What to do after you've completed the game? (Spoilers!)

[Blims!]

Fallout 4 is a great game no doubt, but it feels it cannot beat the longevity that Skyrim have. This is one of the weak points of Fallout 4, you're perhaps lvl 30+ and just finished the main quest and explored quite much you stand there thinking "what should I do now?". There are 4 "endings" in the game. Institute, Brotherhood of Steel, Railroad and the Minutemen (I picked the Minutemen). Closer to the end you're locked out from the other factions.

In Skyrim Vanilla you could still join multiple factions, do tons of quests in the holds, join the civil war, gather daedra artifacts or just explore to get Words of Power and Dragon priest masks after the main storyline. Plenty of ppl say Fallout 4 is as large as Skyrim, but I disagree on that. It has less content and especially a lacking post main questline game.

It has replay value, like playing with another build and join a different faction the second playthrough. I'm planning to focus less on sneak sniper and more of a powerarmor grunt joining BoS. But my first playthrough feels like game over for me now, there's not much more to do on that character.

Do you feel this way aswell?

--EDIT--
It has been awhile since I created this thread but ppl still post their thoughts about my statement. I have done a second playthrough choosing Brotherhood of Steel this time and focused my build on power armors. The BoS questline felt more satisfying and interesting, more fun to do than the Minutemen questline. But in my first playthrough I explored alot since all those generic defend settlement/clear area quests took me to distant places and then on my 2nd playthrough I just did BoS quests and main quests.

I've stopped playing Fallout 4 now and I don't think I'll buy any dlc for it. The game is already expensive as it is. BioWare's game DA Inquisiton had the same pricetag at the beginning and look at that content plus cinematics, I've never played one playthrough as long as I have in that game lol.

--EDIT 2--
It has been several months I created this thread, but ppl still bump this up and discuss it! I had no idea this would be this viral. I might install this game again and try the beta with Survival mode on, something I missed from Fallout NV. But idk if I'll buy that expansion with robot crafting yet, doesn't seem to be worth the full price so I'll wait for a sale.

Fallout 4 is a good game but it still doesn't beat Skyrim. I know Skyrim didn't have much "base building" but building settlements isn't my thing really (nor is Minecraft for that matter...)

[ManDudely]

I finished my first game a few days ago and I've been thinking the same. Some faction related post-game content would be great and give a reason to stick with a character after the credits.

First game, I went with the Brotherhood because Power Armor bros, but I never really got behind Maxsons speeches or got into the militaristic 'no question asked' mentality. But I went with them because taking orders is easy, power armor is fun, and it makes a lot of sense considering the male Survivor is a Veteren. I elimated all the organised threats as asked, but what then? Well, it kinda makes sense to carry on and purge out the super mutants and synths that remain, but it's just you taking on the wasteland alone with whatever vertibird backup you call, and turning over technical documents now and then. You can't expand on Brotherhood control of the area by setting up garrisons or whatever. You're not exactly the Brotherhood local leader either so you're not in the position to do much more than follow orders, although that could certainly be the case if Maxson were to leave operations in the Commonwealth under your guidance. As long as Maxson is around, all you're going to be doing is continuing the purge.

Second time, I went with the Institute and this is where the lack of post game content really hits hardest. Massive lost opportunity here. You're now the Director of the most technologically advanced group in the playable area. How does this change the world above ground? Well, there's a couple of Synths wandering around Diamond City. That's it. You have no control over the direction of research projects, no meaningful decisions to make that have any impact. I don't unlock any 'Hi-Tech' settlement placeables, so there's no 'bringing the Institutes tech to the Commonwealth'. For example, setting up botanical trays that need power but don't require a settler to produce food would be great, as would generally improved power sources and more placables that use power. Instead, you're the absent Director who's in charge of the Institute but still off wandering the wasteland and fighting raiders, mutants and whatever.

I'm mostly through a Railroad run, but I'm finding it the least compelling faction so far. I'll probably end up playing a Commonwealth character for the long haul, just because their whole thing is establishing settlements and defending them, which felt like a far too distracting use of time when I was with another faction. At least as the Director there's the 'improving the Commonwealth' angle... and that Institure paint job looks amazing on the X-01.

[Blims!]

I had hoped more quests involving Diamond city and Goodneighborhood. Like you could with quest become the next mayor of any of those and have good fun spending time administrating those, but nope....

Most quests for the minutemen I did were generic help a settlement to get rid of a pack of bad guys somewhere close. Very few sidequests had a unique story behind it (the ship with the robot crew for example).

Oh well, maybe I'll go install Fallout 3 now :D

[PISSED-OFF-COW]

I'm also extremely disappointed with the post-game content. It dulls the significance of what just took place in the final mission. Why can't I do things as the leader of the Institute? Why can't I see how the world changes as a result of my actions?

The ending is pathetic. I expected much better from Bethesda.

[Crem]

I feel the same as well. To be honest this is quite hard to take in because Todd Howard himself wanted to make the game a great experience to be had but I ended up just asking why it didn't add onto Fallout New Vegas's improvements to the previous game and the thing is he "directed" skyrim and fallout 3.

[Gotta Ramble]

Well, dunno what to tell you except stop rushing. Im level 42 and nowhere near completion.

[Machin Shin]

go play cod again (YOU)

[CaptainRaf]

OMFG, i am not alone!!!! :D, i had to restart just to be fulffilled after my first ending (BoS). my second playthrough now, COMPLETELY avoiding main quest, but running out of side quests fast(yes ive done em in my first playthrough (most) ) and ive just been exploring. i hope mods can add quests with proper long arcs and dlcs to help fill in the time. ill have to say got the game for $60 instead of the usual $90-$100

[Liquor Smurf]

You don't simply "finish the game".

130 hours in and I'm still finding tons of stuff to do and locations to explore.

[Winger]

Game doesn't really try to keep your interest after the main quests, but the side quests I've been encountering, the random little details I find in the world, even just the bits of writings on terminals seem to have much more quality material compared to the main quest and mindless faction stuff.

It feels like the devs themselves had waiting for modders to create a complete experience in mind.

[Liquor Smurf]

Originally posted by BöBö:

Game doesn't really try to keep your interest after the main quests

have...have you even played an open world game like this before?

They're not supposed to hold your hand 100% of the time. It's bad enough we have quest markers.

[easytarget]

Originally posted by Rusty Shackleford:

You don't simply "finish the game".

130 hours in and I'm still finding tons of stuff to do and locations to explore.

Quantity over quality is more than half the problem with Bethesda games, so by all means, encourage them to do it even more. You and those like you probably think all you can eat buffets loaded with ♥♥♥♥ food are also a good idea.

[Straybow]

I'm not the greatest fan of post-game so I'll tidy up loose ends for the character and begin anew.

[Liquor Smurf]

Originally posted by easytarget:

Originally posted by Rusty Shackleford:

You don't simply "finish the game".

130 hours in and I'm still finding tons of stuff to do and locations to explore.

Quantity over quality is more than half the problem with Bethesda games, so by all means, encourage them to do it even more. You and those like you probably think all you can eat buffets loaded with ♥♥♥♥ food are also a good idea.

Have you even BEEN to a chinese buffet?

I could live and die at one of those

You don't even own the game, get the ♥♥♥♥ out of here.

[Leveraged Saylor]

I think he's right in some points. Dont get me wrong, I just finished the main quest with level 43 and I still got a lot of side quests waiting for me, but they doesnt feel like "very important for the Commonwalth", and I'm quite sure they arent that long as for example the Dark Brotherhood quests etc. I thinks its a different post main gameplay then skyrim, you also have to explore in order to find some new things and quests.

[Peanits]

I've had the same problem. It's probably because normally when you explore in Skyrim you come across some pretty crazy and unique stuff. Sometimes it's a castle built inside a massive cave, sometimes it's some magical statue that talks to you and sends you on a quest. But with Fallout, it's just another building, and another building, and another building.

Frankly, it's always been like that in Fallout. I never found much reason to continue since all I would be doing is exploring more buildings. Although I feel I might be missing some stuff because quest givers no longer hunt you down and lock you into the conversation, so I feel like I might be accidentally walking by someone whose trying to tell me something.