Fallout 4 Guide DLC Automatron Overview
Robot Mods
Robot mods allow you to create and customize robot companions. Offensive capabilities, resistances, movement speed, carrying capacity—everything an Automatron has to offer is determined by the mods you choose to install.
A newly built Robot Workbench contains a small selection of robot mod plans. Collect mods from vanquished enemies to unlock additional options. Building a robot mod usually requires specific materials, and some advanced mods also have perk prerequisites. Those interested in Automatron construction would do well to invest in the Robotics Expert perk, along with Science!, Armorer, Blacksmith, and Gun Nut. Each robot mod has its own material requirements, but stocking up on screws, aluminum, copper, adhesive, ceramic, rubber, and steel should get you off to a good start.
While mods for weapons, armor, and Power Armor are attached to existing items, robot mods work differently. Each and every piece of an Automatron is a separate mod, and the available options change depending on which mods are currently installed.
Mod Categories
During customization, the Robot Workbench organizes available mods into basic categories—most of which contain multiple subcategories. Some of these categories are always present, but others appear or vanish depending on an Automatron’s current configuration.
Robot Mod Categories
| Category | Mod Types | Focus |
|---|---|---|
|
Special Mods |
Quest-specific |
Special robot mods are used to progress your search for the Mechanist. |
|
Head |
Heads, head armor |
Heads tend to determine an Automatron’s accuracy and engagement distance. Some heads feature onboard weapons. |
|
Torso |
Torsos, torso armor, miscellaneous mods, model-specific attachments |
Most torsos focus on base health, carrying capacity, and model-specific features. |
|
Left Arm |
Arms play important roles in damage output and carrying capacity. |
|
|
Right Arm |
Arms play important roles in damage output and carrying capacity. |
|
|
Thruster Arm |
Middle thruster arm, middle arm armor, middle hands, left thruster arm, left arm armor, left hands, right thruster arm, right arm armor, right hands |
These model-specific arms are used to augment damage output. This category only appears when an Automatron utilizes the Mr. Handy torso and thruster mods. |
|
Legs |
Legs, waist armor, thruster armor, left leg armor, right leg armor |
Legs focus on movement speed and carrying capacity. |
|
Voice |
Voices |
Voice mods determine an Automatron’s vocal qualities and personality subroutines. |
|
Paint |
Paint |
Paint determines the color of accent pieces and equipped armor mods. |
Base Mods
When combined, mods that act as heads, torsos, arms, and legs form the base of your Automatron. These mods not only determine factors like movement speed, accuracy, and total health, they also serve as anchor points for weapons, armor, and miscellaneous attachments.
The Robot Workbench allows for a staggering number of configurations, but every base mod belongs to one of five basic robot models. If you want to build an effective companion, it’s important to understand the strengths of each base.
Protectron
Each new robot companion you build starts as a collection of Protectron mods. This standard Automatron isn’t as fast or durable as other models, but it does offer a considerable carrying capacity.
Basic Features
| Head | The Protectron head features medium engagement distance and reduced accuracy. |
|---|---|
| Torso | The Protectron torso offers no special features. |
| Arms | Protectron arms provide superior carrying capacity with reduced melee damage. |
| Legs | Protectron legs feature improved carrying capacity with a relatively low movement speed. |
Mr. Handy
A complete Mr. Handy assembly offers a blend of speed and versatility. In lieu of a head slot, the Mr. Handy torso supports up to three eye attachments. Its thruster arms aren’t compatible with the weaponized hands supported by conventional arms, but they do support a reduced selection of model-specific hand mods.
Basic Features
| Head | This model does not offer or support head mods. |
|---|---|
| Torso | The Mr. Handy torso features superior movement speed. This torso prohibits the use of head mods, but it does offer slots for up to three Mr. Handy eye attachments. These model-specific eyes improve accuracy and engagement distance. |
| Arms | This model doesn’t include conventional arms, but up to three thruster arms can be equipped when the Mr. Handy torso and thruster mods are both installed. Thruster arms boost melee damage and can support a limited selection of model-specific hand attachments. |
| Legs | The Mr. Handy thruster offers exceptional movement speed, but it prohibits the use of heavier weapons. |
Assaultron
The Assaultron base is both durable and fast, making it an excellent choice for a melee-focused Automatron. Its total health can’t match that of the Robobrain or Sentry models, but its considerable speed and powerful attacks make a properly equipped Assaultron a serious threat in close quarters combat.
Basic Features
| Head | The standard Assaultron head features poor accuracy and a short engagement distance. Advanced Assaultron heads include an onboard laser for powerful energy attacks. |
|---|---|
| Torso | The Assaultron torso provides improved health. |
| Arms | Assaultron arms offer superior melee damage with reduced carrying capacity. |
| Legs | Assaultron legs boast superior movement speed. |
Robobrain
The Robobrain base features high accuracy, good movement speed, and a unique Mesmetron attack that damages and disorients targets. The Robobrain can absorb a fair amount of damage, and it serves as an excellent base for an Automatron intended for long-range combat.
Basic Features
| Head | The Robobrain head boasts superior accuracy, extra-long engagement distance, and an incorporated Mesmetron. |
|---|---|
| Torso | Robobrain torsos feature better health. |
| Arms | Robobrain arms offer improved melee damage and carrying capacity. |
| Legs | Robobrain treads feature better movement speed and carrying capacity. |
Sentry
As a complete set, Sentry mods create an Automatron base with exceptional carrying capacity and unmatched durability. Its torso includes slots for shoulder-mounted launchers, making a fully equipped Sentry a valuable ally in combat. Of course, this formidable base isn’t without its drawbacks. The Sentry torso can sometimes overheat (resulting in a temporary shutdown), and the massive Sentry legs can make it difficult for your companion to navigate tight spaces.
Basic Features
| Head | The standard Sentry head allows for a medium engagement distance. The factory-model head adds a bit of Damage Resistance, but it’s only compatible with the Sentry torso, and it limits the selection of available head armor and torso armor mods. |
|---|---|
| Torso | The Sentry torso provides superior health and slots for shoulder-mounted weapons, but it’s vulnerable to overheating. |
| Arms | Sentry arms offer exceptional carrying capacity and improved melee damage. |
| Legs | Sentry legs feature superior carrying capacity and improved movement speed, but they restrict movement in tight spaces. |
Armor Mods
Nearly all robot armor mods increase an Automatron’s resistance to damage from ballistic damage and energy attacks, but most armor mods also affect carrying capacity and damage output. Additionally, you’ll find robot armor mods that inflict targets with effects like bleeding, burning, poison, and irradiation.
Most robot armor mods are part-specific. Armor that’s compatible with an Assaultron left arm can’t be placed on a right arm, nor can it be attached to an arm belonging to any other model of robot.
Hand Mods
In most cases, robot hand mods provide the bulk of an Automatron’s damage output. Some hand mods add weapons like clubs, blades, or drills for melee damage. Other hand mods provide ballistic guns or energy weapons. Many advanced hand mods offer a combination of damage types and bonus effects. From sniper lasers to missile launchers, you’ll find hand mods suited to any combat role.
Robot hand mods are interchangeable, but they’re also limb-specific. A left hand mod can only be attached to a left arm. A hand mod designed for a thruster arm is incompatible with a more conventional Automatron arm.
Some hand mods also feature armor slots. Hand armor is limb-specific and model-specific, but it’s not always part-specific. For example, a Protectron left hand armor mod can be attached to a Protectron left hand claw, a Protectron left hand laser, and a variety other Protectron-based left hand mods.
Miscellaneous Mods
Every Automatron torso features one slot for a miscellaneous mod. Miscellaneous mods offer useful features that can greatly increase your robot companion’s utility. Install modules for hacking or lock picking to aid your scavenging efforts. Build sensors that track targets or boost the Perception of nearby allies to increase combat awareness. You can even craft mods that generate stealth fields, reduce incoming damage, replenish lost health, and more.
Miscellaneous robot mods are compatible with all robot torsos. When a torso equipped with a miscellaneous mod is swapped out at a Robot Workbench, the miscellaneous mod is automatically installed in the new torso.
Model-Specific Attachments
Some base mods offer extra slots for model-specific attachments. The Mr. Handy torso features three slots for eye attachments, while the Mr. Handy thruster offers three slots for thruster arms. The Sentry torso includes two slots for shoulder-mounted launchers.
The Robot Workbench only lists subcategories for model-specific attachments when the prerequisite base mods are in place. Obstructing an available slot can also prevent it from appearing in the list of subcategories. For example, mounting a right arm onto a Mr. Handy torso prohibits the use of a right eye attachment.
Building a Better Companion
A well-crafted robot companion can make a big difference out in the field, and the right balance of speed, durability, firepower, and utility can allow your companion to fill any number of roles.
It’s likely to take a bit of experimentation before you find the configuration that best suits your needs, but there are a few things budding Automatron enthusiasts might find useful:
- Some robot mods are known to be unstable. Unstable mods usually include features like increased damage or bonus effects, but they sometimes break during normal use.
- An Automatron that utilizes a Mr. Handy thruster can’t support heavy flamers, missile launchers, or shoulder-mounted weapons.
- When an Automatron features a combination of conventional arms and thruster arms, thruster hand mods that include projectile weapons cannot be equipped.
- Most robot companions can be ordered to self-destruct. The resulting explosion destroys the Automatron and all equipped mods, but any items stored in its inventory can be looted from its remains. Once a self-destruct order has been given, it can’t be cancelled.
- Some voice mods offer an optional personality mode. Speak to a properly equipped Automatron to activate or deactivate this setting.
- Speaking to a robot companion sometimes yields junk items.