Who's everyone's favorite hitchhiker(s)?

[Pebbles]

I have been loving this game, so I wanted to ask this fun question

I have two favorites:

Mechanically, it's The Hurricane: She only has two "negative" traits - Messy and Demanding (At level 1 and 3; she has no negative trait at level 2).
Messy means she leaves "trash" in your trunk, taking up space, but they can be easily discarded with just a few clicks. Some of them can be sold for very little money (but it adds up) and even be one-use glovebox items, which makes this "negative" trait not that negative at all.
Demanding makes you "always tired", which just translates to a permanent -1 to your max energy.....which is very manageable, especially when her level 3 positive trait - Shoplifting - allows you steal *any* one small item from *every* shop you come across - which can get you free glovebox items, money, CDs, books, coffee, food, etc. - which means you would never really run out of energy or any basic supplies.
(That being said, don't drink and drive, and don't do drugs kids)

Aesthetically and story-wise, it's the Runaway/Bride: I love her one-liner when asked where she's going: "Anywhere but a church." I love how she slowly opens up to you and takes off her wedding dress as you travel together. I love how she is implied to have classical/rich/sheltered backgrounds, which compelled her to see life for herself and "live a little". She is a damsel in distress, but she is also her own knight after she opens up her eyes and is ready to go home. The perfect road-trip-hitch-hike companion.

Comment below which ones are yours!

[NK SemTex]

Easily the Punk and his dog. Each of his skills are useful, and when you reach level 3 you get to use the dog's skills. The only downside is the punk's vegan lifestyle at level 3, which is negligible since there are a lot of other food. And if you want to get rid of him without losing the dog, you can just finish his quest and get the dog and its skills.

[JaySee17]

I feel like The Idiot is very strong. Their level 3 ability turns any X's in other skills to whatever the idiot is thinking of. So if you cycle their second ability until you get the wild/star it can turn all your X's into wilds making other abilities much stronger. The negative traits of taking extra damage while escaping and losing your interior decoration seem to be relatively minor as well. Overall my most useful hitchhiker.

[ZappyDoggo]

Originally posted by NK SemTex:

Easily the Punk and his dog. Each of his skills are useful, and when you reach level 3 you get to use the dog's skills. The only downside is the punk's vegan lifestyle at level 3, which is negligible since there are a lot of other food. And if you want to get rid of him without losing the dog, you can just finish his quest and get the dog and its skills.

Same here, he's a favorite.

I don't see the Vegan lifestyle as a 'downside' though. A lot of the meat-based foods are junkfood based, which you don't want to eat too many of or you'll get a negative trait that makes you need to eat more.
It's like the little girl's "good influence" trait. Healthy habits kinda stuff. Eat fruits and veggies, don't drink nor do drugs while driving.
Besides, I quickly learned that needing to eat more often is really devastating on the wallet... Stay away from junkfood!

[halfwaytopluto]

The punk easily, his abilities are insanely strong and if you don't finish his quest he still stays with you.

his dog is honestly kinda meh for it's abilities, they are all very weak and i've never had much of a use for them.

[EliteForceQc]

Hurricane for me

[Satrynx]

I agree with most of the sentiment here, but I want to give a shoutout to the convict and the sleeper. The convict's level two is real nice to get you all over the map really quickly. The sleeper is a personal favorite because I tend to max out the hiking skill tree which gives you the trait that makes shields eat threats. Just get 4 shield and sit back and enjoy the sights.

[Realm]

Sleeper since, like the last poster said, he's absolutely perfect for armour builds. Hiking's capstone trait and a couple of its skills, the right car upgrades and the Sleeper make absolutely any encounter a breeze.

Otherwise, I do like the Hiker and Suit for topping off my resources. They are absolute carries early on when you most need the resources that they offer, though the Suit scales substantially better imo since his 'negatives' aren't really debuffing me whatsoever unlike the Hiker. If I get the Suit and Sleeper I'm absolutely set for a run.

[kiki]

suit for sure, that free money comes in handy

[Saoto Mi]

The Bride is my personal favorite, something about being free while you keep driving... it's the perfect vibe. Shoutouts to The Convict and The Idiot too who also have good quests! The characters and how this game plays out give the feeling that there should be more to each of them, their stories, and/or how we interact with them. How it cuts short isn't bittersweet but at least makes the driving worthwhile.