FALLOUT 4 Tips and Tricks (No spoilers pls)

[fightingrabbit]

I know there is a discussion thread already, but I figured this would be a good spot for people to come and pick up on things or share things they've discovered through play, as the game doesn't really hold your hand which I dig. Though finding out things for yourself in this game is pretty fulfilling, sometimes it can be frustrating. Also it's easy to miss things in the discussion thread if you're not following it constantly.

My tip is: You can shoot cars and make them explode. I'm at 30 hours and I just found that out. At first I thought it was just enemies setting off car bombs or mines. I never thought I could shoot the car and use it as a bomb. Which kind of pissed me off because it would have made some battles a lot more fun, and probably easier too.

I encountered a behemoth within this automobile stonehenge arrangement, and I kept trying to kill him by running around. I finally figured out I could hide in a bus and he couldn't attack me while I shot him. Which was not really all that exciting. I would have preferred to shoot the cars around him and blow him up.

My second tip is: if you're a cautious player or just don't like being snuck up on or booby trapped. Constantly press the Vats button ('Q' for PC) when you enter a new place. I just recently came upon Cambridge and this trick has saved me from a lot of hidden fragmentation mines. And hidden ghouls scaring the shit out of me.

 

[blitzk]

So I started doing the minutemen missions because I kinda neglected them for a while. But I've done dozens of them and it got to the point where I'm just doing them all over again; same locations, raider problem, ghoul problem.... I keep going back to locations that I've already cleared and they will be infested with Raiders/Ghouls again, even the machine gun turrets are all up and running again and there aren't any signs of any previous battle.

Is that the way it goes? does it ever end? is it a glitch?

 

[SheetsMMAfan]

If you travel alone, or with Dogmeat/Dog, Lone Wanderer perk is your best friend. The dog does not count against having a companion!

 

[fightingrabbit]

So I started doing the minutemen missions because I kinda neglected them for a while. But I've done dozens of them and it got to the point where I'm just doing them all over again; same locations, raider problem, ghoul problem.... I keep going back to locations that I've already cleared and they will be infested with Raiders/Ghouls again, even the machine gun turrets are all up and running again and there aren't any signs of any previous battle.

Is that the way it goes? does it ever end? is it a glitch?

I saw in a video if you wait 30 days in game time, enemies respawn. I don't know if that's the case for you.

 

[Schoolboy Q]

I got a very important tip, don't use pipe weapons, they are terrible.

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

Do the MILA missions ever end?

No, they're repeatable just like the Minutemen and BoS missions. I the Jackpot missions that P.A.M. give you are repeatable too, but not positive.

 

[DoMeFavors]

Build a bell for your settlement...easier to ring the bell and have everyone gather around than to search around for certain people/followers...

If you can't lockpick a door, see if you can find a couch or chair in the room/building...if you manage to get a prompt to sit down, do it it...you will end up in the room/building without unlocking the door...

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

So I started doing the minutemen missions because I kinda neglected them for a while. But I've done dozens of them and it got to the point where I'm just doing them all over again; same locations, raider problem, ghoul problem.... I keep going back to locations that I've already cleared and they will be infested with Raiders/Ghouls again, even the machine gun turrets are all up and running again and there aren't any signs of any previous battle.

Is that the way it goes? does it ever end? is it a glitch?

They're repeatable quests. The lead dude will keep giving them to you as long as you keep finishing them. I think it's their way of experience farming since thier is no level cap.

 

[Thunderflash500]

Your companions have different strengths. I won't spoil who they are, but one person can unlock computers, one person can unlock doors ect, and each has a bonus they give you if they idolize you. So if you use intelligence and put points into hacking, while you don't put any in lock picking, bring the person who can pick locks. Then you can get access to more areas without spending all your points trying to be a master of everything.

To make money build the biggest water purifiers. I've built as many as 12 in one settlement. It'll pump out hundreds of bottles of water that I can sell, the water shows up in the aid section of your workbench btw. I'll then set up the most expensive stores all in a line and sell the water right to them. So even if I'm over encumbered when I take out hundreds of bottles of water from the workbench I just walk right to the vendor. You could just sell the water somewhere else like Diamond city though.

Take time to learn how to customize guns. It's actually pretty simple, cheap, and makes you much more powerful. You can also pretty easily add silencers to your weapons which makes stealth a lot more fun. Before you learn anything about crafting, just take all the junk you find. Pretty much all the junk you find comes in handy eventually. Although if you get your water plants up and running, you can buy most the junk you need in bulk from vendors.

A tip regarding junk, if you want to buy in bulk, look at all the vendors you can. They sell different kinds of bulk junk. There was a time I couldn't find a lot of cloth and had to go look for some, nobody seemed to sell any. Then I found a trader who would spawn at the covenant settlement who sold it, and that saved a lot of time.

You really won't make a lot of money on stores directly through passive income. Either farming or water purifying works much better. Eventually if you have enough stores you can make some caps, but you'll have spent like 10,000 caps. By then you'll probably be far enough that the passive income doesn't even mean much. I just wrote this tip because I spent a lot on stores when I didn't need to. They do make settlements happier though, so it's not a waste of money totally, you just won't get rich off them.

Build a bell for your settlement...easier to ring the bell and have everyone gather around than to search around for certain people/followers...

This really comes in handy in big settlements or when you have a lot of people. I've used this multiple times. It also can be used to find your own follower, sometimes they really seem to be hiding.

 

[fightingrabbit]

Some power armor tips from the discussion thread.

If you regularly loot ammo boxes, check military checkpoints and explore deeply, you will find more fusion cores than you'll ever need. They're only rare in the very beginning or if you avoid side quests. You can even buy them at weapon merchants if you have the caps. Also, if you're feeling devious, you can steal them from BOS Paladins walking around at the airport. Just sneak behind them and pickpocket the core!

At level 50, I have more than 50 extra cores and I use my power armor regularly. Don't forget to sell used cores: just take them out of the armor before they reach 0% and you can sell them for full price!

Don't know if it's been stated but your companions don't use fusion cores when wearing power armor.

I usually don't wear it for missions but I like to collect it, so I have whoever is traveling with me haul it back for me.

 

[fightingrabbit]

This really comes in handy in big settlements or when you have a lot of people. I've used this multiple times. It also can be used to find your own follower, sometimes they really seem to be hiding.

To add on to companions hiding. Sometimes Dogmeat will disappear while I'm wandering around the wasteland and won't reappear. The only way i've found to make him appear again is to fast travel.

I got a very important tip, don't use pipe weapons, they are terrible.

I'm using a legendary pipe auto pistol (50% damage to ghouls) right now because of the abundance of ammo. Come at me bro.

 

[blitzk]

They're repeatable quests. The lead dude will keep giving them to you as long as you keep finishing them. I think it's their way of experience farming since thier is no level cap.

Shit, good to know, thx.
Ain't nobody got time for that.

 

[WellThoughtName]

Tip:

1. You can pick Pocket people in Power Armor to get them out. Learned this on the ship USS riptide as there is a guy in power armor there. I killed him and couldn't get him out the power armor so I reloaded and used a Stealth Boy. @ 8% it worked within 5 tries but then I tried it with another person and after 2 hours I gave up and killed him and took the parts.

2. Apparently there is different things you can control in the game. The main two things you can expoit are whats in boxes and also some random encounters.
A. Loot in Boxes: Some times you can save before you open something, die and then get something else. This has happened to me a few times where I got something and died. Upon going back it was different loot all together. Other times tho it was the same.
B. I ran into a dog whom I helped and he wouldn't follow me. After thinking it was bugged I reloaded to find Deathclaws in the same spot. Reloaded again thinking WTF and then there was a guy being held hostage begging me to save him from the guy whom apparently was a Synth. (how this helps I dunno but you may be able to exploit this for one that may give you experience vs the dog that doesn't do shit and may be bugged).

3. You can use Vats to find mines and stuff.

4. You can pull attachments off guns and they will be available for you other weapon. I have been stripping all 10mm pistols and building up one that is monsterous now.

 

[blitzk]

I spend a huge part of my game carrying weapons and shit around and taking them to different vendors trying to make a cap, but then I realized that I don't even use them, I'm just hoarding caps and very rarely buy anything other than ammo every once in a while. All of my guns are found and modded and are better than the junk the vendors sell.

Is there a point in the game in the future where caps really make a difference? Cause I'm about to quit scavenging for junk and weapons.
I'm level 29 and have somewhere around 9,000 caps that I never spend.

 

[SheetsMMAfan]

Tip:3. You can use Vats to find mines and stuff.

This is a great tip. My friend bitched about mines constantly, and I ALWAYS VATS alot when entering new areas to make sure I can snipe from a safe distance, or not get ambushed.

 

[echohead]

I spend a huge part of my game carrying weapons and shit around and taking them to different vendors trying to make a cap, but then I realized that I don't even use them, I'm just hoarding caps and very rarely buy anything other than ammo every once in a while. All of my guns are found and modded and are better than the junk the vendors sell.

Is there a point in the game in the future where caps really make a difference? Cause I'm about to quit scavenging for junk and weapons.
I'm level 29 and have somewhere around 9,000 caps that I never spend.

Buying shipments for your settlements, legendary gear, cores, are all great uses of caps.

I don't sell weapons either though. When I am about to fast travel to base I top off on weapons and either give them to settlers or scrap them.

 

[echohead]

Can we go ahead and make this a no spoiler thread? I would be more active in the other one without spoilers everywhere.

My tip: If you assign a guard in your settlement they can man up to three guardposts each.
This is a good way to beef your defense without just plopping turrets everywhere.

Give all your settlers decent guns, make them equip them, then give them a round or two. They don't use ammo if they have it in their inventory so you can make all your settlements super stout beyond the simple defense number.

 

[blitzk]

Buying shipments for your settlements, legendary gear, cores, are all great uses of caps.

I don't sell weapons either though. When I am about to fast travel to base I top off on weapons and either give them to settlers or scrap them.

yeah, I've bought a few shipments of junk to mod weapons, stuff like screws and aluminum i think, but even so, it's rare when I need it and they're not that expensive.

I remember in New Vegas there was a clinic where you could buy upgrades for your SPECIAL traits, like +1 strength at $12,000, +1 INT at 11,000, stuff like that. That would actually be a good reason to save up IMO, but I don't know if there's such a thing in FO4.

 

[WellThoughtName]

This is a great tip. My friend bitched about mines constantly, and I ALWAYS VATS alot when entering new areas to make sure I can snipe from a safe distance, or not get ambushed.

Took me about 4 deaths @ the Natinonal guard training place to figure it out. Died, came back only to find to my delight the mines were not there anymore. WRONG!!! Upon walking around the corner I learned that the game moves them lol.

 

[Tamriel Terror]

yea, i really have no use of caps in this game except early on. Once you level up scavenging and get good Armour and gun level ups, scrapping them gives me everything i need. Same happens with most elder scrolls and fallout games, caps and gold basically becomes useless

 

[Matt4786]

Any time you switch weapons, it's fully loaded. Therefore, in most cases it's faster to switch out your weapon and switch it back in than to go through the reload animation.

 

[echohead]

No, they're repeatable just like the Minutemen and BoS missions. I the Jackpot missions that P.A.M. give you are repeatable too, but not positive.

Is there any upside to them other than the cash and xp?
Like back in oblivion doing missions for a faction would strengthen the faction overall.

yea, i really have no use of caps in this game except early on. Once you level up scavenging and get good Armour and gun level ups, scrapping them gives me everything i need. Same happens with most elder scrolls and fallout games, caps and gold basically becomes useless

It kinda makes sense though.
There you are: General of the minutemen, a few hundred settlers under your protection, trade routes through all your villages, every raider in sight crushed. What good are caps? Run the quests and move the storyline.

 

[Crazedpyro]

Don't feed the deathclaws.

 

[FootstompShonie]

Speaking of secondary effects, anyone else get the "Spray n Pray" gun with exploding bullets? Gun wrecks.

Yes this is my go to now. I bought it off a vendor because at the time I had a ton of the ammo it uses and no gun.

It's so beast. It does waste a lot of ammo but any time I'm in a pinch I know it'll decimate the enemies.

 

[echohead]

Any time you switch weapons, it's fully loaded. Therefore, in most cases it's faster to switch out your weapon and switch it back in than to go through the reload animation.

I think the exception is energy weapons; the animation to switch to them seems to have you turn it on and power it up.

 

[RJ43]

Yes this is my go to now. I bought it off a vendor because at the time I had a ton of the ammo it uses and no gun.

It's so beast. It does waste a lot of ammo but any time I'm in a pinch I know it'll decimate the enemies.

I just bought this and was seriously disappointed. I dumped too many perks into pistol and single shot rifles so they do way more damage than the Spray and Pray now.

 

[BJPenn2012]

I got a very important tip, don't use pipe weapons, they are terrible.

You're terrible I have a kneecapper pipe pistol that would make even the most vicious deathclaw hug the ground in defeat.

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

Spray n Pray was my fallback when shit got tough for a long time. As my science increased and started modding a laser and plasma rifle, it started getting outpaced damage wise. Still keep it on me for when stuff clusters together, but my endless plasma rifle is my go to now. Ammo could be better though.

 

[Schoolboy Q]

You're terrible I have a kneecapper pipe pistol that would make even the most vicious deathclaw hug the ground in defeat.

Deathclaws ain't shit, I'm obviously talking about standard Pipe weapons though. Anything is good if it's got a legendary secondary effect. Speaking of secondary effects, anyone else get the "Spray n Pray" gun with exploding bullets? Gun wrecks.

 

[IwishIcould]

When shit hits the fan I start throwing grenades and molotov cocktails.

I rented it because I was getting it for Xmas. I began doing a string of missions too long and realized I was trying to beat guys that were way way too far beyond my level. I still need to increase my abilities so I can make better armor and weapons.

 

[RJ43]

Exploding bullets are amazing. I found a Shotgun with AOE exploding bullets and its wrecks everyone and everything.

 

[fightingrabbit]

Change your Pip Boy color to white in the menu settings and it makes it so much easier to see things when you activate the flashlight in the dark, instead of that green glow.

 

[echohead]

In areas with a lot of ghouls just go ahead and shoot all the bodies with a silences weapon as you walk around.

 

[The Clinch]

For whatever reason I cannot assign anyone in my settlements to do anything. In or out of settlement editor mode, there are no options to assign folks to do stuff.

I play on PS4. I've been told you go into editor and walk up to a person then hit square when prompted.

 

[fightingrabbit]

In areas with a lot of ghouls just go ahead and shoot all the bodies with a silences weapon as you walk around.

Are you talking about the ones lying on the floor that animate when you go near them? If so, no need to waste bullets. Just hit vats and it will show you if they're playing dead.

 

[S3VERE]

I think Square is for moving them to different settlements actually.

X "selects" them then go to the object that needs an assignment and hit X again, I don't know if it's just my file but it actually takes a second to get confirmation that the object has be assigned.

 

[echohead]

Are you talking about the ones lying on the floor that animate when you go near them? If so, no need to waste bullets. Just hit vats and it will show you if they're playing dead.

I suppose, I try to avoid vats unless something is shooting me and I cannot find it.

 

[PAUonePUNCH]

X "selects" them then go to the object that needs an assignment and hit X again, I don't know if it's just my file but it actually takes a second to get confirmation that the object has be assigned.

This and some settlers, like ones that have names or are real NPCs, cant be assigned to do things.

 

[Michaelangelo]

unlimited inventory capacity

So you can make companions hold more stuff than they are able to. Just drop the items you want to transfer on the ground. Then command your companion to pick it up.

No more fast traveling to drop stuff off or levelling up strength needed.

 

[echohead]

This and some settlers, like ones that have names or are real NPCs, cant be assigned to do things.

I'm my experience you can assign them to do things they like.
I usually have them man a store so I can find them but haven't been able to make them supply line.