Fallout : New Vegas companions Permanent companions . It is possible to have up to two legitimately acquired companions in the party ( one humanoid and one non - humanoid ) . All permanent companions have a unique quest line that can be followed in order to " upgrade " them ; usually giving them new armor or new perks . " Dead Money " companions . These companions are only available while playing the " Dead Money " , they are only temporary and will not follow the Courier around as standard companions do : " Honest Hearts " companions . These companions are only available while playing the " Honest Hearts " , they are only temporary and will not follow the Courier around as standard companions do : Temporary followers . Temporary followers are NPCs that can accompany the player character during quests , or they might even offer their support only for a limited time or within a certain area . Unlike permanent companions , temporary companions do not use the companion wheel , do not heal automatically , and with the exception of deputy Beagle , do not have an option to exchange equipment . Notes . Nerve . Each companion also has a special attribute referred to in the game as " Nerve " . Nerve boosts the damage and Damage Threshold of each companion by 5 % for each point of Charisma a character has . So Nerve grants a total bonus of + 50 % damage and damage threshold to companions with 10 Charisma and only + 5 % to both at 1 Charisma . A player character with a starting Charisma of 1 can boost their companion ' s nerve to the maximum by use of an Empathy Synthesizer , Intense Training , Party Time Mentats ( + 5 ) , high Survival ( so that alcohol adds + 3 Charisma ) , or stacking with another type of alcohol . Because Nerve only affects DT and damage , companion quests that bestow other bonuses upon completion ( such as movement speed ) are potentially less effective for those with high Charisma . Weapons and armor . Weapons . All permanent companions ' default weapons have unlimited ammunition . If equipping followers with a better weapon , ( DPS is checked ) add ammunition and check its count from time to time - they seem to hold on to the new weapon when out of ammunition or switch to melee instead . Armor . Permanent humanoid companions can wear and / or carry all types of clothing that is not associated with any faction . They can also wear all types of armor and power armor that is not related to a faction , even without having the Power Armor Training perk . They only change gear if they are given gear that has a better Damage Threshold than their own outfits . This may not always hold true , however ; giving multiple copies of the same outfit to a companion may result in them equipping an inferior copy , despite the difference in DT . Companions will refuse to wear or even " carry " faction - specific apparel , except apparel corresponding to their own faction . Giving invalid faction apparel to a companion will result in that companion immediately dropping the item ( see Bugs for errors that occur with this ) ; it is not returned , but must be picked up from the ground . This also applies to non - human companions who cannot wear armor , i . e . Lily Bowen , , and ED - E . Only Boone and Veronica are able to carry or wear faction apparel . As a former member of NCR 1st Recon , Craig Boone will carry or wear any NCR faction apparel . Veronica , as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel , will wear Brotherhood power armor . She will also accept apparel specific to the White Glove Society , and giving her the items White Glove Society attire or , will result in her teaching the unarmed move Scribe Counter . She will not wear these items , however , because their DT is inferior to her default clothing . Behind the scenes . Several remaining resources point to the game having at one point allowing the ability to have multiple humanoid companions . Primarily , this is found in disabled dialogue options , such as a conversation with Mortimer , where the Courier would have needed to specify which of their human companions they were offering to Mortimer .