Fallout 4will be turning 10 years old this year, but it’s just as popular as it’s ever been, with a resurgence of interest thanks in no small part to Amazon’s fantasticFalloutseries. Whether setting out into the Commonwealth in search of your lost child or building a dozen or so settlements from the ground up, there is plenty to keep you busy. However, with a game as vast asFallout 4, it’s easy for players to get tripped up by features, mechanics, or plot elements.
The amount of freedom you have when playing is pretty impressive, with you sent out into the world fresh fromFallout 4’s starting Vaultin search of your son’s kidnappers. Venturing out into the Commonwealth,it can be easy to overlook something small that can make your entire experience much easier. So, whether you’re a newcomer to the post-apocalyptic series or already have hundreds of hours under your belt, here are some big mistakes I’ve seen players make over the years.
10Avoiding Using Any Chems
Those Temporary Buffs Are Great To Have
Chems are a resource that I’ve seen a lot of players avoiding, and I’ll confess I was guilty of this for a long time, often playing characters that I decided just wouldn’t use chems. However, there are some fantastic buffs that can be gained by carefully using some ofFallout 4’s best chems. When looting, picking up any chems you find is always worthwhile, although they can also be created using the chemistry crafting station.
Different chems will grant different buffs, ranging from a boost to Strength and Endurance with Buffout to a temporary increase to Charisma and better prices at vendors with Grape Mentats. It should be noted thatsome chems and alcohol come with a risk of addiction, which will result in your character suffering penalties to their stats. However, addictions can be cured by visiting a doctor, using Addictol, or consuming certain foods.
9Walking Around With A Constantly Full Inventory
Empty Junk Into Workbenches Or Sell To Merchants
Another mistake that I’ve made a fair few times isforgetting to empty my junk into a workbench, resulting in my character repeatedly becoming overencumbered. There is a limit to how much you can carry based on your Strength, and it’s very easy to carry too much. Having a single base to return to and empty your pockets is a great habit to get into during any playthrough ofFallout 4.
Junk is fantastic for crafting weapon and armor mods, and building objects for settlements.The workbench has no capacity limit, so all you’ll need to do is remember where your primary base is, unless you’ve set upsettlement supply lines. Some junk is pretty valuable too, with pre-war money being a great source of caps
8Never Sleeping
Naps Are Good For You
I love to get deep into the roleplaying aspect when playing games likeFallout 4andSkyrim, and often find myself trying to make the characters behave as realistically as I can. So, although I’ll often find myself swept up in trying to complete quests back to back, this will mean sleeping at night, to let my character get some rest. But on top of the roleplay aspect,there is also a great mechanical reason to making sure the Sole Survivor sleeps.
Safe sleeping places include but are not limited to: rented beds, beds in settlements under player control, beds in player quarters such as the Prydwen.
The Well Rested perk is a temporary buff that will trigger after you sleep in any safe bed. The buff gives you a10% boost to all XP earned for eight in-game hours, and in Survival Mode, gives a fantastic plus two to Endurance and Agility. This buff can be increased with the Lover’s Embrace perk to 15% when sleeping next to a romanced companion.
7Fast Traveling Everywhere, All The Time
Slow Down & Enjoy Exploring
Another mistake I’ve seen people making isusing fast travel all the time. There is no denying the convenience of a fast travel system, especially in massive open-world games likeFallout 4andSkyrim. But you will miss out on so many things if you don’t take the time to experience the world and simply zip from place to place all the time.
Fallout 4does mitigate this to a certain extent, with locations requiring you to discover them first before they unlock as fast travel points. However,the Commonwealth is packed full of unmarked placesthat can easily be missed if you don’t take the time to explore. There are plenty of times when I’ve just picked a direction and gone for a wander, only to find something cool that I’ve never seen before or found a quest I never knew existed.
6Ignoring The Charisma Stat
You’ll Need Charisma For Speech Checks
When planning out a character inFallout 4, good stats to focus on can be Strength, Perception, or Agility, depending on the build you want to create. However, one SPECIAL stat I’ve seen people ignoring far too often is Charisma. For better or worse,Charisma is a stat that every Sole Survivor will need at some point, as it’s the only one that will ever come into play for dialogues.
When speaking with NPCs or trading withmerchants inFallout 4, Charisma will be the only attribute that will matter, with high Charisma giving better results. Luckily, you don’t need to put too many points into Charisma to get the benefits, withplenty of outfits and chems in the game boosting the stat temporarily. No matter how you go about boosting it to pass speech checks, Charisma is one stat that shouldn’t be ignored.
5Thinking Luck Is A Dump Stat
Fallout 4’s Luck Perks Are Overpowered, So Use Them
Speaking of stats that shouldn’t be ignored, Luck is another SPECIAL attribute that seems to get overlooked, especially by newer players. Luck might not sound like much at first glance, particularly to those unfamiliar with the franchise and the SPECIAL system, with a brief mention of “general good fortune”. However, the stat can influence a number of really useful things, most noticeablyhow quickly your critical hit meter recharges.
Luck also improves how much ammo and how many caps are found when looting.The Luck section ofFallout 4’s perk table also has some fantastic options, such as Idiot Savant, Critical Banker, and the well-known Mysterious Stranger. Combining high Luck with weapons such as Righteous Authority can quickly turn you into an unstoppable force.
4Never Reading Any Terminals
You’ll Miss Out On So Much Lore
Terminals inFalloutcontain tons of lore and information, andFallout 4’s many terminals don’t disappoint. I love hacking and checking terminals for clues when on quests, even if it’s only to discover little tidbits of information about the world before the bombs fell. As a consequence, I’m completely baffled when people skip them unless specifically told otherwise by a quest.
There are some amazing and heartbreakingstories told through terminalsthat really bring the Commonwealth to life and add context to many characters.Terminals are also great for gaining control over enemy defenses, such as turrets or traps, turning the tables and making some fights much easier. Not all terminal entries are created equal, but I guarantee some will stay with you long after you close the game.
3Not Recruiting Any Companions
Dogmeat Is Great, But Going It Alone Sucks
Exploring the wastelands of the Commonwealth can be extremely dangerous, so it makes sense for someone fresh out of the Vault and used to the pre-war world to have some backup. Luckily,there are plenty of companions to recruit, with 13 available in the base game and another four through the various DLCs. Some will require quests to be completed before they join you, while others just want some caps up front.
Companions can be useful in tough fights, although you should ensure to upgrade their equipment, and they’re great at helping carry all the junk you’ll inevitably pick up.I like hearing their opinions on the different locations and quests as we travel, which can offer clues about their backstories. Although their AI can be a little wonky sometimes, especially in tight spaces, I’ve found that the good outweighs the bad withFallout 4’s companions.
2Not Completing Companion Quests
Great Stories & New Perks
Speaking of companions, almost every one of them has apersonal quest that lets you dive into their backstories. To trigger the quests, you’ll generally have to get past a certain level of affinity with the companion, which involves doing things that they agree with. This is why I tend to swap between them frequently to only take them on quests they’ll agree with.
However, completing companion personal quests has more rewards than simply learning more about your new friends.Companions inFallout 4also come with permanent perks, which will give boosts in certain areas, such as XP gained or extra healing. Some of these perks are very helpful early game, while others remain useful throughout, making maxing out each companion’s affinity something you should be doing every playthrough.
1Rushing Through The Main Story
Take Your Time, Shaun Can Wait
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes I often see people making is rushing through the main story. The main plot ofFallout 4is structured into three main acts, with each act comprised of approximately five main story quests. While the main plot does involve rescuing your missing child, which does lend itself naturally to a sense of urgency,I advise taking some breaks to explore before moving forward.
Although there are some natural breaks to be found without the mainFallout 4questline, such as waiting to go to the Glowing Sea to find Virgil, I also find that taking a break from the main plot after gaining access to the Institute also helps. Some of the game’s best content is hidden in side quests and faction missions, and as completing the main plot can get rid of several of the main factions, fully exploring those options should be a priority. Shaun’s fine — explore that random bunker, and who knows what you might find.
