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How to play FALLOUT 4

How to play FALLOUT 4
Shaun M Jooste

Shaun M Jooste

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If you love Bethesda games like Skyrim, you’ll have heard of the post-apocalyptic action game Fallout 4. You’ll find it available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, bringing adventure and horror to fans worldwide. What makes it such a pleasant experience is that you’ll spend hours exploring The Commonwealth.

Let’s show you how to play Fallout 4 so you can join the fun. We’ll also provide some tips and tricks, as well as how to use mods.

What is Fallout 4?

Fallout 4 was released in 2015 by Bethesda as an action RPG set in an alternate world as a post-apocalyptic wasteland. You play as a unique character that you can customize before you head out into The Commonwealth. As with Skyrim, it features a Creation Club with items made by modders and approved by the publisher.

The story of Fallout 4 starts in 2077 where nuclear bombs explode in your area. You take shelter in Vault 111, where you, your wife, and your son are cryogenically frozen. When you awaken in 2287, your wife has been murdered and your son is gone. You move out into the new wasteland to find out what happened to the world and your family.

How to play FALLOUT 4

How to play Fallout 4

Before you head into the action, there are some things you need to know. Here’s a couple of aspects to helo you play Fallout 4. 

Getting started

Firstly, you’ll need to decide where you’d like to download Fallout 4. For PC, it’s easy to acquire as long as you buy the game first. The console versions are available on the PlayStation and Xbox stores, and you can install them directly onto the systems.

How Fallout 4 works

Fallout 4 delivers a vast open-world that you’ll explore while fighting enemies warped by radiation and collecting items. You’ll need these objects to either enhance your character or craft new weapons and armor. While you’ll progress through the linear main story, there are also plenty of side questions for various factions.

There’s also a building mechanic in Fallout 4. You’ll find workshops and settlements, which work differently. In a workshop within a small town, you can upgrade and build while requiting workers to help you. You’ll also receive some side quests.

In settlements, you’ll have a few workers or farmers just helping to sustain the land and produce food, which you’ll need to survive. You’ll receive a message when an enemy is attacking the land, and you’ll need to fast-travel to get there on time to save them.

You’ll also meet some factions or leaders along the way. They’ll give you unique quests for special items that you won’t be able to acquire anywhere else. You’ll need to finish all their missions for the 100% completionist achievement.

Key bindings and controls

It’s essential that you pay attention to the key bindings and controls. In the beginning, it may be tricky remembering where everything is on your keyboard or controller. However, it won’t take long before you get the hang of playing Fallout 4.

What is the main goal in Fallout 4?

It’s easy to become distracted in the vast Commonwealth and everything it has to offer. The main purpose of Fallout 4 is to find out what happened to your son. All your primary quests will lead you towards that answer, but you’ll need to help others along the way. It means killing monsters and enemies and finishing missions.

How to play FALLOUT 4

Fallout 4 tips and tricks

Now that you’ve seen how to play Fallout 4, we want to provide some tips and tricks to make the experience more pleasant. Here are a few things you should know before heading out into The Commonwealth.

Fallout 4 doesn’t follow past games

Firstly, you don’t need to worry about missing out on previous titles. Fallout 4 has its own storyline that has no connection to the past games. Therefore, you can continue if it’s your first Bethesda game in this series.

Good and bad graphics

While Fallout 4 presents stunning graphics for its time, there are a few moments where it looks terrible. You’ll see a glitchy moment now and again, while some proportions go completely off at other times. We don’t blame it for having these issues, as it’s such a massive game.

Watch your environment

The top aspect to keep in mind is that you’re in a post-apocalyptic world where there is radiation everywhere. Even in your power suit later on, you’ll hear a click sound to let you know the environment is dangerous. Don’t run into new areas without first checking if it’s safe.

Don’t skip mission dialogue

We know how frustrating it can be to listen to the NPCs talk when you’ve played for over 20 hours already. However, there are many missions that require you to perform a specific function or respond in a certain way. It pays to take your time and hear what they have to say. 

Search everything

When you’re in the Wasteland, take your time searching every nook and cranny for items. There are unique weapons and objects hidden away, which may fetch you a good price or improve your stats. 

Save regularly

Fallout 4 has an autosave mechanism to ensure you don’t lose data when you die. However, it doesn’t save regularly, and you may need to redo many of your missions or search massive areas over again. It’s a pain, but save as often as you remember.

Take your time

When you’ve invested a full week on Fallout4, you may feel the need to just get to the main mission. Even if you’re a beginner, we know it can be intimidating when you see the large map. Take your time and investigate every location. It will level you up and make the ending so much easier to complete.

Focus on a single settlement or workshop

It can be tempting to upgrade every single settlement you come across. You’ll soon see how overwhelming it can be to protect them all and spread your resources. Save this task for the end, and start with only one workshop where you place all your focus.

Enjoy some side quests

Don’t rush to finish Fallout 4. If you get through the story too quickly, you might not be powerful enough to beat the bosses later on. Do yourself a favor and do some side quests for the factions. You’ll have better stats and weapons, and the ending will be a walk in the post-apocalyptic park.

How Fallout 4 mods work

One last aspect we want to cover for how Fallout 4 works is modding. Many online sites have plenty of mods for you, such as Fallout 4 Nexus. These files add items to your game, such as unique weapons and armor. You can also improve the weather and lighting, or make the visuals look more realistically.

Generally, you’ll download the Fallout 4 mod folder to the location on your PC where you have the base game. After you extract the files, you’ll need to launch the game through a special mod platform. Once done, the scripts will run, and you can enjoy the new experience.

How to play FALLOUT 4

Get ready for a long adventure

We hope you have enough patience and stamina for Fallout 4, as it takes long to complete it. Sure, you can run through the main missions, but you’ll be missing out on so much. We recommend you take as much time as you need before heading to the end.

Shaun M Jooste

Shaun M Jooste

I live in South Africa, Cape town, as a father of two children. I've been gaming almost all my life, with plenty of experience writing reviews and articles on the latest titles. With 15 years of experience in local government performing Facilities Management functions, I moved towards becoming CEO of my own company, Celenic Earth Publications, which serves to publish author's books, including my own. I'm a published author of horror and fantasy novels, while I also dabble in game and movie scriptwriting.

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