Preparing for Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is a highly anticipated RPG most gamers already reserved. On Twitch, it’s not uncommon to find multiple streamers playing previous Fallout games in preparation for the pending release. In addition, thousands of players downloaded the Fallout Shelter mobile game and spend hours managing their shelters. If you’re one of those people, make sure you head over to our tips and tricks article to get the most from your Fallout Shelter experience.

While different people have varying plans to prepare for the release of Fallout 4, we have a few bits of information to make the wait until November 10 bearable, while at the same time helping you prep for an experience in excess of 70 hours. Sit back and relax while we cover some of the do’s and don’ts of Fallout 4 preparation.

First and foremost, Fallout 4 is clearly not the first game in the series. If you’ve never played a Fallout game before, do yourself a favor and check out the Fallout Anthology game for PC. It releases on September 29, 2015 and includes the original Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout New Vegas, and Fallout 3. It’s everything you need to prepare for the advancements coming with Fallout 4. You can also pre-order the official strategy guide for Fallout 4 to get all of the inside information and stay ahead of the game.

Once you get into the game, there are also some tips that will help you survive. For instance, dog is a man’s best friend and this idea extends into Fallout 4. While Dogmeat is the companion everyone met during the E3 demonstration, he isn’t the only one you’ll have in the game. You don’t have to use the abilities of Dogmeat or any companion, but passing these up would simply make the game harder. Of course, if you’re into punishing video games, the new DLC for Bloodborne is coming soon, and you have Dark Souls 3 coming next year.

If you choose to have Dogmeat as a companion, he can be very helpful in this post-apocalyptic New England landscape. Not only will Dogmeat growl if an enemy is nearby, he also takes priority as a target for enemies. This gives you time to setup shots from the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.) or simply allows you to run if things seem grim.

You don’t need to worry about Dogmeat because he is incapable of dying. If his health drops too low, he’ll be incapacitated and no longer be able to assist you during a battle, but he will not die. If you’re worried about him, you can give Dogmeat some health to get him back on his feet and assisting you in combat.

If you’re one of those gamers who simply likes to book it through a game and ignore many of the side activities, Fallout 4 will still give you plenty to do. However, if you like to explore every facet of a game, you could play Fallout 4 well into 2016. The game features an extensive customization system. Not only can you customize your items and weapons, you can even build a new home base and customize everything inside it.

Almost anything you find in the wastelands of Boston can be broken down to create various items in your shelter. You don’t need a shelter, and you can certainly make it through the entire game without dismantling an item or stepping foot in a custom shelter. However, your inner Minecraft fanboy would never let you live that down.

The building doesn’t stop at a settlement for yourself, you can even craft a little house for Dogmeat and other trusty companions. The biggest thing to remember about these shelters and settlements is that the more you explore, the more you’ll be able to craft and create.

Power is key, so look for items that can be broken down into things that create power. You can’t do anything without power, so it’s vital that you find as much as you can in this department. Once you get the hang of things it won’t be overly difficult to find these power items, but you’ll have to start small and build your settlements slowly until you have enough power supplies to fuel everything you’re trying to create.

Fallout 4 is due to hit the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 10, 2015. Coming sometime in early 2016, players will be able to mod the PC version and share those mods with the community. The same mod-sharing ability will migrate to the Xbox One after the PC version launches, and eventually it will end up on the PS4 as well. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to Prima Games, as we’ll have extensive coverage of Fallout 4 as soon as the game hits shelves.