Random encounters are a key part of what makes Bethesda’s open-world apocalypse hit,Fallout 4, popular almost a decade after release. In an open world, players can expect to run into interesting distractions as they make their way through the main story of the game.
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These random encounters can be as simple as a girl trying to sell her brahmin or side quests that lead you topotentially legendary equipment. The best random encounters in the Commonwealth will land you with powerful weapons,rare items, and unique interactions with your companions.
10The Postman
Random Postman, Random Letters
There’s a bit of randomness to this random encounter beyond just finding a dead postman in the wild. The letters he has in his inventory are random, too, so you don’t know whether you’ll get anything fruitful when taking his stuff. Some letters will lead you toa stash of Mentats, potential companion Bobbi No-Nose, or a treasurehidden in Jamaica Plain.
Most letters will be just some extra lore and fun to read about drama you’re not responsible for, but if you’re lucky enough to get a note with hints for useful items, ensure to use it! you’re able to also get the Postman’s Uniform off the dead postman, so treat yourself to a little fashion.
9Malfunctioning Robots
Self-Esteem Boost
This random encounter won’t give you any special loot in-game, but the reward is a boost to your self-esteem. You might run into a group of assaultrons that are shouting random nonsense.They’ll charge you if they see you and scream “What a pretty boy!“This definitely won’t help you in the long-run except to lift some circuit boards and cores from them after the fight.
The world isn’t all desolate misery, even if everything is out to kill you.
But this encounter is one of the best interactions in the game that takes you off-guard and reminds you just how wild the Commonwealth is. The world isn’t all desolate misery, even if everything is out to kill you. Humor can be found anywhere.
8Daddy & Daughter
A Heartwarming Pair
There’s no loot to this encounter other than some warm fuzzies. In your travels, you might come across a man named Clinton and his daughter Charlie. Their charming conversations breathe life into the often-dead-feeling wilderness. They might talk about getting a dog, Charlie’s fear of the dark, or Clinton’s wife’s death.
These kinds of encounters are part of why theFallout gamescontinue to be bestsellers; theyflesh out the world of the Commonwealth and make it not only believable but livable. Finding this pair reminds you that you aren’t alone out in the wasteland. There are other people with their own backstories, tragedies, goals, and struggles. That subtle depth makes the world feel alive.
7Deceased Fellow
From Sue To Billy
After a while, all the random corpses in the Commonwealth start to look the same, and you might not keep looting every single one you find. But if you chance upon a dead settler or scavenger with a note in their inventory, it just might lead you to something useful.
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The location and weapon listed in the note is random, meaningyou can pick this side quest up repeatedlyfor new and increasingly powerful weapons every time you find a dead guy with one of these notes. Weapons can range from simple and common to legendary and are almost always worth pursuing. You never know what you’ll find out there in the wastelands.
6Smiling Larry
Reckoning For Sale
Smiling Larry is a recruitable trader. You might come across him around Tenpines Bluff or north of Drumlin Diner as a simple wandering trader, but once yourecruit him into a settlement, he’ll sell a legendary Ripper: Reckoning.
Reckoning is a unique melee weapon with theSentinel’s effect, which gives you a 15% reduction in damage taken while standing still.It can be modified to have a curved or extended blade, does a base of 8 damage, and has a very fast speed. This is a pretty solid melee weapon if you don’t feel like dancing around an enemy.
5Wounded Dog
Man’s Best Friend
Wild dogs are cute and all, but you shouldn’t pet a dog you don’t know. Whilethey’re no Dogmeat,a non-hostile attack dog can be encountered pretty much anywhere in the wasteland. It’s injured, but if you tend to its wounds and give it a name,it might come back to help in a fight at a random time in the future.
The random nature of the dog’s reappearance means this pup might just jump in and save your life.
That means you can befriend even more dogs in Fallout 4, which is a bonus in and of itself. But having an extra set of sharp teeth to help youfend off feral ghoulsor Deathclaws doesn’t hurt, either. The random nature of the dog’s reappearance means this pup might just jump in and save your life.
4That’s Not A Sandwich
The Essential Question
Epistemology is a school of philosophy about knowledge, belief, and opinion. The philosophical question of what constitutes a sandwich is rather highbrow, but you can stumble across Mikey and Moss having this argument out in the wasteland. Moss believes anything put between two pieces of bread is a sandwich, and Mikey vehemently disagrees. They both consider the way a meal is held to be a factor in its sandwich classification.
Just like finding Clinton and Charlie, this random encounter breathes life into the wasteland.Despite the number of corpses you find (and make) in Fallout 4, people are still having silly arguments to pass the time. The way these NPCs are written makes them feel like real people, and that’s why Fallout 4 is memorable and nostalgic to return to.
3Roving Eyebot
Piezonucleic Power Armor
It’s not unusual to run into random robots in the wilderness in Fallout 4. You might even come across a job opportunity from one Eyebot advertising an opening atCambridge Polymer Labs, which begins a side quest of the same name. Finishing this quest requires you to complete a 200-year-old science experiment.
When you arrive at the lab, you’ll be given a uniform and equipment based on how you respond to Molly the robot. Completing the quest willget you a set of Piezonucleic Power Armor, which can spawn as either a T-45 or a T-51 torso. Stumbling into a random Eyebot is a pretty great way to land potentiallypowerful Power Armorat any point in the game.
2Pickman’s Prey
A Powerful Blade At A Terrible Cost
There’s no shortage of lootable corpses just lying around for you to find in Fallout 4. If you come across this little group of unfortunate raiders, you might find a card leading you to Pickman Gallery in Boston. Pickman Gallery is like a little portal into a horror game: the building is full of creepy paintings, mutilated bodies, and Pickman — the self-described artist and serial killer.
Pickman Gallery is like a little portal into a horror game: the building is full of creepy paintings, mutilated bodies, and Pickman — the self-described artist and serial killer.
If you choose to defend Pickman from his attackers, he’ll give you a key to his safe, which containsthe unique combat knife, Pickman’s Blade.This unique melee weapon has the special property of Wounding, which makes the target bleed for 25 extra points of damage. It also comes with a pre-equipped mod for a stealth blade, giving you an extra sneak attack damage multiplier of 0.5 and causing a bonus 10 points of damage over 5 seconds. That’s a whopping 35 points of damage from a knife.
1Hadrian’s Note
2076 World Series Baseball Bat
While wandering the Commonwealth, you might stumble across the deceased body of Hadrian, a sniper with a holotape in his inventory. This holotape is named Hadrian’s Invitation, and using it will trigger the side quest Find The Treasures Of Jamaica Plain. After doing all the work to get to Jamaica Plain, killing all the feral ghouls, picking the master-level lock, and sneaking around Protectrons, you might be disappointed to see that the treasure is just a baseball bat.
But the 2076 World Series Baseball Bat is a unique melee weapon with a6% chance to send targets flyingin true Bethesda style. This baseball bat can be upgraded just like a regular baseball bat with barbs and blades for extra damage. The unique property of sending enemies into the stratosphere makes it worthwhile to keep an eye out for poor Hadrian.
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