Fallout 4: How to Max Out All SPECIAL Stats (With Bobblehead & Book Locations)

Maxing out your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats is the way to go, and here’s the best part: you can push one stat to a jaw-dropping 12. Whether you’re eyeing Strength to haul more loot or Intelligence to level up fast, I’ve got your back. This guide’s loaded with every bobblehead spot, the You’re SPECIAL book trick, and a friendly nudge to hit the stat cap. Let’s make you a Commonwealth champ! If you’ve already started bobblehead hunting, my "Get All the Bobbleheads in Fallout 4" post will let you find them all with ease. For now, let’s kick things off so you can max out your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats!

Where to Find Every Power Armor Set in Fallout 4 (With a Map & Console IDs)

Power Armor isn’t just a suit—it’s a lifestyle. Slip into one, and suddenly you’re shrugging off bullets, resisting radiation, and carrying enough firepower to make a Super Mutant jealous. The Commonwealth is littered with Power Armor, but finding the good stuff takes some know-how. The type of armor you find often depends on your level (e.g., X-01 starts popping up at 28+), but some spots guarantee specific sets no matter what. Below, I’ve split the list into partial spawns (missing a piece or two) and complete guaranteed spawns (full suits you can count on) in Fallout 4. Stats are base values—upgrades juice them up even more!

Vault-Tec Vault Experiments: Ethical or Survival Necessity?

In the shadow of the nuclear apocalypse that shaped the Fallout universe, Vault-Tec stands as a monument to both human ingenuity and moral ambiguity. Their vaults, meant to protect humanity from the ravages of atomic warfare, also served as clandestine laboratories for experiments that would challenge our notions of ethics, survival, and governance. Let's delve into some of these experiments, scrutinizing their intentions and outcomes, and explore the ethical horrors they present.

10 Must-Explore Fallout Locations in 2025 – Obscure Spots with Unique Loot and Lore from Every Wasteland

The Fallout series is a sprawling universe of post-apocalyptic adventure, and each game hides secrets waiting to be uncovered. From the classic deserts of Fallout 1 to the irradiated hills of Fallout 76, these 10 locations across all main Fallout games are packed with lore, loot, and unforgettable stories. Whether you’re a retro fan or a modern explorer, let’s dive into the Wasteland’s most intriguing spots – some hidden, some lesser-known, all rewarding. Share your own finds in the comments!

I Asked AI About the Fundamentals of the Fallout, and You'll Be Surprised!

In the app that I made, FH Companion, there is an AI Wikipedia section where you can ask anything you want about the Fallout universe (just like the one on our blog). I asked it eight fundamental questions about Fallout games and it surprised me with the answers, so I thought to share them with you. FH Companion is an app for all-things-Fallout, and is available on the Google Play Store and Amazon App Store (for now) if you want to try it.

Fallout 4 VS Fallout 76: Why the Commonwealth Stands Superior

In the sprawling universe of the Fallout series, both Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 have carved their niches, but from my vantage point, Fallout 4 emerges as the more compelling choice, especially for those who cherish the core elements of what makes Fallout, well, Fallout.

The 10 Most Intriguing Pieces of Cut Content from Fallout 4

Fallout 4 offered players a vast post-apocalyptic world to explore, filled with rich narratives and engaging gameplay. However, like any grand project, not all planned content made it into the final version. Here are ten of the most fascinating pieces of content that were cut from Fallout 4.

Fallout 4: (Almost) a Decade in Review - A Post-Apocalyptic Legacy

It has almost been a full decade since Bethesda Game Studios unleashed Fallout 4 upon the world, a game that promised to expand the post-apocalyptic universe with new adventures in the wastelands of Boston. As we reflect on these nine years and two months, it's clear that Fallout 4 has left a complex legacy, one filled with both fervent admiration and pointed criticism. Let's dive into how this game has held up over time.

Realistic Settlements in Fallout 4 by Wasteland Angel (part 2)

In my previous blog post, Realistic Settlements in Fallout 4, where you can see very detailed settlement builds of Red Rocket Truck Stop and Sanctuary Hills (YouTube links), I already introduced you to what realistic settlements are in my game.

A quick reminder of my "problem" with most of the settlement videos over the interweb -- There are many really good videos out there. It's just that most of them are somehow focused on building sizes and wonders, and stuff, rather than being realistic.

Mostly, I think about small details like missing pillars on tall buildings or bridges, or even spamming with duplicated fences, floors, etc.

I, on the other hand, don't build Commonwealth Wonders or big Palaces, and just want to keep my settlements realistically formed and built, like I would do (if I could) in real life. With a post-apocalyptic setting in mind, where building materials are scarce, this time, I'm introducing you the settlements of Greentop Nursery and beautiful Spectacle Island!

The New Survival Mode is Brutal and I love it!

I've been stuck in Hardware Town for at least 2 weeks now. Real-life time, that is. For Mitchell, it's been more like one very hellish version of Groundhogs Day. He wakes from the moldy mattress, steps down to the floor level through a hole in the ground, meanders through the streets of Boston, and then, inevitably, gets murdered instantly by some manner of wasteland horror.

Sometimes it's a raider who gets lucky. Other times it's a stray landmine. Most often, though, it's just me making careless mistakes that once upon a time could be rectified with a quick Stimpak or by stuffing my face with ancient soda and cooked cockroach meat.

But this is Survival Mode, which takes the rather benign but fun challenge of Hardcore Mode from New Vegas and cranks up the dial about 10 times. So in Hardware Town, I still remain.

The sheer multitude of things that can kill you in Fallout 4 has not changed, but the safety net of quick saves and rapid healing has been effectively yanked out from beneath, leaving an utterly brutal, sometimes seemingly unfair experience. The kind that causes me to, almost without fail, turn off the game every time that familiar third person death screen flashes. Even now I write this after yet another failed attempt to escape from Hardware Town. Truly, I am not stuck there. Diamond City is a hazard-free walk away, with its warm beds and plentiful water and cheap food, all of which are now required to live.

But what's the point of Fallout without doing quests? So I labor away at the same couple jobs, all bound to the local area, thinking that it will be simple. Or it should be. But as I've already established, Survival Mode makes the once simple task of clearing a given spot of raiders a test of patience, good aim, and awareness.

"I have lost count of how many times I've died in Fallout 4's new Survival Mode!" ~ Henry Lombardi

Bethesda is Ready for a Fallout Movie

Although the film adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic RPG franchise, Fallout, is not currently in production, it may happen according to Todd Howard.

Todd recently confessed he isn't totally against the Fallout Movie idea in an interview with GI.biz, adding "We've had a couple of inroads, particularly with Fallout, which is a bit stickier than Elder Scrolls, but everybody's kind of asked and I've taken a number of [Fallout movie pitch] meetings over the years and nothing quite clicked where I felt, 'Oh, that would be as good as the game."

According to Howard, making a film based in the apocalyptic setting of Fallout risks potentially influencing fan opinions of the games in a negative way.

Personally, I think Bethesda is preparing for the right offer, and The Fallout 4's Wanderer Trailer is their take on something like that, just to see how fans would react to it. Or even better, they might be already working with some studio for some time now. If you remember Todd's appearance on E3 2015, when Bethesda announced Fallout 4, he admitted that Fallout Shelter is hinted in Fallout 3's Trailer. Check it below, to remind yourself;

Bethesda is well known at hinting various things in details of the trailers and even the games itself. Cinema Blend has an interesting article called "Fallout 4 Live-Action Trailer Is Probably The Closest We'll Get To A Movie", and all I'm asking is why? Why create a Live-Action Trailer in a first place? There's a reason to that, trust me.

"And that may happen. I don't rule it out, but nothing really has clicked where - the games are popular enough and that's their identity." ~ Todd Howard

Fallout 4 Console Commands

The console in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4 is very familiar to many fans, and the commands haven't changed that much in Fallout 4 ever since Fallout 3. The console is very useful for altering content while in-game, and may be used to cheat as well. It cannot be accessed in Survival mode, though.

In order to access the console, you will need to use the ~ or ` key on your keyboard (the left of the number 1 key on US keyboard). You can enter several commands at once to be executed in a row one after the other. Simply separate them with ; between each command.

Each item, object, character, etc. will have an alphanumeric hexadecimal reference ID of 8 letters. You can shorten them to be easier to use, as no ID requires any leading zeroes to be entered. Also, the console is not case-sensitive.

Note: Use General, Items, World, Debugging and Mapping Commands, Quest Commands, Inventory Manipulation Commands, NPC Manipulation Commands, Faction Commands, Character Manipulation Commands and Settlement Commands, for easier managing among all the console commands in Fallout 4.

Ultimate Fallout 4 PC Tweak Guide

If you want pure 60 FPS on your not-so-mainstream PC, this guide may come in handy. A Reddit user tiltilltells made a useful tweak guide on how to make your Fallout 4 run a steady 60 FPS based on his PC build which is pretty much solid; AMD FX-8350 @ 4.2 GHz, EVGA GTX 770 4GB, 8 GB RAM, on the 1080p 60Hz monitor.

To put it in tiltilltrlls' words; "After making the described changes, my game experience has been infinitely better. Buttery smooth 60 FPS. No micro stutter. Nice FOV. Life's good".

There are a couple of things you will have to do in order to improve overall Fallout 4's performance, like making changes in Fallout 4 Launcher Settings, Fallout4.ini, and Fallout4Prefs.ini changes. So let's get down with it.

Modded Fallout 4, image courtesy of Vault-Tec Inc.

Fallout 4 Launcher Settings

The settings described below may or may not be the best possible settings for your rig and are subject to taste. Shadow Distance and Godrays Quality, are absolute FPS killers for most machines, so turn these down to Medium and Low respectively. You will notice a slight difference in image quality as far as shadows go, but it was well worth the ~15 frames.

30 Incredibly Great References in Fallout 4

We already made our list of 20 Incredibly Great References in Fallout 3, and now it's time to bring you our favorite ones from Fallout 4!

There are about 60 cultural references discovered in Fallout 4 so far. Since we can't cover all of them, we're bringing you the incredibly great ones, like references to great movie franchises, America's history, games, and much more. This article is two pages long, with about 15 Fallout 4 cultural references on each page.

Game References

Donkey Kong
The game Red Menace is a reference to the 1981 Nintendo game Donkey Kong.

Commodore 64
The boot-up screen of the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV has 64kb of RAM and 38911 bytes free.

Missile Command
The game Atomic Command is a reference to the 1980 Atari game Missile Command.

Grand Theft Auto
In the South Boston Police Department, there is an entry on the evidence terminal pertaining to a suspect named Nicole Connelly, who is accused of the crime of grand theft auto. Her name is shortened to "NiCo" in the evidence log entries. Niko Bellic is the name of the protagonist in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

The Elder Scrolls: Arena

A telephone pole just east of Sanctuary outside the Robotics Disposal Ground reads TES 01 PPL 364946. In March of 1994, TES1 was released.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Sweet Rolls can be found throughout the game. And perhaps most notably, one can be found in East Boston Police Station on the desk of a detective. A play on the situation given for character creation in Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The cover of one Taboo Tattoos magazine has the iron helmet from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The iron helmet is an armor piece from the game that was made famous by being featured heavily in the marketing of the game as being the chosen headgear of the "Dragonborn".

Crippling a Raider's leg may cause them to groan about a "bullet in the knee." The specificity and wording of "the knee" instead of "my knee" make it similar to the often-repeated Skyrim town guard dialogue "I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee..."

30 Incredibly Great References in Fallout 4 (page2)

This article continues from a page one.

Blade Runner
In the middle of the Diamond City, there is a robot Takahashi, who sells noodles, and the only line he speaks is "Nani ni shimasho ka?", which means "What should we order?". This is the very same phrase (including imperfect grammar) as said by the noodle seller in the "Noodle Bar" scene of the Blade Runner movie.

On the southwest corner of the Mass Fusion containment shed rooftop is the body of a man in a random outfit lying supine in front of a kneeling, deactivated Synth. The setup alludes to the 'Tears in rain' scene at the end of the film.
The SAFE test is an allusion to Blade Runner's Voight-Kampff test, meant to discern whether someone is a human or replicant.
The art for the Achievement Hunter/Hunted invokes Deckard being stalked by a vault boy.

Star Wars
The title of the fourth U.S. Covert Operations Manual is called "Not the Soldiers You're Looking For" which refers to the Jedi mind trick Obi-Wan uses on Stormtroopers during A New Hope.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Arlen Glass's Office, in the Wilson Atomatoys Corporation Building, contains two terminals which hold references to the Television show. 3 consecutive logs make nods to three Episodes: "The Last Roundup", "Too Many Pinkie Pies" and "Lesson Zero."

A second terminal mentions Arlen's surprise at a lack of interest in the line of toys in comparison to how it used to be, wondering if he should instead start creating a boy-centric line of collectible, limited edition variants. This could be referencing the primarily male fanbase that cropped up over the show, and the subsequent increase of collectible's licensed to others by Hasbro, whose main reason for rebooting the show, was to sell toys.

Another entry mentions Arlen's ideas; Some notable ones include Different color coats and Identifying marks to distinguish between multiple types as well as a line of Pegasi and Unicorn variants. Also mentioned is the possibility of crystal-coated variants, which could be in reference to the Crystal Ponies of the show, and their real-world toy counterparts.

Cheers
The Bar from the 1980's American Sitcom Cheers is by the Boston Commons as Prost bar. Inside is riddled with references to the series, which was set in Boston. The word "prost", after which the in-game bar is named, is german for "cheers".

The Walking Dead
Inside Union's Hope Cathedral there is a hostile ghoul by the name Father Gabe wearing preacher vestments fighting several feral ghouls. This is a reference to the character Father Gabriel from The Walking Dead who survives the zombie apocalypse by hiding inside his church until the main characters find and rescue him.

A tractor can be found crashed into a fence, with a ghoul lying at the front end of the tractor, near a dead settler who's trapped under it. This is a reference to a scene from the first episode of the first season of Telltale Games's The Walking Dead.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The beginning of the quest Kid in a Fridge is a reference to a scene in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where Indiana Jones survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead-lined refrigerator.

Sons of Anarchy
Head to the BADTFL regional office, which is slightly North West of Bunker Hill. Make the way down to the basement, and there is a Terminal (novice). Hack into the terminal or use Nick Valentine and look for "Prisoner 4CA8712". One will notice that all the features of the prisoner are strikingly similar but the name Opie Hurst is a combination between Opie Winston and his portrayer Ryan Hurst.

Other Cultural References

The American Revolution
The standard Minuteman weapon is a Laser musket, just as the Musket was during the revolutionary war. John Hancock shares his name with one of the first men to sign the Declaration of Independence. The quest The Battle of Bunker Hill is also named after one of the opening battles of the American Revolution.

King Arthur
The Prydwen shares its name with King Arthur's ship from the Welsh poems 'Preiddeu Annwfn' and 'Culhwch ac Olwen.'

Bad Fonts
One of Codsworth's jokes "Comic Sans, Arial and Papyrus walk into a bar..." is a reference to commonly misused, and overused fonts.

The Cask of Amontillado
When the Sole Survivor finds General McGann's body in The Castle Tunnels, he is lying next to wine crate containing some bottles of "Amontillado" wine. Opposite him is a skeleton behind a half-built brick wall. These are references to Edgar Allan Poe's famous story The Cask of Amontillado. In addition, if the player "inspects" the object in their inventory, the name "Montressor" is on the bottle. Montressor was one of the main characters in The Cask of Amontillado. The name "P. Edgar" in smaller print on the bottom of the label is another reference to Edgar Allen Poe. On a side note, Poe was inspired to write the story during his time serving at Fort Independence, also known as The Castle.

Underground Railroad
The Railroad is an allusion to the Underground Railroad, which was known for moving escaped slaves across the United States using a series of safe houses, and stations.

Todd Howard
Fo4 Todd Howard as Napoleon
Several paintings found throughout the game feature the likeness of Bethesda employees, most notably Todd Howard in the place of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Wizard of Oz
Tin Man, a protectron found at Easy City Downs, is a reference to The Wizard of Oz.

Rockville, Maryland
The Weapon 'Rockville Slugger' is named after the city of Rockville, the current location of Bethesda Game Studios.

Thank you Fallout, for reminding us on those many of the weirdest and greatest references throughout Fallout 4. For more cultural references in Fallout 4 visit the Fallout Wiki, which was the source of this article. How many of cultural references in Fallout 4 have you noticed so far and which are your favorite?

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Let's Talk About Fallout 4 DLC - Automatron

Fallout 4 has its first DLC up to bat. While not a particularly lengthy offering, clocking in at about 2.5 hours, Automatron feels more like a nice appetizer than a proper meal. That's not to say it's bad, more to say that money conscious among you may want to wait for a sale. Allow me to break it down.

Automatron adds several new weapons, outfits, armor pieces, and rather than present an entirely new area has opted instead for tweaking several current locations, though the tweaks are substantial enough to make the areas stand out, and there's certainly no shortage of "Phat Lewt" in these changed locales.

The basic premise of Automatron is that a familiar-sounding fellow called The Mechanist has unleashed an army of homemade robots onto The Commonwealth under the guise of peace. In reality, the machines are killing just about anyone they come across, and it is up to you as the only person who can get shit done to put a stop to it. You are aided in this quest by Ada, a new Robot companion (Who you may also tweak to your whims), and the entirely new mechanic of Robot Workbenches. This is the meat of this DLC, and I'm happy to report it's very well realized.

Realistic Settlements in Fallout 4 by Wasteland Angel

Since Fallout 4 was published, many were focused on just building their settlements. That's fine and up until now, you can find many settlement videos on the interweb. I watched dozens since the launch of Fallout 4, but no matter how big, massive or interesting they are, they usually lacked a dose of realism.

Don't get me wrong, there are many really good settlement videos out there. It's just that most of them are somehow focused on building sizes and stuff, rather than be fully realistic. I'm talking about small details like missing pillars on tall buildings or bridges, or even spamming with duplicated fences, floors, etc. It's fine, this is a game after all.

I finished Fallout 4 couple of times and started focusing on my own settlements in detail. There are few I gave my full devotion. I started from Sanctuary Hills and worked there about a month. Then, to take a break, I switched to Red Rocket Truck Stop. After I finished Red Rocket, I decided to systematically build every settlement slowly, each time a quest sent me to it. We'll be referencing the most complete.

How To Survive A Real-Life Nuclear Fallout

The Fallout series takes place in a world decades after the nuclear war has destroyed most of the civilization. Only those who hid in fallout shelters (aka Vaults) survived. But could you actually live like this for any prolonged period of time? There’s a lot to think about.

First, you’re going to need underground shelter to protect yourself from the damaging particles of ionizing radiation. Prolonged exposure to this nasty stuff can cause serious illness, and eventually death.

Image Credit; Vault-Tec Inc.; Fallout 4 - Vault 81.

If you figure that out, you’ve then got to start to thinking about how you're going to get food and drink down here, needing to be 61 meters (200 feet) beneath the surface for safety.

Fallout 4 Survival Mode Full Overview

A Reddit user ShaneD53 uncovered all the details about the Survival Mode from the in-game files of Fallout 4. Even Bethesda Game Studios confirmed over their Twitter that the given information is legit, stating; Our fans are too smart. Early look at #Fallout4 Survival Mode on @reddit. We’re still messing w/ it. More to come!

Survival mode in Fallout 4 upend many of the rules of life in the Commonwealth for a maximum challenge, such is combat, fast travel, weighted ammo, sickness, fatigue, etc. For a full list of these changes, see below.

Image Source; Vault-Tec Inc.

Fallout 4 Scavenger Squads by Caedo Genesis

A Series called Scavenger Squad from the passionate Fallout fan and YouTuber, Caedo Genesis, are the closest you will get to watching a CO-OP version of Fallout 4, and learn some new things along the way. I'm sure most of you are familiar by now with Caedo's work, and he was also featured in here a couple of times with coverage of the After War Nevada overhaul mod for Fallout: New Vegas, and a guide to get all the Wasteland Survival Guides in Fallout 4. So what's the deal with Scavenger Squad videos?

First off, the videos in this series are used as a guide to various locations that cover points of interest to the player, valuable loot, features, and even crafting techniques in Fallout 4. Every episode features a new and unique guest who joins Caedo in describing the subjects; the end result is really something worth watching.