In today’s RPG landscape, romance is almost a required inclusion in any companion system. At some point, you will need to foster a relationship with your companions in order to reap the best rewards from them. The Commonwealth of Fallout 4 is no exception to this rule. The world may have ended, but people are still looking for love.

The Fallout 4 romance options aren’t limited to your companions in this game, but you do have plenty of options among them. Including some outliers, here are the romance options you’ll find after leaving Vault 111. We’ve gone ahead and ranked them for you, specifically by how useful their affinity bonuses can be. We've also offered a few thoughts on the quality of the characters themselves.

Updated November 30, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: To further emphasize that this list is more about how much a romanceable character's affections are worth from a pragmatic, gameplay-first, perspective, we have provided quick-read tables highlighting the exact bonuses you'll receive for your efforts.

10 Gilda Broscoe

Kicking this list off is a romance option that is not with a companion at all.

Gilda Broscoe was once a beautiful and famous actress before the Great War. Before the bombs dropped, Gilda paid for a place in the ultra-exclusive Vault 118 along with her love, Keith McKinney. The two became subjects in the Robobrain experiments, which led to their appearance in Fallout 4's Far Harbor DLC as robots.

During the quest Brain Dead, the player will encounter Gilda and can eventually flirt with her. If successful repeatedly, the player is able to take Gilda on a date which will result in the temporary perk Lover’s Embrace, which can typically only be obtained from sleeping in a bed with a romanced companion.

Flirting with, and even dating, Gilda Broscoe will not anger any of your companions. Yay, we guess?

9 Magnolia

Like Gilda Broscoe, Magnolia is not a companion. Also, like Gilda Broscoe, romancing Magnolia will grant you the Lover’s Embrace temporary perk. Unlike Gilda Broscoe, Magnolia is a synth, meaning she very much looks human. You encounter Magnolia in the town of Goodneighbor where she performs as a singer in The Third Rail.

Since Magnolia isn’t a companion, there aren’t many opportunities to build a relationship with her. If the player wants to romance her, they will have to pass a few Charisma checks based on her limited interactions at the bar. She’s definitely a step up from Gilda, but the lack of commitment keeps her below the companions on this list.

Magnolia's voice actress is none other than Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame!

8 Hancock

Speaking of Goodneighbor, the town’s ghoul mayor who you can recruit is another potential partner for romantic involvement. John Hancock is an odd sort who enjoys when you use chems, and when you act violently or generously. As with other companions, these actions are derived from his own nature.

Hancock is a fantastic companion for flavor. He’s an extremely aggressive ghoul with a perpetual chip on his shoulder and a heart of gold hidden deep down. Nevertheless, his companion perk doesn’t stack up with others, making an investment of time better spent elsewhere.

'Isodoped' won't come up in Merriam-Webster - it's a portmanteau of 'isotope' and 'doped'.

7 Cait

Hancock isn’t the only chem-addict companion available for romance. Cait is a former slave and cage fighter with a very upsetting background. She appreciates anything criminal, drinking hard liquor, and using chems.

Over time, bonding with her, some of Cait’s likes and dislikes take a pretty radical turn as she comes to terms with certain aspects of her history. She’s certainly an enjoyable companion, but maxing affinity with her needs a payoff, and her companion perk isn’t the best. It beats Hancock's, but there's not a lot of breathing room.

After completing Cait's companion quest, 'Benign Intervention', she'll no longer approve when she sees player characters using chems and stims. Just an FYI!

6 Piper

Moving on from chems, Piper is a reporter living in Diamond City with her sister Nat. The two publish a newspaper known as Publick Occurrences, which has a tendency to land Piper in trouble with Mayor McDonough and others. As a result, she is frequently threatened.

Piper really appreciates a mixture of the things the two previous companions do. She enjoys helping the innocent and lockpicking, but does not support stealing, lying, or feeding certain characters chems. To reach maximum affinity with Piper, you obtain the Gift of Gab perk. The earlier you get it, the better, as it allows you to accumulate a lot of extra experience points.

5 MacCready

Robert MacCready is a mercenary who you'll first encounter in the Capitol Wasteland of Fallout 3. He is a fantastic sniper who occasionally offers you ammo when being used as a traveling companion. MacCready enjoys asking for money on quests and most criminal activity. Given his affiliation with Goodneighbor, he does not condone any actions that cause hostilities there.

MacCready’s companion perk is immensely useful. Using this perk wisely can make you a much more effective sniper, and it doesn’t have a limited window of use like Gift of Gab.

4 Curie

Just when you thought you were done with robots, there's Curie. This optional companion can be recruited as a Nanny Bot if you access Vault 81 and retrieve the cure from her. Curie appreciates a wide berth of kindnesses and will eventually seek to be transferred into a synth body, which is how romance becomes an option.

For reaching a relationship with Curie, you'll be granted the Combat Medic perk. This is understandably powerful and is definitely worth building a relationship with Curie for.

3 Porter Gage

• Affinity Perk: Lessons In Blood – Gives the player 5% more experience per kill and +10 Damage Resistance.

Porter Gage is introduced in Fallout 4's Nuka-World DLC. He's a hardened raider who persuades the Sole Survivor to take on the role of the Overboss and bring glory back to the raiders of Nuka Town. He's a strong companion in combat and prefers to use his handmade rifle to take down enemies. To find him, head to the Fizztop Grille.

Given that he's one of the last companions to be added to the game, he's also among the toughest. Like a good raider, he'll appreciate similarly violent and harsh views on life. Due to being betrayed in the past, it will take a while for him to warm up to a romance. His affinity perk is a fantastic one to unlock, since it's so general that it applies to almost any character build.

2 Preston

Oh, Preston Garvey. If you have played 20 minutes of Fallout 4, you’re likely surprised to see Preston this high on the list. Just know that it’s certainly a bittersweet placement.

Preston is the leader, and sole remaining member, of the Minutemen. He offers plenty of insight early in the game and introduces you to the settlement system. Since the Minutemen ending of Fallout 4 is the only foolproof ending that you can’t possibly be locked out of, he gains some respect.

What really helps Preston is that his companion perk is very useful. Given that enemies in the Commonwealth tend to attack in groups, there’s plenty of value here.

1 Paladin Danse

Danse is a companion who isn’t accessible until relatively late in the game. Initially, he is only intermittently involved with you until certain events occur that cause him to question the nature of his existence. Until that point, Danse is the commander for Recon Squad Gladius.

Danse has some interesting story elements which make building affinity with him a relatively enjoyable experience. The biggest downside to this relationship is that Danse is very supportive of the Brotherhood of Steel. If you aren’t planning to join this faction, you might want to consider a different option. If you do build a relationship with Danse, you will unlock his companion perk, which offers bonus damage against Ghouls, Synths, and Super Mutants — three of the most common enemies you encounter.