Wasteland 3: Companion recruitment guide

Your adventures in Wasteland 3 will lead you to meet new companions. These recruits will become part of Team November’s Ranger squad. Here’s our guide to help you out.

Note: For more information, check our Wasteland 3 guides and features hub.

Wasteland 3: Recruiting your new companions

For reference, I’ve split up the guide into multiple parts to detail the different kinds of companions/recruits you’ll find during your Wasteland 3 playthrough. For this section, you can check the unique player-controlled recruits. Bear in mind that there will be minor spoilers as to how/when you’ll encounter them.

You can also check the additional pages for related content:

• Custom Rangers
• Unique AI-controlled companions

Player-controlled recruits

Note 1: The stat allocations are based on their levels once they joined my squad. Things might be different depending on your progress in Wasteland 3‘s campaign.

Note 2: Unlike the previous game, Wasteland 3 does not have a “total charisma check” when attempting to recruit characters.

Marshal Kwon

He’s the first unique character you can recruit in Wasteland 3. You’ll be able to do this once you’ve taken control of Ranger HQ.

Your weapon focus will primarily be assault rifles. Plus, since Kwon starts with Sneaky Shit and Kiss Ass, you won’t need to pick these for your custom Rangers.

Note: Kwon is a “good” character who’ll leave your squad or become hostile if you commit dastardly acts such as killing civilians.

Lucia Wesson

You’ll find this young lady in the Sheriff’s Office in Downtown Colorado Springs. Her family has been kidnapped, and the sheriff wants you to take her to the Garden of the Gods to find out what may have happened.

You can prioritize pistols/revolvers and shotguns when using Lucia. Her low Coordination/AP, however, leaves a lot to be desired until you’ve leveled her a bit.

Note: Lucia is a “good” character who’ll leave your squad or become hostile if you commit dastardly acts such as killing civilians.

Jodie Bell

Technically, Jodie Bell is the first unique recruit you’ll meet in Wasteland 3. You can rescue her while she’s being held at gunpoint in the Ambush Site level. Then, you’ll need to use First Aid 1 or give her some meds to ensure that she survives. Because she’s still recuperating, she’ll only join your squad after you’re done with the Garden of the Gods main quest.

Jodie is a sniper with decent skill choices. Unfortunately, one of my main custom rangers happens to be a sniper already — and I tend to customize the sniper “class” more than others to help breeze through the game.

Scotchmo

Everyone’s favorite drunkard returns in Wasteland 3. You’ll find Scotchmo in Ranger HQ’s mess hall once you’ve handled the refugee problem in The Bizarre.

Personally, I don’t like his stat distribution. By the time I got him, I had already leveled-up Lucia and Kwon who had some overlap with the skill picks.

Note: You’ll also find Scotchmo lounging around in Union Station for some reason.

Ironclad Cordite

This tough-as-nails warrior loves to get into the thick of the fray thanks to his shotgun-arm weapon. Ironclad Cordite also starts with the Cyborg Tech perk unlocked which means you can equip him with certain accessories (like the Optilaser 9000) that require the perk.

You’ll find Ironclad Cordite in the Old Survivalist Bunker in Broadmoor Heights. You’ll learn about this location when a mysterious character contacts you after handling the refugee problem in The Bizarre. He also plays a major role at the end of Wasteland 3‘s campaign since having him around can drastically alter how you approach the penultimate level’s quests.

Fishlips

Fishlips is the leader of the Hard-Heads gang, a bunch of dudes and dudettes ransacking Union Station. You have the option to avoid hostilities with his group. However, if you decide to fight him and bring him down to low health, he’ll admit that “you’re the boss.”

It’s Ironclad Cordite vs. Fishlips when it comes to Wasteland 3‘s melee-focused recruits. The difference is that Cordite has Brawler (which has an awesome rank 10 perk), a shotgun-arm blast special, and he’s integral to the plot. Fishlips, in my game, was just the guy who did the armor modding from time to time before getting shelved.

Victory Buchanan

Victory Buchanan is the insane son of the Patriarch. He’s murdered and terrorized countless people in Aspen, and you’re bound to face him once you go to that location. Funnily enough, he also asks to join Team November. Yes, he’s that insane, and you can accept his request.

Vic’s stat line is a bit weird since it’s pistols/revolvers and machine guns/flamethrowers for him, and I’m not the type who likes to focus on two different kinds of ranged weapons. At the very least, you do get a few unique reactions from various characters in Wasteland 3. But, that’s about it.

Pizepi Joren

Like Scotchmo, Pizepi Joren is also a returning character from Wasteland 2. She’s now a proud member of the Desert Rangers and she offers to join the team once you reach Aspen/Little Hell (almost immediately after meeting Vic).

Pizepi’s skill picks are decent since there’s an obvious focus on “tech” stuff. The only downside was that I got her very late in my playthrough that my “tech” Ranger had already eclipsed her.

Next up, let’s take a look at the generic Ranger characters that you can recruit in Wasteland 3.