Summary

  • A Fallout 4 player finds Preston Garvey dead, soft-locking the game due to an essential character's demise.
  • The community speculated if mods caused Preston's death, as he's supposed to be invincible according to game mechanics.

A Fallout 4 player online has suffered from a poor stroke of luck, after finding the Minutemen leader Preston Garvey in the worst possible location for their save file. The unique sandbox of Fallout 4 frequently produces unpredictable moments just like this one.

Preston Garvey isn't exactly a fan favorite among Fallout 4 fans. Players meet him at the start of the game, and he sends players out to save a seemingly endless number of settlements from trouble, thanks to Fallout 4's radiant quests system. When players approach Preston, he will always have a comment about how another settlement needs help, to the point where it has become a constant meme among the game's community. Despite this, he remains important to Fallout 4's main story, meaning players have to interact with him for the duration of the game.

Redditor Accomplished_Dig3699 shared the clip in which they discover the corpse of Fallout 4's Preston Garvey in the Glowing Sea. This is particularly problematic in this instance, as they've already started the Minutemen quest line, essentially soft-locking their game thanks to Garvey's death. Interestingly, Preston Garvey is supposed to be considered essential in Fallout 4, which would make him unkillable. This led to some speculation in the thread that this was actually Preston Garvey's impostor who appears in-game, although this was shot down due to the quest marker pointing towards the dead body.

Fallout 4 Player Soft-Locks the Game via Dead Preston Garvey

Most in the thread seemed to agree that the issue was likely caused unintentionally by a Fallout 4 mod, although Accomplished_Dig3699 didn't confirm whether they had any installed on their game. However, there are plenty of mods across all Bethesda games that make essential NPCs able to be killed, offering a more hardcore experience, so it's definitely possible that they have had one installed for Fallout 4 here. Since Preston Garvey is supposed to be invincible, the game simply doesn't know how to handle his death, hence why the quest marker remains on his corpse.

Bethesda remains coy on when players can expect another Fallout game in the future. The studio is currently busy with The Elder Scrolls 6, making a new Fallout game difficult to handle at the same time. It's possible that the series will be handed to another developer to capitalize on the success of the Fallout TV series, although this is purely speculation. It was even recently revealed that Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian was interested in making a Fallout game, and it would definitely be interesting to see the franchise return to its turn-based RPG roots via the Belgian studio. Only time will tell what Bethesda has planned for the franchise going forward.

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Fallout 4
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9 /10
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Released
November 10, 2015
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, invite you to the ambitious open world of Fallout 4. Do whatever you want in a massive Commonwealth with hundreds of locations, characters and quests.
As the sole survivor of Vault 111, only you can rebuild and determine the fate of the Wasteland. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone - the choices are yours.
From a Power Armor-toting soldier to the charismatic smooth-talker, be whoever you want with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Character system and develop your own playstyle from hundreds of Perks.
Experience exciting first- or third-person combat with the dynamic Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S., targeting enemies for maximum tactical advantage (and cinematic carnage!) Collect, upgrade and build thousands of items with Fallout 4's crafting system. Weapons, armor, food and with the right materials, even entire settlements are possible. Welcome home.

ESRB
M FOR MATURE: BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE, USE OF DRUGS
Developer(s)
Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Engine
Creation
Franchise
Fallout
Genre(s)
RPG, Action
How Long To Beat
27 Hours
File Size Xbox Series
51 GB (December 2023)
Metascore
87
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Premium