Forum:Why am I so weak, but my companions are so strong?

Hey guys!

I was just wondering, I'm playing on Hard (+ Hardcore) and I was wondering why it takes me around 15+ shots in vats (actual hits) to take down any creature, where as my companions just destroy them in about 2 or 3 (Boone is pro, but ED-E does it as well)

I'm level 18 and I can barely kill anything if I didn't have my companions... Every item I just spam bullets at them, I tried Plasma rifle and it ends up that gun is more useless to me when I have 70+ energy weapons skilles than a cowboy repeater at lvl 35 guns.

Seriously, it's really not that fun when you're not dealing any damage at all and have to wait for your companions to destroy people.

Thanks, insideSiN. 60.228.202.238 14:26, January 23, 2011 (UTC)

That's strange. It could be a bug or you may just be playing the game as it is on both Hard and Hardcore. Anyway, try getting sneak attack criticals or find some really powerful weapons for the time being. CoD addict

I hope it's not a bug :| yeah, I sneak shoot all the bighorners fine but sneaking simply doesn't work when you're indoors and you're always at "caution".124.187.87.170 23:43, January 23, 2011 (UTC)

The companions are overly strong, I think. First character was super-powerful and a jack-of-all-trades and didn't use companions and could tear through a million legionaries. My second and third characters were focused mainly on science and gunning but they were torn apart by everything without the use of companions (and after Dead Money, the Holorifle). Ranger Sarina 01:13, January 24, 2011 (UTC)

Does anyone know how to actually deal damage without having your companion deal it all? Like, shouldn't plasma rifle be able to kill the average fiend/legionaire? - Inside Sin 121.222.42.153 06:51, January 24, 2011 (UTC)

I think it is a bug. I play on hardcore and hard myself and with the plasma rifle i can easily bring down most foes in a few shots. Your companions are very powerfull, but i don't see how you can use several shots to take down a creature with the plasma rifle. I travel with Boone on this playthrough and i must say we do about 50/50 of the work

I think it's a bug too, a new bug, because my Multiplas Rifle is no longer bowling over Legionaries with a sneak attack. My fully modded Laser Rifle still works though, and that's kinda weird if you ask me because it's supposed to be a far less powerful weapon. This play through I have Energy weapons at 100 and Guns at 75 so I've reverted to a fully modded Sniper Rifle with AP ammo for sneak attacks. As far as companions doing all the work, remaining in sneak mode and targeting the enemies your companions are attacking helps some but they can be a right pain in the backside when your Charisma is around 5 or 6. I tend to park them somewhere (have them wait) when I'm on covert ops. :-) P3dantic 19:38, January 31, 2011 (UTC)

As for your problem, I have no idea. Are you SURE you have ok skills? maybe your gun quality is low? But as for your companions, they will always do a ton of damage. I play on Hard with Hardcore as well, you generally dont do that much damage on the higher level monsters and people unless you have a more powerful weapon(you may want to just use unique weapons) --Blakebutters 04:16, February 1, 2011 (UTC)

Why they are a pain with 5 or 6 charisma, just to known P3dantic? I have 7 and my companions kick ass hard. Also, I really recommend the Q-35, is so much better than the plasma rifle. But I think too it's a bug, my current build is focused in weapons - is a dumb courier, 3 intelligence after the implant -, with 75 points in guns and I put down pretty much anything before me with This Machine. Veronica is with me carrying the Q-35/Pushy and we are seriouslly "raping the Mojave". LOL I don't have any trouble killing something by myself also, I cleanned Quarry Junction on level 18 with This Machine + AP ammo with Veronica + Q-35 (and sometimes having to resort on the good Knock-Knock). In fact, even with 7 charisma I have to save my companions asses sometimes. :) Brfritos 04:19, February 2, 2011 (UTC)

answer lol
Gameplay mechanics here... increasing the difficulty increases damage dealt on you and decreases the damage you do on NPc's. Because your companions arent human players, their health increases as well, and the damage they do. This literally makes your companions' effectiveness not change over difficulty levels. However, this does make YOU less effective! Playing on higher difficulties makes you way weaker than buddies by default. I believe the precise amount that damage is multiplied by is:


 * Your damage = 0.3x (pretty much makes you have 3 times less health, really)
 * Non-human player damage = 3x
 * Non-human player health = 3x

So really, if you played on easy or very easy, your xompanions would seem very weak ompared to you :) (by the way, very hard turns the multipliers to 6x, fun, huh?) Extremofire 04:36, February 2, 2011 (UTC)

edit: you know, starting FO3 or FNV on any hard level is soooo hard it just ends up pissing me off than giving me a good challenge. You do end up wasting a ton of ammo. companions are supposed to be tanks compared to you anyway, which is why in New Vegas, Bethesda Studios put in the little thingy where kills your buddies get give you eperience. Too many people were complaining that companions stole kills. I wait till later in the game to tweak the diffiulty, once i have amassed guns strong enough to surpass my buddies' power in anyway, i tweak it to very hard. :)

Hi there Brfritos. Good to see you're still playing devilishly and deviously like me - LOL. IMO Companions are a pain at 5 or 6 Charisma (and above) because their nerve is increased by Charisma and they just charge at any enemy with gay abandon and no fear - even though you likely told them to be passive. That's what I meant by being a pain! (Erm... I can't log in for some reason but it's moi P3dantic just so you know :-)

-- gaaaaaah, it's still really bad but I stole the plasma caster and my energy weapons are nearly 100, so I hope I can last a few good kills fast with this weapon.

I don't think its a bug, but my plasma rifle was dealing like less than 35 DPS at lvl 80ish Energy weapons, is that good?

Inside Sin 60.226.138.177 11:39, February 3, 2011 (UTC)