Fallout 4 Random Encounters

While traveling through the many landmarks of The Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor can experience some random encounters.

Deathclaw Brawl
There is a chance that two Deathclaws will spawn and begin fighting one another until one of their health runs low and the losing Deathclaw retreats. Be careful, because, once the fight ends, both Deathclaws will turn hostile and attack.

Two Faces. One Synth
The Sole Survivor can come across two men, identical in appearance and both named Art. One Art is a human and the other is an identical synth. One Art has the other on his knees and is preparing to execute him with a shotgun. Both Arts will claim to be the real one and state the other is an Institute synth sent to kill the other and take their place. If the Sole Survivor decides not to interfere, the human Art will execute the synth and walk away. A very difficult speech check can convince the kneeling Art to admit to being a synth, at which point he will encourage the sole survivor to assist him in killing the real Art. A simple speech check can convince the standing Art to lower his weapon, at which point the kneeling Art will draw a weapon and attack him. Alternatively, the sole survivor can simply attack one of the Arts. The Synth Art will have a Synth component on their body, indicating whether or not the player has chosen correctly. If the standoff is interrupted, the two Arts will begin shooting at each other, turning the event into a normal combat. If the Sole Survivor has the Awareness perk, the synth will have significantly higher resistances compared to Art.

Preston Garvey Impersonator


While wandering, the Sole Survivor may come across a smooth talking man claiming to be Preston Garvey. He will request a donation of 100 caps for the Minutemen. If the Sole Survivor tells the impostor that they know Preston, or that they are the general of the Minutemen, the impersonator will run away.

Self Admitted Synth
The Sole Survivor may happen upon a man (Fred) and woman (Angie) holding a third man (Jules), a self admitted synth, at gunpoint. Jules claims he ran away from the Institute and only wants to get to Bunker Hill. The Sole Survivor has 4 choices on how to resolve the issue. Saving him using any of the 3 possible medium speech checks results in him fleeing away in gratitude. This encounter does not add Bunker Hill's icon to the Pip-Boy map.

A Girl and Her Robot


While wandering, the sole survivor may come across a little girl, Kat, and her Sentry Bot guardian, Gus. This encounter is possibly a reference to the Little Sisters and their protectors the Big Daddies from the Bioshock series. It could also be a reference to the short novel A Boy and His Dog, which follows a boy and a telepathic dog surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. It could also be a nod to Borderlands 2, as the playable character Gaige, and her robot companion "Deathtrap". As of patch 1.1.30 Beta, Kat cannot be spoken to.

Malfunctioning Robots
The Sole Survivor can sometimes happen across a few Assaultrons spouting random nonsense. Upon noticing the Sole Survivor, they will all charge, screaming "WHAT A PRETTY BOY". This is possibly a reference to the 1952 movie At Sword's Point, where the same line is flung at a woman dressed as a man before she is challenged to a sword duel.

Named feral ghouls
The Sole Survivor can sometimes stumble across a pack of named feral ghouls. Their names are Mr. Donoghue, Mrs. Donoghue, Mr. Sumner, Mrs. Sumner, Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker, and Ms. Rosa. These are all the names of Survivor's neighbors in pre-War Sanctuary Hills. This is a repeatable encounter that can be seen many times, even if the ghouls have been killed.

The Farmer and The Vicious Dogs
Occasionally the Sole Survivor will come across a farmer being attacked by three dogs. If the Sole Survivor kills the dogs in time to save the farmer, he will reward the Sole Survivor with 250 caps. This encounter can occur multiple times.

The Farmer and The Raiders
Like with the vicious dog encounter, the Sole Survivor can find a farmer being assaulted by up to 3 Raiders. Like with the dogs, if the Sole Survivor interferes and kills the Raiders before the farmer is killed, they will be rewarded 250 caps.

The Farmer and The Molerats
Like with the vicious dog and raider encounters, the Sole Survivor can find a farmer being assaulted by 3 or more molerats. Like with the dogs and raiders, if the Sole Survivor interferes and kills the molerats before the farmer is killed, they will be rewarded 250 caps.

Wounded Dog
The Sole Survivor can come upon an unmoving, non-hostile mongrel. If spoken to, the Sole Survivor can tend to its wounds, then give it a name. It will not follow the player, nor can it be sent to a settlement, and it will disappear once the player leaves the area. It will, however, help fight any enemies that approach it.

Duke
A member of the Atom Cats wearing a full suit of power armor, scouring a wrecked car for parts. If spoken to, he will helpfully mark the Atom Cats garage on the Sole Survivor's map, then walk off.

Absalom
A hostile sniper wearing full combat armor, he will attack anyone he comes across, including the player, similar to Sam Warrick from Fallout 3.

Gene and his Dog
While traversing the wasteland, you may encounter a man named Gene. He will ask if you want to buy his dog for 250 caps, but then is hesitant. Convince him with 6+ charisma to buy the dog, then it can be sent to a settlement, granting that settlement +5 to Defense. Gene can be encountered multiple times, and a new dog can be purchased from him each time.

Kelly and her Brahmin
A woman named Kelly can be found traveling the wasteland with a Brahmin. She will offer to sell the Brahmin to you for 100 caps. It can be sent to a settlement to improve the efficiency of farming at that settlement. If asked whether the Brahmin is stolen, Kelly will become evasive, with her tone ambiguous as to whether she's feeling guilty or merely thinks it's a stupid question.

Super Mutants with Missile Launchers
A trio of super mutants all wielding missile launchers can be encountered threatening a farmer, upon seeing the player, the super mutants will all start wildly firing their missiles with horrible accuracy at the player.

Advertising Eyebot
While wandering the Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor may come across an eye bot who advertises employment opportunities at the Cambridge Polymer Labs. If investigated, this opens up a quest where the player is trapped.

UFO Crash Site


At some point, while wandering The Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor may witness a UFO fall out of sky, and eventually plummet to the ground with a thud. Actually seeing the ship might be difficult because of how quickly it is moving, but it does leave a short lived, yet distinct, trail of smoke. The explosion is usually too distant to see, but is very loud nonetheless. The ship always crashes east by south-east of Oberland Station. Next to the still burning UFO is a trail of green blood. If the Sole Survivor follows the trail of green blood, down into a ravine, and then into a nearby cave, they will be attacked by an injured alien. The alien will drop an alien blaster pistol and 400-500 alien blaster rounds.

Three Dead Raiders
"Just drop the paste, man."

While wandering the Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor may come across three dead raiders in what appears to be a failed intervention. On one is a note, in which one unnamed raider attempts to stop his/her friend Hank from eating food paste, which is making him act more and more harsh and insane. Upon reading the note, Suffolk County charter school is marked on the map.

A Scavenger and a Refrigerator
The Sole Survivor may encounter a scavenger attempting to open a novice locked refrigerator. If approached, they will become hostile. Inside the refrigerator is a random gun, some caps, and matching ammo.

This is possibly a reference to an identical encounter in Fallout 3

Mac's Bar
Occasionally the Sole Survivor may find a bar set up in random places which belongs to a man named Mac. The Sole Survivor can initiate a conversation with him about the bar location and purchase drinks.

Man looking for Bunker Hill
The Sole Survivor may encounter a man wearing an Institute jumper named Timothy looking for Bunker Hill. If killed, there is a synth component found on his corpse.

Scavenger and the Hatch
The Sole Survivor may encounter a hatch and a scavenger in the wasteland. Upon talking to the scavenger, he will state that the hatch is "his". Putting the cursor on the hatch will prompt "detonate", and doing so will result in a mini nuke-like explosion, after which you can enter the bunker to find a skeleton and some minor loot in what seems to be a collapsed fallout shelter. It's recommended that you either shoot the door from afar or order a companion to "detonate" and go to a safe distance.

Two Men Arguing About Sandwiches
The Sole Survivor may encounter two men debating what the definition of a sandwich is. This is a long standing debate in epistemology. It might also be a reference to the decision of the Massachusetts Superior Court White City Shopping Ctr., LP v. PR Rests. LLC, 21 Mass. L. Rep. 565 (Mass. Super. Ct. 200), where the court ruled that a sandwich consisted of at least two slices of bread, and therefore "under this definition, this court finds that the term 'sandwich' is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans".

The Water Beggar
The Sole Survivor may encounter a settler kneeling by the side of the road. If talked to, she/he will claimed they are tired and ask for water. If the Sole Survivor is currently carrying any Purified Water, they may offer it to the settler. They will thank them, and if talked to again, will say that they just need to rest for a bit longer before moving on. There is no option to send them to an owned settlement after giving them the water.

This is almost certainly a reference to Fallout 3's numerous water beggars, who often asked for Purified Water outside of cities and towns.

Charge card
A man named Parker Quinn who claims to be working with all the traders in the commonwealth to remove bottlecaps as the currency because of how inconvenient they are to carry around, he will offer the player a "charge card" for 110 bottlecaps claiming that you will be able to purchase things from vendors with it. Evidently this is a scam and the card is useless. If the player chooses to purchase the card, the scammer will call you a 'retard' and walk away. You can kill him and loot his body for a refund.

Mandatory Curfew
The Sole Survivor may encounter a Mr Gutsy attempting to enforce a Mandatory Curfew created by Provisional Governor Graham. If the Sole Survivor agrees to return home but remains in the area the Mr Gutsy he will become hostile stating that you have broken curfew. You can persuade him by claiming to be on military business, the Mr Gutsy will state you are 60% confident and let the sole survivor pass.

Irradiated Woman
Similar to The Water Beggar, the Sole Survivor may encounter a woman who claims to be dying from radiation, and asks for RadAway. If you give her some, she thanks you and says she needs to rest before continuing. There is no further option for interaction.

Three Albino Radstags
The player may encounter three albino radstags marching down a road, one of these locations is outside Med-Tek Research.