Are the FO3 companions marked essential when recruited?

[XanthosGambit]

Fallout 3 doesn't have essential companions. Does TTW keep that or does it adopt the New Vegas method where they're only essential if you're not doing hardcore?

[RoyBatty]

Companions being essential in non-hardcore is hard coded in the engine. So yes, in normal mode they are essential.

[XanthosGambit]

Oh, I didn't realize it was hard-coded! Well then...

maybe I'll actually use a Fallout 3 companion...

[Bullfrog]

If you want them to be essential in hardcore, you can easily set them to essential in JIP CCC. I can only recommend that, because they love to kill themselves when you're not looking.

If it's not a car in front of them, that they blow up in their face, they wander off or into a room full of enemies, just to grab a Sledgehammer...
Veronica is doing that all the time, because her standard combat style is melee and that makes her scavenge for melee weapons. I set her default combat style to ranged and that silly behavior stopped.

[XanthosGambit]

If you want them to be essential in hardcore, you can easily set them to essential in JIP CCC. I can only recommend that, because they love to kill themselves when you're not looking.

If it's not a car in front of them, that they blow up in their face, they wander off or into a room full of enemies, just to grab a Sledgehammer...
Veronica is doing that all the time, because her standard combat style is melee and that makes her scavenge for melee weapons. I set her default combat style to ranged and that silly behavior stopped.

I've never used companions in Fallout 3, because the one time I did it was Jericho and he ended up losing his head.

[RoyBatty]

You can override the behavior with SetEssential or an esp too