆ |
Moara Otero | Players will be able to hire Moara Otero after completing the The Old Neighborhood quest. To do so, they'll need to visit The Broken Spear in Cydonia, which can be found in the Sol star system. | EM Weapon Systems ★★☆☆☆ Marksmanship ★★☆☆☆ |
Jessamine Griffin | Players will be able to hire Jessamine Griffin by visiting the Last Nova on The Key, which can be found in the Kyx star system. This is Crimson Fleet territory, so it's best to head there after making in-roads with the faction via the Deep Cover side quest. Jessamine's fee is 18,000 Credits. | Theft ★☆☆☆☆ Ballistic Weapon Systems ★★★☆☆ Concealment ★☆☆☆☆ |
Andromeda Kepler | Players will be able to hire Andromeda Kepler by visiting The Broken Spear in Cydonia, which can be found in the Sol star system. Andromeda's fee is 12,000 Credits. | Outpost Engineering ★★☆☆☆ Piloting ★☆☆☆☆ Aneutronic Fusion ★☆☆☆☆ |
Gideon Aker | Players will be able to hire Gideon Aker by visiting The Viewport in New Atlantis, which Alpha Centauri star system. Gideon's fee is 16,500 Credits. | Ballistic Weapon Systems ★★☆☆☆ Missile Weapon Systems ★★☆☆☆ |
Marika Boros | Players will be able to hire Marika Boros by visiting The Viewport in New Atlantis, which Alpha Centauri star system. Marika's fee is 18,000 Credits. | Shotgun Certification ★☆☆☆☆ Ballistics ★★☆☆☆ Particle Beam Weapon System ★☆☆☆☆ |
Simeon Bankowski | Players will be able to hire Simeon Bankowski by visiting The Viewport in New Atlantis, which Alpha Centauri star system. Simeon's fee is 15,000 Credits. | Sharpshooting ★☆☆☆☆ Sniper Certification ★★☆☆☆ Marksmanship ★☆☆☆☆ |
Ezekiel | Players will be able to recruit Ezekiel by striking up a conversation with him at Aggie's bar in Akila City, which Cheyenne star system. | Scavenging ★☆☆☆☆ Energy Weapon Dissipation ★★☆☆☆ Shield Systems ★☆☆☆☆ |
Lyle Brewer | Players will be able to hire Lyle Brewer by visiting Aggie's bar in Akila City, which Cheyenne star system. Lyle's fee is 15,000 Credits. | Ballistic Weapon Systems ★★☆☆☆ Missile Weapon Systems ★★☆☆☆ |
Omari Hassan | Players will be able to hire Omari Hassan by visiting The Hitching Post in Akila City, which Cheyenne star system. Omari's fee is 15,000 Credits. | Shield Systems ★★★☆☆ Starship Engineering ★★☆☆☆ |
Rosie Tannehill | Players will be able to hire Rosie Tannehill by visiting The Hitching Post in Akila City, which Cheyenne star system. Rosie's fee is 15,000 Credits. | Medicine ★☆☆☆☆ Wellness ★★★☆☆ |
Dani Garcia | Players will be able to hire Dani Garcia by visiting Euphorika in Neon, which Volii star system. Dani's fee is 13,500 Credits. | Chemistry ★☆☆☆☆ Robotics ★★☆☆☆ Energy Weapon Systems ★☆☆☆☆ |
Mickey Caviar | Players will be able to hire Mickey Caviar by visiting The Astral Lounge in Neon, which Volii star system. Mickey's fee is 18,000 credits. | Gastronomy ★☆☆☆☆ Wellness ★★☆☆☆ Incapacitation ★☆☆☆☆ |
Sophia Grace | Players will be able to hire Sophia Grace by visiting Madame Sauvage’s Place in Neon, which Volii star system. Sophia's fee is 15,000 Credits. | Stealth ★★★☆☆ Lasers ★☆☆☆☆ |
Adoring Fan | The Adoring Fan will introduce themselves to players shortly after they arrive in New Atlantis for the first time and ask to join their crew, though only if they choose the Hero Worshipped Trait at the beginning of the game. | Scavenging ★☆☆☆☆ Concealment ★☆☆☆☆ Weight Lifting ★★☆☆☆ |
Warning: The following note contains minor story spoilers for Starfield.
Although it is possible to recruit all 26 companions in a single Starfield playthrough, there will come a point where players lose one of their companions permanently. Who this is will depend on a choice that players make during the High Price to Pay main story mission . To find out more, players can click the link above, though doing so will expose them to some fairly major story spoilers, so caution is advised.
Starfield Companion Tier List (Best Starfield Companions)
Stats can be important when trying to determine the best companions in Starfield, but so too can personalities. After all, players may well find themselves spending countless hours alongside these characters, so finding crew members who are fun to be around should be high on the player's to-do list. Speaking of lists, this Starfield companions tier list should help a lot in this regard, making it much easier for players to sort the best from the rest.
D-Tier
When it comes to companions, Starfield would arguably have been better off adopting a less is more type of philosophy. Sure, having lots of potential companions is great and all, but a large proportion of the ones found in Starfield just seem kind of pointless, with each offering very little in the way of personality or story significance. These include Moara, Jessamine, Andromeda, Gideon, Marika, Simeon, Lyle, Omari, Rosie, Dani, Mickey, and Sophia​​​​.
C-Tier
Rafael is one of the more interesting Starfield companions in that whether or not he can be recruited depends on a big decision made by the player. Years of solitude have taken their toll on him both physically and mentally, but this only makes him more interesting to talk to. Being able to recruit Heller and Lin is fun too in a full-circle kind of way, though it does feel as though the developers opted to hold back on all three characters a little due to their recruitment being entirely optional. Ezekiel is a bit of a douche, but he at least has character, which is more than can be said for a lot of the other Starfield companions, while Amelia serves more as an Easter egg than anything else, but serves as a welcome addition nonetheless.
B-Tier
Barrett is the first member of Constellation that players meet, yet somehow manages to be one of the least fleshed out. Granted, those who take the time to get to know Barrett will find him no less compelling than the others, but that initial incentive to scratch beneath the surface just won't really be there for a lot of players. The same could perhaps be said for Sarah, who despite standing front and center in much of Starfield's pre-release marketing materials, struggles to stack up when compared to some of her Constellation colleagues. Despite his treacherous ways, Mathis actually makes for a pretty cool companion, though most players will likely never find out due to how easy it is to miss out on him. The same can be said for Autumn and Hadrian, though they're thankfully a lot easier to recruit.
A-Tier
Cats and dogs may no longer be a thing in Starfield's universe, but at least there are still customizable robots for players to interact with. Despite not being human though, Vasco is teeming with personality, making him one of Starfield's best companions. Andreja, on the other hand, ends up being everything that players wanted from Sarah. She's an absolute badass with phenomenal combat skills who would feel just as at home in a James Bond movie as she does in Starfield​​​​​.
S-Tier
Prior to the release of Starfield, there were two archetypes that players were dying to live out: Space Pirate and Space Cowboy. For the former, there's the Space Scoundrel Background, while the latter offers up its very own companion in the form of Sam Coe. Carrying out Freestar Collective missions with Sam is an absolute blast, and the fact that his daughter Cora tags along for the ride is just an added bonus. Also riding alongside Sam in S-Tier is the Adoring Fan, who most will find to be downright hilarious rather than annoying. Even if fans do start to get tired of him they can just assign him to an outpost in some faraway star system, or get rid of him completely with the help of a few bullets.
Starfield is available now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.