According to statements by Mr. Howard, use of the console application as well as user installed plugins (mods) are in the plans for console platform editions of the game for sometime in 2016. So in time you may not face the constraints you are facing as a console user.

And yeah, it wasn't you who I was referring to as "getting lippy" or derogatory.

your missing the point. The reason they probably have settlement attacks is to have you go back and defend them, to interact with them. I'm not taking a position on weather or not it's a good mechanic mind you, I'm just trying to explain the most like reason you can't avoid going back and defending them.

I've never had a scavenger station or market stall self repair, although I suspect that sometimes that damage is caused by my own defences.

Especially splash from missile turrets.

When I'm there during an attack I take more damage from friendly fire than from the foes.

The same things happens with the settlers. They take more damage from the defences than the foes.

When hit they all fall down for a while, get up and some limp home.

I have seen a few named settlers die though and their naked corpses hang around respawning their possessions.

Also initially when i didn't bother with settlement building some settlers disappeared from settlements and at some, upon later return, I found corpses of the named settlers .

From my experience when the PipBoy shows a discrepancy many times something is actually wrong.

Not always but it can be a subtle thing like a new settler arriving causing a bed situation in those settlements with pre-existing beds.

Or it's just lazy implementation. Once or twice before I brought up Pillars of Eternity. Different genre, different playstyle, different engine. One thing is the same though. In Pillars you build a stronghold, in FO4 settlements. And in both cases, you are urged to take control of the defenses, and in both cases, if you don't move you butt there, you lose and suffer damages. Regardless of the effort you put into defenses.

I hate when you fail and you didn't even know a base was under attack.


I was in build mode in Sanctuary when I exited it, I got the failed to defend message.


When looking at your map and a settlement. What does the little skull or mask thing mean? I thought it meant it was under attack but can never find a threat.

That means, if I'm not entirely mistaken, you parked a set of Power armor there.

sry, never had anything like this happen, provided the "defense" value in that settlement is green (= enough turrets etc for the settler count). you sure yours was? could easily go into red if a couple new settlers move in while your away

Ok. Yeah I do have power armor there. Thanks.


Is there any notification on the map that lets you know it's under attack?

There is the quest marker if you are outside the settlement cell.

if you happen to be there at the time then you hear the commotion, unless you leave just before it starts.

It's fun endgame when you get heavily attacked and your running around trying to keep settlers alive/killing bad guys.

They have something similar for the checkpoints (after the main story), they only activate when your near them.

trouble is if you have built defences you don't get to take part that much as it's often all over when you enter the cell.

I have to keep clear because my own defence turrets do more damage to me than the foes do.

Last night I worked out that you can lure the Warlords from Big John's Salvage to the Jamaica Plains settlement.

I think if the settlement attacks were more like what occurred in the following video it would be more fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvOI0spYilM

Agreed - it does take me out of the moment - but also adds a sense of urgency to the game. I just wish there were a bit fewer attacks. I have quite a few settlements now and still haven't finished the main quest because all I get done is settlements. I even turned off radio Freedom hoping for a break.

It would be nice if, The Higher the Defense, the better the settlement can/would defend itself. Low defense, poor chance.

And for the love of gawd... a new Alert would be so welcomed lol!! 70% of the time or more, I miss the warning and am surprised when I pay a visit, to find turrets and more in a wreck

Agree on the warning thing. That's why I'm constantly checking my Misc. Quests. At least they show up there.

If you're on PC, there's already a mod with better settlement warnings.

Not necessarily. I just had two base defenses occur (Oberland/Sanctuary) and neither showed up as a warning OR as a misc. quest. Sanctuary was still in the middle of the attack when I turned up, and it wasn't anywhere to be seen in the questlog.

I play on survival mode and during one attack by gunners I had 4 settlers killed at Finch Farm....one of the dead was one of the Finch brothers.

I find the Settlement attacks immersion breaking and IMO I think that they should only occur when you are out in the open exploring. I hate having to disengage from a good building clearing foray to help a settlement that has more firepower than the death star.

- if they change it and make the attack something that happens behind the scenes then the there will be people that make topics stating it would be better for them to be present during an attack so they can loot the mobs

PS . u don't have to help them , just leave them alone if u don't enjoy this aspect of the game

Well, maybe some of us don't enjoy rebuilding stuff and having a huge drop in happiness. Just a thought. Since, if you choose to not help them or if you aren't even aware there's something happening, they lose and your most valuable structures get smashed. Usually the turrets, the generators and water purifiers.

I just do the settlement quests until I unlock the castle. After that, I stop doing them...

i don't hate the settlements being attacked. it's a cool imersion.

the problem is you being forced to defend it yourself, because the turrets and setlers are a bunch of useless people even if armed.

i had many laser turrets, my base was surrounded by walls, i had many guards armed with the best weapons and it's all for nothing if i'm not there.

it's ridiculous they forcing you to go there just to watch the invaders being wiped out in 5 seconds...

if they can handle it by themselves, why not off screen as well?

it's cool if it's attacked while you're there, but when you're away with something more important, it's just a bother.

it's a horrible system that should get some fix, because consoles have no luxury to look for mods as far as i know