Decent guide for how to arm settlers?

[EmberStar]

I'm curious if there's a decent guide for how to arm settlers. As in, what the rules are for how they'll use weapons and ammo. I know that they seem to have infinite ammo for their default pipe pistols. The problem would be that pipe pistols are junk. Especially once I've progressed the story a bit and random Synth or Mechanist patrols can start showing up. I also want to arm provisioners so that they're a little better at taking care of themselves.

I've tried searching, but don't seem to be picking the correct terms.

[Ilja]

Settlers have infinite ammo for any weapon which they have at least 1 ammo. You can replace their weapons by trading them through dialog.

They will pick up better weapon from ground during settlement attacks, if they can also locate ammo for it.

[MTV]

There isn't much to it. Give them any guns you please and 1 round of ammunition and they are taken care of. The exceptions are missile launchers and fatmans, they will consume ammo for those weapons.

[Mujokan]

I keep every decent weapon I find in storage, along with all combat armor, clothes that can be worn under armor, hats and glasses. Then I give each one a full set of equipment plus a different hat each so that I can tell the settlers apart at a glance. Then schlep it all around the Commonwealth.

But for some reason when I try to take say three sets of combat armor out of storage, I always get it wrong and bring too much of one piece and not enough of another, and end up having to make two trips.

A Gatling laser is a nice weapon for a settler... Just take out fusion cores from your armor when they have one point left, rather than running them down to zero, and they will last them forever.

[MortVent]

I don't bother arming them anymore, between automatrons and defense turrets they don't need any help

[Darth Triggerus ☯]

I have my own set of rules of how I arm these guys.

First I collect all vault suits, baseball clothing and military clothing that allows you to put armor on top of it and start equiping all your settlers in that. This way if they find armor (rare for them to do this) they can equip it, but it also means you have an easier time putting random gear onto them.

Provisioners will get fist priority of these types of clothing and I also tend to give these guys random bits of special armor instead of having that armor wasting away at some base these guys usually get. Kelloges armor, the Nuka World Space Suit. Hazmat Suits. Minute Men general suit.

Some of those armors kind of suck but provisioners can't be killed, and you see provisioners a fair amount especially if you have alot of provisioners waking the map (essentially they patrol the map so why not have multiple supply lines).

You might also consider doing the Railroad quests to unlock ballstic weave and then modify nice suits and dresses for your settlers.

For weapon they have unlimited ammo. The AI isn't the best so I'd stay away from giving them explosives. I tend to give provisioners flame throwers and miniguns. Assault Rifles. Gauss Rifles. Operator Sniper Rifles. Flame Throwers. -Gamma Guns can be useful but great since they are easy to recognize the sound of them being fired but it doesn't kill all the mobs the easiest. Plasma throwers are nice. And any of the heavy guns that aren't explosive. Harpoon Gun, Laser Gatling.

If you equip your settlers with that it's commical when they get into a fight. If you have multiple provisioners walking around with miniguns you'll start to find bits and pieces of raiders in commonly walked roads.

[*.)]

Can a settler use the Junkjet? never tried

[Out Of Bubblegum]

Originally posted by *.):

Can a settler use the Junkjet? never tried

No. D@mmit.

But I think it is fun to give the alien blaster to Mama Murphy (if you cure her). She is mostly out of this world anyway.

[Mujokan]

Originally posted by Out Of Bubblegum:

Originally posted by *.):

Can a settler use the Junkjet? never tried

No. D@mmit.

But I think it is fun to give the alien blaster to Mama Murphy (if you cure her). She is mostly out of this world anyway.

I gave her a penetrating 44 called "Murphy's Law".