Your Dog Can't Die

I really like Dogmeat so I'm glad he can't die. Companions are part of the game, it makes sense that they're immortal. I agree, we kind of get too attached to our pets sometimes.

 

I really like that they cannot die but I think that they will have to be very careful to make this work out in the game's lore - I think this would be the best word. Perhaps when you die it would be important to make the respawning process have a little extra thought.

 

I'm of two minds on this. I'm fine with companions not dying in general combat, because that teed me off in Fallout 3 and Skyrim. I hated putting hours and hours into developing a good followed only to have them get pegged by some random shmuck. That said, I would be cool with story situations where they could disappear permanently from your party, such as during a heroic sacrifice or a terrible choice or some such. A bit of fear for the people you love makes for a more compelling gaming experience.

The dog not being able to die brings the movie I Am Legend to mind. That movie was awesome up until the dog died. And the moment the dog died was one of the most emotional, poignant, and horrifying parts of the movie, and I don't think I would remove it. Point being, the death of a developed companion can add power to a story. (Granted, the movie sucked after the dog died, so... anyway...)

 

Yeah, its harsh, but it's a valuable lesson.

Oh that thing you like? It can end at any moment. Life ain't fair.

Just like To Kill A Mockingbird was a school book for me. Racism isn't a 14-year olds issue, is it?

/off-topic

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Far Cry 2 had a good companion system, in that you could include any of your allies in a mission or free-roam quest, but if they take too much damage, they get "downed".

Too many downs, and they will eventually stop responding to your attempts to save them.

I kept reloading a difficult mission save to try keep a certain ally alive. Alas, I'd bitten off way too much, they kept dying and using up all my medpacks.

It's a really touching moment when your character injects your ally, and they keep screaming in pain. So you inject more. And more. And more.

Then they stop moaning and you know you've lost something.

 

I like that you can lose your companion, makes the game more difficult. Hope they allow them to die on hard mode at least.

 

Hooray! I had so many times when I was running through the wasteland when my companions decided to run away and aggro an enemy, and then get brutally murdered by it. It was SUPER annoying, so I'm glad they made them immortal!

 

That's good for the dog companion. But I kinda wish there's a way that your human companions can die. I'm fine with them being immortal in combat, but like I wish there was a situation in the game where if you make a bad decision there's a chance they may die. Like the suicide missions in the Mass Effect series, you know what I mean? Characters become way more memorable if there's a chance for them to actually die, because you'll care more about them.

 

I agree with Kenneth. There's an effect there that is more special if they were able to die. But as far as the dog goes, that's awesome. The death of that strong of a companion is really sad.

 

I personally love the challenge of having to keep my companies alive, in my humble opinion they should've patched in some kind of fleeing mechanism that fires whenever a companion is in dire straits. Have the enemies target someone else with the companion running away. I know it's difficult to balance gameplay and realism, but I don't like seeing my companions drop unconscious all the time, with there being no penalty when the battle is over.

So yeah, seconding Typhon here, praying for a hardcore difficulty or some such.

 

I'm not really bothered too much since I normally prefer to travel alone, but if I must stick with someone, I would rather they don't die, at least on normal difficulty. If I'm doing a challenge run, then they should die when they take too much damage.

 

I'm happy he can't die, I would be extremely sad if I got attached and lost him. That said, if he was able to die it would add so much tension to the game, which would be interesting.

 

I'm happy about this because then I don't have to worry about protecting him during battles. I can just do what I want knowing he will be alright. Makes the game more enjoyable, but perhaps they should have given an option.

 

I think that's great. All perma-death does for me is to make me become a save-scummer, as I just wouldn't be able to live on without saying "WHO'S A GOOD BOY?" every time I pick a joystick

 

Finally they realized this and chose to incorporate this feature into their game. I always used mods that made my companions immortal in all of Bethesda`s games, so the fact that our companions cannot die in Fallout 4 is convenient.

 

I think there should've been an option selection. Just give people the choice so they can do what they prefer the most and there wouldn't be an argument about it.

 

That should have been a solution as well. Although I cannot really imagine anyone opting for the fact that their companion could die in battle. This is even more true, if you think about the fact that AI is not really perfect and you could loose your companion through really stupid circumstances.

 

I think it's a good change overall, given how your companion AI can be wonky at times, so you could lose him/her/it for no fault of your own. I really like Dogmeat so I'm glad that I won't get him killed by accident.

 

I agree, its a good change. Especially for the dog since it can run in melee at any time and its not particularly strong.