Summary
- Engage in side quests and activities like becoming a crime-fighting vigilante or helping a robot attain a human body.
- Explore the wasteland with over 325 marked locations and unique collectibles to find outside the main story.
- Customize the game through mods, go on a rampage, or set self-imposed challenges for a different gaming experience.
Fallout 4 was released in 2015, but today, it's still one of the most popular games of all time. It seems like there are always people playing it, figuring out new things to do and new ways to explore the wasteland that was once Boston, Massachusetts. There may be a lengthy, immersive story to enjoy, but there are plenty of activities to be found outside that story.
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From uncovering every corner of the map to picking up every collectible item, there are countless things to do in Fallout 4 to keep a player distracted from the main story. It may be a pressing quest to uncover at some point, but before the player must tackle it, they're free to quite literally do whatever they want in the wasteland.
Updated on May 12, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: If there's one thing that players love about Bethesda games, it's how players are encouraged to stray from the beaten path to experience all the fun side stories scattered throughout the wasteland. From engaging with the organic pillars of the gameplay to experiencing the high-quality writing that has been lovingly curated, there's no shortage of things to accomplish in Fallout 4 if players don't want to stop playing this amazing title when the main story concludes. With this in mind, a few more "off the beaten path" activities that can be found in Fallout 4 have been added to this list in its latest update.
12 Become A Crime-Fighting Vigilante Called The Silver Shroud
One Of The Best Side Quests In Goodneighbor
The Silver Shroud is a crime-fighting vigilante that was usually featured in comic books and other such fictional media before the bombs fell. After Goodneighbor falls prey to a bunch of criminal endeavors, a nerdy radion DJ named Kent Connolly asks players if they want to take on the role of this hero and stop the criminals in town from wreaking havoc.
This leads to a memorable quest that ends in a rather tense shootout where players must save Kent from some incensed criminals. The quest is way more memorable than some of the beats in the main story, which says a lot about its quality.
11 Uncover The Secret Of A Mad Man's Immortality
Cabot House Is Full Of Intriguing Mysteries
Some people may argue that the quirky nature of the Fallout series took a backseat when Bethesda took over the series' reins, but there's no denying that Fallout 4 has moments that are meant to both shock and entertain fans in equal capacity. Such a moment occurs if players decide to take an interest in Cabot House and its inhabitants.
The 14 Rarest Encounters In The Fallout Series
Memorable random encounters have long been a hallmark of the Fallout games, but some are exceptionally rare.
This leads to a memorable encounter with Lorenzo Cabot, who has managed to unlock the secret of immortality (at the cost of his sanity) and is forced into developing a serum that helps his family enjoy the same benefit. Players can either aid this old man, or his family, but there's no denying that the offbeat nature of this quest makes it one of the game's best distractions.
10 Help Curie Attain A Human Body
Witness A Machine Experiencing The Joys Of Living
Curie is one of the best companions in Fallout 4 by a country mile, and players will likely want to hang out with this robot more than actual human beings in the game. To make things even more interesting, Curie eventually warms up to the player, and requests the Sole Survivor to help her inhabit a human body.
This initiates a memorable quest where Curie implants herself into a synth, letting her experience the joy of human life for herself. It's a heartwarming moment that goes to show that Fallout 4 certainly has some great writing when the people behind the scenes mrun with an interesting idea.
9 Build A Dream House
Settlement-Building Is A Blast To Engage With
In Fallout 4, there are various locations dotted around the map whereupon a player can build a settlement. These customizable locations are limited only by the player's imagination (and a built limit, of course), and with plenty of assets to choose from one build is always different from the next.
For the budding architect, the main story can be ignored in favor of fleshing out a fantastic settlement, complete with NPC residents that move in and decide to call the location home.
8 Become Irradiated - Deliberately
The Glowing Sea Houses Some Of The Best Encounters And Secrets In The Game
There's a location in Fallout 4 called the Glowing Sea, and to this day, there are expectations that not every secret has been uncovered in the region. It's a heavily irradiated, mutation-ridden area that poses a threat to the player simply by existing.
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For one of the best exploration opportunities in the game, players can head to the Glowing Sea, poking their noses into every corner imaginable. As they go, they'll need to manage their radiation level, fight intense creatures, and dodge environmental threats, all outside of the main story.
7 Become A Cryptographer
Exploration Is A Huge Part Of What Makes Fallout 4 Special
There are 325 marked locations in Fallout 4 - and countless unmarked sites, too. For the budding explorer, nothing is more exciting than avoiding the main story and uncovering every single point of interest across the entire map.
From swamps to beaches and from supermarkets to fortresses, there's a diverse array of creepy, abandoned locations available to be discovered across Fallout 4. With each location discovered, the player will earn a few experience points and be able to dig into that location to reveal its secrets - it can literally take hundreds of hours.
6 Romance Everyone
Forming An Everlasting Bond With Companions Is Pretty Engaging
There are almost a dozen opportunities to romance a companion in Fallout 4, sharing an embrace in the wasteland that makes the world seem like a brighter place. As the player builds a strong relationship with each companion, they'll unlock extra abilities, and one by one, they can tick them off.
It can take a while to romance everyone, and it'll require picking up some of the DLC and venturing further into the story, but it's worthwhile. By the end of the game, if the player has romanced everyone, they'll have a long list of advantageous attributes to pick from.
5 Change The Game
Modding Can Completely Alter The Look And Feel Of Fallout 4
There are more mods for Fallout 4 than almost any other game in the world. From the environmental changes to the lighting mods, and from the texture packs to the bizarre changes players can make, there are tens of thousands of mods that can be installed at any given time.
The Best Fallout 4 Mods, Ranked
Fans of Fallout 4 have been making mods for the title ever since it was released. Here's a look at some of the absolute best of the best, ranked.
If a player doesn't want to get started with the main story, they can install mods and make the game whatever they desire. There are even mods that rewrite the game from the second it begins, giving players an entirely new story to play with.
4 Become A Collectionist
There Are Many Collectibles In The Game, With Some Offering Permanent Benefits
Fallout is a franchise famed for its open-world environments and sheer depth, and where there's a dense open world, there are typically plenty of collectibles to secure. That's no different in Fallout 4, and instead of playing the main story, players can hunt down these collectibles.
There are Bobbleheads, Magazines, suits of Power Armor, and unique Weapons littered around the world, just ripe for collecting. For the most part, these collectibles can be displayed in specially-created cases in settlements, so a true collector can take pride in what they've found.
3 Go On A Rampage
It's A Blast To Destroy Enemies With Varied, Damaging Weaponry
There's nothing stopping any player from snapping and suddenly going on a rampage. It can be satisfying, destructive, and sometimes, rewarding. In Fallout 4, there are plenty of locations where a rampage can take place, and the player will often have the ability to strip clean a settlement, taking it over in the most brutal way possible.
34 Most Powerful Weapons In Fallout 4, Ranked
Fallout 4 has a plethora of weapons for players to choose from, but these picks have got the rest beat in terms of power and destructive ability.
So, instead of playing the main story, a player can potentially risk jeopardizing their game by taking on all-comers, blasting indiscriminately at everyone and anyone that they see. There are some characters that cannot be permanently harmed, but it's still fun to try.