Saugus Ironworks

Saugus Ironworks is a location in the Commonwealth occupied by the Forged in 2287.

Background
Once a historic pre–Revolutionary War ironworks, Saugus was reopened during the Sino-American War. The location is now run by Slag and his group, the Forged.

Layout
The location is a large multi-level ironworks factory, consisting of the main factory and a few smaller buildings on the roof and at ground level. The factory interior consists of metal floors and platforms and contains many vats of molten metal, which both emit light and deal massive damage to player characters not wearing power armor.

On the middle level, there is a room containing both a weapons workbench and an armor workbench, A terminal nearby can be used to activate a protectron that will engage the Forged in combat. On the top level behind an automated turret, there is a door to the blast furnace in which Jake Finch, Abraham's son, and Slag, are found. Opposite that door is a power armor station and a door to the roof.

A shortcut to the furnace area can be taken by walking up a steep pipe on the southern exterior of the building and entering through the door on the roof. The entrance to the blast furnace is locked with an Expert lock. There are multiple Forged and fragmentation mines on the roof. Engaging these Forged in combat may attract the Gunners on the nearby overpass. One of those Gunners, a captain named Bridget, may lob mini nukes into the fray.

Notable loot

 * Explosives bobblehead - Found in the blast furnace room on top of the control panel above the furnace.
 * Picket Fences issue #3 - Found in the blast furnace room, on the floor of the steel walkway right under the steamer trunk and the ammo box.
 * A Shishkebab - Looted from the power-armored Forged leader Slag, who resides in the blast furnace room, needed for the quest Out of the Fire.
 * Dampening coil - In the southeast corner of the blast furnace room, on the wall adjacent to the smelter on the ground level, as part of a large blue circular "button." Needed for the quest Here There Be Monsters.
 * An overdue book and a Day Tripper - Near the stairs in the southwest corner along the west wall on the ground level, located in the toppled smelting pot next to a skeleton and shopping basket that is found directly down the short stairs adjacent to the gun-trapped bathroom.
 * A Vault-Tec lunchbox - On the top floor of the first room. It is located just north of the far south wall, in an office nook.
 * Saugus roof key - On Slag, Jake Finch, and a Forged leader that replaces Slag once he is killed.
 * Heavy incinerator - In a partially tipped over crucible.
 * Keeper's toolbox key - In a tin can above a designated toolbox. Opens toolbox.
 * Smelter console password - In the above mentioned toolbox. Gives access to the smelter terminal.
 * Forged recruit's note - Note, in the same toolbox.

Related quests

 * Out of the Fire: Abraham Finch tasks the player with retrieving his family sword, the Shishkebab, from local raiders known as the Forged.
 * Here There Be Monsters: The captain of the Yangtze, Zao, has requested the Sole Survivor's help in retrieving a part for his submarine that will allow him to finally return home.
 * Kidnapping: Concerned settlers will ask the Sole Survivor to help them rescue a fellow settler that was kidnapped for ransom by nearby hostiles, hoping to have them freed without harm.
 * Stop the Raiding: The Sole Survivor becomes aware of a group of settlers being terrorized by nearby raiders and can offer to help.
 * Cleansing the Commonwealth: Knight Rhys gives the Sole Survivor an assignment to clear the location of what he calls "abominations" to further the aims of the Brotherhood of Steel.
 * To the Mattresses: The synth-hating L&L Gang is a major threat to the Railroad. Desdemona has a lead on them and asks the Sole Survivor to help neutralize their members.
 * Raider Troubles: A group of settlers is struggling to defend themselves against a nearby group of raiders and asks the Sole Survivor for help.
 * Reclamation: The Sole Survivor learns from Dr. Secord that a synth was kidnapped by raiders. They can help with the planned retrieval mission by placing a tracking beacon on the synth and reporting back to the Synth Retention Bureau.
 * Butcher's Bill 2: A survivor may have made it out of the Augusta safehouse disaster. His name is Blackbird and he was spotted recently. Doctor Carrington tasks the player character to gather more details regarding his fate.
 * Crucible

Appearances
The Saugus Ironworks appears only in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes

 * Saugus Ironworks is based on the real world location of Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, located northeast of downtown Boston in Saugus, Massachusetts.

Bugs

 * After the battle with Slag, the player character can become covered in bright orange molten metal during conversations and in third person view. An easy fix is to reload a save and get lit on fire again by the Forged, turning you back to normal.
 * Surviving an encounter with a container of molten metal may cause the game to equip your character with a permanent, unnamed gore item intended for NPCs killed in this fashion. Because the molten metal is intended to be a definitive death, the game immediately flags your character as dead and equips them with this default "molten death" appearance regardless of whether you survive or not. Essentially, you have a "death mesh" inside your character mesh which clips through in 3rd person view and obstructs the center of the screen when activating sneak mode. This can be solved via the console by using.
 * A pair of raiders seem to spawn quite frequently near the bonfire outside Saugus Ironworks. They will occasionally wander into the bonfire and die.
 * If you exit the blast furnace during the boss fight with Slag, using explosives on Slag might cause his body to become stuck inside the metal cage on either side of the door going into the blast furnace. This means that you won't be able to loot Slag for his power armor or the Shishkebab.