How do I set up trade routes. My current PC will be supporting the MM so I got my CHR up (as it's all but required) and will be getting the Local Leader perk. With just one point in LL can you start trade routes? I really didn't want to get too many settlements until I had the ability to transfer my stored 'Junk'. Since you can't scraqe junk effectantly trying to move parts around to create defenses and resources is a real pain. How exactly is a trade route set up?

Also once I got a place set up with defenses and such do I really want more settlers there? I've got the beacon set up at Sanctuary, but is there any benefit to getting more settlers at the other places? I figured I would try to get a lot of people at the castle (which I don't have yet) but the other small farms I don't know.

Also also, the small farm to the West was apparently attacked. Only the three starting farmers are there and I did their little quest and set them up with four turrets, figuring that would be enough. Well I went back and the daughter said something about "showing those Mutants" which I couldn't figure out what she was talking about. Then I checked the farm and noted that the water was suddenly gone and one of my turrets wasn't working anymore. So I had to go get parts to fix it and made them a new water pump. But I never got any warning that they were being attacked. How are you supposed to tell something is happening so you can get there an help?

How can I know what settler is doing what? How can I tell which crops already have someone assigned to them and who that someone is? I've feeling like I'm really missing something as far as how to work a settlement but the instructions in game are a joke and we still have no game manual.

Thanks.

Are you sure you didnt get the warning cuz its kinda easy to miss, only pops up for a moment in top left corner on the screen(and is shown in misc quests afterwards), so its easy to miss. Also about repairs of turrets and pump etc.. if you dont do it setlers will repair em themselves after a while(not using any materials for it).

About crops its easy to see if someone is assigned to it just look at the crops in building mode and youll see its eather has the human icon in green or red(red when noebody is working that plant), howver that doesnt let you see who is assigned to it which i guess kinda makes sence since most of them have generic setler name so wud be imposbile to know which one even if it said so in description.

Now about numbers of inhabitants depends what you want form your settlement, i presonaly prefer leaving most of them small, especialy farms, benefits of more people are quet simple(you need 1 settler for each trade route you establish, 1 for each shop you want to have etc.), so in my opinion you want to have at least 2 mybe 3 big ones so you can support all the necesarry shops and trade routes so all your settlement share the work materials. And to answer yes trade routes require lvl 1 local leader perk.

Thanks.

So if I really build up just Sanctuary (and the castle later), I can set up trade routes between it and the other smaller settlements and still use Sanctuary's assets to build stuff at the smaller farms.

Also I guess I need a settler for every 6 food items, one for each trade route and one for each trading post? Anything else I need them for?