Absolute Beginner Starter Guide - Fallout 4 Guide - IGN (2024)

Players new to Fallout may have a difficult time adjusting to some of the vast game's less-well explained aspects. Our starter guide and complete beginner's primer will help you understand some of the more abstruse aspects of the vast world of the Commonwealth.

In addition to the complete starter guide below, you can get more help with our other guides on Things to Do First in Fallout 4, Things Fallout 4 Doesn't Tell You, and Things Not to Do in Fallout.

Using V.A.T.S.

V.A.T.S is a system that slows combat down slow motion and allows you to use precise targeting against enemies and groups of enemies. VATS does not pause the game. VATS is activated and exited with the left bumper/L1.

Each action in V.A.T.S. costs a certain number of Action Points (AP) once executed. Action Points are displayed on a meter in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Action Points are also expended by sprinting, so be careful about using V.A.T.S. while on the move.

Action Points regenerate slowly after use. Shooting in FPS mode does not expend AP, so it's completely ok (and often advisable) to continue to engage enemies in free-form combat while you recover enough AP to continue attacking in VATS.

Using one thumbstick, you can toggle between body parts on a targeted enemy. Each pull of the right trigger commits you to a single attack at that body part.

The numbers appearing over body parts indicate the percentage chance of scoring a hot with each individual shot at that particular moment. Range, weapon accuracy, and cover greatly effect these values.

• Headshots deal the most damage but are difficult to execute.
• Torso shots do moderate damage
• Arm shots have a chance of interrupting attacks
• Leg shots can maim enemies and slow them

The second thumbstick allows you to switch between enemies in VATS. It's possible to engage and kill several foes in a single VATS section provided you have significant APs in reserve.

Once all actions are chosen in VATS, select the execute command. Note that you can also cancel your VATS commands at teh push of a button and select different targets. Note, however, that VATS does not completely pause the battle, so be wary that enemies may still attack as you designate targets.

All actions in VATS will take place in the order programmed once you select execute. If you target one enemy and then another and hit execute, you'll fire at the first targeted opponent and then switch to the second and fire.

Each hit in VATS builds your critical bar (center of screen). When this bar is filled, press the designated button during you attack execution animation to deal critical damage to the next target.

Grenades cannot be used in VATS.

In addition to being useful in combat, VATS can also detect nearby foes you may not have noticed. Toggling VATS in areas with low visibility is a good idea when you fear an ambush.

Pip Boy

The Pip Boy is a portable computer worn on your wrist. It includes your inventory, maps, Quests, and much more. Entering Pip Boy pauses the game.

Pip Boy includes your active Missions. Toggling quests active and inactive in Pip Boy toggles objectives on your map and compass. You may find it helpful to only keep one mission active at a time.

Your Pip Boy can also serve as a flashlight.

Navigating

Fallout 4 can be a little overwhelming if you're not used to its freeform structure. You can go almost anywhere and do almost anything if you're canny and lucky enough to survive. Exploration is a big part of the game, with significant awards to experience for finding new Locations and a host of quests activated by conversations with the people you find.

Don't be afraid to divert your attention constantly between different quests. Fallout is very tolerant of taking Quests out of order, and you can generally abandon one Quest's goals for a time and switch to another using Pip-Boy. You're in no hurry.

Also don't be afraid to simply dive into a discovered Location and simply see what's there to be discovered. Independent exploration can often be as profitable as accepting a mission.

The northwest sections of the Map are generally safest, with things becoming more dangerous as you move southwest.

Saving

Save often. Save often. Save often. Fallout gives you a lot of options, and you'll sometimes want to be able to go back and try new things. It's also very dangerous and you may die a lot. Don't just rely on Quicksave. Make a new save file every now and then. This can be invaluable if you encounter the occasional game-breaking bug.

Since saving creates an image thumbnail, it's helpful to look at a distinctive landmark just before creating a new save. This helps you remember where you are and what you were doing.

Terminals and Locks

Terminals perform four functions in Fallout 4.

• They tell a lot of the game's story, revealing lore and colorful details about the universe.
• They reveal clues about hidden objects or areas
• They trigger or control robots, sentry guns, or other apparati
• They govern certain locked doors

Terminals come in four levels of difficulty. Anybody can hack a Novice terminal, but higher-level Terminals require skill in the Hacker Perk.

Even if you have the skill to open a Terminal, you still have to overcome the Hacker minigame to defeat a door. This game gives you four tries to pick a password from a screen full of options. Your first guess will reveal a number of "Likenesses." Each likeness correspond to the position of one letter in the correct password. For example, if you select teh word "SAND" and get one likeness in return, you know that the correct password has either "S" for a first letter, "A" for a second letter, "N" for a third letter, or "D" for a fourth letter. Using comparison with other guesses and deductive reasoning, a canny player should be able to narrow the options down to a single final answer in the allotted four guesses.

Locks are a pain. Like Terminals, they come in four levels of difficulty, but unlike Termianls, they require the use and expenditure of Bobby Pins for every unlocking attempt. Be very ginger on the controls while testing the tension of a lock. Pushing a pin too long or too hard will break it.

Fun fact: quicksaving before trying to pick a lock guarantees you'll never run out of pins.

Settlements and Crafting

You'll gain the power to found Settlements and use Crafting early in the game. While neither of these activities are absolutely necessary in all but a couple of situations, there's a lot to be gained from both.

• Complete Guide to Crafting
• Complete Guide to Settlements
• Complete Guide to Power

Crafting and Settlements are usually optional.