NPC allies

on
NPC allies

Jan - Jan used to work as a caravan guard, but he was wounded in the leg and settled in Shady Sands. He lives in the building east of the village entrance. He can be hired for 100 caps. With high Charisma, he may join you for free; the chances of this happening are increased if you express sympathy for his injury in conversation. Upon entering certain locations, he will provide some information about them, reflecting his caravanner past. Jan will attack if you are declared an enemy in Shady Sands and speak with him after dismissing him from the party.

He's an excellent fighter, especially if you give him a .223 pistol. The only downside is that if you find yourself in the line of fire between him and an enemy, he'll unleash a burst of fire into your back without a second thought. According to the Fallout 2 guide , he died from a bandit's bullet in the Necropolis.
  • Location: Shady Sands
  • Health: 50
  • Armor: Leather jacket
  • Skills: Small weapons 85%, Melee 90%, Melee weapons 85%, Throwing 51%.
  • Experience for hiring: 100
  • Uses: A knife, a pistol, a submachine gun. Give him a 10mm SMG early in the game and a .223 pistol as soon as you get it. Yan also likes the Power Fist.


Tycho is a member of the renowned Desert Rangers organization, familiar to veteran Wasteland players. He can be found in the Scum Pitt bar. Tycho has the best combat stats of any NPC ally, making recruiting him a must-have for any visit to Junktown. Incidentally, he'll fight on their side if you attack the townspeople without recruiting him.
  • Location: Junktown
  • Health: 60
  • Armor: Leather jacket
  • Skills: Small weapons 65%, Melee 80%, Melee weapons 85%, Throwing 50%.
  • Experience for hiring: 0
  • Uses: Spear, pistols, rifles. When you arrive at the Hub, give him a sniper rifle. He prefers a combat shotgun, but it's inferior—it rarely fires in bursts, and his AP pool is only enough for one standard shot per turn. Another interesting option is to give him a Red Ryder LE BB, which allows him to fire twice per turn, almost never reloading (compare the 5 rounds in a sniper rifle with the 100 in a Red Ryder LE BB). This compensates for the lower damage per bullet than the sniper rifle.


Dogmeat - Dogmeat's old owner passed away, and the poor dog has found nothing better to do than terrorize Phil, who lives across from Gizmo's Casino. Because of the cursed dog, the poor guy simply can't get home. 

You can simply kill the dog, but if you feed him or show him a leather jacket (his former owner wore the same), you'll gain a loyal friend who knows no mercy and has no inventory. 

You can't talk to Dogmeat, which means you can't make him wait at a distance while you dive into the thick of things. This is usually his undoing. Regardless, he's the most unusual NPC ally in the game. 

According to the Fallout 2 manual, Dogmeat selflessly defended his owner and was ultimately fried by force fields at the Military Base.
  • Location: Junktown
  • Health: 50
  • Armor: equivalent to a leather jacket
  • Skills: Hand-to-hand 91%.
  • Experience for hiring: 100
  • Uses: teeth


Katya is a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Recruiting her is easy, but there's little point—except for her dubious talent for lockpicking. She's a fairly mediocre fighter, and given her late appearance in the game, she's practically useless. She'll fight on their side if you attack the townspeople without recruiting her.
  • Location: Boneyard
  • Health: 39
  • Armor: It looks like a leather jacket, but its characteristics correspond to combat armor.
  • Skills: Small weapons 80%, Melee 120%, Melee weapons 110%, Throwing 110%.
  • Experience for hiring: 200
  • Uses: Knife, Spear, SMG, Ripper, Power Fist, Throwing Knives.


Tandi, the daughter of Shady Sands village leader Aradesh, is kidnapped by members of the Khan gang and will one day become the president of the NCR. After her release, she will follow you around like a dog—you won't even be able to talk. Theoretically, she should be immediately returned to her loving father—but in practice, she can travel with you throughout the Wasteland. However, she's a weak fighter.
  • Location: Khans' Camp
  • Health: 35
  • Armor: No
  • Skills: Small weapons 42%, Melee 101%, Melee weapons 81%, Throwing 47%.
  • Uses: knife, submachine gun, ripper, power fist.


Followers of the Apocalypse - If you ask the Followers of the Apocalypse leader, Nicole, to support the attack on the Cathedral, she'll send these four. While relatively weak, they're excellent at drawing the Nightkin's fire and fulfilling their supporting role admirably.
  • Location: Cathedral
  • Number of people: 5
  • Health: 30, 25, 30, 60
  • Experience for hiring: 0
  • Used by: 3 spears and 1 "Ripper"


Brotherhood of Steel Paladins - At the Brotherhood of Steel Elders' meeting, you can ask Maxson to assist you in your attack on the Military Base. The Brotherhood patrol will only help clear the entrance to the Base, but will not enter. Their use is recommended only for those too weak to handle four super mutants on their own or who want to see the Brotherhood of Steel's military might in all its glory.

However, those of the former category can always reduce the number of mutants to one using the radio. So the Paladins' benefit is purely aesthetic. And 1500 experience is not easy to come by—though by this point in the game, it's no longer relevant.
  • Location: Military Base
  • Number of people: 3
  • Health: 65, 65, 65
  • Experience for hiring: 1500
  • Uses: minigun, Gatling laser, and rocket launcher

See also:
Fallout 2: Character Traits
Fallout 2: Secondary Stats
SPECIAL (Characteristics)