How to Play Fallout 4

Select New game to start a new game. When you first start a new game of Fallout 4, select New game from the title screen menu. Each time you come back to your game, select Load to load your existing saved game file.

Create a new character. When you first start a new game, you'll need to go through the process of creating a new character. This is done in front of a mirror at the start of the game. You can select if you want to play as the man or woman. Use the menu options to select if you want to edit the character's face, body, or extra features. Use the "Type" menu to select specific features for your character (i.e. nose, eyes, hairstyle, facial hair, etc). Some features allow you to select a color for the feature (i.e. hair, eyes). The "Sculpt" option allows you to click and drag parts of the face to fine-tune the look. Select Done when you are finished creating your character.

Talk to the salesman. After you create your character's look, you'll be able to walk around your house. Use this time to get use to the basic movement controls. You can talk to your spouse, baby (Shaun), or Codsworth. When you talk to a character, a menu with responses will appear. Press the button that corresponds to your chosen response. Eventually, the salesman will show up at your door and sell you a spot in the Vault 111 underground shelter.

Name your character. While talking to the salesman, he will ask for your name. This is when you get to pick a name for your character. Type it in the space at the top of your menu.

Assign your character skill points. When you first start a game, the game gives you 21 skill points to assign to your character as you choose. You will gain more skill points as you progress through the game. You can assign your skill points to the following attributes:^[2]

• Strength: Strength affects your character's ability to perform melee attacks and how much you can carry in your inventory.
• Perception: Perception affects your character's weapon's accuracy as well as your ability to pick locks, pickpocket, and create explosives.
• Endurance: Endurance allows your character to take more radiation damage.
• Charisma: Charisma affects how well your character interacts with NPCs, merchants, and companions.
• Intelligence: Intelligence affects your character's ability to heal themselves, hack items, and salvage parts.
• Agility: Agility affects your character's shooting, and sneaking ability.
• Luck: Increasing your character's luck allows you to loot more currency (bottle caps), ammo, and deal more critical hits.

Complete the starting quests. After you talk to the salesman, you will start your first quests. The first quests in the game act as a tutorial to walk you through the basics of the game. Pay attention to the compass at the bottom of the screen. Go in the direction of the green marker on the compass. After you wake up in Vault 111, you'll get a weapon and fight some enemies. After you escape Vault 111, you'll find yourself in Commonwealth. At that point, you can go anywhere you want.

Talk to non-player characters (NPCs). To talk to a character, walk up to them, look directly at them, and press the "Talk" button to talk to them. Then press the button that corresponds to your dialogue options to respond to the character. Talking to NPCs is a good way to learn about the world and start new quests and side quests. There are many factions throughout Commonwealth. You will make many friends and enemies as you progress through the game.

Use your Pip Boy to select your active quests. To select an active quest, open the Pip Boy and navigate to the "DATA" tab. Here you can find a list of current quests and view information about the quest. Select the quest you want to complete from the Quests menu under "DATA".

• You can select any available quest at any time. You don't need to complete your current quest in order to select a different one.

Fast-travel to the location closest to your quest objective. After you select a quest in the "DATA" tab on your Pip Boy, navigate over to the "MAP" tab. The location of your quest objective is marked by a green marker on the map. Select the location closest to the objective and select the option to fast-travel. You can only fast-travel to locations you have already discovered.

Use the compass to know where you are going. The compass is displayed at the bottom of the screen. A green marker is placed on the compass to indicate the direction you are supposed to go for your active quest. Follow the marker on your compass to get where you need to go.

• You can sprint to get places quicker, but sprinting uses Action Points (AP).
• Don't be afraid to explore.

Use your Pip Boy to equip weapons and apparel. Weapons and apparel can be found in the "INV" tab on the Pip Boy. Different weapons have different strengths and weaknesses and are suitable for different fighting styles. Try out different weapons to see what you like best. Your apparel also has offers different levels of protection. Always be on the lookout for better weapons and apparel.^[3]

• Power suits are not in your inventory. You can put on a power suit at a charging station. Power suits require cores to use.

Attack using guns or melee weapons. The world of Fallout is full of enemies and creatures. Nearly every quest will require you to do battle. Use the following steps to attack using guns and melee weapons:

• Guns. Press the left trigger button or right mouse button to aim down-sight. Use the right stick or mouse to place the reticle on the enemy you wish to attack, press the right trigger button, or left mouse button to fire your weapon.
• Melee weapons: Get close to your enemy. Press the right trigger button or left mouse button to attack. Press the left trigger button, or right mouse button to block attacks.

Enter V.A.T.S mode for precision attacks. V.A.T.S mode slows down time and allows you to select specific targets. Each target requires action points. Use the following steps to select targets using V.A.T.S mode

• Press the button to enter V.A.T.S mode.
• Aim at the numbered target locations and press the Shoot button to select the target.
• Use the right stick to switch between enemies.
• Press the accept button to accept the targets and perform the attack.

Loot everything you can. You can loot the corpses of your slain enemies, storage containers, trash piles, ect. To loot an object, walk up to it and look at it, press the Activate button when you see the icon that says "Take". Select all the items you want to loot from the menu.

• Be aware that you can only carry so much before you become over-encumbered. When you are over-encumbered, you will only be able to move slowly, and you cannot fast travel.
• Keep all of your extra items in a safe stash, such as the workshop in Sanctuary. That way you don't have to carry everything with you.
• Be aware that some loot may belong to other NPCs. Looting them will be considered stealing.

Complete your quest objective. Once you get to the location of your mission objective, your Pip Boy tells you exactly what you need to do to complete a quest. Most quests require you to fetch something, or kill something.

Return to the NPC that gave you the quest. After completing the quest objective, fast-travel back to the NPC that gave you the quest. Talk to them and inform them the quest is complete. They will usually give you a reward for completing the quest.

Sell your loot. After completing quests, you'll probably have a lot of loot. Check your inventory to see what weapons, apparel, and items you don't need. Sell items you don't need to merchants in various towns throughout Commonwealth to earn bottle caps.

Stock up on weapons, ammo, food, and medicine. They will be short in supply, and you will need as much as you can carry. You can gain weapons, ammo, food, and medicine by looting corpses, or by purchasing them from merchants at various towns and settlements.

Begin building settlements. Building settlements is one of the optional things you can do in Fallout 4. There are 30 Settlement locations in Fallout 4. You may find them by completing quests, clearing out bandits and raiders, or discovering them. Settlers require food and beds to be happy and productive. The following steps cover the basic of settlement building:^[4]

• Scrap items in the settlement location to gain materials needed to build.
• Build a water pump to produce water for crops.
• Build crops to produce food.
• Build defensive items to defend your settlement.
• Build a generator to produce power.
• Use wires to connect powered devices to the generator.
• Build a radio beacon to attract new settlers
• Build beds for your settlers.
• Assign your settler's tasks (crops, defense, salvage).

Get companions. As you progress through the game, you'll meet several NPCs that you can ask to travel with you as a companion. To travel with these companions, simply talk to them and ask them to come with you. You can only travel with one companion at a time. Codsworth or Dogmeat will likely be your first companion.

Get some experience. As you complete quests and take out enemies, you gain experience. Experience can be used to level-up your character, which allows you to gain more skill points and unlock new perks.

Learn some perks. There are lots of perks you can unlock to help you survive in Fallout 4. Most perks require you to have a certain level of Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, or Luck to unlock. You can assign skill points and unlock perks in the "STAT" tab of your Pip Boy.

• You will need to learn how to hack terminals, pick locks, talk smoothly, and much more to advance. Raise your desired skills every time you level up.