Generator (Fallout 4)

Generators are settlement objects in Fallout 4 and its add-ons Vault-Tec Workshop and Wasteland Workshop. Generators are used to produce power in a settlement.

Characteristics
Generators are required to produce electricity for settlements. Once a generator has been constructed it is necessary to connect it with copper wires to a power grid to harness its power. The power can then be used to power other settlement objects such as lights, turrets, water purifiers and other utilities.

The base game includes 4 types of generators; 3 other types are added through add-ons.

Windmill
This generator is silent but is noticeably more expensive in the power-to-cost ratio.

Small, medium and large generators
Those noisy generators appear to produce power through the combustion of some sort of fuel. They are the cheapest source of electricity for settlements of small and average size.

The small and medium generators are the only generators to easily fit inside regular wooden structures.

Fusion reactor
This reactor was introduced by the Wasteland Workshop add-on. It is an almost completely silent power source. It provides 100 units of power, 10 times as much as the large generator, its closest contender.

The fusion generator is a fusion powered electric generator, that uses a fusion core to produce electricity. Its appearance and animations are identical to the fusion generators found throughout the Commonwealth. Despite this, it is not possible to have the generator interact with fusion cores in any way, neither for recharging cores nor slotting them in as additional power source. Unlike the fusion generators found around the wasteland, player built fusion generators do not have the light above the main control panel.

Fusion generators can be shut down and powered back up by pressing upon the fusion core in the main panel.

Vault-Tec reactor
This reactor was introduced by the Vault-Tec Workshop add-on. The production of this virtually silent reactor represents a 50% increase over the fusion generator. However, it requires more resources and is extremely bulky.

The Vault Tec Reactor is also has unique ability to power floors and walls that has direct connection to it even without cables. The power can be used by attaching an electrical outlet on the connected wall.

Despite its appearance, the reactor's underside which looks like part of the flooring is vulnerable to damage from under it, so you may want to avoid using the reactor's underside as a ceiling in places which may be attacked by enemies.

Vault-Tec super-reactor
This reactor was introduced by the Vault-Tec Workshop add-on. The Vault-Tec super-reactor greatly surpasses the fusion generator as the greatest source of energy available. It is virtually silent as well; these advantages come at a cost, however. The reactor takes up a large amount of space and requires many parts to build.

Even though the Vault-Tec super reactor gives 5 times more power than the fusion generator, it costs 8.3 times more nuclear material to build.

Like its smaller variant, it has the ability to send power through floors and walls of the Vault variant of materials. Likewise, the reactor's underside 'floor' is vulnerable to damage which can knock the reactor out if hit enough times.

Crafting

 * Small generator


 * Medium generator


 * Large generator


 * Windmill generator


 * Fusion generator


 * Vault-Tec reactor


 * Vault-Tec super-reactor

Locations

 * Small generator found at Outpost Zimonja.
 * Medium generator found outside University Point and west Quincy ruins.
 * A Vault-Tec reactor in Vault 88.

Bugs

 * Upon returning to a settlement powered by a fusion generator, its power output will be 0. Replacing the wire connected to it in workshop mode can temporarily fix this.
 * Occasionally upon returning to a settlement, the wires that power the generator will not display as being connected to the generator. This can be fixed by opening up the Workshop menu and pick the generator up and then placing it down again.

Gallery
Fusion generator