All Starfield companions, crew members, and how to recruit them

All Starfield companions, crew members, and how to recruit them

Time Stamp: September 12, 2023 3:58 PM

Starfield is all about making friends — and immediately putting them in grave danger. On your adventures across the galaxy, you’ll come across a rogue’s gallery of potential companions and crew members.

The breadth of companions and crew members is one of the true delights of Starfield, and means that everyone’s playthrough will be a little bit different, depending on who’s rolling with whom.

In this Starfield guide, we’ll walk you through how the game’s companions work, how to recruit companions, the difference between crew members and companions, and how to recruit crew members.

How companions work in Starfield, and how many companions are there?

Companions in Starfield are characters who follow you around. They’ll automatically help you out in combat if you get into a scrape, and most companions will even hold onto some of your stuff if you need extra room in your inventory.

Different kinds of companions

Not all companions function the same way, so we’ve broken them up into four broad categories:

  • Constellation companions
  • Optional companions
  • Hireable companions
  • Crew members

We’ll break down how these companion types differ from each other below, and give you a few character examples.

How many companions are there in Starfield?

While we know there are more than 20 unique companions to pick from in Starfield, it’s not entirely clear what the exact number is. It seems likely that Starfield has upward of 25 different voiced companions, although, given the branching paths you can get in the narrative, it’s likely impossible to recruit every one of them.

Who are the best companions in Starfield?

Each companion comes with predetermined skills, and some come with more than others. The Constellation companions are going to be the best companions in most playthroughs, as they both tie into the narrative more, have more voiced dialogue (which can help you in certain Persuasion conversations), and come with three skills (rather than the two you get with most hired companions). Of the five, Sam Coe, Andreja, and Vasco are the three best to bring into combat scenarios.

If you want to roll with someone who isn’t in Constellation, you’re best off picking someone with three skills instead of two — more bang for your buck. Optional companions like Ezekiel, Marika Boros, and the Adoring Fan are great to explore with thanks to their wide array of skills.

Can your companions permanently die?

Outside of one narrative exception, we have not seen a companion die permanently, however we have seen them go down in combat.

The deal here seems to be that companions can fall onto the ground semi-unconscious (they crawl around in a “down-but-not-out” state), and you can revive them. If combat ends, or enough time has lapsed, they can pick themselves back up.

But even if you shoot your own companion over and over (on accident or, uh, for science) you can’t permanently remove them from your game. The only way a companion can die is for that aforementioned narrative reason, which we’ll let you look up at your own risk.

Constellation companions

Starfield’s Constellation companions are the big five. These are fully fleshed out companions and, more than likely, are the ones you’re going to roll with for most of the game. These characters are also where Starfield’s romance options are — with everyone bar Vasco available for relationships.

You’ll gather all five Constellation team members over the course of the main story and they’ll have a lot to say about events in Starfield’s world if you decide to talk to them. (And you want to talk to them, otherwise they’ll constantly badger you to talk to them.)

Vasco

Vasco talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Vasco is your extremely cool robot companion, and is the first character you’ll go adventuring with during the “One Small Step” mission. He specializes in helping out on your ship.

Barrett

Barrett smiles at the camera in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Barrett is the first member of Constellation you’ll meet, but you won’t be able to officially recruit him until the “Back to Vectera” mission, which is early on in the campaign. He specializes in helping out on your ship.

Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Sarah is the leader of Constellation, and she’ll be your first human companion when you meet her at the end of the “One Small Step” mission. She specializes in using laser weapons.

Andreja

Andreja talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Andreja is a Constellation member that you’ll meet during the “Into the Unknown” quest, when Vladimir sends you to look for her. She specializes in stealth.

Sam Coe

Sam Coe chats with the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

You’ll meet Sam Coe and his delightful daughter Cora during “The Empty Nest,” early on in Starfield’s main campaign. He specializes in rifles and having the same voice as Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s Adam Jensen. (That last one isn’t on his character sheet, but it should be.)

Optional companions

Optional companions are fleshed-out characters who you can recruit as part of missions. You don’t need these characters to come with you, and they won’t factor into your story. But if you’re building up a network of outposts, you’ll want to staff it with these helpful folks.

It’s worth mentioning that these characters can also come with you as you adventure around space. They can even assist in combat. Just don’t expect them to respond to things happening in your quests the way the Constellation members do.

Here are just a few examples of optional companions, all of whom you can encounter on the main quest:

Moara Otero

Moara talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Moara is a character you’ll rescue during “The Old Neighborhood,” Starfield’s second mission. You can find him in the Broken Spear bar in Cydonia. He’ll join your crew if you ask him. He specializes in marksmanship and some ship weapon systems.

Lin

Lin looks at the camera in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

You can return to Supervisor Lin — your boss when you first start the game — during the “Back to Vectera” mission. She specializes in outpost management.

Heller

Heller talks tot he player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Heller is your absolute dumbass of a co-worker on Vectera, and Lin’s loyal sidekick. You can also recruit him during “Back to Vectera.” He specializes in being an outpost engineer.

Rafael

Rafael talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Rafael is a character you won’t meet until the “Entangled” mission, many hours into the main quest. If you choose to side with him (a decision that will make sense when you get there), he’ll say he needs a break but will eventually join you as an engineer if you ask.

Adoring Fan

The Adoring Fan talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

The Adoring Fan is an optional “companion” you can only get if you take the Hero Worshipped trait when making your character. If you do, this absolute weirdo will follow you around and help you out — whether you want it or not. He specializes in stealth, scavenging, and carrying your stuff for you.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel, voiced by Matt Mercer, stares into the camera Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Ezekiel is a bit of an odd one on this list — and not just because of his less-than-charming personality. No, Ezekiel acts like a hireable companion (you find him in a bar) but he’ll join your crew for free if you just strike up a conversation with him. You can find him in Akila City on Akila, on the left side of town (if you’re looking from the entrance) in a seedy bar called Aggie’s. He’s an expert in scavenging, energy weapon dissipation, and ship shields.

Ezekiel is also voiced by legendary voice actor Matt Mercer. If you’re a fan of Critical Role, maybe make a pitstop in Aggie’s during “The Empty Nest.”

Hireable companions

Hireable companions are a little different than the story-based companions, and split the difference between an optional companion and a crew member (we’ll get to them in a bit).

You’ll need to recruit these companions from the local watering hole and pay them a heap of Credits via a one-time transaction (you can also talk most of them down from their asking price with Persuade). But once you’ve bought their loyalty, they’ll join your crew or outpost, and can even adventure alongside you and chat. Each of them has their own name and personality — some of which are easier to stomach than others.

We’ve found hireable companions at seven local bars:

  • Astral Lounge, Neon
  • Euphorika, Neon
  • Madame Sauvage’s Place, Neon
  • The Viewport, New Atlantis
  • The Hitching Post, Akila
  • Aggie’s Bar, Akila
  • Broken Spear, Cydonia

Mickey Caviar

Mickey Caviar talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Mickey Caviar is a chef and quite a character (with quite the haircut). You can find him in the Astral Lounge on Neon. He specializes in food and health skills. You can hire him for 9,000 Credits.

Dani Garcia drinking a beer in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Dani Garcia is all about robots. You can find her in Euphorika, a bar in the Ebbside neighborhood of Neon. She specializes in chemistry, robotics, and energy weapon systems for your ship, and will cost you 16,500 Credits to recruit.

Sophie Grace

You can find Sophie Grace in a bar called Madame Sauvage’s Place in Neon, which is just past the Ebbside door directly behind you when you load into the city. She specializes in stealth and laser skills. You can recruit her for 13,500 Credits.

Rosie Tannehill

Rosie Tannehill talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Rosie Tannehill is a doctor. You can find her in The Hitching Post in Akila. She specializes in healing and health skills. You can recruit her for 12,000 Credits.

Omari Hassan

Omari Hassan talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Omari Hassan is a spaceship engineer. You can find him in The Hitching Post in Akila City. He specializes in your ship’s shield system and ship engineering. You can hire him for 16,500 Credits.

Lyle Brewer

Lyle Brewer stares into the camera in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Lyle Brewer is talented with a shotgun. You can find him in Aggie’s Bar in Akila City. He specializes in shotgun combat, particle beams, and xenosociology. You can add him to your crew for 15,000 Credits.

Gideon Aker

Gideon talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Gideon Aker is a missile guy. You can recruit him in The Viewport in New Atlantis. He specializes in running your ship’s weapon systems. You can hire him for 12,000 Credits.

Simeon Bankowski

Simeon talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Simeon Bankowski is a sniper. You can recruit him in The Viewport in New Atlantis. He specializes in dealing damage from afar with sharpshooting skills. You can hire him for 15,000 Credits.

Marika Boros

Marika talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Marika Boros is a close-quarters combat specialist. You can recruit her in The Viewport in New Atlantis. She specializes in all things bullets, including shotguns. You can hire her for 16,500 Credits.

Andromeda Kepler

Andromeda talks to the player in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Andromeda Kepler is an engineer. You can recruit her in the Broken Spear bar in Cydonia. She specializes in outpost engineering and piloting. You can hire her for 15,000 Credits.

Crew members

The crew sheet lists crew members in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

Crew members function a bit differently than companions, as they are more of a set of skills than a personality — they don’t even have names. Crew members, like hireable companions, cost credits to recruit, and they can be very expensive depending on how many skills they have.

Like hireable companions, hiring crew is a one-time fee.

Where and how to hire crew

The player talks to an Outpost Management Specialist in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

You can find crew members to hire in some of the game’s major hub cities — the same places you can find the named hireable companions. Neon, for example, has a host of goobers you can find in the Astral Lounge, over in the corner by the bar — each more expensive than the last. We’ve also found one or two at The Viewport in the New Atlantis Spaceport and Broken Spear in Cydonia.

Because these crew members are randomized, we can’t tell you where to find someone with a specific set of skills. Just keep your eyes peeled and your pocket flush with Credits for when you find that perfect employee.

Random crew member examples

The player talks to a potential crew mate in Starfield Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon

You can tell someone is a potential crew member because they have a title that’s different from “citizen,” and because when you talk to them you can see their skills in the top right of your screen.

Here are some examples of crew members you can recruit in Starfield.

  • Defense System Specialist — Specializes in Ship Systems; 7,000 credits
  • Propulsion Specialist — Specializes in Piloting; 7,500 credits.
  • Missile Weapons Specialist — Specializes in Missile Weapon Systems; 6,000 Credits
  • Payload Specialist — Specializes in Payloads, 6,500

If you hire any of these people, they’ll join your crew roster like anyone else, and you can assign them to your ship or an outpost at your leisure.

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