How do companion perks work?

[Desmond]

Do I need to have the companion with me or do I have to bump butts?

[MV75]

They're always on no matter what, except you need curie with you for hers to work, not that it ever seems to anyway.

[Desmond]

Originally posted by MV75:

They're always on no matter what, except you need curie with you for hers to work, not that it ever seems to anyway.

So I just need to get them or do I need to impress them enough before it starts working?

[owen8964]

I assume you know you have to get to maximum affinity with a companion to get their perk at all? Once you have got their perk you should see it listed under Perks in your Pipboy.

[MV75]

Yea, you go through a few unique dialogues with them and the game tells you when you reach max affinity and have unlocked the perk. It then appears on your perk list.

So you travel with them for a while, get them to like you enough, talk a few times and it's basically when it says they "admire you" instead of "liked that" that you are at max affinity.

[Desmond]

Originally posted by MV75:

Yea, you go through a few unique dialogues with them and the game tells you when you reach max affinity and have unlocked the perk. It then appears on your perk list.

So you travel with them for a while, get them to like you enough, talk a few times and it's basically when it says they "admire you" instead of "liked that" that you are at max affinity.

Well then that is not gonna happen xD cause I only use dog and I wanted the Brotherhood of steel guy perk 20% something more lazer damage.

[Captain Toast]

All companions take time to get their perks, and you need to do what they like in order to speed up the process, because simply traveling and fighting with them will take a very long time for them to admire you or to idolize you.
There are several lists online for every companion's perk, how to get them to follow you, what they like and dislike, and what to do with their personal quests (if they have one).

If a companion admires you, that means you are getting close to the perk. If a companion idolizes you, that means you now have the perk.
If a companion is unhappy with you, that means you are farther from getting the perk. If a companion hates you, that means it'll take twice the time and effort to be able to get the perk, and they will also refuse to travel with you until a certain amount of time passes, then they will simply be unhappy with you again.

Also, if you have their perk, you don't need them with you anymore. Except for Curie and Dogmeat if you chose to get his perk when you leveled up.

[DEVOLVE MINHA CACHAÇA!]

Originally posted by owen8964:

I assume you know you have to get to maximum affinity with a companion to get their perk at all? Once you have got their perk you should see it listed under Perks in your Pipboy.

This.

You must get your companion to like/love your actions to earn their personal perks. Each action you do that your companion likes/loves will add up to the their affinity matter. Once afinity points get past 1000 (being the maximum 1100), your companion will give you his personal perk and will be, depending on who they are, available as a romance option.

However, be aware that actions that the dislike/hate, will decrease affinity, meaning you will lose points and if they get too low, companion will quit, or even become hostile to you.

Examples:
Cait - likes when you pick locks, dislikes helping innocent;
Piper - likes helping innocent, dislikes stealing;
Strong - likes when you kill enemies, dislikes when you pick locks;
Danse - likes when you use reasonable dialogue choices, dislikes when you choose sarcastic lines instead;
Hancock - likes when you use chems, dislikes when you ask for more money during dialogue;
Deacon - likes positive actions towards synths, dislikes when you use chems;
MacCready - likes when you ask for money in dialogue, dislikes when you appeal to moral justice in dialogue;
Preston - likes when you modify your weapons, dislikes when you cannibalize fallen enemies;

Also, you don't need to be attached to your companion via "follow me" option in order to alter the affinity with a given companion. As long as they are around you when you do any of these actions, likes and dislikes will always take effect, so be careful if you seek to acquire any of their unique perks.

Affinity levels are made evident by specific dialogue when your companion approaches you asking to talk, when they comment on how they respect you, or in the case of negative affinity, how they despise your actions. This happens at random, and out of combat situations.