Fallout 4 Random Encounters

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

NOTE: VDSG is short for the book: Vault Dweller's Survuval Guide (for fallout 4) 

These are separated into different types of encounters (which are in Bold): Static -which occurs in an large area of the map, Fluid- which occurs on the roads, General- which occurs anywhere in the commonwealth, Camp-site- which only occurs at an camp-site (one is east of Concord in the parking lot, Animosity encounters- which involves two factions fighting each other, Treasure hunt encounters- which starts with finding a dead person, Choke point Encounters- which occurs in "areas with limited maneuverability, such as a bridge crossing & Companion encounters where if you have an particular companion with you, you could expect one related to the companion to occur.

Static Encounters
"These usually occur in a specific area, which could be anywhere in the Commonwealth" -Vault Dweller's Survival Guide.

Deceased Fellow
"You chance upon a dead guy. Check his pockets for a note mentioning treasure in a [random] location" - from the book; Vault Dweller's Survival Guide (VDSG for short)

Raider versus Farmers
"A farmer runs to ask for help as you witness a fracas" - VDSG

Wounded dog
- VDSG

You encounter an wounded dog some where in the Commonwealth which, could be an non-hostile Mongrel orAttack Dog. if you patch up the Wounded Dog & name her, the dog might appear again to help you in a fight. an video of the encounter can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXxEhcd2Gvk

Mole Rat Ambush
- VDSG

Wild Pack of Dogs
- VDSG

Gene and his Dog
- VDSG While traversing the wasteland, one may encounter a man named Gene. He will offer to sell his dog for 250 caps, but is then hesitant. Convincing him to sell the dog will allow it to 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.

Super Mutants and prisoner
-VDSG

Deathclaw Duels
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. Also, groups of deathclaws will sometimes be found fighting a behemoth in more dangerous, southern regions of the map.

Vicious dogs and Farmer
-VDSG

Raiders and the Pink Paste
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. This encounter is repeatable. Upon reading the note, Suffolk County charter school is marked on the map.

The strange Pink Paste itself is an Vault-Tec experiment conducted at the school for some time before the bombs dropped.

You've Got Crabs
-from the Vault Dweller's Survival Guide

The Dead Postman
You find dead settler wearing a postman uniform. On the settler's body are three random letters. some reveal locations to explore. This may be a reference to the post-apocalyptic novel The Postman, by David Brin, in which the main character acquires a postman's uniform and begins traveling the former United States posing as representative of the reformed government.

Super Mutants Raiding Party
Up to 4 of super mutants (all wielding missile launchers) can be encountered, upon seeing the Sole Survivor, the super mutants will all start wildly firing their missiles at the Sole Survivor with horrible accuracy. the leader of the group carries the supermutant's orders.

Escaped Synth
If the Institute is still active & the Railroad Quest: Boston After Dark hasn't been completed, the Sole Survivor may spot a male synth Timothy,who's wearing an Institute jumper, asks you to provide him the location to Bunker Hill. Should they have visited Bunker Hill, they have the option to point him in the right direction, or ask for caps.

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

Fluid Encounters
-VDSG

'''all below are fluid encounters '''

Smiling Larry
While walking along the road you may happen to encounter this trader who, when interacted with  who will sell you some items. You can recruit this trader if you have a Level 3 Weapons emporium & more then 30 settlers in a settlement (includes those living in settlements connected to the one you are sending him to) once you assign him to the emporium, you could buy a legendary Ripper from him called: Reckoning.

The Scribe
Another Level 4 merchant that you could send to one of your settlements. Like Larry, you will have to stick to the roads to spot him, but unlike other settlers you might come across, he is easy to spot since he wears an BOS uniform. to recruit him, you need at least 10 settlers in an settlement & an level 3 Armour emporium.

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.

A Girl and Her Robot
While wandering, the Sole Survivor may come across a little girl, Kat, and her Sentry Bot guardian, Gus.

Runaway Settler
Strangely he isn't mentioned in the VDSG. but is valid as seen in this segment of an you tuber's at 17 minute & 20 secs into the video. the video is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBC_l-Bibr8

Manta Man
The Sole Survivor may encounter a delusional wastelander who calls himself Manta Man, after a comic book character.
 * If dressed as the Silver Shroud, he'll refer to the character as such and talks similar to how the Sole Survivor could talk in-character.

Moonshiner
The Sole Survivor will hear an explosion in a nearby shack. Inside they will find a chemistry station with several bottles of alcohol on it and a dead moonshiner. This is a possible reference to the "Exploding Scientist" random encounter in Fallout 3.

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 Sole Survivor has chosen correctly. If the standoff is interrupted, the two Arts will begin shooting at each other, turning the event into normal combat. If the Sole Survivor has the Awareness perk, the synth will have significantly higher resistances compared to Art. This encounter is a possible reference to a movie called "The Island" where a clone is held at gunpoint by the person he is a clone of and the man hunting the clone has to figure out which one is which. Oddly, this encounter is repeatable regardless of the outcome; if the Sole Survivor has previously attacked one of the Arts, that Art will be hostile in all subsequent encounters (as a result, the two Arts will immediately engage in a firefight instead of the normal dialogue).


 * In V.A.T.S. the real Art's name will always show in green [and most of the time, will be holding the shotgun], while the Synth Art will always highlight in red.

Self Admitted Synth
The Sole Survivor may happen upon a man (Fred) and a 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 four choices on how to resolve the issue. Saving him using any of the three 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, but if you catch up to Jules after saving him and talk to him twice, he'll give you a variable, but small, amount of caps.
 * If coming upon on this encounter with Jules already dead, Fred and Angie will be hostile to the Sole Survivor.
 * The Quest: The Nuclear Option must not be completed.

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".

Article needs proof since it isn't mentioned in the VDSG, nor available on YouTube

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, Rosa and Rosa's son. These are all the names of the Sole Survivor's neighbors in pre-War Sanctuary Hills. Strangely, this is a repeatable encounter and can be seen many times, even if the ghouls have been killed. This may be an reference to the Sole Survivor's neighbors from before the Great War.

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 them 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 three raiders. If the Sole Survivor interferes and kills the raiders before the farmer is killed, they will be rewarded 250 caps.

Duke
A member of the Atom Cats wearing a full suit of power armor will be 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. In addition, if you are able to pickpocket his fusion core, he will exit the power armor and walk off, and you can take the armor after he walks out of range.

Absalom
A hostile sniper wearing full combat armor will attack anyone he comes across, including the Sole Survivor; similar to Sam Warrick from Fallout 3. this may occur at the crash site of an massive airliner south- west of Tenpines Buff.

Kelly and her Brahmin
A woman named Kelly can be found traveling the wasteland with a brahmin. She will offer to sell the brahmin 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.

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

UFO Crash Site
(not an random encounter as it happens at level 20-24, south east of Oberland Station & south of the Beantown brewery. the UFO flying overhead is only to show the player the general direction of the crash site, relative to the player's current location)

Three Dead Raiders
joined with the article; "Raiders and the Pink Paste"

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.

With the Intimidation perk, it is possible to pacify the scavenger, open the refrigerator and leave, once far enough he will pick the gun from the fridge and will use it if approached again. However, this seems related to the AI always picking nearby weapons, as he will not leave and act as if it's still locked, additionally any caps inside will remain there.

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 the player character can enter the bunker to find a skeleton and some minor loot in what seems to be a collapsed fallout shelter.

Alternatively, the Sole Survivor can wait for the scavenger to detonate the hatch. After which, the scavenger will excitedly shout that it work and enter the shelter. He will become hostile if the player follows him into the bunker.

The Water Beggar
The Sole Survivor may encounter a settler kneeling by the side of the road. If talked to, she/he will claim 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.

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. It's even possible for this woman to be generated as a ghoul, who are supposed to be immune to radiation. If you give her some, she thanks you and says she needs to rest before continuing. There is no further option for interaction. If one returns to the location at a later date she will be smashed by a safe.


 * If you refuse to give RadAway to the woman and return later, she will be replaced with a dead ghoul.

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

Blasted away safe
One can sometimes come across a locked chest (from novice to master) in a small crater, suggesting it was probably thrown away by a rather powerful explosion.

Vault-Tec salesman
The Sole Survivor can find a fairly unique van in quite a good shape, but empty. On its right side is a skeleton in rags and a torn note that reads: The rest is torn and the other side reads: Part of the signature is torn, but the last part reads:

Settler Burial
Occasionally, the Sole Survivor will witness a preacher and three settlers gathered around a fourth buried settler. Upon approaching, the preacher will say a short eulogy, followed by the settlers. First (male) one mourns a good friend, second (female) one mourns the person she loved, third (male) one declares it's not fair, that he is "the asshole of the group" and should have "bitten it" in his place. Then follow a few more words from the others.


 * None of the four can be talked to, they just answer with the generic greeting for dialogue-less NPCs.

Mine-rats
Upon exploring the Commonwealth, the Sole Survivor may run into a small pack of mole rats, one of which has a few fragmentation mines strapped to its back. As evidenced by the mines, these mole rats may have come from Kendall parking garage.

Gassy Settler
An unnamed settler is found in random locations in the Commonwealth using a cooking station during encounter. As the Sole Survivor approaches, they are warned not to come any closer. Upon further questioning the settler will announce that they are gassy from eating some bad cans of meat they got from a man named Lukowski, and will mark the location Longneck Lukowski's Cannery on the Sole Survivor's Pip-Boy.

Vault 81 Prisoner
A Vault 81 prisoner can be encountered in the wasteland being held by 2 raiders. Freeing the prisoner will mark the location of Vault 81 on the Sole Survivor's Pip-boy.

Settlers in Trouble
One may come across three or four settlers fighting a group of hostiles (Most likely raiders). If the Sole Survivor assists and keeps them from being killed, the survivors will join you and you may send them to any settlement you choose.

One may encounter Children of Atom fighting a few Gunners. The Children of Atom will be using gamma guns.

The Seven Frag Mines
At various locations, one will sometimes find a group of seven live fragmentation mines.

Highway Robbery
A group of three raiders can be seen trying to shake down a pair of farmers for money. After some back and forth between the two groups in which the farmers state they have nothing of value, the raiders will decide to just kill the farmers and turn hostile. If the Sole Survivor kills the raiders and saves the farmers, they will thank the Sole Survivor. If the Sole Survivor approaches too closely while the raiders and farmers are talking, the raiders will immediately turn hostile and attack.

Campsite Encounters
"Expect these encounters at any camp-sites you might stumble upon" -vdsg some occur only at night time.

The walking wounded
This is where you encounter another lvl 4 workshop trader called Doc Anderson

Two Men Arguing About Sandwiches
The Sole Survivor may encounter two men, Mikey and Moss, 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".

Choke PointEncounters
Often happens in places where there is limited movement, like underneath a bridge.

Mandatory/Mr Gutsy's 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 will become hostile, stating that you have broken curfew. If one persuades him by claiming to be on military business, the Mr. Gutsy will state you are 60% confident and let the Sole Survivor pass. Also, if you have luck 7 or more, you get an additional option labelled:"Will you comply" by repeating the "Will you comply?" phrase enough times, He will be forced to initiate a self-destruct sequence due to looping error, or he will simply attack.

None Shall Pass!
A trio of Gunners/Raiders will approach the Sole Survivor and demand a "toll fee" of either 500, 1000, or 2000 caps. Saving just before they talk to you and reloading can result in a different start price of those three. Refusing to pay up or sprinting past them will cause the Gunners to turn hostile and attack. The Sole Survivor can use persuasion to attempt to lower the toll fee. Starting at 2000, you can persuade them down to 1000, 500 and 400. Starting at 1000, you can persuade them down to 500, 400 and 350. Starting at 500, you can persuade them down to 400, 350 and 250. As the Gunners will follow the Sole Survivor in order to speak to them, they can be lured into an ambush with nearby monsters or other hostiles. if you have enough luck though, you get the option to "fake it" and the Raider (or Gunner) will take whatever caps you (claim?) to have.

Synth Relay Ambush
Kicked out of the Institute? You may get attack by teleporting synths and a Courser you while you are near a chokepoint.

Unhappy Scavengers
Have you completed the quest; The USS Constitution? You might be stopped by some unfriendly looking scavengers who say you jumped their claim of the ship, they imminently turn hostile afterwards.

Animosity Encounters
Typically involves two factions with no diplomatic relations to each other, in other words, they are at war.

Child of Atom vs Gunners
A violent fight occurs between the Children of Atom and the Gunners that you can simply spectate.

Brotherhood Fighting Enemies/Vertibird
Once the Brotherhood arrives in the Commonwealth, you may notice a Brotherhood of Steel Vertibird flying around and suddenly land to drop off forces. The forces dropped off are either field scribes, or Brotherhood of steel knights in T-60 power armor. Often they will come into conflict with raiders, super mutants, deathclaws, or even gunners. You can assist in the fighting, or let it go on and let them fight each other. The same can happen with a random patrol you find wandering the wastes.

Minutemen vs Enemy
You will need to be allied with Minutemen after which you will see some of them defending a settlement or an area against a number of enemies. However, you can only encounter the Minutemen fighting another faction if the faction attacking is enemies with you.

Feral ghouls vs Super Mutants
"Sit Back and watch infected bony fingernails scrape against overly large green hides" - VDSG

Scavengers versus Robots
Just a bunch of scavengers fighting badly against a few protections with maybe an Mr Gutsy, who is yelling patriotic insults. if you fire a shot near any of the scavengers or robots, they will turn hostile and attack you.

Treasure Hunt Encounters
All starts with you finding an dead corpse with an note on it.
 * All below are Treasure Hunt Encounters

A Dead Raider's Note
Gets you Caps.

A Dead Junkie's Note
Gets you Chems.

A Dead Gunner's Note
Gets you a gun and a mod.

Three Dead Scavengers
You will find some scrap and some junk.

A Dead Farmer's Note
You find a synth with a modded gun, junk and some scrap.

Hadrian’s Note
starts Miscellaneous Quest; Treasure of Jamaica Plain.

Случайные встречи Fallout 4