You're running low on screws again. It’s the universal Fallout 76 experience. You find a sweet new Gatling Gun or want to finally finish that suit of Excavator Power Armor, and suddenly, you're staring at a crafting menu that says you have zero screws and two springs. It's frustrating. Honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes you want to log off, but instead, you look for a spot to pillage. Enter Sugar Grove.
This place is a goldmine. Located in the Savage Divide, tucked away north of Huntersville and east of the Investigator’s Cabin, this sigint (signals intelligence) facility is basically a glorified office building filled with the most precious commodity in the wasteland: desk fans. And clipboards. Lots and lots of clipboards.
Most players stumble into Sugar Grove during the "One of Us" questline for the Enclave. It’s spooky, it’s cramped, and it’s crawling with robots. But if you're just visiting for the quest and leaving, you’re doing it wrong. You’ve gotta treat this place like a supermarket.
What makes Sugar Grove so special?
It isn't just about the quantity of loot; it's about the density. In Fallout 76, efficiency is everything. You could wander around Abandoned Bog Town or the Charleston Capitol Building, and sure, you’d find stuff. But Sugar Grove is compact. You can clear the whole interior in under five minutes if your build is even remotely competent.
The main attraction here is the sheer volume of Desk Fans, Office Desk Fans, and Antique Globes. These are your primary sources for screws. Then you have the Clipboards. My god, the clipboards. There are stacks of them in the main command center and the side offices. Why does that matter? Springs. You need springs for almost every internal component of a power armor chassis and for repairing high-tier ballistic weapons.
The facility is themed around Cold War surveillance. It's a "black site" used by the US government to monitor communications, which explains why there are so many terminals and pieces of electronic junk. From a lore perspective, it's a grim reminder of how much the Pre-War government was obsessed with spying on its own people. From a gameplay perspective, it’s a giant box of springs.
Breaking down the loot table
Let's get specific. When you walk into the main "Ship Intelligence" room—the one with the big circular desk layout—you’re looking at a haul that usually includes:
📖 Related: Catching the Blue Marlin in Animal Crossing: Why This Giant Fish Is So Hard to Find
- At least 10–15 Desk Fans (Screws, Steel, Gear)
- 20+ Clipboards (Springs, Wood)
- Multiple Antique Globes (Screws, Cork)
- Extensive amounts of "Folders" and "Technical Data"
Wait, let's talk about Technical Data for a second. This is a semi-rare spawn in those blue filing cabinets. If you’ve started the "Forbidden Knowledge" quest for the Brotherhood of Steel, turning these in at Camp Venture or Fort Atlas is one of the only ways to get the Elder or Paladin T-60 Power Armor paints. Sugar Grove has dozens of these cabinets. It is, hands down, one of the most reliable places to farm this specific item.
Dealing with the local "Security"
Sugar Grove isn't a free ride. It’s usually occupied by a mix of Protectrons, Gutsies, and those annoying ceiling turrets. Occasionally, you’ll find a legendary robot tucked away in the back rooms.
If you're a lower level, the Protectrons aren't the issue. It's the Major Gutsies with the 52mm armor-piercing bullets. They will shred you. If you hear that polite, British-voiced robot asking why you aren't in uniform, take cover. Use a weapon with the "Troubleshooter’s" prefix if you have one, or just aim for the combat inhibitors.
The layout is a bit of a maze. You enter through the front lobby, head down the stairs, and eventually hit the massive control room. There’s a back exit that leads to a cliffside, which is actually a great spot for a CAMP if you like a view of the Savage Divide.
One thing people often miss: the Stealth Boy spawns. Because this was a high-level intelligence facility, you can often find Stealth Boys on the desks or in the lockers near the back of the facility. If you’re a sneaky commando build, this is a nice little bonus on top of the junk haul.
The server hopping strategy
Since Fallout 76 uses instanced-ish loot, you might show up and find the place picked clean. If the desk fans are gone and the clipboards are missing, someone beat you to it.
👉 See also: Ben 10 Ultimate Cosmic Destruction: Why This Game Still Hits Different
Here is the trick: don't just jump servers immediately. The game tracks the last 255 items you've picked up. If you haven't "cleared your queue" by picking up junk elsewhere, the items at Sugar Grove won't respawn for you even on a fresh server. Go to the Summersville Book House (the first house on the right when you fast travel to Summersville), pick up every single burnt book in the building—there are about 250 of them—and then jump. This resets your loot table, ensuring Sugar Grove is stocked when you load back in.
Why Sugar Grove beats the competition
People love to talk about the Abandoned Bog Town secret room. Yeah, it’s great. It has a lot of gears and screws. But it’s also in the Cranberry Bog, which means you’re likely to get jumped by a Scorchbeast or a pack of Fog Crawlers while you’re trying to overencumber yourself.
Sugar Grove is safer. It’s consistent. The enemies are predictable.
Also, consider the Lead situation. While Sugar Grove isn't a lead mine, the pencil spawns there are surprisingly high. Every pencil gives you one lead. It adds up. If you’re running a heavy gunner build, you know that every scrap of lead is a bullet that might save your life during the Scorched Earth event.
Navigating the Lore: What really happened here?
If you actually take the time to read the terminals—which most people don't because they're too busy grabbing fans—Sugar Grove tells a pretty dark story. It was part of the "Sugar Grove Facility," a real-world location in West Virginia, though Bethesda obviously took some creative liberties.
In the game, the staff were intercepting messages and trying to crack Chinese codes. They were also dealing with internal paranoia. There are logs about employees being monitored and the psychological toll of the work. It’s a classic Fallout "pre-war greed and government overreach" vibe.
✨ Don't miss: Why Batman Arkham City Still Matters More Than Any Other Superhero Game
There's a specific terminal entry regarding the "Blackbox Project." It’s a nice bit of world-building that connects to the broader conspiracy of the Enclave and the automated systems that kept running long after the bombs fell. It makes the grind feel a little less like a chore when you realize you’re looting a graveyard of American secrets.
Pro-Tips for the Perfect Run
- Use the Scrapper Perk: This is non-negotiable. Equipped in Intelligence, this perk gives you significantly more materials when you scrap weapons and armor dropped by the robots.
- Check the "hidden" room: In the main control area, there's a side room behind some glass. It often has high-value tech junk and a chest that can contain weapon mods or plans.
- Don't forget the parking lot: Sometimes there are fusion cores in the generators outside or in the back of the military vehicles parked near the entrance.
- Carry Weight Management: You will get heavy. Fast. Bring some Grilled Radstag or Whiskey to boost your carry weight so you can actually make it to a workbench to scrap all that glory.
Practical Next Steps for Players
If you're currently staring at a "Missing Components" screen, here is your exact plan of action.
First, fast travel to Sugar Grove. If you haven't discovered it yet, head to the Savage Divide and look for the giant satellite dish icons on the map; it’s the one furthest south in that cluster.
Once inside, clear the lobby robots quickly. Don't waste time on the terminals unless you need the lore. Head straight for the stairs. Your goal is the large, open-plan office and the circular control room.
Grab every Desk Fan, Globe, and Clipboard you see. Check the blue filing cabinets for Technical Data. If you have the "Contractor" or "Makeshift Warrior" perks, you’ll find that the resources you gather here will last you through several repair cycles.
After you've cleared it, head to the workbench located in the back area to scrap everything down. This reduces your weight significantly. If the place was empty when you arrived, remember the Summersville Book House trick to reset your world loot counter.
Stop buying bulk springs from vendors at train stations. It’s a waste of Caps. Sugar Grove has everything you need if you’re willing to spend five minutes shooting a few Protectrons. It’s the most reliable, high-yield farm in the game for mid-to-late-game players who are tired of hunting for singular screws in the woods.
Get in there, grab the fans, and get back to building your base. The wasteland isn't going to reclaim itself, and you can't do it with a broken gun.