One of Bethesda's greatest strengths across both their Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, is that ability to tell hundreds of different, self-contained stories that hold your interest just as much as anything with one long-running narrative. Fallout 4 doesn't disappoint either, as the Sole Survivor's quest to retrieve his stolen son is certainly a highlight, yet it's the hidden gems scattered throughout the irradiated wasteland that shine brightest. So much has happened in the 200 years since the bombs first dropped, that although choosing a direction to head in can be a daunting task, Bethesda guarantee there'll be something - or someone - worth interacting with. It's that very freedom to explore that has, and always will be, the main draw of the series, but just to make sure you're getting the most out the game, here are 10 of the most impactful, interesting and intriguing stories the Commonwealth has to offer.
10. The Lost Patrol
Even an entire squad of hardened, power armour-clad Brotherhood Of Steel paladins can succumb to the harsh nature of Fallout's post-apocalyptic wasteland. While strolling around the war-torn countryside of Boston's outskirts, you're likely to pick up an eerie distress signal that ushers you towards a location just north of Relay Tower 0MC-810 to investigate. Predictably, what you stumble across isn't a person in need, but an entire horde of Super Mutants proclaiming their superiority over the human race. Clearing out the mutant blight will lead you to the source of the signal - a dead Brotherhood Scribe clutching a Holotape that retells the story of how he ended up alone and, well, very dead. As you follow the Scribe's past footprints, you come across several other harrowing scenes of death - including a crater that's become the grave of almost the entire ill-fated squad - except one. One final tape will lead you to Recon Beta Theta, where the last survivor of the titular Lost Patrol has been holed-up for three long years, scared out his wits, hoping that his comrades survived. At this point, you can attempt to persuade the poor sod to rejoin the Brotherhood that essentially left him to rot, or put him out of his misery. Your choice.
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
