Use existing white fence. It's everywhere and you can rearrange it as you want. I am not 100% sure, but chance is it won't even count for maximum limit of build-able objects. NPCs can't jump over them so they works as a barriers. You can free lot of fence in parts which have shrub walls as those function as a barriers too. Only downside is that you can't store it in a workshop so you have to do everything manually.

Don't scrap every broken house unless you want use their foundations for new structures. Use them defensively as a walls/obstacles.

Water purifiers can be build in the river near the bridge.

Original named settlers which comes to Sanctuary with Preston have predefined behavior which makes them start "repairing" house once in a while so they will leave guard duty often and they won't stay at the assigned shops and workstations. Unless you don't mind, use them only for farming.

There is certain level of uncertainty about it among forum members, but it seems that enemies can spawn in the middle of your settlement. Huge walls around whole settlement would not help you in such case. Consider rather fortifying smaller central area and make some defenses face in to the settlement.

On one and only case when my settlement in Sanctuary got attacked I was by the river. When I rushed to the center I found my settlers fighting group of ghouls right next to house with the workshop. There were two corpses further down the road near my defenses which at the time consisted only of one maned guard post. Therefore I am not sure if those ghouls came from outside of the settlement and overwhelmed my guard-post or they spawned right in the middle of the settlement.

One of the schools..

'Found a kickball under a bush in Sanctuary

Also pathing is weird about obstacles. If they can't find the entrance they will run into the wall for a minute or two and then teleport past it.

I made that same mistake - walled in the cul-de-sac. Huge waste of time and resources.

Now, I've got a raised fort in between my workshop and the gate. Everything except farms is up there. One staircase, and to get to it you come under fire from 8 turrets I've got hanging down from the fort.

So it doesn't matter where raiders spawn for me - I've removed that from the equation.

Absolutely svcks that with that impregnable defence I still need to go back to deal with raiders personally, tho - the whole point of that defence is that it takes care of itself.

All that said, 8 HMG Turrets going off at the same time is a sight to see.

Honestly, what I did was just install everyone in 2 houses stuck together, including the workshop one. Then just set Heavy Machine Gun turrets on the corner of the houses. Done.

In fact, it looks like if the defense is really high, you dont even get attacked. Or atleast, that's what I've seen.

Walls seem pointless, unless you are protecting something specific like a generator.

I've not bothered with any other settlement, and I dont seem to be missing much. Then again, CHA 1.... Graqe mentats and snazzy clothes ahoy!

With my first character I walled off Sanctuary because I thought it would help, but I've since stopped bothering. Now I mount turrets on a second story structure near where I think enemies will come, and maybe I've been lucky but it's worked out well so far.

I also put a couple (sometimes all) turrets near the center of each town. That helps out a lot, and so far I haven't seen settlers killed by friendly fire. With spawn points as they are, the game doesn't respect the concept of a fortified base, so walls are mostly just decoration. They can help if enemies spawn on the other side, but it's a lot of work for very little payoff.

So if I just dump a Pre-Fab house section anywhere I can put a turret on top of it and it will give it a better range? I just wasn't sure if they would even aim 'down' if the enemy was below them.

Makes me want to restart just so I can do it all right!

Maybe I will. Her name will be Bambi and she'll put Barbarella to shame!

I've restarted four times now. Welcome to the club.

i will restart myself, mostly because i have seen a few of the endings that i rushed into.

that said im going to use my first save of my first character... right after i made the guy while he was looking out the window before the fall of the bombs.

he looks like a Bald Ken Doll.. it was funny seeing shaun with that white hair and beard but a face that looked like it had been botoxed to death. (0 wrinkles)

I enjoy building stuff in games so even if they are "just decoration" I like to do it

Not to mention, it is "free" xp and it mostly only uses wood and steel which are abundant.

I have, in 70 hours of play and perhaps two weeks in-game days, seen baddies spawn inside walls only once.

I find Sanctuary a little too big.

Foes have a habit of spawning inside my fence.

So my current favourite settlement for my gang (mid-game spoiler) is:

.