Fallout 4 Settlements

In Fallout 4, the Sole Survivor can build and manage their own settlements at various sites around the game world. The new workshop interface is used to place and connect pre-fabricated structures, letting the player construct their own home base as they desire.

Once built, these settlements can be customised extensively. Inside buildings and structures, furniture, decorations and lights can be placed for aesthetic purposes. However, outside these structures the player can plant crops, create water and power supplies and tend to the defensive needs of their new settlement. In order to accumulate resources for their settlements, the player can scrap most interactive inventory items.

Once a settlement reaches a certain size and/or the player obtains necessary perks, they can invite others to set up shop at their base by building unique resources such as the trading post, which adds a vendor NPC stocking some of the best items in the game. It is also possible to run Supply Lines between settlements to share resources and inventory among them.

Settlements require constant maintenance, with NPCs tending to more basic functions such as crop harvesting. However, without this, over crops fail and equipment will need repair. The player will have to use the workshop and have the required junk to complete the repairs. Walk up to damaged or failed item while in workshop mode then the player will be offered a selection to scrap/repair item.

Most of these sites can be obtained during the Minuteman quests however others will require you to visit them and complete location specific quests to obtain the site.

Necessities and dependencies
These stats need to be maintained to sustain or stagnate the growth of a settlement. Each Necessity would also act as a dependency on other necessities; i.e. people need water, food, beds and protection to survive and prosper.
 * People
 * The population of your settlement. People are required to collect from resource units and man objects you build. Each settlement has a default max population of 10 settlers plus each point of charisma your character has, totaling to a maximum of 21 settlers (assuming you use the bobblehead after maxing it out). This can however be further increased by wearing items or taking chems that increase your charisma. A Radio beacon is generally required to attract more settlers, but you can send companions to settlements and you can recruit a few non-companion NPCs to join your settlements as well.
 * Dependencies: Water, Food, Beds, Defense, Radio Beacon


 * Food
 * How much food your settlement is producing. Increased by placing food resources.
 * Dependencies: People


 * Water
 * How much water your settlement has.
 * Dependencies: People, Power (only with water purifiers)


 * Power
 * How much power is available for your settlement to use. Power required for turrets, traps, lights and some furniture (TV).
 * Dependencies: n/a


 * Defense
 * Measures how defensible your settlement is, based on traps, guard posts and turrets you have. Advisable to have a defense rating at least the sum of the food and water ratings.
 * Dependencies: People, Power (with certain turrets and traps)

Note: Do not build more than twenty beds because each settlement may not have more than twenty settlers.
 * Beds
 * The number of beds in your settlement. Your settlement needs one bed per settler to keep your settlers happy.
 * Dependencies: n/a


 * Happiness
 * Morale of the settlement. Influenced by meeting basic needs and providing trading posts. High happiness increases the productivity of settlers.
 * Dependencies: Beds, Trading stands, Food, Water, Defence


 * Size
 * Shows the amount of objects that have been placed by the player within the settlement, as well as the maximum amount of objects that can be placed through the Settlement interface.
 * Dependencies: n/a

With the Local Leader perk food/water and junk resources can be shared between settlements connected by a supply line, allowing the player to quickly build out new settlements or even specialize them.

Related perks

 * Gun Nut
 * Hacker
 * Local Leader
 * Science!
 * Cap Collector
 * Medic

Unlockable settlement items
Have a look here for further items Advanced settlement items

Stores
¹ - Adding the appropriate expert trader will unlock the level 4 merchant

Budget Settlement (Sanctuary)
Build supports 20 settlers, minimum 12. When setting up camp, place the medium generator, water purifiers, and recruitment radio beacon close together. The generator can support all 3 items by itself. Each settler can maintain 6 plants, so 4 settlers can maintain 20. Settlers that do not maintain plants can be set to guard duty. Each guard can man 3 guard posts, so 4 settlers can man the 10 posts. Mutfruit plants can be obtained at Greentop Nursery, Graygarden, or Warwick Homestead.

Minimum Cost Alternately, the player character can build x7 water pumps, at a cost of: The disadvantage of water pumps compared to water purifiers is that the purifier will add purified water to the workshop inventory, a benefit to player character's health.
 * People - x1 Settlement Recruitment Beacon
 * Beds - x20 Sleeping Bag
 * Food - x20 Muitfruit (requires 4 settlers)
 * Water - x2 Water Purifier
 * Power - x1 Medium Generator
 * Defense - x20 Guard Post (requires 4 settlers)
 * 12 settlers (supports 20)
 * 200 wood
 * 64 cloth
 * 117 steel
 * 20 mutfruit plant
 * 18 copper
 * 14 rubber
 * 8 ceramic
 * 4 oil
 * 3 screw
 * 3 gear
 * 2 circuitry
 * 2 crystal
 * 28 steel
 * 7 concrete
 * 7 gear

Edit: added 10 more guard posts, to get the def rating up to 40 (20 Food + 20 Water = 40 Def Needed) in earlier stages, disconnect one water purifier to minimize risk of raider attacks.