Fallout 4 Settlements

In Fallout 4, the Sole Survivor can build and manage their own settlements at various sites around the Commonwealth. The workshop interface is used to place and connect pre-fabricated structures as well as individual pieces (walls, floors, roofs, etc.) letting the player character construct their own bases.

Background
The Sole Survivor can complete radiant quests provided by miscellaneous settlers to gain settlements. After joining the Minutemen, these quests are also obtained when talking to Preston Garvey or listening to Radio Freedom. These quests involve completing objectives for the settlers, from wiping out a nearby raider gang to repairing a damaged generator. Once complete, the settlement can be claimed by interacting with its workshop.

Once a settlement reaches a certain size and/or the player character obtains necessary perks, they can invite others to set up shop at their base by building unique resources at stores, which adds a vendor NPC stocking in-game items. With the required perk, it is also possible to establish supply lines between settlements to share resources and inventory among them. If objects in the settlement break, the Sole Survivor must repair them.

Perks

 * Gun Nut allows for the creation of more advanced defenses.
 * Science! (at various ranks) is required for the creation of assorted advanced power-focused structures and defenses.
 * Local Leader allows for settlements to be connected by supply lines, sharing many of their resources.
 * Rank 2 of the perk is required for vendor stalls and crafting stations.
 * Cap Collector rank 2 is an additional requirement for non-medical tier 3 shops.
 * Medic rank 1 is an additional requirement for all medical shops.
 * Armorer rank 1 is an additional requirement to build power armor crafting stations.

Locations
 There are 37 unlockable settlements total with 30 in the base game, one in Automatron, four in Far Harbor, one in Vault-Tec Workshop and one in Nuka-World. Most are obtained by completing an objective or killing hostiles/residents in the area then opening the workshop.


 * Legend

Nuka-World
During the Nuka-World add-on, the Sole Survivor has the ability to lead the three raider groups included in the expansion (Operators, Disciples, and the Pack) and capture settlements through violence. These captured settlements are called raider outposts and will be populated by members of the raider group that helped capture it. While they will no longer be referred to as settlements by characters in the game, these outposts are settlements for the purposes of achievements and trophies.

Captured and intimidated settlements will pay the Sole Survivor in caps back at their home base in Nuka-World. All raider outposts are automatically linked to each other and do not require supply lines. In order to convert the outposts back into Minutemen settlements, one will need to kill all of the raiders at that outpost.

Behind the scenes
During a brainstorming session at Bethesda, programmer Michael Dulany developed a system for building and furnishing player bases, which worked its way into Fallout 4 as the settlement workshop system. It was on the verge of being cut for a long amount of time during development, but remained in the game and became one of its tent-pole features.