A Single Starfield Item Will Make Your Follower Better In Combat

screenrant.com:

doesn't force the main character to explore its more than 1,000 planets alone, and followers can be a valuable tool in combat. Each companion will be combat ready with their own weapon, but asking them to trade gear will let the player give them a new loadout and choose what items they have equipped. Giving companions good weapons early on when ammo is scarce is a great way to ensure they're effective while fighting, but putting one other item in their inventory will increase their efficacy even more.

The follower system in has essentially been inherited from 2006's, which established much of Bethesda Game Studios' modern formula. 's followers weren't quite as robust, being effectively blank-slate NPCs that helped out in combat ( two years later would give companions personalities), but they served much the same purpose in combat. Outfitting a follower in is still a bit clunky, requiring a short conversation to get to their inventory, but it's likely a routine players will grow familiar with if they frequently use companions to haul loot.

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Likely for the sake of convenience, followers don't expend ammo and throwables in. For instance, giving a companion a weapon that uses 7.77mm Caseless ammo only requires them to have a single 7.77mm Caseless bullet in their inventory – they'll never run out. The same applies to grenades, which can be extremely effective in combat. Compared to ammo, which is found in abundance, grenades are relatively scarce, and best saved for tougher enemies, or when a group of foes can all be caught in the blast radius. Followers won't have to be cognizant of their throwable reserves, though, and adding a grenade to their arsenal significantly