Fallout 4 [Tips, Tricks and Story Discussion]

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What is your Rating of the game thus far? (Giving the people wide choices)

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798
United States
Cincinnati, Ohio
Brown352
Hey Dwellers, what's going on?

I am aware that there is the thread Fallout 4. But navigating the it for help, tips or general discussion is... a bit all over the place. I hope to make this organized and form a database, and just have some general discussion about the game.

TAG YOUR SPOILERS
Not everyone will have maybe put in the time or made it as far as you have, be considerate of others-
Personally I have logged 47 hours, yet I have just entered the Institute. Some of you may have only logged 20 and be far passed this, be considerate of others

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The thread at this point is going to be devoted to Fallout 4. Later as the thread builds, other games, requests and so on will be added. So, lets begin.

Before diving in further, if this is your first Fallout, you have some catching up to do.


If you still haven't decided to pick up this lovely game, here are 12 of the best reviews imo.

Reviews
GamesRadar : 5/5 - No Spoilers
Digital Spy : 5/5 - They step near spoilers, but don't divulge a great amount of information.
IGN : 9.5/10 - Spoilers, cause IGN
Gamespot : 9.5/10 - Spoilers
Polygon : 9.5/10 - For Returning Dwellers - No Spoilers
The Jim Inquisition : 9.5/10 My Favorite Review - No Spoilers
GameTrailers : 9/10 - Gameplay Spoilers
Game Informer : 9/10 - No Spoilers
PC Gamer : 88/100 - No Spoilers
Forbes 8.5/10 - Minor Spoilers
XboxAchievements : 90/100 Short Sweet to the point - No Spoilers
Destructoid : 7.5/10 Spoilers (Negative Nancies)

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Performance Analysis
PS4 V Xbox One

From EuroGamer - "All things put into perspective, Fallout 4 does hold 30fps as a general rule, but drops are noticeable. For example, moving between major city areas is a particular strain on the engine, causing PS4 and Xbox One to drop to 20fps in matching spots on the map. Like clockwork, each platform lurches downward for a spell when passing a threshold in the environment - suggesting assets are being decompressed on the fly for the next location. 30fps is restored relatively quickly on arriving at the next spot, and it's business as usual from there. However it's not an ideal setup when these connecting areas are filled with enemies, and controller response suddenly takes a hit - though PS4 holds a frame-rate advantage in matching runs."

"On top of this, Xbox One is unique in its suffering of a stuttering issue, halting the game experience for up to a second during play. It's a glaring hitch downward, and matching runs to the gates of Diamond City shows Xbox One dropping to a record 0fps (zero) while PS4 turns the same corner at 28fps. Each has their blips, but having tested two separate Xbox One and PS4 consoles, the results are always the same across the world at large; we get sizeable stutters on Microsoft's console that aren't present on PS4."
I can confirm that the framerate drop is staggering and jarring initially, hopefully in the coming weeks with patches, the game will be stabilized.

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The Fallout 4 S.P.E.C.I.A.L Video series.

SPECIAL and Build Calculator - This would have been nice to have prior to launch, knowing what I know now, I would have done some things differently. You can look at available perks, and toy with your SPECIAL to make it just right.

Here is a comprehensive map made by a Reddit user. I haven't used the first map in depth, I haven't used the second one, as its buggy for me, but maybe not some of you. But the first is very accurate having traveled to a location and finding the item. Will come in handy for achievement hunting after the game. Download is safe.

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Companions
There are just 13 companions in the game, all with differing perks of use, companions are very useful, but can be annoying as they get in the way sometimes.

Codsworth - The loveable robot that has been waiting a long time for your return.
You can better your relationship with Codsworth be performing any of these actions.
  • Generous Actions
  • Nice Actions
  • Donating Items
  • Healing Dogmeat
  • Modifying Armor
  • Modifying Weapons
Codsworth will not like it if you do any of the following.
  • Selfish Actions
  • Chem Addiction
  • Chem Use
  • Murder Non-Hostile
  • Picked Owned Locks
  • Stealing
  • Pickpocketing
After achieving a good relationship with Codsworth you unlock the perk Robot Sympathy: +10 damage resistance against robot energy weapons.
Dogmeat - He's man's best friend, what else do you expect.
You can acquire a perk that will give Dogmeat new abilities. The perk in question is called Attack Dog, where Dogmeat will cause extra damage in VATS or in general when grabbing an enemy.
4 Charisma and rank 3 is required for the perk.

Cait - A pit fighter found in the combat zone. There can be romance between your character and her.
You can better your relationship with Cait be performing any of these actions.
  • Selfish Actions
  • Violent Actions
  • Picking Locks
  • Drinking Alcohol
  • Picking Locks
  • Stealing
  • Walking around naked.
She will not like it if you do any of the following.
  • Generous Action
  • Mean Action
  • Peaceful Action
  • Murder Non-hostile
She will either like or dislike these depending on if you have completed her side quest "Benign Intervention" or not.
  • Chem Addiction (Likes before side quest)
  • Chem Use (Likes before side quest)
  • Donating Items (Likes after side quest)
After achieving a good relationship with Cait you will unlock the perk Trigger Rush - Action points regenerate faster if your health is below 25%.
Curie - A female version of Codsworth, but worlds apart - Curie is a female and a former robotic lab assistant. She comes prebuilt with a French accent and excels and medicine and science. On a side note She's a nice little Easter Egg if you know anything about Marie Curie
She is found in Vault 81 and requires the player to do a few things before you can gain her as a companion. Notably she is associated with the quest "Hole in the Wall".
  • To enter Vault 81 you must have three fusion cores.
  • Talk to the Overseer.
  • Talk to Bobby in the reactor.
  • Talk to Doctor Fosythe in his office below the core.
  • Talk to Erin, she wants you to find her cat. You must finish this mission.
  • Wait for at least 24 hours (in game time.)
  • Go back to Doctor Forsythes office and listen to their conversation. This leads to the quest Hole in the Wall.
  • Follow Bobby to the entrance of the secret door.
  • Make your way through this secret area and you will eventually find her in a room. Note there is a lot of enemies in Vault 81.
  • Once completing the quest Hole in the Wall Curie will offer to be your companion.
You can better your relationship with Curie be performing any of these actions.
  • Donating Items
  • Healing Dogmeat
  • Peaceful Actions
  • Nice Actions
  • Mean Actions
Curie will not like it if you do any of the following.
  • Selfish Actions
  • Chem Addiction
  • Murdering Non Hostiles
  • Stealing
  • Pick pocketing
After achieving a good relationship with Curie you will unlock the perk Combat Medic - Once per day, heal 100 points if health falls below 10%.
Danse - A Paladin with the Brotherhood of Steel. He also happens to be an expert battlefield tactician and thus is an excellent companion to have during combat situations.
You can better your relationship with Danse be performing any of these actions.
  • Entering Power Armor
  • Entering a Vertibird
  • Modifying Armor
  • Modifying Weapons
  • Nice Actions
  • Violent Actions
Danse will not like it if you do any of the following.
  • Chem Use
  • Eating Corpses
  • Mudering Non Hostiles
  • Stealing
  • Pickpocketing
  • Mean Actions
  • Peaceful Actions
After achieving a good relationship with Danse you will unlock the perk Know Your Enemy - Damage +20% against Ferals, Super Mutants and Synths.




Fallout Version 1.03
Post Version 1.02
 
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Tips

General
  • Collect Bobbleheads and perk magazines
  • Some Magazines will add tattoos or new hair style for your character, and add new construction items to settlements
  • In character creation we can’t choose our height but we can modify our body type.
  • Quests won't alert you when you are about to close a story line or become enemies with another faction.
  • The difference between the six difficulty modes, apart from the obvious damage dealt/received multiplier, is that the higher the difficulty the greater the chance to find Legendary Enemies that drop better loot.
  • Quick Save Often - Do a full hard save upon major decisions, you may not like your choices down the road.
  • Don't rob traders that move about, they won't come to your settlements or do business with you.
  • The Lone Wanderer perk still provides bonuses with Dog Meat as a companion.
  • To force a companion or settler to equip apparel or weapons, switch to their inventory in the trade menu, and a button will show up to have the npc equip the item. ( "T" for PC, "Y" for Xbox, "Triangle" for PS4)
  • The companions Cait and Nick can pick locks and hack terminals for you.
  • When hacking look for [],(), <>,and {} with anything in between the brackets, clicking the leftmost bracket will reset your attempts to give you more tries, or remove dud words from the list.
  • When using terminals, instead of repeatedly pushing the back button to leave, [TAB] on PC, O or B on Console, hold it and you will quickly exit the terminal.
  • Have a lot of Power Armor around from your spoils? Give them to your settlers
  • Don't sell weapons you loot, give them to settlers or dismantle them.
  • Try to always carry a weapon of each ammo type, that way you are less likely to be completely out of ammo.
  • Ammo doesn't add weight, always carry every type of ammo with you
  • When an item has a "+" next to its name, it means that item is better in some way than what you’re currently using.
  • Loading time depends on the type of activity. For example: big buildings require some short loading time (black screen), fast travel requires longer loading time
  • You can tag specific crafting materials by going into your junk section in your inventory, and switch to material view
  • You can earn a lot of experience by crafting
  • Build a Bobblehead display and Magazine Stand
  • Assign your settlers to specific beds
  • Build a bell (Under Miscellaneous) to gather all your settlers.
  • There is no level cap. Don't be stingy about spending perk points. The game's enemies don't scale with you, but they do get harder farther from the star.
  • Some dialogue options are colored to indicate the chance of success depending on your charisma level (red, orange, yellow). Yellow is easy, orange is medium, and red is very difficult.
  • You can zoom in on the pip boy by right clicking or pressing the touchpad on the PS4 Controller.
  • VATS will detect landmines.
Fighting - Hand to hand and Weapons
  • You can aim from behind cover - Contextual lean
  • Enemies are really adaptive and extremely smart in harder modes. Damage resistance of enemies, and appearance of legendary enemies are different on harder modes.
  • Giant enemies (like deathclaws) can’t go through regular doors.
  • When an enemy doesn’t see you, the fight will be interrupted after a few moments, even if he’s close to you.
  • Let friendly NPCs and companions fight your fights whenever possible – it conserves ammo.
  • Your accuracy increases when you crouch.
  • Use VATS whenever you start a fight, then fight in real time while your Action Points regenerate.
  • Hold the reload button to holster your weapon (square on PS4).
  • Hold the pip-boy button to turn on your flashlight (circle on PS4).
Weapons
  • There are about 50 weapons in the game, along with over 700 mods.
  • In order to customize your weapon you need to have the appropriate perk – Gun Nut for regular weapons, Science for energy ones.
  • Each weapon will consist of several parts, any one of which can be swapped at the workbench.
  • New type of weapon damage is radiation.
  • You can optimize your guns for speed, accuracy and handling
  • Legendary weapons are unique items in Fallout 4. They have their own names, and beside the regular stats, they provide one-of-a-kind bonuses.
  • Legendary enemies have a chance of dropping legendary item or weapon with unique characteristics like better critical chance, or something that refills your action points much faster compared to other weapons.
  • Weapon stats can vary based on your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ranks, active perks, and any mods that are currently applied.
  • Commando perk affects all automatic pistols and rifles except heavy guns.
Power Armor
  • When Leaving your power armor remove the Fusion Core so no one will decide to use it.
  • You can sneak and fast travel while in your Power Armor.
  • Fast Travel in Power Armor doesn't use and Fusion Core battery, and you can still fast travel with no charge in the core.
  • To take off power armor hold the button you used to enter it.
  • Pickpocket enemies with power armor to steal their Fusion Cores, this will cause them to leave the armor, and you can steal the frame
  • Sprinting, strong melee attacks and VATs drain your Fusion Core faster than walking or standing still.
  • Sell Fusion Cores to traders before they run out, you will get much more for a partially charged core, over an empty core.
  • Power armor sinks, but you won't drown. It's a long walk.
  • Increases overall weight that can be carried
  • You can fast travel in without a fusion core.
  • Spawning T-45 Power Armor in Diamond City next to Arturo's
Crafting
  • You do not need to break down junk items to get components by hand the game will do it for you if the junk items are stored in your settlement workbench or inventory. Extra resources will be deposited in your settlement workbench.(It may take some time to appear)
  • You can grow your own adhesive by cooking Vegetable Starch with Corn, Tato, Muttfruit, and Purified Water.
  • When naming weapons, put a hyphen or space at the beginning of the name (EX: -gun name), and those weapons will default to the top of the list in your pip-boy.(Thanks: CromeDaBeast)
  • If you look at the Junk section of your inventory you can switch to a list of all the components your junk breaks down into (with C on PC, L3 on PS4 and XbOne). In that list you can set or remove a search tag.
  • When you upgrade a weapon, the current mod will be placed in your inventory. If you transfer all mods to your workbench, if you put that upgrade on another weapon, it will use the mod before crafting a new one.
  • Mods add weight.
  • You can salvage weapon sights by modifying the weapon with the no sights attachment, which costs no resources to make.
  • If a gun/armor has a mod you can't build, you can still swap the mod out and install it on another weapon.
Building and Settlements
  • You’ll get a message or notification when your settlements are under attack. You have options to go and help your people or leave them.
  • Settlements are completely optional, but if you decide to get into it, Settlements are going to be a full-time job
  • Workbenches (used for crafting weapons and gear) can be found throughout the world, but some may not be usable because someone else may have ownership over it, so you’ll have to undertake a certain quest to really please them and gain access to their workbench.
  • Detailed screenshot guide – Settlements locations
  • How to power up a house
  • Where to find Crafting Ingredients
  • When building settlements you can raise and lower objects by holding E and using scroll wheel on PC, X and L1/R1 on PS4
  • When building your first settlement use E to move the initial workbenches instead of scrapping them.
  • You can remove the radiation from Starlight Drive by scrapping the barrels in the center, and the Un-rusted Crashed Car.
  • Water pumps, farms, and traders deposit the Items and Caps they produce into the workbench.
  • To help place objects in hard places use a small rug then place the object on the rug, pick up the rug and the item will remain attached but the game uses the rugs collision detection.(This allows you to clip objects into walls!)
  • To assign settlers select them in the crafting screen then select the object you want them to work
  • Settlers can work up to 6 Food at a time. Meaning a settler can tend to 12 plants that produce .5 food each.
  • To reduce raider attacks make sure your defense state is higher than food + water.
  • Highlighting a settler in workshop mode will also highlight anything he's assigned to.
  • Fast Travel in between settlements will instantly grow all crops that have a settler assigned to them.
  • When your selecting something through the workshop build interface if you press and hold the move command, this will pickup all items attached(or very close) to the object you are picking up. (Be careful as if your walls are all attached you can pickup very large parts of your settlement!)
  • If your defense is high than food and water, you're less likely to be attacked by raiders. 48 Hours in, not once.
  • If you want nothing to do with any of this, there's a nice little house you can buy in Diamond City for 2,000 Caps
I'd like to say this now, I did not make all of this, however; I did add quite a few things, The two I combined from are Here and Here, this guys website is really nice overall and has a lot more to offer than just tips.

v1.03
 
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Game Updates
1.01

  • Last Changes and Optimizations for launch day.

1.02 PC
  • Number pad keys can now be used for remapping
  • Remapping Activate now works on Quick Container
  • Fixed issue where Launcher would not save God Rays Quality setting properly
1.02 PS4 & XBone
  • General memory and stability improvements
  • Performance improvements inside the Corvega Assembly Plant
  • Optimizations to skinned decal rendering
  • Fixed issue with player becoming stuck in terminals
  • Fixed issue where equipped weapons become locked after completing Reunions
  • Fixed issue with When Freedom Calls where the quest would not complete
  • During Confidence Man fixed issue where player's health would continuously regenerate
  • Fixed crash related to jumping into water and reloading saved games
1.03 PC
  • New ambient occlusion setting, HBAO+
  • New weapon debris effects (NVIDIA cards only)
  • Improved "ESDF" keys remapping support while in Workshop mode
1.03 PS4 & XBone
  • Added status menu for settlers in your settlements
  • Added ability to rotate an object you are holding with left/right triggers and pressing down on left thumbstick lets you switch the rotating axis
  • General memory and stability improvements
  • Improved performance when looking through a scope
  • Fixed issue where player could warp to a different location when aiming
  • Companions can no longer get stuck with radiation poisoning
  • Fixed an issue where Vault 81 residents would not dismember correctly
  • Big Leagues perk now displays calculated damage correctly
  • Fixed issue with third person camera not displaying properly after exiting certain crafting stations
  • Fixed an issue where subtitles would occasionally not update properly
  • Effects will properly be removed on companions when items are unequipped
  • MacReady’s Killshot perk now calculates headshot percentages properly
  • Fixed an issue with NPCs getting stuck in Power Armor
  • Fixed a rare issue with companions getting stuck in down state
  • Second rank of Aquaboy now calculates properly
  • Fixed an issue with resistance not always lowering the damage correctly when added by mods
  • [XBOX ONLY] Enabled number of characters available when renaming an item
  • Fixed issue with player becoming dismembered while still alive
  • Robotics expert is now usable in combat
  • Stimpaks can now be used on Curie after the transformation
  • Playing a holotape found in wilderness while switching point of view no longer causes the screen to blur or controls to be locked
  • Fixed an issue with "Taking Independence" where the minutemen remaining from the battle against the Mirelurk Queen would not gather in the Castle
  • Fixed an issue where invulnerable characters would get stuck in combat
  • Fixed an issue where Preston would send player to a settlement instead of a dungeon as part of a Minutemen quest
  • Fixed an issue where Synths could attack the Castle while the player was friends with the Institute
  • Fixed an issue where killing a caravan would leave a quest open
  • Fixed an issue where Dogmeat would stay at Fort Hagen after "Reunions" was completed
  • Fixed an issue where the player couldn't talk to Desdemona to complete "Underground Undercover"
  • Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck exiting the cryopod
  • Fixed an issue where the player could no longer get Preston as a companion
  • In "The End of the Line," fixed an issue that would prevent the player from killing the leaders of the Railroad
  • Fixed an issue with Minutemen quests repeating improperly
  • Fixed an issue where the player couldn't get back into the Railroad headquarters after being kicked out of the Brotherhood of Steel
  • After finishing "The Big Dig," fixed an issue where Hancock would no longer offer to be a companion or help with the "Silver Shroud" quest
  • Fixed an issue with obtaining the Dampening Coils from Saugus Ironworks before going to Yangtze
  • During "Unlikely Valentine," fixed an issue where the player could be blocked from entering Vault 114
  • In "Confidence Man," Bull and Gouger can now be killed
  • During "Taking Independence," fixed an issue that would prevent the radio transmitter from powering up
  • In "Human Error," fixed an issue where killing Dan would cause the quest to not complete properly
  • Fixed an issue with "Tactical Thinking" where leaving dialogue early with Captain Kells to reprogram P.A.M. could cause quest to not completely properly
  • Fixed a bug that would cause settler counts to appear incorrectly
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent the player from setting up a supply line in settlements with a high population
  • Improvements to snapping pieces together while in Workshop mode
  • Fixed an issue that caused powered items to stop functioning permanently if its power source was ever removed
  • Player can now build workbenches in their Diamond City house
  • Building wires no longer uses up copper
  • Fixed issue with certain settlement attacks not generating properly
  • Fixed an issue with settlement happiness calculations
  • Settlers assigned to weapons stand will now stand next to it
  • Diamond City house now shows provided power
  • Repairing items will now correctly consume resources
  • Fixed an issue where companion would ignore commands at workshop locations
  • Fixed an issue with crops appearing destroyed after saving and reloading
 
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For people on PC: add this mod (ENBSeries tweak) to make all your performance, streaming and texture LOD issues go away AND have lots better lighting in the game. The dynamic shadow scaling mod is also brilliant. I suppose the most issues will be fixed with patches, but in the mean time, all hail to the mod community for coming up with these on such short notice. :cheers:

Another performance tip for nVidia users: disable the Nvidia streaming service. Type 'services' in the Windows search box and stop the service. Then go into the properties and set the startup type to 'manual'. This service is notorious for causing issues with big open world games, so worth a go. Note that this effectively disables ShadowPlay. If you want to stream using ShadowPlay, turn it back on.
 
For people on PC: add this mod (ENBSeries tweak) to make all your performance, streaming and texture LOD issues go away AND have lots better lighting in the game. The dynamic shadow scaling mod is also brilliant. I suppose the most issues will be fixed with patches, but in the mean time, all hail to the mod community for coming up with these on such short notice. :cheers:

Another performance tip for nVidia users: disable the Nvidia streaming service. Type 'services' in the Windows search box and stop the service. Then go into the properties and set the startup type to 'manual'. This service is notorious for causing issues with big open world games, so worth a go. Note that this effectively disables ShadowPlay. If you want to stream using ShadowPlay, turn it back on.
I dont know much about the Computer version. But will be adding to it for PC
 
Is that right about no level cap ?
I assumed there was and planned my perks accordingly up to level 50, as there is a trophy for that. For PS4.
Nice thread by the way.
 
Is that right about no level cap ?
I assumed there was and planned my perks accordingly up to level 50, as there is a trophy for that. For PS4.
Nice thread by the way.
It's still worth planning, you'll reach in point in crafting where you'll need a tier 3 perk and you may not have enough in the special to get that perk. look at the ranks that perk tiers unlock then create a rough plan.
by doing that you can also optimise your settlement as at higher levels a well developed settlement network can be extremely helpful.
 
Is that right about no level cap ?
I assumed there was and planned my perks accordingly up to level 50, as there is a trophy for that. For PS4.
Nice thread by the way.
Yes. Theres a Trophy, but there is no level cap. Unlike previous Bethesda or Fallout games. I've been saving and using them accordingly for what I need when I need it. And thanks. Hope it helps some people.
 
It's still worth planning, you'll reach in point in crafting where you'll need a tier 3 perk and you may not have enough in the special to get that perk. look at the ranks that perk tiers unlock then create a rough plan.

I spent a long time planning the perks I would like and how far in the special, plus the appropriate Bobblehead, I needed for it. After a few hours playing I had to re-adjust but all the while planning to finish at level 50.
knowing of no cap makes for a whole new ballgame, fun times to be had.
Yes. Theres a Trophy, but there is no level cap. Unlike previous Bethesda or Fallout games. I've been saving and using them accordingly for what I need when I need it. And thanks. Hope it helps some people.

That was going to be my next question, that would the cap be raised with DLC like previous games, but thanks you've answered both. 👍
 
I spent a long time planning the perks I would like and how far in the special, plus the appropriate Bobblehead, I needed for it. After a few hours playing I had to re-adjust but all the while planning to finish at level 50.
knowing of no cap makes for a whole new ballgame, fun times to be had.


That was going to be my next question, that would the cap be raised with DLC like previous games, but thanks you've answered both. 👍
To give you an idea in my first playthrough i played for 105 or so hours and was rank 45 however there are certain perks that can boost xp earned. so if you have the right special build you could be a lot higher.
 
I'll wait a few more days until I start making conversation about the game itself. So, with previous instalments of Fallout, specifically New Vegas. How do you guys think DLC will play out for the game, how many expansions do you think there will be?
 
I'll wait a few more days until I start making conversation about the game itself. So, with previous instalments of Fallout, specifically New Vegas. How do you guys think DLC will play out for the game, how many expansions do you think there will be?
With the historical significance of the area the game is set, how about a faction similar to Caesar's legion, but more to do with the Revolution.
Personally I'd like to see the Enclave, or the Outcasts. Really enjoyed the way Fallout 3 developed, seeing more Vertibirds and having checkpoints appear as the story progressed.
 
Really enjoyed the way Fallout 3 developed, seeing more Vertibirds and having checkpoints appear as the story progressed.
The first half of that is already there as the BoS ramps up their effort against anything non-human.
 
Here are some optional tip for people new to the franchise.

Go in blind on the first playthrough, i'm unfortunate enough to have played/ learnt a lot about the lore. This in many ways ruined some of the story as my knowledge of the game world robbed of moments that would have surprised me. by all means once you've played through once go back and read up on the lore. but i think this games best when you like the character have no knowledge of whats going on.

when creating a character come with a bit of backstory for that character.

For instance my first character was an engineer. so as result my special allocation went heavily toward intelligence. as a result of his work he was fairly strong but wasn't exactly fit or agile and luck didnt really favour him.

by doing this it can create a better bond with character but also allows you to vary your playthroughs each time.

finally don't be tempted to do everything in the first playthrough. It will make it more enjoyable in the long run.

I hope this helps some new people.
 
Here are some optional tip for people new to the franchise.

Go in blind on the first playthrough, i'm unfortunate enough to have played/ learnt a lot about the lore. This in many ways ruined some of the story as my knowledge of the game world robbed of moments that would have surprised me. by all means once you've played through once go back and read up on the lore. but i think this games best when you like the character have no knowledge of whats going on.

when creating a character come with a bit of backstory for that character.

For instance my first character was an engineer. so as result my special allocation went heavily toward intelligence. as a result of his work he was fairly strong but wasn't exactly fit or agile and luck didnt really favour him.

by doing this it can create a better bond with character but also allows you to vary your playthroughs each time.

finally don't be tempted to do everything in the first playthrough. It will make it more enjoyable in the long run.

I hope this helps some new people.
Very good point, I liked to have known the lore when I started a game, so playing Skyrim for the first time. I wanted to know about Oblivion and so on.
 
Most people probably all ready know this, but people just starting might not.
The meat you take off animals, when you cook it it removes the radiation and some give limited time bonuses.
Also, for first timers, when leaving Sanctuary go right up to tower with ball top, there is puified water and just past is a yellow crate half sunken in the earth with a bit of ammo and weapon.
 
There are just 13 companions in the game, all with differing perks of use, companions are very useful, but can be annoying as they get in the way sometimes.
Got another one for this list: Strong:
He's a super mutant with a very literal appreciation of Shakespeare, particularly Macbeth; he is convinced that humans are stronger than super mutants because they drink milk, and so he wants to take milk back to the super mutants to make them stronger than humans, and all because of a wayward line in Macbeth. You can find him at the top of Trinity Tower if you tune to the distress signal and take the Rex Goodman side-mission.
 
Found another companion; Hancock.
The Mayor of Goodneighbor.

MacCready found in Goodneighbor, The Third Rail.
 
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Found another companion; Hancock.
The Mayor of Goodneighbor.
There are 13 total companions, I just haven't updated the list yet.

Edit: I don't know about you guys, but I've been staying with Codsworth. I think he's the best choice, and is the least Douchey besides maybe Garvey
 
Found another companion; Hancock.
The Mayor of Goodneighbor.
And I have another, Deacon:
To get him, you have to complete the "Freedom Trail" mission. If you do it properly, you will follow a series of clues across Boston that point you to the Old North Church. If you're like me, you'll foolishly run around east Boston with no ammo and take shelter in the church, inadvertently completing one of the conditions of the mission.

Once inside the church, you will find a series of catacombs underground. There is a seal at the far end that poses a puzzle; you have to spell out the code word, "RAILROAD". If you're like me and you didn't actually complete the Freedom Trail, you can't go back and get the clues, so you'll be stuck (I had to Google it). The code word opens a secret door, and you will meet the Underground Railroad, a network of people liberating discarded synths; as Nick Valentine suggests, once a synth out-lives its usefulness or strays from its programming, it gets abandoned in the Wasteland and is left to fend for itself.

Anyway, once you meet the Underground, you will trigger a conversation. Deacon will be available as a companion when you finish it.
 
Edit: I don't know about you guys, but I've been staying with Codsworth. I think he's the best choice, and is the least Douchey besides maybe Garvey
Since losing Dogmeat I've had Codsworth around, recently got a perk as he now loves me that much.
 
Since losing Dogmeat I've had Codsworth around, recently got a perk as he now loves me that much.
It's weird that you lost him. Have you tried checking the Red Rocket where you found him? That's the only place that I can think of where he would go.
 
It's weird that you lost him. Have you tried checking the Red Rocket where you found him? That's the only place that I can think of where he would go.
Yup, totally gone AWOL, found elsewhere he can walk to settlements when dismissed, if that's the case he's taken the long way round.
In relation to Deacon; I found a sewer with railroad symbols, dead humans and live Synth's - now dead, think I might have ruined this quest.
Back to thread; Have over defence at some settlements, so far they have not been attacked.
 
My favorite companion is
X6-88, it's like Terminator 2 where's he's Arnold and I'm John Connor
Very valid points, if only he had quips and used phrases he didn't know!!!

Anyway, sorry guys, been busy the passed couple of days with getting stuff sorted out for College, I'll be updating the thread in the coming days.
 
Another companion to add: MacReady, an ex-Gunner holed up in Goodneighbor. You can find him in The Third Rail, but it will cost you 250 caps to recruit him (although you can bargain him down to 200).
 
when creating a character come with a bit of backstory for that character.

For instance my first character was an engineer. so as result my special allocation went heavily toward intelligence. as a result of his work he was fairly strong but wasn't exactly fit or agile and luck didnt really favour him.

by doing this it can create a better bond with character but also allows you to vary your playthroughs each time
I was hesitant to create a backstory for my character because I didn't want it to contradict the story later on - and I sunk a lot of my early skill points into boosting SPECIAL stats as I thought I had to upgrade each one before I could unlock perks.

My character's backstory started to emerge from my style of play:
I realised early on that the Minutemen would not be much help in finding Shaun, and I don't fully trust Preston; he seems to be a romantic in a world where that is likely to get you killed, and his over-reliance on Mama Murphy makes me wonder if he really is an effective leader. So I sided with Nick, and while he got me to Kellogg, his plan from that point on seemed insane. That prompted me to go to the Brotherhood as they're opposed to the Institute, but I felt like I was becoming their errand boy, and while I was willing to entertain that for a while, I think Maxson is using me to do his dirty work. Now I am working for the Railroad, waiting to see if they can get me in.
From that point on, I decided that my character, Ciarán, worked for Defense Matériel, or the branch of the armed forces that manages resources; essentially he's a cross between an accountant and a warehouse manager - he went through basic training, but never really saw combat.
 
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