Fallout 4: 12 Early Reactions You Need To Know

9. Settlements Are Fun But Unnecessary

One of the major additions to FO4 is settlements, that players can now help establish small communities out in the wasteland, using their resources to help the locals set up lines of communication and, of course, build defenses to chase off any would-be attackers. On the whole reviewers praised the mechanics, though agreed that it ultimately felt unnecessary and disconnected from the whole: "The main quest only asks you to construct an object or two, and never incentivises you to build a proper settlement" (Gamespot), "my network of towns almost never contributed meaningfully to my adventures other than somewhere to hang my vast collection of looted hats" (IGN). Many stated that building settlements is more demanding on the player than it should be because "building tools are not clearly communicated" (Game Informer), and that you may find yourself stuck as to how to connect everything together, perhaps relying on the online community to re-iterate things for you rather than the game itself.