Fallout 4: Lone Wanderer Perk

Carry Weight, Damage Reduction, and Dogmeat

The Lone Wanderer Perk is sure to be a popular one for a couple of reasons. One, some people would prefer to explore alone and not rely on companions - who do behave pretty well - but can sometimes be a pain to manage. Plus the sense of isolation. An additional factor that is somewhat widely known, is that for now Dogmeat, the ever faithful canine companion works with this Perk. Who knows if they'll fix it, but if they do I want my Perk Points back so I can invest them in the Inspirational Perk and boost regular Companions' potential.

Gameplay Effects & Utility
Companions can carry much more than this Perk gives to you, but the damage reduction combined with this makes this Perk quite interesting. Companions can get themselves into awful situations and go down hard, while you're stuck taking all the damage until they recover. Going without a companion, or using Dogmeat, you will take up to 30% less damage - more than certain armor values offer, and on top of your armor's damage reduction. I've gotten to where landmines are no longer a threat, and most grenades (especially molotovs) are laughable because of this flat reduction across all damage types.

Rank 3 of this Perk is, I think, the single highest damage jump you can get with the Perk tree, and on any weapon type - so it's excellent if you like to carry a sniper rifle, automatic weapon, and pistol while using grenades at times. You'll get a boost to all of them, and this is reflected when you analyze weapons. The bonus stacks with weapon modifications, making them 25% more effective and will let you get powerful guns into the 100s of damage if you additionally take weapon specialization Perks (Gunslinger, Commando for example).

Now to the drawbacks. Companions can be annoying, yes. If you use this Perk, you're missing out on the opportunity to get exclusive Companion Perks that are unlocked when you reach max relationship (affinity) with them. Only by adventuring with them and doing things companions approve of will you ever get these Perks, and some of them are outright awesome. Take Hancock's - isodoped - which gives you a 25% faster critical gauge refill if you have at least 250 Radiation damage - something that is sustainable. Just get to 25% of your health lost, and your Critical Meter will fill faster. He also loves it when you use drugs, so with some addictol you can please him and avoid those nasty hangovers.

My main point here is to not rely on this exclusively if you want a badass character in Fallout 4. Take some time to work with Companions, suit them up for tough battles and use them to your advantage. You can ditch them and switch to another, or head back solo when you've got the Perk and get to keep it permanently. These things aside, you're also missing out on some funny dialog that can fill in for the radio at times and enrich your experience with the game.