Foundation

Foundation is a location in the Savage Divide region of Appalachia, and serves as the Settler headquarters. It was built in 2103 on the site of the former Spruce Knob workshop.

Background
A fortified settlement built on the site of a pre-War tourist attraction, Foundation is the main base of the Settlers, a group of people that came from Pittsburgh under the leadership of Paige in the hope that it would offer some reprieve from the horrors in the north. Upon their arrival, and subsequent discovery of Spruce Knob, they repurposed the existing buildings, cleared the surrounding trees and Foundation was formed. Ever since, Foundation has been a haven for other settlers in Appalachia, and an eyesore for the Raiders at the Crater.

Layout
Much of Foundation is built on wooden logs, obtained thanks to the settlement's own mill saw at the Builder's Nest. The town contains several buildings, including a barracks, boarding house, and a variety of stores ran by the Sunnys. The Spruce Knob observation deck is located in its center. There are two instanced interior locations - Founder's Hall and Foundation supply room. Fast traveling to Foundation will spawn the player west of the settlement, on the road leading to the main gate. When Minerva visits Foundation, her tent will be placed along the eastern side of the main road, between the main gate and the fast travel destination.

Notable loot

 * Elsie's story - Note, in the Taylors' home, on a kitchen counter (cannot be taken).
 * Ward's journal - Note, in the medical office pod across from the power armor stations (cannot be taken).
 * Potential magazine - On the east side of Foundation, at a small guard house near a gate, on a desk.

Cut quests

 * Daily: A Refreshing Outlook
 * Daily: Davie's Secret Mission
 * Daily: Donations for the Clinic
 * Daily: Fieldhand Needed!
 * Daily: Restock the Armory
 * Daily: Stewing Over Things

Changelog

 * As of patch 1.3.1.26, yao guai and Scorched no longer spawn in the settlement.
 * As of patch 1.4.0.20, fast traveling to Foundation is free of charge.

Bugs

 * The weather vane on the roof of the Taylor's residence is not correctly aligned to the cardinal directions, with the north indicator facing west, the east indicator facing north, the south indicator facing east, and the west indicator facing south.
 * Samuel will occasionally wander from his designated position at the direction bulletin board.
 * When Grahm passes through Foundation, he may become stuck inside the southside moat or underneath the overpass near the Founder's Hall.
 * Scorched officers and feral ghoul officers may occasionally wander into Foundation.

Appearances
Foundation appears only It was built on the former location of Spruce Knob.

Behind the scenes
According to level designer Steve Massey, Foundation replaced Spruce Knob as it was previously a "pretty boring workshop location" and it was selected due to its central location within the Savage Divide.