Fallout 4 is here, and like many of us, you’re probably knee-deep in looting and post-apocalyptic sludge as you wade through the treacherous wastelands of a once-mighty Boston, U.S. And let’s face it, some of you are probably playing the game right now when you should be at work or school—go on, admit it! That aside, for those of you who are just starting their epic journey, you’re probably finding things a little overwhelming, and may be in need of a helping hand to get you started. Right?
If that’s the case, then you’ll be glad to know that PSU has cobbled together this handy survival guide for those of you struggling to stay alive in the Boston Wasteland. Don’t forget to take a look at our guide to opening the Cryolator Case near the start of the game and our tips for creating the perfect settlement. If you haven’t yet made the jump to Bethesda’s latest effort, then read our Fallout 4 review to see what you’re missing out on.
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Quick Inventory menu is your friend
When you’re out and about in the wastelands, you have to make every second count and be ever mindful of what’s around you. Fortunately, the quick-select inventory menu is a great tool at making sure you aren’t caught with your trousers down, so to speak, allowing you to switch weapons or use items quickly during gameplay. Simply head to your Pip-Boy, select the item you want to assign, and hit R1. You will then see an ‘Assign Favourites’ menu allowing you to slot your desired item into it. Via the d-pad you can then select these items at speed! This proves valuable when you, say, need to use a healing stimpak quickly.
Need to leg it? Then put your weapon away!
There’s times when you are out in the world that you need to run away and live to fight another day, or just fancy getting from A-B super fast. While you’re only human, there’s still something you can do to speed up the process: holster your weapon. Yep, rather than carrying it around in your hand, just put it away and you’ll find your character running a little faster. Hold X to do this.
Scavenge like your life depended on it (it kinda does)
While it may seem particularly glamorous, junk is a valuable commodity in Fallout 4, more so than any other entry in the series. You’ll definitely want items with screws and adhesive if you want to spend time modding your weapons and armour, so these are particularly important throughout your adventure. Of course, not everything is going to easy to find; magazines and bobble heads are often hidden away out of view, so you’re going to have to hunt down some of the rarer items up for grabs. Indeed, it pays to explore in Fallout 4, which is something encouraged anyway given the side of the game’s open-world. Don’t forget to use the Pip-Boy flashlight to facilitate your search of dark areas; take your time and explore every nook and cranny and scavenge to your heart’s desire. Also, if you’re looking for a specific resource, go to your workshop and tag it with R1. This way when you highlight items you’ll know immediately if it contains the resources you’re looking for.
Home is where to lay you head…and junk
Over the course of your adventure you are going to accumulate a lot of junk, especially given the new crafting system in place. However, you can’t just carry it around in your huge clown’s pocket like the games of yesterday; you’ll need to store it somewhere, which is where your humble abode comes in. While you can store it at any workshop, it’s probably better to stockpile it all at your base so you have it in one place, as well as a place to send all your companions when they aren’t being used. Sanctuary Hills is a great place to set up shop, as it is located near several key points, including a fast travel hotspot, crafting stations, and a cooking station.
Be smart when levelling up
Intelligence is an area that you should invest heavily in with Fallout 4 from the get-go. This time around there’s no level cap, which is even better, as putting your efforts into Intelligence affects how much experience you can earn. As such, investing in this early on will allow you to level up far quicker than you would usually. Overall, Fallout 4 allows you to increase in level faster than any previous game, so you have the advantage here.
Become the Master of Unlocking
Fallout 4’s best loot can typically be found locked securely behind doors or in safes. As such, you’re going to need to pimp out your lock picking skills in order to get your hands on those rare goods. As such, from an early stage it is recommended that you invest perks into your lockpicking/hacking where possible, allowing you to access the more difficult locks and terminal. However, if there’s a choice, it’s best to invest in lockpicking, as you are going to need those Bobby Pins quite a lot throughout your journey; if you’re careful, you won’t run out of pins so there’s no need to worry about the final level of the perk either.
Returning overdue library books pays off
During your adventures in the Wasteland you’ll come across overdue library books. While this may not seem particularly significant at first, if you return them to the book return terminals of their respective libraries, you’ll be rewarded with a token. You can then use these items at the terminal to redeem some handy items that help you in your quest. Not bad for a bit of short legwork, right?
Keep an eye on that Power Armor
There’s probably times during your Fallout 4 adventure that you’ll want to step out of that cumbersome Power Armor. While that’s fine and dandy, you should probably be careful to keep an eye on your armor where you leave it. Why? Because some sneaky buggers in the game world will come along and steal it. If you do need to leave it behind for a long period of time, then make sure you take the Fusion Core from the back of the armor. If any thieves do decide to pinch your armor, it’ll be useless without that core.