You've stepped out of Vault 111. The sun is blinding. Everything is brown, irradiated, and honestly, a bit depressing. Then Preston Garvey starts talking about a "settlement that needs your help," and suddenly, you aren't just a survivor—you're a landlord. Fallout 4 changed the franchise forever by making us care about scrap metal and bed counts. But let's be real: not every location is worth your time. When you look at the list of settlements Fallout 4 provides, you're looking at thirty-odd locations that vary from "literal paradise" to "why would anyone live in this shed?"
Building a network isn't just about charity. It's about survival. You need places to dump your desk fans and glue. You need artillery coverage. Most importantly, you need a place that feels like home in a world that wants to eat you.
The Heavy Hitters: Where You Should Actually Spend Your Wood and Steel
Most players gravitate toward Sanctuary Hills because it’s the first spot the game hands you. It’s nostalgic. You have the pre-war house, the bridge, and plenty of space. But Sanctuary has a massive drawback: it’s tucked away in the literal corner of the map. If you aren't playing on Survival mode, maybe that doesn't matter. If you are? Walking back to the northwest corner every time you need to store loot is a nightmare.
That’s where Starlight Drive-In comes in.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours in the Commonwealth, and Starlight remains the gold standard for builders. It’s basically a massive, flat parking lot. In a game where the "snapping" mechanics for walls are notoriously finicky, flat ground is a godsend. You can build a multi-story skyscraper here or a sprawling marketplace. Just remember to scrap the radioactive barrels in the central puddle first, or your settlers will spend their days soaking up rads while they try to drink water.
Then there’s The Castle.
Taking it back from the Mirelurk Queen is a rite of passage. It’s the definitive Minutemen base. The walls are crumbling, sure, but the built-in radio tower and the massive industrial water purifier potential make it a powerhouse. It feels like a fortress. You can actually defend it. Unlike many spots on the list of settlements Fallout 4 features, The Castle feels like it has a soul. It’s got history. It’s got that cool basement armory.
Small Spots You’re Probably Ignoring (But Shouldn't)
Hangman’s Alley is tiny. It’s cramped. It’s basically a narrow L-shaped corridor between some old buildings.
Most people take one look and keep walking. That is a mistake.
If you’re playing on Survival, Hangman’s Alley is the most important real estate in the game. It is centrally located. You can run to Diamond City in thirty seconds. You can reach the CIT ruins or the combat zone in a minute. It’s the ultimate staging ground. You don't need a farm here. You need a bed, a power armor station, and a few crates. Verticality is your friend. Build up. Put your sleeping bags on the second floor and your turrets overlooking the narrow entrances. It becomes an impenetrable urban nest.
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Then there is Graygarden.
It’s run by robots. You don’t have to worry about their happiness levels as much as humans, and they don't complain about the bed situation. Plus, you can build on top of the elevated highway. There is something incredibly satisfying about looking down on the wasteland from a glass-walled penthouse perched on a crumbling bridge.
The Problematic Properties: When a Settlement is a Trap
We have to talk about Coastal Cottage.
Every time I see it on the map, I sigh. It is, without a doubt, one of the most frustrating spots in the game. There’s a giant hole in the ground that you can’t properly fill. There’s a ruined house you can’t fully scrap or repair without mods. It’s located in a high-level area where Mirelurk Hunters and Raiders will constantly harass your three miserable settlers. Unless you are a master-tier builder who loves a "fixer-upper" challenge, just skip it. Use it as a supply line waypoint and nothing more.
Murkwater Construction Site is similarly cursed.
It’s a swamp. It’s dark. It rains constantly. Also, a Mirelurk Queen respawns nearby fairly often. It’s atmospheric, I guess? If you want to build a creepy, Blair Witch-style outpost, this is your spot. Otherwise, it's just a place where your settlers go to be miserable and damp.
Why Logic Matters in Your Layout
Building a settlement isn't just about aesthetics; it's about the AI. Fallout 4's pathfinding is... let's call it "charming."
If you build a gorgeous bar on the fourth floor of a tower with narrow stairs, your settlers will never go there. They will just stand in a clump at the bottom of the stairs at 8:00 PM, staring into space. Keep your essential shops and gathering spots on the ground floor.
- Food and Water: Stick to Mutfruit. It provides 1 unit of food per plant, whereas everything else provides 0.5. It saves space and worker slots.
- Defense: Don't just look at the number. Placement is key. Raiders usually spawn in specific spots outside the build zone. If you place all your turrets facing inward, you're going to have a bad time.
- Bedding: People hate sleeping outside. Even if you have a roof, the game sometimes checks for "enclosed" spaces. If your settlers aren't happy, check if their beds are tucked into corners or under solid ceilings.
Expanding Your Horizons with DLC
If you have the Far Harbor or Nuka-World DLCs, the list of settlements Fallout 4 offers grows significantly.
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Longfellow’s Cabin in Far Harbor is stunning. The fog adds this eerie, beautiful layer to everything you build. It feels isolated in a way the Commonwealth settlements don't. On the flip side, Nuka-World gives you the Red Rocket Truck Stop, which is fine, but the real draw of that DLC is turning your existing Commonwealth settlements into Raider Outposts.
This completely changes the gameplay loop. Instead of planting corn and worrying about happiness, you’re demanding tribute and keeping "disciples" in line. It’s a darker take on the mechanic, and honestly, a nice break from Preston’s endless nagging.
Managing the Logistics: Supply Lines are Life
You cannot manually carry 5,000 pounds of concrete from Sanctuary to The Castle. You just can't.
The Local Leader perk is the most important investment you can make if you care about building. Once you have it, you can assign a settler to a "Supply Line." This links the workbenches of two settlements. Suddenly, the wood you scrapped in the north is available for a wall in the south.
Pro tip: Use Provisioners as your own personal army. If you equip your supply line workers with high-end armor and Miniguns, they will patrol the roads of the Commonwealth. I’ve been saved from a Deathclaw more than once by a random Provisioner wandering by with a Gatling Laser I gave them three weeks ago.
The Great Happiness Mystery
Why is your settlement stuck at 80% happiness?
It’s usually the "Uncovered Beds" bug or a lack of defense. But sometimes, it's just the lack of "fluff." Settlers want stores. They want a bar. They want a clinic. Adding a Tier 3 Bar (Restaurant) is the fastest way to boost happiness. Also, cats. If you have the Wasteland Workshop DLC, build some cat cages. Each cat adds a small, permanent boost to happiness. It turns out even in the apocalypse, people just want to pet a kitty.
Final Thoughts on the Commonwealth Real Estate Market
When you look at the full list of settlements Fallout 4 provides, don't feel obligated to build at all of them. It's overwhelming. Most veteran players pick three or four "hubs" and leave the rest as bare-bones outposts with a single farmer and a turret.
Focus on the locations that offer something unique. Spectacle Island gives you the largest build area in the game—it’s literally an entire island. Abernathy Farm has the highest build limit vertically, allowing for actual towers. Nordhagen Beach gives you those beautiful ocean views.
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The Commonwealth is a wreck, but it's your wreck. Every shack you build and every guard post you assign makes the map feel a little less hostile.
Your Next Steps in the Commonwealth:
Check your map for Hangman’s Alley if you haven't discovered it yet. It’s tucked just west of Diamond City. Clear out the Raiders, set up a recruitment beacon, and try building a "vertical" base there. Use it as your central hub for the mid-game. Once that's established, go south to Spectacle Island. You'll need to flip a circuit breaker on a sunken ship to scare off the Mirelurks, but once you do, you'll have the biggest canvas in the game to build your true wasteland capital. Don't forget to link them with supply lines immediately—you're going to need a lot of copper for those generators.
Key Data for Builders
| Settlement Name | Best Feature | Biggest Flaw |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctuary Hills | Tons of initial scrap | Terrible map location |
| Starlight Drive-In | Flat ground, easy to build | Radiation hazard in center |
| Hangman’s Alley | Best location for Survival | Extremely cramped |
| Spectacle Island | Massive build area | Remote, requires swimming |
| The Castle | Pre-built fortifications | Walls are tricky to "patch" |
| Graygarden | Robot workers don't eat | Limited ground space |
Stop worrying about making things look perfect. The wasteland is messy. Use the "Scrap Everything" mindset where you can, but embrace the rust. A settlement that looks lived-in is always more satisfying than a sterile concrete box. Now, get out there—there's probably another settlement that needs your help, and Preston isn't going to tell himself.
Actually, he is. He definitely is.
References and Expert Sources
- Fallout 4 Official Prima Guide: For baseline settlement stats and spawn points.
- The Fallout Wiki (Nukapedia): For specific data on settler pathfinding and happiness mechanics.
- Oxhorn’s Settlement Analysis: Highly regarded community research on build limits and verticality.
- Bethesda Game Studios Patch Notes: Confirmation on how "covered beds" and defense ratings are calculated by the game engine.
Building in the Commonwealth is a marathon, not a sprint. Start with a bed and a water pump, and before you know it, you'll have a trade empire that would make the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel jealous. Just watch out for the Brahmin getting stuck on the roofs. It happens more than you'd think.