Fallout 4 Tips (from the Loading Screens)

Sun, Dec 13, 2015

Some information in Fallout 4 can only be gleaned from the loading screens, which are random. If, for example, you haven’t seen the loading screen tip on Sentry Bots, you are going to have a really hard time fighting Sentry Bots. So I’ve compiled the following list of tips from the loading screens. I extracted all this information with FO4edit. Tips that fit under multiple headers - such as the tip for “Attack Dog”, a perk that affects Dogmeat - have been duplicated so that they appear once under each header.

Note: the flavor text tips may contain spoilers.

Useful Tips

Enemies / Creatures / Robots

• Most Mirelurks are heavily armored and resistant to most forms of damage, but their faces are vulnerable.
• Super Mutants are stronger and more resilient than humans, and consider themselves the Commonwealth’s superior race.
• Mole Rats often travel underground and then burst through the surface to ambush their prey.
• The Assaultron robot was constructed by RobCo and sold to the U.S. military as a frontline wartime combatant. It is fast and deadly at close range, and employs a devastating laser at a distance. Some units can even employ stealth technology.
• One of the Wasteland’s most disgusting creatures, the Bloatfly shoots its maggots as projectiles, and often explodes upon death.
• Not only do Bloodbugs suck the blood of their victims, but they will often shoot it back at them, causing distorted vision.
• The Sentry Bot is one of the most dangerous robots ever created, and utilizes a variety of heavy weapons systems to destroy its enemies. Upon death, it erupts in a devastating explosion.
• Automated Turrets will track and attack their targets relentlessly, but can often be reprogrammed from a nearby computer terminal.
• The firefighter model of Protectron is equipped with an internal cryo gun it can utilize in any combat situation.
• The medic model of Protectron was designed to use its hands as a defibrillator. In combat, it utilizes this ability as a painful shock attack.
• The construction model of Protectron was built to take damage. Some versions also come equipped with an internal nail gun, which they can utilize in combat.
• Because of its size, the Sentry Bot generates a significant amount of heat. During combat, it will occasionally enter a “cooldown” state. When this happens, the Sentry Bot’s back panel will open, exposing its Fusion Core … and presenting the best moment to strike.
• Robots tend to get more dangerous as they get more damaged. When both their arms are disabled, most robots will then charge at an opponent while initiating a self-destruct sequence, and explode in a final fiery attack.
• In combat, the police model of Protectron relies on strong melee attacks and a painful electric shock.
• Some creatures, like the Mirelurk King, Chameleon Deathclaw, and Sentry Bot, can utilize stealth to turn themselves almost invisible and ambush unwary prey.

Combat

• Melee attacks on enemies can stagger them, interrupting their attacks.
• Want to prevent an enemy from fleeing? Cripple the legs.¹
• Actively blocking against a melee attacker might cause them to recoil, and render their attack useless.
• Actively blocking against a melee attacker might cause them to recoil, and deal no damage.
• Weapons and creatures can deliver four different types of damage: Ballistic, Energy, Radiation, and Poison. Some enemies are naturally resistant against certain forms of damage, but specialized armor can also offer the same protection.
• Use the bash button to deliver a melee attack with any ranged weapon.
• Some weapons can completely disintegrate or “gooify” an enemy upon death. Don’t worry - you can still retrieve any loot from their pile of ashes. Or … puddle.
• When you set off a hostile mine, it will begin beeping a rapid countdown before exploding. If you’re quick enough, you can activate the mine within that time to disarm it.

Weapons

• The Gauss Rifle uses magnetic induction to propel a projectile at incredible and devastating speed. Each shot can be “charged” for maximum damage by keeping the trigger held in for a moment before releasing.
• The Laser Musket combines high-tech energy damage with Revolutionary style. Each crank of its handle loads additional Fusion Cell ammo, and the weapon can be cranked multiple times to increase the damage of a single shot.
• Guns with long barrels have increased accuracy when aimed, but decreased accuracy when shot “from the hip”.
• Weapon mods that increase weight also increase the time it takes to aim.
• Want to significantly increase your weapon’s melee damage? Add a bayonet.
• The Gamma Gun emits radiation that is deadly to humans, but ineffective against almost all Ghouls, robots, and Wasteland creatures.
• Specially constructed from the severed appendage of a dead Deathclaw, the Deathclaw Gauntlet allows its user to viciously slash at enemies for incredibly high damage.
• The Flamer is a specially engineered flamethrower suited for extended combat engagements. It delivers sustained energy damage and can completely immolate a target.
• While capable of dealing a massive amount of ballistic damage in a short period of time, the Minigun needs a moment to “spin up” before it can be fired.
• While capable of dealing a massive amount of ballistic damage in a short period of time, the Laser Gatling needs a moment to “spin up” before it can be fired.
• Because of the “spread” inherent in this class of weapon, shotguns do more damage the closer they are to the target.
• To throw a grenade or Molotov cocktail, first equip it, and then hold the Bash/Power Attack button.
• Laser rifles and pistols deal powerful energy damage, and can completely disintegrate defeated foes.
• Plasma rifles and pistols deal even more damage than laser weapons, and can “gooify” defeated foes.
• Sick of carrying around all that useless stuff? Load it into the Junk Jet, and shoot it at unsuspecting enemies. You haven’t lived until you’ve killed someone with a teddy bear.
• The Cryolater is a powerful prototype rifle that can completely freeze enemies.
• A suppressor will reduce both the sound and recoil of a gun.
• Muzzle brakes and compensators help reduce the recoil on automatic weapons.

Armor

• Combat Armor offers balanced protection against both energy and ballistic damage.
• Power Armor can be enhanced with a variety of mods that add specialized functionality, like a jet boost, Tesla damage field, explosive impact landing, integrated Stealth Boy, and auto Stimpacks.
• Even without any pieces, a Power Armor frame provides a variety of advantages, like increased carry weight, greater melee damage, and the elimination of falling damage.
• You can mix and match all different kinds of Power Armor pieces on a single frame, and add mods to most of those pieces to increase their effectiveness.
• Leather Armor offers additional protection against energy damage.
• The Vault Suit and a few other pieces of clothing, like Long Johns and Raider Leathers, are thin enough to be worn underneath additional pieces of armor.
• Metal Armor offers additional protection against ballistic damage.

SPECIAL

• Endurance is a measure of your overall physical fitness. It affects your total Health and the Action Point drain from sprinting.
• Strength is a meeasure of your raw physical power. It affects how much you can carry, and determines the effectiveness of all melee attacks.
• Perception is your sense of environmental awareness and affects the hit chance in VATS.
• Charisma is your ability to charm and convince others. It affecs your success to persuade in dialogue and prices when you barter.
• Intelligence is a measure of your overall mental acuity, and affects the number of Experience Points earned.
• Agility is a measure of your overall finesse and reflexes. It determines your Action Points in VATS and your ability to sneak.
• Luck is a measure of your general good fortune, and affects the recharge rate of Critical Hits.

Perks

• The Attack Dog perk allows your canine companion to grab an enemy’s limb in combat, increasing your chance to hit in VATS and possibly causing additional damage as well.
• With the Adamantium Skeleton perk, your bones are infused with unbreakable metal, which reduces - and may even completely prevent - limb damage.
• The Aquaboy and Aquagirl perks allow you to breathe underwater, remove radiation damage while swimming, and may even maek you undetectable while submerged.
• The Cannibal perk grants the ability to feast on humanoid corpses to recover lost health.
• The Action Boy and Action Girl perks speed the regeneration of your Action Points.
• With the Animal Friend perk, you can aim at animals with your gun and attempt to pacify them. Higher ranks grant the ability to incite them to attack, or allow you to issue specific commands.
• The Armorer perk grants access to more effective armor mods.
• The Awareness perk allows you to view a target’s damage resistance when you’re in VATS.
• The Basher perk improves the effectiveness of gun bashing by adding extra damage, and possibly crippling a limb or causing a Critical Hit.
• The Better Criticals perk increases the damage done with every Critical Hit.
• With the Big Leagues perk, you can gain a suite of melee bonuses, like increased damage, a chance to disarm or cripple, and the ability to hit every enemy in front of you.
• The Black Widow and Lady Killer perks grant bonus damage against members of the opposite sex, and make it easier to persuade them in dialogue.
• The Caps Collector perk gives bettter prices when bartering, and even leads to merchants having more caps for transactions.
• The Chem Resistant perk reduces the likelihood that you’ll get addicted to chems. At the highest rank, it grants total immunity to addiction.
• Take the Chemist perk, and the effects of any ingested chems will last longer.
• The Commando perk offers significant bonuses with automatic weapons. Depending on the rank, you may inflict more damage, gain improved hip fire accuracy, or stagger an enemy.
• With the Concentrated Fire perk, every additional attack on the same body part in VATS improves your chances of landing a hit.
• The Critical Banker perk allows you to save up an increasing number of Critical Hits, to be used when they’re needed most.
• The Demolition perk increases the damage of explosives, and allows you to craft explosives at any Chemistry Station. Higher ranks add a preview arc to thrown grenades, and widen the affected area of explosions.
• With the Fortune Finder perk, you’ll find more and more caps in containers.
• Feeling lucky? You should! With the Four Leaf Clover perk, each hit in VATS has a chance to fill your critical meter.
• With the Ghoulish perk, radiation heals you, and it’s possible that hostile Feral Ghouls actually become allies.
• With the Grim Reaper’s Sprint perk, kills in VATS have a chance to restore all depleted Action Points, and may even fill the Critical Hit meter.
• The Blacksmith perks grants access to more effective melee weapon mods.
• With the Gun Fu perk, the more enemies you target and hit in VATS, the more damage they increasingly take. You might even score a free Critical Hit.
• With the Gunslinger perk, pistols have increased damage and range, and may even disarm opponents.
• The Hacker perk allows you to hack increasingly difficult computer terminals, and may even prevent a lockout.
• The Heavy Gunner perk offers significant bonuses with heavy weapons. Depending on the rank, you may inflict more damage, gain improved hip fire accuracy, or even stagger an enemy.
• With the Idiot Savant perk, you’ll randomly receive XP from completing any action. The lower your Intelligence, the higher your chance.
• With the Inspiration perk, your companions can gain a variety of bonuses, like greater combat damage, immunity to friendly fire, and increased carrying capacity.
• With the Intimidation perk, you can aim at people with your gun and attempt to pacify them. Higher ranks grant the ability to incite them to attack, or allow you to issue specific commands.
• With the Iron Fist perk, unarmed attacks do increasingly more damage and could lead to a disarm, and Power Attacks may cripple your opponent.
• The Lead Belly perk reduces, or even eliminates, radiation damage from eating or drinking.
• The Life Giver perk raises your maximum Health, and can even lead to regeneration.
• The Local Leader perk allows you to do more at workshop settlements, like assign supply lines, and build stores and workbenches.
• The Locksmith perk allows you to open increasingly difficult locks, and may even prevent your picks from breaking.
• The Medic perk increases both the speed and effectiveness of Stimpaks and RadAway.
• The Mister Sandman perk allows you to instantly kill a sleeping person, and may improve the damage inflicted with silenced weapons.
• With the Moving Target perk, you gain increased Damage Resistance and Energy Resistance while sprinting.
• With the Mysterious Stranger perk, an unknown ally will appear occasionally in VATS and instantly kill an enemy. Doing so may even fill your Critical meter.
• The Nerd Rage perk triggers a unique ability when your Health gets too low - time slows, you deal more damage while suffering less, and killing an enemy may actually heal you.
• The Night Person perk increases both your Perception and Intelligence during nighttime hours, and may even grant night vision while sneaking.
• The Ninja perk improves the damage of both ranged and melee sneak attacks.
• With the Nuclear Physicist perk, radiation weapons inflict more damage and Fusion Cores last longer. You may even gain the ability to eject a Fusion Core from your Power Armor, causing a deadly explosion.
• The Pain Train perk allows you to sprint into enemies and inflict damage. Wearing Power Armor increases its effectiveness, and may even grant access to Power Slam - an area-of-effect jump attack.
• The Party Boy and Party Girl perks remove the threat of alcohol addiction. They may also double the effects of alcohol, and increase your Luck.
• When in VATS the Penetrator perk allows you to target an enemy’s body parts that are blocked by cover.
• With the Pickpocket perk, picking pockets is easier, but you may even be able to place live explosives in a person’s inventory (killing them instantly), or steal their weapons and equipped items.
• The Quick Hands perk makes reloading faster, and may even remove its Action Point cost in VATS.
• The Rad Resistant perk improves your resistance to radiation damage.
• The Refractor perk improves your resistance to energy damage.
• With the Ricochet perk, an enemy’s ranged attack will sometimes ricochet back and instantly kill them. Such a death may even fill your Critical meter.
• With the Rifleman perk, rifles have improved damage and armor penetration, and may even cripple opponents.
• With the Robotics Expert perk, you can hack robots and attempt to turn them off or on, or initiate a self-destruct. Higher ranks grant the ability to incite them to attack, or allow you to issue specific commands.
• With the Rooted perk, you can inflict and take more damage while standing still, and may even reflect some of that damage back to attackers.
• The Science! perk grants access to more effective tech mods.
• The Scrapper perk gives you more components when scrapping weapons and armor, from screws and copper to circuitry and nuclear material.
• With the Scrounger perk, you will find increasingly more ammunition in containers.
• The Sneak perk makes you harder to detect when sneaking. At higher ranks, you no longer set off mines or other floor-based traps, running no longer affects detection, and simply entering stealth mode may make enemies lose track of you.
• With the Sniper perkk, you can hold your breath longer while aiming. Higher ranks add a chance of knockdown with single-shot scoped weapons, and a bonus to headshots in VATS.
• The Solar Powered perk increases both your Strength and Endurance during daytime hours, and may even heal radiation and Hit Points while in sunlight.
• The Steady Aim perk improves your hip-fire accuracy with any gun.
• With the Strong Back perk, you can carry additional weight, and may even gain the abilities to run and fast travel while encumbered.
• The Toughness perk increases your Damage Resistance.
• The V.A.N.S. perk enables the Vault-Tec Assisted Navigation System, which draws a path to your closest quest target.
• With the Wasteland Whisperer perk, you can aim at various Wasteland creatures with your gun and attempt to pacify them. Higher ranks grand the ability to incite them to attack, or allow you to issue specific commands.
• The Blitz perk increases the maximum distance of melee attacks in VATS, and can even cause more damage based on distance.
• The Gun Nut perk grants access to more effective gun mods.
• Prefer to go it alone? With the Lone Wanderer perk, you’ll take less damage and be able to carry more equipment when you adventure without a companion or dog.²
• With the Bloody Mess perk, you’ll do more damage in combat, and enemies will often explode into a gory paste when they die.

Collectibles

• Every issue of Picket Fences you collect adds a new, unique element to construct at any Workshop.
• Every issue of Hot Rodder you collect adds a new, unique paint job for your Power Armor, available at any Power Armor Station.
• Every issue of Tumblers Today you collect slightly increases the “sweet spot” when lockpicking.
• Every issue of Le Coiffe you collect adds a new, unique hairstyle, available at any barber.
• Each installment of the US Covert Ops Training Manual you collect adds a rank in the Infiltration perk, which grants a slight increase to your sneak chance.
• Every issue of the Massachusetts Surgical journal you collect adds a slight increase to enemy limb damage.
• Every issue of Grognak the Barbarian you collect adds a rank in the Barbarian perk, which grants a slight increase to melee and unarmed damage.
• Every issue of Guns and Bullets you collect adds a rank in the Marksman perk, which grants a slight increase to Critical hit damage.
• Every issue of Live & Love you collect adds a unique bonus for companions, like increased damage or more health.
• Every issue of Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor you collect adds a rank in the Junktown Vendor perk, which slightly improves prices with merchants.
• Every issue of Tesla Science Magazine you collect adds a rank in the Tesla Science perk, which grants a slight increase to Critical hit damage with Energy weapons.
• Each issue of Robco Fun includes a holotape containing a unique game, which can be played on your Pip-Boy or any terminal.
• Every issue of Astoundingly Awesome Tales you collect adds a version of the Astoundingly Awesome perk, which grants a unique bonus, like more damage inflicted at night or improved radiation resistance.
• Every issue of The Unstoppables you collect adds a rank in the Unstoppables perk, which grants a slight increase to the chance that an enemy attack will do no damage.
• Every installment of the Wasteland Survival Guide you collect adds a version of the Wasteland Survival perk, which grants a unique bonus, like faster swim speed or double meat on slain animals.
• Every issue of Taboo Tattoos you collect adds a new, unique facial tattoo, available at any facial reconstruction surgeon.
• Every issue of Total Hack you collect adds a new, unique functionality to certain terminals, like the ability to control spotlights or turrets.

Companions

• If you’d like to adventure alone, or with someone else, you can dismiss your current companion by speaking to them.
• The Attack Dog perk allows your canine companion to grab an enemy’s limb in combat, increasing your chance to hit in VATS and possibly causing additional damage as well.
• You can alter the weapons and attire of most companions by accessing the trade menu in dialogue.
• Each companion has their own likes and dislikes. Some actions will earn their respect. Others, their disappointment.
• If a companion goes down in combat, use a Stimpak on them to bring them back into the fight.

Settlements, Workshops, and Crafting

• The higher the Happiness of your workshop settlements, the more productive their settlers.
• Unassigned people at settlements will automatically scavenge for the resources you need to build things.
• With the Local Leader perk, you can link two workshops with a supply line. They will then share food, water, and any resources needed for building.
• Use a Chemistry Station to craft useful chems and medicines.
• You can use a Cooking Station to create recipes from the various ingredients you find, like wild plants and meat from slain creatures.
• Use a Weapons Workbench to make useful modifications to most of your weapons.
• Use an Armor Workbench to modify your armor and increase its resistances.
• Use a Power Armor station to repair and make modifications to your Power Armor.
• At a Weapons Workbench, you can change the mods in the Receiver, Barrel, Grip, Magazine, Sight, and Muzzle slot of most guns.
• Every Workbench, Crafting Station, and Modding Station in a single settlement share resources. Using one will grant you access to anything placed in the others.
• The meat obtained from many of the Wasteland’s animals can be specially prepared at Cooking Stations, and turned into food items that can heal radiation damage and provide unique bonuses.

Stealth

• Crouching will both improve your accuracy and activate sneak mode.
• While it’s great for illuminating dark areas, the light generated from your Pip-Boy light actually makes you less stealthy. If you want to effectively sneak, turn it off.
• Running is noisier than walking and makes you easier to detect. To effectively sneak, stay low and slow.
• Your chances of successfully using stealth - and staying hidden - are affected by a variety of factors, like light level, noise generated, clothing weight, and enemies’ line of sight.
• The Stealth Boy is a personal device that generates a modulating refection field. Using it effectively renders the wearer invisible for a short period of time.

Chems and Stimpaks

• Buffout is a powerful steroid that gained popularity with athletes before the Great War. It grants temporary bonuses to Strength, Endurance, and maximum Heatlh.
• Using Jet creates an altered state of consciousness where time appears to slow, allowing you to perform more actions than normal for a limited period of time.
• Need to get smart, quick? Mentats will boost both your Perception and Intelligence for a limited period of time.
• Originally developed by the United States military to increase soldier’s combat effectiveness, Psycho grants the user increased Damage output and Damage Resistance for a limited period of time.
• Rad-X significantly increases your Radiation Resistance for a limited period of time. RadAway completely removes any radiation you’ve already been exposed to.
• For fast, effective healing of both overall health and every injured body part, nothing beats a Stimpak.
• Using chems or alcohol can provide temporary boosts, but can also lead to addiction. When addicted, you have to consistently take the chem or alcohol - failing to do so will inflict a severe stat penalty.
• Popular with beatniks and intellectuals before the Great War, Daddy-O raises Intelligence of Perception, but lowers Charisma, for a limited period of time.
• Created before the war as a general performance enhancer, X-Cell never got out of the prototype stage, but was widely distributed on the black market. It boosts every SPECIAL attribute for a limited period of time, but is highly addictive.
• A pre-war chem favored by those looking for a “happy escape”, Day Tripper raises both Charisma and Luck, but lowers Strength, for a limited period of time.
• Med-X is a powerful pain killer that effectively increases Damage Resistance for a limited period of time.
• As rare as it is powerful, Addictol completely cures its user of all addictions.³

Misc

• If you have too many quest targets, check the Quests section of your Pip-Boy to see if you have more than one active quest. In the Miscellaneous category, you can turn each objective on and off.
• You can run faster with your weapon holstered, and fastest when sprinting.
• Press and hold the Pip-Boy button to turn on its light and illuminate dark areas.
• Once you discover a location, you can use your map to fast travel back to it. Normally, you must be outside to do so, but there are exceptions.⁴
• Successful attacks in VATS fill your Critical meter. Once it’s completely filled, you can unleash a devastating attack.
• Heavier weapons typically deal more damage, but take up more weight in your inventory, and slow you down when they’re equipped.
• Zooming in with a ranged weapon slows you down, but improves your accuracy.
• If you start a fight you can’t finish, try putting away your weapon. There’s a slight chance your opponent just might forgive you…
• You can restore health by using a Stimpak, eating food, visiting a doctor, drinking from a water source, or sleeping in a bed.
• Sleeping in any bed will fully restore your Health and heal any crippled body parts.
• Drinking from a water source is always a tactical choice - you will usually restore lost Health, but raise your radiation level.
• Sleeping in a rented or owned bed will give you a “Well Rested” bonus that boosts your earned XP for a limited time.
• Combat too hard or too easy? You can change the game’s difficulty at any time.
• Use the Pip-Boy to tune into different radio stations. If you close the Pip-Boy while the radio is on, it will continue playing until you go back into the Pip-Boy and turn it off.
• Need a real challenge? Try Survival difficulty. Health restoration will be severely reduced.
• The higher the difficulty setting, the greater your chance of finding Legendary items.
• Every time you level up, your Health increases and you get to choose a new perk.
• Pre-war military checkpoints, scattered throughout the Commonwealth, are a great place to find Fusion Cores.
• To talk to a person, activate them while standing up. To attempt a pickpocket, activate them while in Sneak mode.
• Successful attacks in VATS build your Critical meter. Once the meter is filled, you can unleash a devastating attack.⁵
• When you steal an item, the owner will generally attempt to take it back from you. If they can’t, they may attack.
• To cure addiction, visit a doctor in any major settlement.
• Doctors, located in most settlements, provide a variety of services. They can heal all wounds (including crippled limbs), cure radiation damage, and cure addiction to chems and alcohol. Most of them also sell medical supplies.
• Want to change your hairstyle? Visit a barber in one of the major settlements.
• Tired of the same old look? A reconstructive surgeon can give you a whole new face…
• When you get a new quest, it will not become active unless you have no other active quests. Check the Quests section in your Pip-Boy to see which quests are active.
• Most shops are active during daylight hours, and closed at night.
• Adhesive is rare⁶, and used to create nearly every mod.
• Sleeping in a bed when your romantic companion is nearby will grant the Lover’s Embrace perk, which grants a significant boost to any earned XP for a limited time.
• Need to pass some time in a hurry? Using any piece⁷ of unowned furniture will allow you to “Wait” for up to 24 hours.
• The Commonwealth is a dangerous place, but tends to get considerably more dangerous the farther south you travel…
• If there’s a skull displayed next to an enemy’s name, it means they’re several levels higher than you, and may be difficult to defeat in combat. In such cases, running away and returning when you’re stronger might be the wisest course of action.
• Grown attached to a weapon? Give it a custom name at any Weapons Workbench.

Useful, But Slightly Spoilery

• To enter and exit the Institute, simply fast travel to and from using the map. This ability is only available if you stay in the Institute’s good graces.
• Use the Flare Gun to summon help from any nearby Minutemen.
• Use Artillery Smoke Grenades to call in artillery strikes from nearby Minutemen batteries.
• The Verfibird Signal Grenade can be used to call in a friendly vertibird for transport.

Flavor Text Tips

Enemies / Creatures / Robots

• The Miss Nanny robot was created by General Atomics International as the female equivalent of the Mister Handy. As such, it carries similar built-in armaments.
• No creature represents the danger of the Wasteland as much as the Deathclaw, which uses razor-sharp claws to rip apart its prey … in seconds.
• Raiders are the scourge of the Wasteland, in the Commonwealth and everywhere else. Loosely organized, with a power hierarchy based on pure ruthlessness, they will attack anyone at any time … for any reason.
• The RobCo Protectron was constructed for a multitude of civil service applications, from security to firefighting.
• The Wasteland is home to a variety of dogs, from vicious wild curs to trained attack hounds.
• Institute synths come in a variety of models, from the skeletal Gen 1 to the advanced Gen 3, which is indistinguishable from a human.
• The fiercest flying insect in the Commonwealth, the Stingwing strikes relentlessly with its poisoned stinger.
• While they can easily be mistaken for zombies, Feral Ghouls are actually horribly irradiated humans whose brains have rotted away, causing madness.
• The Gunners are the Commonwealth’s most well organized mercenary group. Unscrupulous and highly skilled, they will take any contract … if the price is right.
• The Mister Gutsy was created by General Atomics International as a combat alternative to its domestic Mister Handy robot.
• Created by General Atomics International as a domestic servant robot, Mister Handy is equipped with tools that can be used as weapons, if the need arises.
• Super Mutants are often accompanied by Mutant Hounds, monstrous dogs that are just as dangerous as their masters.
• Radiation has mutated the common Emperor Scorpion into the deadly Radscorpion, one of the Wasteland’s fiercest predators. Beware its claws and poisoned stinger.
• The hideously mutated, two-headed Radstag is a pathetic creature that will likely run at the first sign of contact. But if forced to fight, it can prove a deadly opponent.
• Raiders are the scourge of the Wasteland, in the Commonwealth and everywhere else. Loosely organized, with a power hierarchy based on pure ruthlessness, they will attack anyone at any time … for any reason.
• Originally named by the descendants of those held in Chinese internment camps before the Great War, the Yao Guai is a ferocious mutated bear.

Weapons

• The Broadsider is the answer to that age-old question: “Would it be fun to walk around and shoot people with a portable naval cannon?” Yes. Yes it would.
• The Super Sledge is a rocket-enhanced sledgehammer, capable of dealing a tremendous amount of damage.
• Rifles are generally long, of average size, and require two hands to fire. They include, but are not limited to, the Assault Rifle, Combat Rifle, Combat Shotgun, Double-Barrel Shotgun, Hunting Rifle, Laser Musket, and Submachine Gun.
• The Ripper is a small, handheld, militarized chainsaw that saw extensive use in the armed conflicts before the Great War.
• Pipe weapons are crude, low-tech, widely available … and highly modifiable. They are favored by the Commonwealth’s Raider groups.
• A favorite of the gangster-like Triggermen, the Submachine Gun is a rapid-fire automatic weapon with a high ammo capacity.
• There are a variety of grenades available in the Commonwealth, from the high-tech Plasma Grenade to the custom-made Baseball Grenade.
• Small, dependable, reasonably powerful and widely available, the 10mm Pistol has been a staple of Wasteland combat since the bombs first fell.
• The Syringer is a rare, custom-made weapon that can shoot modified medical syringes at an enemy, who then suffers the effects of whatever chemical is in the syringe.
• The Railway Rifle is a rare, custom-made weapon that shoots railway spikes at such a high velocity, they can sever body parts and pin them to walls.
• The Fat Man is perhaps the most devastating infantry weapon ever unleashed upon the modern battlefield - a hand-held catapult that launches portable nuclear bombs.
• Heavy guns are generally large, bulky, and exceedingly powerful. They include, but are not limited to, the Broadsider, Fatman, Flamer, Gatling Laser, Minigun, and Missile Launcher.
• Automatic weapons fire continuously as their trigger is pulled. They include, but are not limited to, the Submachine Gun, and versions of the Assault Rifle and Combat Rifle.
• Semi-automatic and bolt action weapons fire one shot with each pull of their trigger. They include, but are not limited to, the Alien Blaster, Double-Barrel Shotgun, Gauss Rifle, Hunting Rifle, Laser Musket, and Pipe Revolver.
• Pistols are generally small, and require one hand to fire. They include, but are not limited to, the 10mm, .44, Alien Blaster, and Gamma Gun.

Power Armor

• Across the Commonwealth, some of the fiercest Raider leaders have scavenged old suits of Power Armor and restored them to full working order.
• The T-45 series was the first version of Power Armor ever employed on the battlefield by the U.S. military. Many suits remain active in the Wasteland today, and provide their wearers with substantial protection.
• The T-51 series of Power Armor was the pinnacle of mechanized protection before the Great War. First introduced in the Battle of Anchorage, it is highly valued today for its increased protective capabilities.
• The T-60 series of Power Armor saw extensive use by the United States after the Battle of Anchorage. In fact, soldiers in T-60 Power Armor were among those trying to retain order on October 23, 2077 - the day America fell to atomic war…
• The X-01 series of Power Armor was specially engineered and employed by remnants of the U.S. military after the Great War, and offers increased protection over the older, pre-war models.

Diamond City

• Diamond City was constructed in the remains of Boston’s world-renowned baseball stadium.
• Diamond City, the “Great Green Jewel” of the Commonwealth, is the area’s largest and most secure settlement.
• Diamond City’s non-denominational All Faiths Chapel offers services and counseling for all of Diamond City’s residents, regardless of religion.
• In the year 2299, a mysterious visitor to Diamond City killed several people. It was only after he was shot dead by city security that the stranger was revealed to be a synth. The people of the Commonwealth have feared the Institute ever since.
• Diamond City’s newspaper, Publick Occurences, gets its name from the first newspaper ever published in Boston, in 1690.
• Diamond City Radio broadcasts the most popular music from before the war, as well as more recent news stories.
• The Science Center has been instrumental in helping maintain Diamond City’s power, robotics, and agriculture.
• At the Mega Surgery Center, Diamond City residents can undergo facial reconstruction, if they tire of the same old look.
• The Colonial Taphouse is Diamond City’s upscale tavern, where the settlement’s more wealthy residents drink, socialize, and generally look down on everyone else.
• The Diamond City Schoolhouse offers a free education to all of the settlement’s children, regardless of family or social status.
• Valentine’s Detective Agency is run by private investigator Nick Valentine, who has helped many of the residents of Diamond City over the years.

Goodneighbor

• Bobbi No-Nose is a small-time operator with big-time plans. Every place she sets up shop inevitably turns into a base of operations.
• Now little more than a flophouse, Goodneighbor’s Hotel Rexford was once the center of a thriving chem trade.
• The Old State House, once one of Boston’s most renowned historic buildings, now serves as the headquarters of Goodneighbor’s mayor, Hancock. According to popular legend, the leader took his name when he took the famous statesman’s outfit, once on display.
• While chems are plentiful in Goodneighbor, there are those who claim the Memory Den offers the best high possible - the experience of reliving the past …
• Built in the remnants of an old subway station, the Third Rail offers live jazz, stiff drinks, and a good chance to meet bad people.
• Goodneighbor was built in and around the remains of Boston’s red light district, Scollay Square.
• Goodneighbor was founded in the year 2240, by a group of criminals who were banished from Diamond City.
• Goodneighbor’s residents come from every walk of life, and the settlement welcomes anyone strong enough to remain free, from robots and Ghouls to criminals and chem addicts.
• In Goodneighbor, taking the law into your own hands isn’t only allowed, it’s expected. The settlement has one overriding rule - respect others, or face the consequences.
• If there’s one place in the entire Commonwealth where people don’t fear the Institute, it’s Goodneighbor. They love the freedom their community provides, and would do anything necessary to defend it.

Other Locations

• To enter and exit the Institute, simply fast travel to and from using the map [sic]. This ability is only available if you stay in the Institute’s good graces…
• Vault 111, constructed by Vault-Tec, was build to serve the residents of Sanctuary Hills and Concord in the event of an atomic war.
• Those who reserved spots in Vault 111 had no idea they would be cryogenically frozen. In fact, almost every Vault was actually a secret social experiment conducted by Vault-Tec.
• Sanctuary Hills represents the latest in planned communities, and is home to a diverse range of families.
• The old Cambridge Police Station has been occupied by the Brotherhood of Steel, and now serves as an important listening post and resupply depot.
• Before the war, Fort Strong was a U.S. Army base and proving ground for experimental weapons, like the Fat Man nuclear catapult. It has since been overrun by Super Mutants.
• In the years before the war, ArcJet systems was a successful military and civilian aerospace contractor, specializing in communications and propulsion systems.
• Before the Great War, Mass Fusion was Boston’s premiere utility, providing power to all of Massachusetts.
• While primarily a publishing house, Hubris Comics had begun to expand into radio, television, and toys. The Silver Shroud and Grognak the Barbarian were two of its most popular properties.
• The Concord Museum of Freedom was a popular tourist destination before the war, and featured historical exhibits ranging from the American Revolution, all the way up to the Battle of Anchorage.
• Once the local office of Galaxy News Network, GNN Plaza is now the headquarters of the Gunners, the Commonwealth’s most organized and dangerous mercenary group.
• Fort Independence was named in 1797, at a ceremony presided over by President John Adams. Before then, it was known as Castle William, and then Fort Adams. Before its destruction in 2240, the fortification served as an apt headquarters for the Minutemen.
• Before the war, Vault-Tec began construction of Vault 114 inside Boston’s Park Street subway station. The project was never completed, but that matters little to the gangsters who have taken up residence there.
• In the years before the war, Fort Hagen was an important military command facility. Today, it is used as a base of operations for Kellogg, the cybernetically-enhanced mercenary employed by the Institute.
• The Glowing Sea is the most highly irradiated region in the entire Commonwealth. According to local legend, it was ground zero for the high-yield nuclear blast that devastated most of Massachusetts.

Brotherhood Of Steel

• Piloted by Lancer-Captain Kells, the Prydwen has traveled extensively along the East Coast … but this is its first journey to the Commonwealth.
• While the Prydwen does not have any actual weapons systems, it always carries enough troops, vertibirds, and supplies to mount a major offensive.
• The Brotherhood of Steel is dedicated to the advancement of humanity, and views mutations as a scourge. Super Mutants, Ghouls, and other “abominations” have been deemed impure, and must be eradicated.
• To the Brotherhood of Steel, the Gen 3 synths, which are indistinguishable from humans, are a perfect example of science run amok - a technology that cannot be fully controlled by humans.
• Liberty Prime was a failed pre-war military project. The Brotherhood of Steel completed that project, and the giant robot is now the most powerful weapon in their arsenal.
• The old Cambridge Police Station has been occupied by the Brotherhood of Steel, and now serves as an important listening post and resupply depot.
• Anyone recruited by the Brotherhood of Steel starts at the rank of Initiate, and is mentored by a higher-ranking sponsor.
• Children born into the Brotherhood of Steel begin their training, and indoctrination, as Squires.
• The highest rank a Brotherhood of Steel soldier can achieve is Sentinel. New Elders are very specifically - and very rarely - selected.
• Most Brotherhood of Steel soldiers utilize the most effective, technologically advanced equipment available, like laser weapons and Power Armor.

The Institute

• The Institute is actually an advanced subterranean metropolis, a technological marvel unlike anything seen on the surface of the Commonwealth.
• Many people in the Commonwealth view the Institute as the “boogeyman”, living in the shadows, striking out anywhere, at any time.
• For the people of the Commonwealth, the idea of someone they know being replaced by an Institute synth is a very real threat.
• According to local history, the Institute formed from the remains of C.I.T., the Commonwealth Institute of Technology. But the college itself has lain in ruins for more than two centuries.
• Long ago, when the Institute created their first synths, they attempted to work peacefully with the people of the Commonwealth. Mutual mistrust ended that relationship quickly.
• The Courser Chip is the key to infiltrating the Institute. But first, it must be decoded…
• Inside every synth Courser is a specialized chip that is instrumental in “relaying” into the Institute. Obtaining that chip is the first step in infiltrating the shadowy organization.
• The Institute was officially founded in the year 2110 by a group of former Commonwealth Institute of Technology students who took refuge in the college’s underground level at the time of the Great War.
• After developing the Molecular Relay, an advanced teleportation device, the Institute sealed off access to the surface and began their campaign of underground expansion.
• The Institute often sends its synths to the surface to scavenge for usable materials. The affect [sic] this has on the Commonwealth, or its people, is not a priority …
• Institute scientists rarely leave the safety and comfort of their underground utopia. If there are experiments to be conducted on the surface, they are generally carried out by synths.
• The Institute is ruled by a Directorate, made up of the individual heads of each division, and one specially-appointed Director.
• The BioScience division produces the majority of the Institute’s food, but also carries out a number of other, sometimes secret, projects.
• The Advanced Systems division is responsible for developing the original Molecular Relay, nearly one hundred years ago.
• The Synth Retention Bureau is tasked with the retrieval of “escaped” Gen 3 synths - malfunctioning units whose self-aware AI has convinced them that they are, in fact, alive.
• The Institute’s experiments with the Forced Evolutionary Virus, or FEV, ended when Doctor Virgil went rogue and fled into the Commonwealth.
• The Institute is convinced that the surface of the Commonwealth is doomed, and the true future of the human race lies underground.
• The Institute allows humans to live in a clean, safe, comfortable environment, free from the strife and environmental hazards that have rendered the surface nearly uninhabitable.
• Before the war, C.I.T. conducted experiments in its underground nuclear reactor. Today, it has been repurposed, and once activated will provide the Institute with nearly limitless power.

The Railroad

• The only group in the Commonwealth willing to actually fight the Institute is the Railroad, an organization almost as secretive as the Institute itself.
• No one knows just how powerful the Railroad is, or if they even possess the means to defeat their sworn enemy - the Institute.
• The crypt beneath the Old North Church once contained the bones of more than 1000 Bostonians buried in the 19th and 18th centuries. Today it serves as headquarters for the enigmatic Railroad, a group dedicated to saving Synths and destroying the Institute.
• The Institute discovered the Railroad’s previous headquarters, and nearly destroyed the group in the process. If the current HQ were to be discovered, it would prove disastrous.
• Railroad agents communicate via “railsigns”, secret symbols scrawled throughout the Commonwealth that indicates dangers, allies, and even the occasional cache of goods.
• The Railroad relies on safehouses to hide runaway synths and resupply agents in the field.
• What the Railroad lacks in numbers they make up for in subterfuge. They rely on secrecy and intelligence gathering to tip the odds in their fight against the Institute.
• A “heavy” is a Railroad agent tasked with brining the fight directly to the Institute. Their training prepares them for the most difficult and dangerous assignments available.
• While the Railroad’s primary enemy is the Institute, they are also dedicated to battling the general hatred of synths that has spread throughout the Commonwealth.
• P.A.M., or the Predictive Analytical Machine, is a unique robot with advanced artificial intelligence, originally buitl to predict and stop a nuclear war. While she ultimately failed in that duty, P.A.M. has proven instrumental to the Railroad’s operations.

The Minutemen

• The Minutemen once made their headquarters in South Boston’s Fort Independence, also known as “The Castle”. That ended when a giant creature rose from the sea decades ago and laid it to waste.
• The Minutemen were formed over a century ago by ordinary people who simply wanted to defend their home, the Commonwealth, from any threat imaginable. Sadly, the group has fallen into disarray in recent years.
• Radio Freedom is the radio station of the Minutemen, and allows them to broadcast alerts all across the Commonwealth from their headquarters in the Castle.
• Fort Independence was named in 1797, at a ceremony presided over by President John Adams. Before then, it was known as Castle William, and then Fort Adams. Before its destruction in 2240, the fortification served as an apt headquarters for the Minutemen.
• The Minutement first rose to prominence in the year 2180, when they defended Diamond City against a horde of Super Mutant attackers.
• Like the Minutemen of the Revolutionary era, the modern day Minutemen are dedicated to defending the people of Massachusetts, at a minute’s notice.

Misc

• America in the year 2077 was a land of advanced technological achievements … and terrible civil strife. As in any age, most ordinary people wanted only one thing - a happy, peaceful life.
• America in the year 2077 was a land of advanced technological achievements … and terrible civil strife. As in any age, most ordinary people wanted only one thing - a happy, peaceful life. What they got was complete nuclear annihilation.
• Free your mind.
• The RobCo Pip-Boy is the ultimate in personal computing devices.
• In the year 2077, the world was destroyed by nuclear fire. Very few managed to escape to the safety of the Vaults.
• The Commonwealth is occasionally plagued by radiation storms that blow in from the Glowing Sea, far to the southwest.
• Originally “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts”, the state became known only as “The Commonwealth” after the Great War of 2077.
• All across the United States, in the aftermath of the Great War, the bottle caps of Nuka-Cola are the most commonly used currency.
• Nuka-Cola, the most popular American soda before the war, manufactured so many bottles that the drink can still be found and enjoyed now, more than 200 years later.
• VATS, or the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, is an advanced combat technology whose developmental origins have been lost to time…
• On the morning of Sunday, October 23, 2077 America was consumed by the flames of nuclear war. The war with China had finally reached its cataclysmic conclusion.
• The Commonwealth lacks any sort of institutional justice system. Criminal wrongdoing is dealt with harshly, and usually ends when the perpetrator or victim lies dead.
• If the conspiracy theorists are to be believed, Earth has been visited by an alien species on several occasions. These “Zetans” are said to be armed with powerful energy beam weapons that can completely disintegrate enemies.