Fallout 4 was first released in November 2015. The game was released five years after the fan-favorite game Fallout: New Vegas. Fallout 4 starred the Sole Survivor, a protagonist who had survived the Great War by being trapped in a cryogenic pod. After awakening over two centuries later, their only goal was to find their stolen son, Shaun.
Fans were expecting Fallout 4 to provide the same amazing role-playing experience as the previous game, while also improving on the issues with Fallout 3. Fallout 4 did improve on significant elements from the earlier games. The gameplay was improved so much that Fallout 4 felt like an action game. The character animations, which were flawed in Bethesda’s last installment, were also more realistic. Companions felt like friends instead of hired help that would leave your side at the end of the game. There was also the addition of settlement rebuilding that made gamers felt like they were crafting new cities in the Commonwealth.
Though Fallout 4 did make some major improvements, there are serious flaws that not even the most loyal fans can ignore. Luckily for most, these issues were not game breaking but made gamers scratch their heads. Fallout has an established universe, but the game had some lore-breaking additions that infuriated fans. Some gamers were able to put those problems aside, only to be annoyed by repetitive quests and annoying NPCs.
Bethesda tried their hardest to prove Fallout fans an amazing experience with Fallout 4, but there were some issues too large to ignore. Our spoiler-filled list compiles some of the game’s most serious flaws.
25 Pre-War Safes Shouldn’t Have This
Long-time Fallout fans are familiar with what items were made pre-war and after the bombs fell. One of those items is Jet, an inhaleable substance that will slow down time. The item is highly addictive, but some still choose to use it.
Jet is most-known for being invented by Myron in Fallout 2, a game which took place years after the Great War.
However, in Fallout 4, Jet can be found locked up in pre-war safes. A little more care during development could have prevented this glaring mistake in the Fallout timeline.
24 A Lack Of Commitment
Romancing your party members has been part of role-playing games for decades but is a new addition to the Fallout series. After the loss of their spouse, the Sole Survivor can now begin relationships with most of their human or most advanced Synth companions. The Sole Survivor can also romance NPCs, but cannot start relationships with them. You don’t have to worry about getting called out on cheating. The Sole Survivor can romance everyone in the Commonwealth with no consequences. At least your Companions will remain faithful.
23 Can’t Talk Things Through
In previous Fallout games, there were times when you could get away with resolving an issue with a Speech check. The game would indicate if your Speech was high enough to proceed. Fallout 4 attempts to replicate this Speech check with colorful indicators. If the Speech check is in Red, your chances of passing it are low. Speech checks are rarely used to solve a conflict. In Fallout 4, most disputes will be resolved by a massive fight, no matter what you say.
22 Who Wants These Weekly Updates?
Bethesda’s Creation Club was recently added to Fallout 4 within the past year. The creations are mods that have been quality checked by the developer. PC gamers weren’t interested, but console gamers were thrilled that they could now mod their games.
The Creation Club creates more issues that have become a nuisance for some gamers.
The content automatically downloads almost every week, which means you’ll have to wait until your game updates to resume your adventures in the Commonwealth. Even if you don’t buy the items, remain on your device and take up valuable space.
21 Helping Out A Trapped Kid
There are a few different kinds of Ghouls in the Fallout universe. Most of them are non-feral, which means they act like most humans. Feral Ghouls have the personalities of enraged zombies. You’ll meet one kind Ghoul child in the Commonwealth named Billy. This child has been trapped in a fridge for over 200 years. He managed to survive without food or water. This contradicts the game, where settlements that house Ghouls still require food and water or they won’t make it. In “Duty in Dishonor,” Initiate Clarke feeds the Feral Ghouls from attacking the Brotherhood of Steel.
20 Will He Turn Against You?
Finding the Synth Detective Nick Valentine is vital to rescuing Shaun. He will help you take down your son’s abductor and spouse’s destroyer. When Kellogg has been disposed of, Nick will offer to implant a piece of Kellogg’s brain into his mind. After learning more about Kellogg’s time with the Institute, Nick will wait for you in the Memory Den. Using Kellogg’s voice, he will threaten the Sole Survivor. Nothing more is ever said about the threat. Nick only mentions that it may be a “residual memory,” but it’s enough to make you wonder if he’ll turn evil.
19 They Can’t Rebuild On Their Own
Most settlements in the Commonwealth had to rebuild their homes from scratch after the Great War. Usually, this would happen when the Sole Survivor is away. Not in Fallout 4. The Sole Survivor has to use the Workbench to help out. The must be equipped with the necessities, but also defenses.
Every settlement is now a base that must survive attacks from the outside world.
Rebuilding may seem fun for a single settlement, but the Sole Survivor is responsible for helping every single one.
18 No Consequences For Your Actions
In post-post-apocalyptic America, there are few rules to follow. In previous Fallout games, there was a Karma system that kept your behavior in check. This system was not included in Fallout 4. The Sole Survivor still does their best to help out others. There are opportunities to do bad things, but you will never become vilified by entire settlements. Bounty hunters or raiders will never try to take you down because of your reputation. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. The Sole Survivor can do almost anything they want without consequence.
17 Glitches As Far As The Eye Can See
Fallout 4 made several improvements to the series. The animation was smoother, and the action was better. Unfortunately, there were still bugs that hindered the gameplay experience. Companions would crowd in front of doorways and block your path. Other characters may become stuck in corners of the room. Even worse, some characters would become glitched with their environments, making items stuck to their bodies. Dogmeat also can bypass lockpicking and “Fetch” items, such as Master-locked Cryolator weapon in Vault 111.
16 Problems For The Forgetful Gamer
Fallout 4 has a large number of possible sidekicks that can join the Sole Survivor. When you dismiss a companion from your service, you can tell them where to go. The place where you met them isn’t always on the list of locations. You may have to instruct them to head to a new settlement.
With such a large number of companions, it can be easy to forget where each one is located.
If you change your mind, you will have to wait for several in-game days for them to reach their location before re-recruiting them.
15 Conversations Aren’t Interactive
Fallout 4 changed the dialogue system in the series. Gamers could no longer choose from a list of options. They were forced to choose from four choices on a “wheel.” Even Todd Howard, who led the development of Fallout 4, expressed regret over the dialogue wheel: “Obviously the way we did some dialogue stuff, that didn’t work as well. But I know the reasons we tried that—to make a nice interactive conversation—but [it was] less successful than some other things in the game.”
14 Some Companions Have No Goals
When Fallout 4 was first announced, fans were excited to learn about who the new companions would be. Many fans found themselves interested in these characters, even if they didn’t like the Sole Survivor. Once you increase your relationships with your companions, you’ll have the option to help them on a personal quest. Unfortunately, these quests aren’t available with everyone you recruit. For example, you won’t get to learn more about Deacon’s interests or how Dogmeat arrived in the Commonwealth.
13 Super Mutants Have An Unusual History
On the West Coast, Super Mutants were created by the Master to serve him. The Super Mutants in the Commonwealth were all failed experiments from the Institute.
Super Mutants were once settlers who were stolen by the Institute.
These settlers may not have been “Synth” material, so the Institute had to find another use for them. They ended up created these monsters using the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) and teleported them into the Commonwealth. There’s little information on why the Institute bothered with flooding the Commonwealth with so many of these evil creatures.
12 The Sole Survivor Is Invincible
Previous Fallout games have had a level cap. Your character can only become so strong. It made gamers think more carefully about how to allocate their skill points. In Fallout 4, there is no level cap. After every level, you will gain a skill point. Your character can become overpowered quickly. There’s no reason to save up your skill points because there is no limit to them. You also don’t have to unlock perks or the ability to use certain weapons. The Sole Survivor can become an unstoppable survivor in the Commonwealth.
11 Those Never-Ending Quests
One of the most mocked features of Fallout 4 is the radiant quests. The most well-known quests are given from Preston Garvey of the Minutemen. He will instruct the Sole Survivor to help out settlements every time you speak to him. After completing those quests, you will have to return to the same settlements to help for a different, or even the same, issue. There are also radiant fetch quests, where the Sole Survivor has to keep finding the same items, such as machinery or books. These quests never end, no matter how many of them you complete.
10 Dogmeat Will Live Forever
One of the first major battles the Sole Survivor faces is against a Dealthclaw in Concord. Dogmeat will jump into action and likely be knocked down. In any past Fallout game, this means your companion is gone for good.
In Fallout 4, your “Essential” friends cannot be permanently destroyed.
They may be knocked down, but they always get back up. With immortal companions at your side, it decreases the bond you may feel with them. You no longer need to carefully think about what they do in battle because they can’t be destroyed.
9 Shaun Who?
Fallout 4’s main plot point is to find the Sole Survivor’s son, Shaun. At the beginning of the game, you travel straight to Diamond City. Your mission will be to rescue Nick Valentine, who tells you more about Shaun’s abductor. After you find out more about the Institute, the urgency to find Shaun lessens to a great degree. There is no time limit to finding your missing son. He is trapped in the Institute and isn’t going anywhere. This means that you have plenty of time to go on fun new adventures in the Commonwealth. Shaun will have to wait.
8 What Can’t You Do?
In past Fallout games, there were several different character builds gamers could create. They could make an Intelligent character with a fondness for laser weapons. Some gamers had fun creating an unintelligent character build who used their fists to get their way. In Fallout 4, your character isn’t restricted to Skills and Perks. They can learn every single trick in the book. There’s no limit to what your character can accomplish. This may seem great to some players, but to others, it makes the Sole Survivor too powerful and possibly even boring.
7 Overpowered In The First Few Minutes
Power Armor in the Fallout series has always been breathtaking. It’s the one piece of armor you want your character to wear that will make you feel almost invincible. In Fallout 3, your character has to learn the Power Armor perk from the Brotherhood of Steel. Fallout 4 completely removes that limitation.
Within the first few moments of the game, the Sole Survivor can use a suit of Power Armor to take down a Dealthclaw.
Power Armor was formerly a perk that your character had to work for, but Fallout 4 makes it available from the start.
6 Lack Of Conversation Skills
The dialogue wheel only allowed gamers to choose from four different options, that included: Yes, Yes, Yes (Sarcastic), and No. The Sole Survivor was forced to agree a majority of the time, as the “No” option canceled out the conversation. This is a big change from previous games, where Skills and Perks changed how a conversation could end. For the first time in the series’ history, the dialogue was also fully voiced. The option you chose may sound completely different from the mouth of the Sole Survivor.
