Best Settlements For Endgame Builds In Fallout 4

Fallout 4 was released in 2015, bringing with it a fresh innovation in the Fallout franchise – settlement building. This mechanic went one step further than simply owning a hideout or renting a room by enabling a player to truly manipulate the environment, creating a personalized, imaginative settlement. It didn’t end with just one settlement, though – Fallout 4 contains no fewer than 37 settlements, from the relatively understated buildings to the simply enormous, open spaces.

Related

Fallout: Every Location Featured Across All Games

An undisputed factor of the Fallout franchise is the awe-inspiring nature of the several diverse locations that the games are set within.

For years, players have worked to construct the most inventive builds possible. With the added assistance of creativity-focused mods, some fantastic settlements have emerged from the Fallout 4 community since 2015. However, while there are dozens of possible settlements to claim in Fallout 4, not all of them are worth it, and only a few among them can be considered “endgame bases.” These are the locations where players can retire, build their final settlement, and finally hang up the Pip-Boy.

Updated April 20, 2024 by Benjamin Joe: Thanks to the launch of the Fallout TV series, Fallout 4 has seen a rise in new players. With many more players making their way around the Commonwealth, it seems like a good time to re-examine some settlement ideas for the game’s endgame.

The possibilities for building ideas are almost endless. From replicas of real-world buildings to massive monuments to Atom, players are only limited by their imagination. These are some of the best, biggest, and most beautiful settlements for player building in Fallout 4 and its DLCs.

12 Sanctuary Hills

The Sole Survivor’s Pre-War Home

• The Player’s First Home
• A Fairly Safe Neighborhood

It ends where it all began, in Sanctuary Hills. This is the first location that the player is exposed to in Fallout 4, serving as the home of the Sole Survivor. Following a few minutes in an idyllic, pre-war setting, the player emerges from a brief stint in a vault to find that the haven of Sanctuary Hills now stands devastated by 200-plus years of wasteland survival. It’s now a relatively blank canvas; a ball of clay ready to be molded by the player.

Ultimately, Sanctuary Hills remains one of the best locations for an endgame build simply for the reason that the player is ‘going home.’ It’s a massive, open space that boasts broad, flat areas and pre-built houses to fill with furniture. It’s also set in an attractive part of the map, sitting on a river and surrounded by trees. There are worse places in Fallout 4 to build an endgame settlement, that’s for sure.

11 Nuka-World Red Rocket

A Fun Place To Build in Nuka-World

• Nuka-World’s Only Settlement
• Plenty of Build Space

If a player follows the story chronologically, the Nuka-World Red Rocket will be the last settlement they unlock. It’s the only settlement found in Nuka-World, the final DLC released in the Fallout 4 lifecycle, which coincidentally serves as something of an endgame expansion. It pushes the player into a hostile theme park environment, overrun by raiders and all manner of mutated creatures.

Related

Fallout 4: All Unique Nuka-World Weapons, Ranked

In terms of weaponry, the Sole Survivor has many options in Fallout 4 DLC Nuka-World. Which deals the most damage, and which is just a silly waste?

Bizarrely, in the considerably vast and diverse map of Nuka-World, there is just one settlement – the Nuka-World Red Rocket. While it’s not the most beautiful setting for an endgame build, it’s an iconic brand in the Fallout universe, and it offers a relatively large, open build space. If it’s the last settlement the player unlocks, why should they go any further?

10 Spectacle Island

A Hidden Treasure

• Secluded Paradise
• Comes With A Secret Quest

Spectacle Island offers the biggest build area in Fallout, outside any modded content. It’s a hidden location that appears off the coast of the main map, and unless players go exploring, it could end up being completely undiscovered. When it is eventually found, there’s a secret quest that must be completed which sees the player wipe out a Mirelurk infestation from the island, after which point, the local workshop opens up.

Related

The Best Fallout 4 Mods, Ranked

Fans of Fallout 4 have been making mods for the title ever since it was released. Here’s a look at some of the absolute best of the best, ranked.

Unfortunately, there’s a clear imbalance present in Spectacle Island in that the build limit doesn’t reflect the amount of space available. If players are open to the idea of using mods, then it’s recommended to install something that removes or expands build limits. This is a huge build area that can literally house an entire city, should a player be able to devote the time to build it. Why settle for a simple settlement when being the leader of an entire city is on the cards?

9 Kingsport Lighthouse

A Cool Place To Build

• Great Vantage Point
• Picturesque Location

Kingsport Lighthouse was originally occupied by the Children of Atom, who are hilariously ‘powering’ the lighthouse by entrapping a Glowing One at the top of it. It’s a unique location that boasts a large build area, but it’s a great endgame settlement for the sheer diversity of what’s on offer. Firstly, there’s a large, central building, alongside which is a towering, complete lighthouse. At the back of the property is a mostly undamaged pier, which houses further, smaller buildings.

It’s one of the best base canvases for a settlement, especially considering most of the buildings are undamaged. For players that want a unique retirement home, there’s the option to build at the very top of the lighthouse, upon which the player can survey the wide, open world of the Commonwealth Wasteland.

8 Longfellow’s Cabin

A Home From Home

• An Isolated Location
• Plenty of Build Space

Found nestled into the fog-ridden island in Far Harbor, Longfellow’s Cabin is a brilliant endgame settlement for one key reason: it’s already an endgame settlement for someone else. When the player meets Longfellow, they’re introduced to a surly yet helpful individual who has been leathered and wizened by decades in the wasteland. He’s decided to house himself away from the core settlements in Far Harbor, opting to get a little peace and quiet.

As a result of this move, Longfellow’s Cabin is in an undisturbed area of the map, set in an area full of trees and perched atop a small cliff that boasts clear-ish views over the map. It’s one of four settlements introduced in Far Harbor, and it makes a perfect location to build that ideal retirement property.

7 Starlight Drive-In

A Nice Open Space

• Lots of Flat Land
• A Fairly Large Build Limit

Starlight Drive-In is one of the settlements that players can get their hands on relatively early. It is a great end-game settlement due to how large and flat the terrain is. There’s a large old-fashioned American diner on one side, a large parking space in the middle, and an old outdoor cinema screen on the other side. This place gives players the ability to build large and unique structures.

The diner and cinema screen are all within the buildable area, so the player can incorporate them into whatever idea they may have. As a whole, this area is perfect for building something big and bold that fits in with the local surroundings.

6 Home Plate

Build A Home in Diamond City

• Surprisingly Large Build Limit
• A Cozy Indoor Base

For the more social player, a perfect endgame settlement can be found in the heart of Diamond City. This is arguably the central location in Fallout 4, coming equipped with several quest-givers, multiple stores and vendors, and being home to key story missions. For a fee, the player can purchase ownership of the Home Plate, a relatively small building located in the Diamond City Market. It’s not a huge location, and it’s entirely enclosed (it’s an interior-only settlement), but it feels cozy and can be packed out with furniture, thanks to a generous build limit.

Related

8 Most Downloaded Mods For Fallout 4

Fallout 4’s legacy continues to grow as its players freshen up the game with a variety of mods. These mods are the best options available.

It makes sense that a player would retire to this location, particularly if they’re playing something of an RP game. Why should the Sole Survivor live outside in the wasteland, suffering from the post-apocalyptic conditions, when they can reside in the relative safety of Diamond City? It’s the perfect endgame settlement for any budding Fallout 4 fan.

5 The Slog

A One-Of-A-Kind Place

• Easy To Defend
• Great Land For Farming

The Slog is an old spa and bathhouse. There’s a pool outside that settlers use to grow Tarberries. There are lots of reasons why The Slog is a great place for end-game builds. It’s in a low-level area, meaning that enemies are pretty easy to take care of. It is easy to fortify thanks to the large spa building next to the pool. And, it has lots of open space to plant crops and make a farm.

This picturesque place is perfect for some cool and unique builds. For example, players can build several levels over the swimming pool and turn the old spa into a modern spa clinic. Overall, there’s a lot to love about The Slog. It is a fantastic place to settle down and build.

4 Nordhagen Beach

Close Enough To Paradise

• Stunning Views
• Pretty Secluded

It is easy to overlook this place in the beginning. But there’s a lot that can be done with this particular area. Aside from the road that runs through the outside, it’s surrounded mostly by water, making it a fun place to build away from the dangers of the Commonwealth. It also has a nice view of The Prydwen, provided the player hasn’t taken out the Brotherhood of Steel.

The nice coastal views and the ability to see a lot of Boston’s large buildings from afar make this a great place to hunker down and call home for end-game players.

3 Covenant

A Horrible History But A Great Place To Build

• Great Defensive Settlement
• Undamaged, Pre-War Aesthetic

Covenant is an early-game settlement that features iconic references to earlier Fallout games and an exciting questline. Once the player has completed the questline (for better or worse), the workshop will unlock and Covenant will become a customizable location. While it’s quite a small build area, Covenant is dramatically unique, boasting an untouched, undamaged, pre-war aesthetic.

It has sturdy walls from the get-go, a ring of turrets surrounding it, and a ready-made community of around ten settlers. It’s in a great location, mostly central to the map, and there are plenty of building options that can be explored.

2 Vault 88

Own A Vault

• Massive Build Area
• Fun To Explore

Introduced in the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC, Vault 88 is the perfect retirement opportunity for players looking to retreat underground, living out the apocalypse in a vault. However, there’s a twist, as this vault is a blank canvas; an enormous, sprawling cave with many subsections that can be used to build a massive, complex vault. It’s able to be equipped with all the above-ground amenities that a player is used to, along with all the new features introduced in the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC.

Related

Fallout: The 21 Most Disturbing Vault-Tec Experiments

Fallout’s Vault-Tec is well-known for being morally bankrupt, and here are the most disturbing experiments they ever conducted.

Admittedly, Vault 88 is the toughest endgame settlement to build on, for the simple reason that the player is starting totally from scratch. It’ll be quite a task to accomplish, with every tunnel, door, level, and room needing to be built from the ground up. However, when it’s completed, the player is rewarded by having the ability to retire to an underground vault of their very own.

1 The Castle

Join The Minutemen Today!

• Very Well Fortified
• A Very Unique Location

Should a player go the way of the Minutemen, then The Castle becomes the perfect endgame settlement. It’s the beating heart of the militia-based faction, serving as a base of operations and a well-defended fortress. There’s plenty of room to play with in The Castle, provided the player is able to eliminate the Mirelurk threat that occupies it at the start of the game.

As a bastion of the wasteland, The Castle is a sensible choice for an endgame build. It’s likely the toughest, most imposing location a player can find in Fallout 4, and it comes with several creature comforts from the moment the player takes over the workshop. It’s always fun to think of The Castle as an actual castle, building a keep on the inside and using the walls solely for defense.

Fallout 4

Released

November 10, 2015