Advice on How to Enjoy Fallout 4

[Weltall8000]

So, this is not a troll post. I am 100% genuine in this. I enjoyed Fallout 3 a fair amount with a couple of playthroughs. I picked up Fallout 4 on release and played it through the main storyline a few times (first run Institute, second run Brotherhood of Steel). I played Skyrim quite extensively and consider it in my top three games of all time. However, with Skyrim, I was underwhelmed at first and did a playthrough or two and thought it was "okay". A few years later, I picked it back up, played it again from a fresh start, but this time around, I understood the game and I enjoyed it immensely. Later I started modding and only made it exponentially better still. I am wondering if Fallout 4 has that same potential.

I have created another character, I am loosely basing it on FudgeMuppet's Mechanist build:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skPC1iM4R7M


I'm only level 6 and pretty bored. I find that with this game, whenever I start a new character, I just feel like I can't do anything and the character just isn't interesting until it comes into its own around the mid level, but even then, kind of "meh" (a problem that can occur if you build wrong in Skyrim too, from my experience). I do play on "Very Hard" and while I like the theme of Survival, I'm not really willing to do the "needs and diseases" and very limited saving until I am much better/familiar with the game, as a previous attempt left me frustrated. (If I come to love Fallout 4 like I do Skyrim, I definitely will give it a real go in the future.)

So, I am interested in builds that are fun to play. Particularly interested in how to enjoy the early game (builds, playstyles, quests, equipment, whatever is needed to facilitate fun). And any thoughts or suggestions on how to make Fallout 4 the best it can be. I would like to do it without third party mods for now, but would definitely appreciate information on what's popular/best/most fun. Also, I do have all the DLC, but have experienced very little of it thus far. I am looking forward to doing DLC questlines/areas. Spoilers for those, please keep to a minimum if possible.

I want to like this game and am willing to admit, I just may be playing it wrong. How does one play Fallout 4 and enjoy it?

[Gamefever]

Alright,

The very first thing you should install...

From the Nexus,

You want this tool,
Fallout 4 Configuration Tool - By Bilago
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/102/

I swear by this thing, it'll improve your FPS.
I have a really good computer and the game itself put me at ULTRA, but I was getting bad frames. Installed this tool and I got better graphics at better frame rates.
It has a whole suite of options available that you can test out that are not in the games normal settings and its packaged in an easy to understand interface.

Hands down should be your first modification of your game.

Everyone else will come in and likely you'll get some suggestions which will distract you but quite simply this modification will enhance your whole experience with whatever you decide to install after that.

Edit, durr...
You meant player character builds lol. I was thinking of mods, which is what goes through my head when I think of "Builds"
Basically I put together a set of mods to alter or improve upon the experience...Some of the mods can change the way the gameplay is in a radical way such as Sim Settlements but you also have total overhauls to pick from now like "Frost" and "Horizon".

Not sure your up for those overhauls though cause like you said your not comfortable with characters not coming into their own early both of those would be too harsh.

[madmaligor]

First, F4 is what you make of it, be it vanilla or moded. If you like having a starting build, use the console. If you enjoy exploring, dont use fast travel. If you like creating/building, modify the carry weight so encumbrence is not an issue (or dont if you enjoy the challenge or hard choices thing).

Really it comes down to you. No one here can see into your gaming soul and come up with an answer.

My only real advice is pay attention. There are freaking tons of little things people just walk right over/past that tell a story. The main story is NOT the game.

Building after vault after cave after instance have something to offer. Make a story for yourself and stick to it. Roleplay with yourself (i know that sounds terrible) but I mean it. Give yourself a little credit and let your imagination tell "your" story.

Stop worrying about what you dont like and focus on making the experience enjoyable by letting all the other garbage go.

[Gamefever]

What the poster above me said,

I really enjoy the game when I just dont think about what cheese the plot is...I just make it up as I go and sandbox the whole thing...Once you do that the game gets a heck of a lot better, its actually a really good game for sandboxing in.

[Weltall8000]

Perhaps I should give more context? I feel like the character is pretty bland early on. That said, I don't want to auto get all the perks I want and not build up to that either.

I get that the main story isn't the entire game, but I'm looking at a fun way to naturally work into a fun mid/late game. I've played around with a few different characters, but am looking for insight into what others enjoyed and maybe I'll see something I missed or come up with something that will work for me.

[Weltall8000]

Like, maybe some fun quests? Fun things to do early in the game? What do you like to do early on in the game? Any perks that you rush that make the game more fun early on?

[Halcyonic Elysium]

I'd personally recommend this mod:
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18946/?

I have been getting into Fallout 4 again, mainly because I am glad to start the game at a solid mid level and not being restricted to a parent and looking for my son in this game.
This alternate start mod lets you skip the intro sequence of the pre war to decide your background, what general area you were at, what level, starting equipment, etc

Edited to reduce redundancy.

[Alfred Kodani]

My Advice:

Buy Fallout: New Vegas

[Halcyonic Elysium]

Originally posted by Ablutomaniac:

My Advice:

Buy Fallout: New Vegas

I would've said that too, but OP did ask for advice on how to enjoy Fallout 4

[Shadow The Innkeep]

I honestly was very uncertain about FO4 when I started it the very first time. I played Skyrim, as we Russians would say, to the holes, meaing A LOT. I explored map of it fully checking every nook and cranny, and Skyrim doesn't even come close to the experience I got with FO4. I am aabsolutely inlove with this game, and I might say, I have never been addicted as much to any game as I am to FO4.

I have played through the game extensively about 5 times (meaning side quests, misc quests, exploration, etc). I have completed main story 7 times, once Vault-88 DLC and twice fully exploring and doing everything I possible can in Automatron, Far Harbour and Nuka World DLCs. That being said, I own everything Bethesda had to offer for FO4.

As someone has mentioned, it all comes down to you, and what you are looking to get from this game. I don't like just story, nor do I like just exploraation, I enjoy a healthy mix of both. For example, when I start fresh, I do the story until it's time to go the Glowing Sea for the first time looking for Virgil, then I pause that stuff and immerse myself into exploration, looking for magazines and bobbleheads, maxing out affinities with various companions that may become handy later on. Once I have done stuff with various factions (other than MM) pushing to the point when they just say, "♥♥♥♥♥♥ you need to make a choice", side quests and things, I continue with the main story till about just before Blind Betrayal or Liberty Reprimed (since I am always dreaading going to the Glowing Sea). Again, I complete quests with the Institute up to the point I have to make final choice between them or BoS (clearly, BoS is my choice). I pause the story and resume my explorations, maybe do a DLC akin to Automatron or Vault-88, then complete the story. This way the game doesn't feel stale, and I don't get bored of excessive exploration after the main story is complete.

Also, I am not sure how savvy you are in this matter, but what can help you enjoy the game - read about the lore, or what there is for lore (after all, this is not TES universe or Witcher saga), you will learn more about characters backgrounds and things, and it will help you understand what's cooking better?! I did that and it helped me to see the game in the whole new light and fresh perspective.

That being said, I am and achieveement hunter, therefore I am very planning to go for it for the 8th time, but I am also considering full re-installation of FO4, wiping ALL mods and doing it all vanilla style to complete achievements via painful choices of siding with RR and MM just once (then re-roll the save and blast RR to pieces).

Happy hunting!

[DiglidiDudeNG]

Get the Horizon mod. I was on the same boat as you when I used to play vanilla with a bunch of random gameplay mods that didn't go enough out of the vanilla balance and feel, which felt really boring.

Horizon, however, makes the game so much more fun than vanilla, I'm embarassed for Bethesda.

[Shameless]

prolly not your type of game to be honest if your feeling bored at lvl 6 theres tons of ♥♥♥♥ to do

[Killzone]

Very wierd title...

I knew one day the world would regret not including instruction manuals with everything.

[Zee_]

You too can enjoy Fallout 4 in just three easy steps!

Step 1: Ignore the main story.
Step 2: (optional) Install 100+ mods to turn the game into whatever you want it to be.
Step 3: (or 2 if you skipped step 2) Explore, build, murder people, kill stuff, do whatever you enjoy and ignore the parts of the game you don't.

The previously mentioned list can safely be applied to any and all sandbox games.

[Weltall8000]

Thanks for the ideas! I guess I will go out exploring and just hitting areas I didn't emphasize before, and do some different builds. If I start a new character, I may try the alternate start mod.

I am curious about this a little bit, generally, I just pick up and use whatever weapon deals the most damage and run with that until I find/build a better one. I try to go unseen and open up with a long range rifle and swap to an automatic or shotgun when the fight comes to me. I feel like melee blows early on and gun diversity is a little weak starting off. Any ideas on good early weapons or mods that can make things a little more interesting around the beginning of my adventure? What kind of playstyles/equipment loadouts/perks do you guys like for the first stages of the game (like 1-5, 5-10, 10-20)?

Also, Horizon looks amazing. I really want to play this to my satisfaction, including the DLC questlines before modding...but, damn, this looks really impressive.