Whether you’re a seasoned Wasteland wanderer or a newcomer to the Commonwealth, one of the many engaging challenges in Fallout 4 is building and growing your settlements. More settlers mean a thriving community, increased productivity and better defenses. This blog post will guide you through the critical steps in attracting more settlers to your settlements. We’ll cover initial set-up, ensuring adequate supply lines, keeping your community satisfied, and some extra tips and tricks to round it all out. So, read on to turn your post-apocalyptic settlement into a bustling haven.
1. Set-up
First and foremost, it’s crucial to set up your settlement correctly. This means not only finding the right location but also laying the groundwork necessary for expansion. When scouting for potential settlement sites, consider accessibility, size, and resources nearby. Iconic locations like Sanctuary Hills and Red Rocket Truck Stop make for excellent starting points due to their available space and close proximity to water and scrap materials.
Once you’ve found a good location, you’ll need to set up a Recruitment Radio Beacon. This device broadcasts a signal that invites settlers to your community. Make sure you have enough power to keep the beacon running continuously. Don’t forget to build and properly wire generators to maintain a consistent energy supply. Having an ongoing beacon signal can dramatically increase the number of settlers arriving at your settlement.
2. Supply
Settlers won’t come to your settlement unless their basic needs are met. Food, water, and shelter are fundamental aspects that must be addressed to attract more settlers. Start by planting crops to ensure a steady food supply. Corn, mutfruit, and tatos are ideal as they can be used to create adhesive, which is highly useful in crafting and constructing. Having at least one food unit per settler is a good rule of thumb.
Water is equally critical. Allocate resources to build water pumps or purifiers. Water purifiers, although more resource-intensive, will yield a larger amount of water and are indispensable for larger settlements. Aim for at least one water unit per settler to keep everyone happy and hydrated. Building decent housing is another vital step; basic wooden shacks or houses made from scrap materials will suffice. Ensure that beds are sheltered from the elements; placing them inside an enclosed building will increase their effectiveness.
3. Satisfaction
This step goes beyond just meeting settlers’ basic needs—it’s about ensuring their happiness to prevent them from leaving and to attract even more settlers. Remember, happy settlers are productive setters. Assign jobs to your settlers: some can work on food production, others can guard posts to increase the security rating. Keeping your settlement safe from raids will naturally make the place more appealing to prospective settlers.
The presence of entertainment and comfort items such as TVs, radios, and recreational furniture can go a long way in keeping your settlers content. Additionally, establishing a trading post or general store not only boosts your settlement’s economy but also increases the overall happiness. Investing in defenses like turrets and guard posts can also improve the settlement’s security and subsequently its happiness.
4. Sundries
Once the basics and not-so-basic needs are taken care of, turn your attention to subtle but significant mechanics that can impact settlement growth. Regularly check your settlement’s defense rating. A higher defense than the sum of your food and water supply helps in warding off potential attackers, ensuring your settlement remains a safe haven for all. As a rule of thumb, try to have defense points equal to or exceeding the total of your food and water resources combined.
Finally, remember that charisma plays a role as well. Higher charisma stats and perks like Local Leader are invaluable when running multiple settlements. They enable you to establish supply lines between settlements, ensuring a more efficient distribution of resources and boosting overall productivity. Additionally, leveling up your charisma can make negotiation and persuasion easier, potentially drawing more settlers to your cause.
Lessons Learned
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Set-up | Find strategic locations and set up a Recruitment Radio Beacon with sufficient power. |
| Supply | Ensure an adequate supply of food, water, and shelter to meet the basic needs of settlers. |
| Satisfaction | Boost settler happiness with jobs, defense, entertainment, and trading posts. |
| Sundries | Maintain high defense ratings and utilize high charisma for efficient resource management and negotiation. |
