10 Best Settlement Locations In Fallout 4

May 30, 2024, 2 p.m.

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10 Best Settlement Locations In Fallout 4

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A new and exciting mechanic introduced to the franchise in Fallout 4 was settlement building. As they travel around the Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor can unlock and improve various areas they come across, sometimes via a quest and sometimes by simply clearing the area of hostiles. But with so many sites to find and manage, which are the best locations to keep an eye out for, and why?

The game boasts a whopping 37 settlements in total, made up of 30 in the base game and seven from Fallout 4's DLCs. Each offers something a little different, whether it be a strategic location when playing in survival mode, access to incredible resources, or massive amounts of space to let the imagination run wild when building. These locations have different pros and cons but are fantastic for Sole Survivor hideaways or fully populated settlements.

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10 Nordhagen Beach

Perfect Spot For A Beach Front Home

Tucked away on the eastern edge of the map, along the peninsula from Easy City Downs and across the water from Boston Airport, is the small settlement of Nordhagen Beach. Being so out of the way, many might not find the site naturally unless sent there for a Minutemen quest, but it is well worth the trip. The settlement comes with a water pump, cooking station, chemistry station, a small farming patch already set up upon arrival, and a fair amount of things to scrap along the beach.

Nordhagen Beach is a relatively flat area, making building much easier. Dealing with any bumps with platform fountains is a breeze, and even building a small pier is easy. Its isolated position means that beyond the scripted attacks on the settlement, there are no constant threats nearby, which makes it great for a small farming town or even a cozy late-game getaway just for the Sole Survivor. Nordhagen Beach is a perfect spot to get creative with due to the open space and beautiful coastal views.

Nordhagen Beach is one of the best locations for artillery if you plan on shelling the Brotherhood at Boston Airport with the Minutemen quest "With Our Powers Combined."

9 County Crossing

Ideally Located For A Trade Hub

Ideally located in a central spot on the Commonwealth map, County Crossing is a great settlement to set up as a farming and trade hub. Set back a little from the road; the site is just across from the National Guard training yard and south of the Revere satellite array. Both of these locations are filled with ghouls and super mutants, respectively, so any settlement at County Crossing will need excellent defenses. However, the effort is worth it.

When first unlocked, the site comes with a field of cut fruit, a water pump, and a cooking station. The build area is surprisingly large and contains a small pond perfect for water purifiers, while the crop field is easy to expand. Given its location next to a road, County Crossing is excellent for acting as a central spoke in a trade network, as the campfire just on the edge is already one of the many locations traders and unique settlers in Fallout 4 will frequent.

8 Finch Farm

Build Up Onto The Highway For More Space

Settlement How To Unlock Finch Farm Complete "Out of the Fire" or kill the Finch family

Just a little north of County Crossing is another excellent spot for a farming or trade hub at Finch Farm. This site is the home of the Finch Family and comes with a small farming plot containing but fruit, corn, and razorgrain when unlocked. A water pump and cooking station are also initially available, although a water purifier can be placed in the northeast corner close to one of the highway supports.

What makes Finch Farm great to build on is that it has one of the highest build limits in Fallout 4, with Abernathy Farm taking the top spot. This means the highway above the farm can be reached and built by building stairs. This area is perfect for housing, as few hostels will be able to reach it, as well as defensive measures like turrets, while the area around the Finch home makes for an excellent trade route in Fallout 4.

To set up supply lines, the Local Leader Perk is needed, which is available with a Charisma of at least six.

7 The Castle

Well Defended Pre-Built Base

After recruiting at least four settlements to ally with the Minutemen, Preston will give the Sole Survivor Fallout 4's quest "Taking Independence," in which they will lead a group of Minutemen to retake the faction's former headquarters.

Fort Independence, better known as the Castle, will serve as the base for the Minutemen for the rest of the game but can also be used as a settlement. With mostly intact thick stone walls, the Castle lives up to its name and is fantastic as a command base for any Minutemen playthroughs.

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The Castle comes with an industrial water purifier, cooking stove, first aid station, chemistry station, and five available beds when unlocked. This, unfortunately, puts the site close to its build limit almost immediately, leaving little room for growth. However, for those looking for a pre-built base of operations with strong defense, it's hard to go wrong with the Castle.

6 Sunshine Tidings Co-Op

Pre-Built Structures Help With Customization

Over on the western edge of the Commonwealth, almost directly south of Abernathy Farm, is the former commune of Sunshine Tidings co-op. While the uneven area can make building a little tricky, this can be gotten around with fountains, either shack or concrete, to section off areas for structures. Some cabins are still decent enough to use as immediate housing for settlers, while the central area is great for setting up farming plots.

Sunshine Tidings also has the benefit of having two pre-built large buildings, perfect for keeping trading stalls and crafting stations in one location. The site has a few rows of tatos, a cooking station, and a chemistry station, but no pre-made water source. Overall, Sunshine Tidings is great for a small town as it can be self-sufficient without relying on a trade network.

There is a small Raider watchtower at the southwest edge of the site that spawns raiders every few days, meaning defense should take priority in any Sunshine Tidings build.

5 Graygarden

Perfect Food Production Hub

Settlement How To Unlock Graygarden Complete "Troubled Waters" or kill robots

Located up a dirt track off the road to Cambridge and southeast of Sunshine Tidings is the unusual settlement of Graygarden. What makes this site so different is also one of its greatest strengths, as the small facility is run entirely by Mr Handies. Built shortly before the Great War, Graygarden consists of a greenhouse and a large crop field, both filled with food and tended to by the robotic residents.

Graygarden has planters filled with corn, carrots, gourds, potatoes, and other fruits. Just outside the greenhouse is an orchard of other fruits.

Just as with Finch Farm, Graygarden has a highway within its build boundary with can be built upon, however not all the vehicles can be scrapped. Graygarden is perfect for keeping as a farm with just the robot workers, with a small area set aside for when the Sole Survivor visits and needs to rest. As the Mr Handies don't need to eat, any food they produce can be moved to other less self-sustaining settlements, making it a vital cog in any trade network.

4 Red Rocket Truck Stop

Ideal For Solo Playthroughs

The Red Rocket truck stop is perhaps one of the most iconic locations in Fallout 4 and one of many Red Rockets scattered throughout the wastelands, appearing first in Fallout 3 and later in Fallout 76.

The Red Rocket truck stop is often the first settlement site unlocked during a new playthrough, sitting neatly between Sanctuary and Concord, and is where Dogmeat can be met. Red Rocket is great for a first base as it comes with every type of crafting station from Fallout 4's base game and a plentiful supply of scrap, including lots of wood.

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While the Red Rocket can be set up as a full settlement, it is often better served as a personal base for a Sole Survivor. Its compact, natural, and intact main building is perfect for a small home, with the garage able to fit all the crafting stations and a large forecourt to use creatively. With a set of stairs, the flat roof of the truck stop can also be utilized and is a perfect spot for turrets.

It is best to wait until after the hole created by the molerats despawns before opening the workshop at Red Rocket for the first time; otherwise, the holes will remain in place.

3 Sanctuary Hills

Large Area Creates A Lot Of Options

Sanctuary Hills is the first location Sole Survivors will visit straight out of Vault 111, and their homecoming is more than a little bittersweet. The large pre-war neighborhood has long since succumbed to the passing of time with many collapsed houses that, luckily, provide a decent amount of scrap. Sanctuary will be where Sturges, Mama Murphy, and co will make their home, and with the large number of mostly intact houses, it's easy to turn Sanctuary into a thriving town.

Like the Red Rocket site, Sanctuary offers every base game crafting station, although scattered over the large site. There is also a great mixture of flat areas to build on, land for crops, and access to water, meaning Sanctuary can grow steadily throughout the game. With such a large area, Sanctuary is a great spot to let the imagination run free and try out different build ideas.

2 Abernathy Farm

Huge Build Allowance To Experiment With

Settlement How To Unlock Abernathy Farm Complete "Returning the Favor," or run off or kill the Abernathy family

Abernathy Farm can be overlooked by many on a first playthrough as it is already home to a family and thriving farm, but the site is a hidden gem. Located almost directly south of Sanctuary and just over the hill from Red Rocket, Abernathy Farm boasts the tallest build limit in Fallout 4, with a colossal 20 stories available. Coupling that with the large area of the other side of the crops field to the Abernathy home, any settlement has more than enough room to grow.

Abernathy comes unlocked with a large crop field growing potatoes and melons, as well as chemistry and cooking stations. As a fairly safe location, Abernathy Farm is great for building into a farming hub for a network of settlements. However, with the high build limit, many have turned this site into a farming citadel with high-rise living areas.

1 Starlight Drive-In

Massive Flat Area For Trading Hub

For one of the easiest and most versatile settlement locations in Fallout 4, any Sole Survivor should head to the Starlight Drive-In. This former drive-in movie theater has a massive, flat plot of land that can be turned into anything the Commonwealth needs. Although initially only a cooking station is available, there is so much room and scrap available that customizing this location is a breeze.

Water can be gathered from the pool in the center, but scraping the radioactive barrels in it is important to prevent sickness. Both the projector tower/diner and huge screen are inside the build area, with the screen making a perfect spot for a couple of sniper defense posts. Given its central location, Starlight is a fantastic trading hub, with space to build a mall-like structure alongside the housing and farm plots.