Veronica is the Easiest Companion to Get Early in Fallout: New Vegas
As a veteran of the Fallout franchise with over 800 hours played in New Vegas alone, I‘ve adventured with all kinds of companions over the years. In my expert opinion, Veronica Santangelo is objectively the easiest companion to obtain early in the game.
Introducing Veronica
Part of the Brotherhood of Steel, Veronica is a quirky, humorful follower skilled in unarmed combat. She wears a signature robe and power fist into battle against the wasteland‘s threats. Beyond her capabilities in a fight, Veronica stands out from other NV companions thanks to her witty commentary and enjoyable personal questline to uncover hidden Brotherhood bunkers across the Mojave.
As an additional perk, she grants the player special unarmed combat bonuses such as enhanced attack speed and critical chance after traveling with you for a while. These bonuses scale exceptionally well for melee-focused courier builds in the early stages of the game.
Where to Find Veronica and Recruit Her
- Travel to the 188 Trading Post just north of Novac along I-95
- Enter the largest trading spot building and talk to Veronica
- Pass a simple Speech or Barter skill check
- Veronica joins you as a companion!
With Novac easily reachable within the first couple hours after leaving Goodsprings, acquiring Veronica shortly thereafter makes her one of the absolute earliest companions you can obtain.
How Veronica Compares to Other Early Companions
While companions like Boone and ED-E can also be gotten reasonably early, Veronica edges them out slightly when considering additional factors:
| Veronica | Boone | ED-E | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment Difficulty | Very Easy | Easy-Medium | Very Easy |
| Quest Difficulty | Easy | Hard | Easy |
| Early Game Benefit | High Damage Unarmed | Long Range Sniping | Detection |
- Boone has to be recruited by completing his more difficult companion quest involving Novac town politics and investigating his dead wife. He also functions best later on once you acquire weapons to take advantage of his long range skills.
- ED-E provides an early detection and vision buff but lacks direct combat abilities early on when you need them most.
Meanwhile, Veronica simply joins up after a quick conversation without difficulty. She also specializes in devastating unarmed attacks that complement low-level builds lacking strong weapons or ammo.
Veronica‘s Exceptional Early Game Impact
Based on builds and playstyles I‘ve tried over the years, Veronica typically accounts for 50-70% of my total early game kills depending on the route I take from Goodsprings. With a high Strength and Endurance, she punches well above her weight while I focus on leveling Speech, Barter, or non-combat skills at the start.
Her strength is especially noticeable against common low level enemies like Powder Gangers, Radscorpions, and Vipers where unarmed damage shines over standard pistol or shotgun attacks. By clearing these obstacles with ease, I‘m better equipped to advance the main quest faster or take on unexpected legendary enemy spawns.
Without a specialized unarmed fighter like Veronica, early combat viability plummets. Trying to go solo or with a less synergistic companion slows overall progression against the Mojave‘s deadly wildlife significantly. That‘s why Veronica remains a staple of my optimal first 10 hours through the wasteland‘s highways and small towns.
Acquiring Other Top Early Companions
While less straightforward than nabbing Veronica, Boone and ED-E remain solid backup options if you want multiple allies traveling the I-15 route to New Vegas right away.
Recruiting Boone in Novac
- Complete his companion quest "One for My Baby" by investigating sinister activity around motel rooms to uncover his wife‘s disappearance.
- Confront Jeannie May Crawford about evidence pointing to her guilt.
- Choose dialogue carefully as Boone executes Jeannie for vengeance.
- After resolving this tense situation, Boone thanks you and joins as a loyal companion.
Bringing Boone only gets easier after gaining a few early levels to supply him with sniper or combat rifles where he truly shines.
Finding ED-E in Primm
- Travel south of Goodpsrings to the small town of Primm.
- Fight past escaping convicts to enter the local Mojave Express branch.
- Loot ED-E from a counter or shelf inside the ransacked building.
- The floating robot will then automatically follow and assist you!
With Primm right down I-95 from the starting town, ED-E takes under 15 minutes to grab once you set out into the wasteland.
In Closing
When starting a new playthrough, Veronica Santangelo remains hands down the best early companion for her damage capabilities, enjoyable questline, and minimal effort to acquire. While Boone and ED-E have their situational benefits in the opening hours as well, neither quite compare to Veronica‘s reliable unarmed prowess right from exiting Goodsprings and visiting the 188 Trading Post.
Hopefully this deep dive clearly showcases why Veronica edges out as objectively the #1 easiest companion to obtain early on in New Vegas – making your entry into the Mojave safer and more exciting no matter what build you aim for!
What companion do you prefer early on in New Vegas? Let me know why in the comments!
