Hi! A newbie: I am playing 1st time on FO4 on a PC --now just hit level 7, no settlement leadership perks taken.

I've been scanning the forums looking for the answer to the above issues (I think this has been discussed but I can't find it). I asked in the general forum under another topic but I think that was the wrong approach to take (I am new to forums). So I apologize if I have broken protocol somehow.

In any case, could someone be kind enough to answer the following questions on assigning settlers (on a PC with a mouse and keyboard combo using the default controls displayed under the menu when I hit the Esc key [which an instruction manual for the game --I do like having a manual, especially for $60 {or a better Help menu} could have also solved])?

1. how does one assign a settler to a defensive position?

2. how does one assign a settler to agriculture?

Also, (3.) I have tried to equip settlers by giving them weapons and armor/defensive clothes. But they won't use/wear them... how does one get them to do this (in particular the initial Minuteman group and the Abernathy group. Trading doesn't work and there is no option under "Talk" that is displayed. Holding down the "E" key makes no difference either (nor any other key I've tried, so I am obviously missing something obviously "intuitive").

In advance, thanks for the help. Best wishes for a great Holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Good hunting to one and all!/RGCB

1. I build mode, make a defensive position. Highlight a settler. Select 'Assign' (should tell you which button that is on the bottom). Then select the definsive position. NOTE, the settlers name will not change to anything helpful like 'Defender' or anything. It will soon become a mystery as to who you have assigned to what. If you highlight a settler in building mode the item the settler is assigned to will also highlight, but this is only good if the settler is actually standing next to the item they are assigned to.

2. Same. Build crop. Select settler. Click crop. AGAIN, the settlers name is not changed to Farmer or anything useful, so good luck knowing who is assigned to what later on.

PS - This system REALLY needs some work from Bethesda. Some easy changes would make a world of difference.

What LeBurns said is good for the first two. I'll add a few more details that I've found helpful.

1.) One Settler assigned to defense can patrol up to three guard posts/guard towers, as long as they're reasonably close together, providing 6 total defense. As for close together, I haven't had an issue at any of the medium to small sized settlements. I can put three guard posts anywhere in them, and one guard will patrol them.

2.) One Settler assigned to farming can provide up to 6 units of food. (Everything but Mutfruit is a .5 unit of food. So one farmer can handle 12 stalks of corn, or 12 potato plants, etc. Mutfruit counts as 1 unit of food, so one settler can handle 6 plants.) My recommendation is to stick to corn, tatos, and mutfruit. Why? Because those more than cover the food needs of a settlement and, bonus, you can turn the surplus into Vegetable Starch. (Which breaks down into 5 units of Adhesive, incredibly helpful to have for modding weapons and armor.)

3.) To have a Settler equip an item, give it to them through the Trade dialogue and hit "t" on PC. (I'm on a PS4, so I googled that. No clue if it's correct, but there should be a key to press to do it.)

A few other tips:

- Get the settlement leadership perks if you're able. At the very least, get the first one so you can link settlements with Provisioners. This will allow you to share food, water, and crafting supplies between them. (The second one allowing you to build stores is also nice since you'll have a place to sell off all of your questing loot close at hand.)

- Have your Settlers equip items based on their job. For example, I put all of my farmers in Harnesses. (Dropped by about 50% of Raiders, and there are tons of Raiders to kill in the game.) I put my guards in Road Leathers and Leather armor. I put my Provisioners in Army/Military Fatigues, Combat Armor, and Assault Gas Masks. I also give my Provisioners a renamed weapon that lists the two places they link. (For example, a Combat Rifle renamed "Sanctuary Drive In" for my Provisioner connecting those two places.)

- Keep your Defense total well above the totals of your food/water production to stave off attacks. This isn't 100%, but you can significantly reduce the number of attacks this way. Turrets are your friend here, even if they're just bottom tier machine gun turrets. The Defense total number matters more than the actual quality of the defense to prevent attacks.

- These are a little more advanced tips, but once you have a few settlements up and running, look into Purified Water farming and Jet making. Super easy to do, and you can make thousands of caps every in-game day.