Best Fallout 4 settlement locations for building your dream home

Fallout 4 settlements are key to bringing in caps or setting yourself up in style. Here's how to unlock them all.

Fallout 4 has been reissued in game of the year form, so lo and behold we've somehow found time to add to our venerable Fallout 4 guide.

Settlement locations is one of the most requested Fallout 4 topics we see, so here, at this very late stage, is a list of all 36 of them across the base game and DLC add-ons.

While some Settlements in Fallout 4 are unlocked simply by discovering the locations and clearing out any baddies, others will require you to clear specific or radiant quests. We've noted these as appropriate.

The Minutemen and Railroad factions will often point you at settlement locations you have not yet discovered through radiant quests. If you unlock a settlement location during a radiant Faction quest, you'll often be tasked with establishing minimum viable resources and defence to complete the quest. It's best to bring commonly used junk like gears, springs and oil with you on these quests as the settlement locations themselves may be short on these vital components until you set up trade routes.

Without further ado, here are the settlement locations in Fallout 4, divided by where they appear in the main game or DLC and listed in suggested order of discovery accounting for the difficulty of nearby enemies.

Fallout 4 vanilla settlement locations

There are 29 settlement locations in the base version of Fallout 4. Visit them on your own to receive quests direct from inhabitants, or wait for your faction to direct you to unlocking it. Settlement locations 1-11 offer very little challenge to players and can be secured very early in the game as you make your way to Diamond City. 12-18 are a little more challenging but can be secured early on with care. The remaining settlement locations can be very high risk, or are associated with late game questlines. Note that this list does not include Home Plate, which does not function as a full settlement mechanically.

1. Sanctuary Hills

Located to the east of your starting vault and visited in the course of the main quest. You must complete the main questline mission When Freedom Calls to unlock the settlement. This also opens a short settlement tutorial quest called Sanctuary and unlocks the Minutemen faction quests (see our Fallout 4 main story and side quest checklist for more information). Mandatory Minuteman association.

2. Red Rocket Truck Stop

South east of Sanctuary Hills, on the road to Concord just past the bridge and memorial statue. You will pass by this location during the main quest Out of Time. You encounter Dog here; see our page on recruiting Fallout 4 companions for details. Unlocked simply by visiting and clearing the enemies, but if not yet secured may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

3. Abernathy Farm

South of Sanctuary Hills and a short jog south west of Red Rocket Truck Stop. Unlocked by completing the quest Returning the Favour or murdering the human residents. If not yet secured may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

4. Sunshine Tidings Co-op

A fair distance south of Sanctuary Hills, on the other side of a lake. Unlocked by clearing out the resident Ghouls. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen or Railroad radiant quest.

5. Starlight Drive In

Southwest of Sanctuary Hills and Red Rocket Truck Stop; using these two locations as line indicators and continuing in that direction will bring you right to it. A favourite building location due to its nice flat carpark landscape and standing water. Unlocked by clearing the resident molerats. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen or Railroad radiant quest.

6. Ten Pines Bluff

Almost directly east of Sanctuary Hills. You must complete a radiant quest given by the human residents to unlock this one. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

7. Graygarden

South and slightly west of Starlight Drive In. Unlocked by completing the Troubled Waters quest for the residents - or by murdering the robot inhabitants. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

8. Oberland Station

South of Graygarden. Unlocked by completing a radiant quest given by the residents. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

9. Hangman's Alley

Southwest of Oberland Station. Unlocked by defeating the resident raiders. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen or Railroad radiant quest.

10. Egret Tours Marina

Almost directly south of Hangman's Alley, on the east bank of the river. To unlock as a settlement, you must speak to Phyllis about her grandson Samuel. This conversation can be prompted through a speech check or by accessing her files on the terminal upstairs. The settlement location unlocks regardless of the outcome of the conversation; you can also simply kill Phyllis and have done.

11. Somerville Place

Directly south of Egret Tours Marina, but on the opposite side of the river. Unlocked by completing a radiant quest for the resident humans. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

12. Outpost Zimonja

A short jog north east of Ten Pines Bluff. Guarded by a boss raider in Power Armour with a rocket launcher. Be wary! Unlocked by defeating all the raiders. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

13. Covenant

South west of Starlight Drive In, on the other side of the lake. Unlocked at the conclusion of the Human Error quest which is triggered by speaking to Honest Dan after entering Covenant. The player must either side with the residents of Covenant and the Compound, allowing them to continue to hold their captive, Amelia, or disagree and kill everyone in the Compound and Covenant after they turn hostile. Either will unlock the Settlement; however, freeing Amelia without beginning the Human Error quest with result in the settlement becoming unobtainable.

14. Taffington Boathouse

East of Covenant. Unlocked by killing the resident bloodbugs. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen or Railroad radiant quest.

15. Greentop Nursery

North east of Taffington Boathouse. Unlocked by completing a radiant quest for the resident humans. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

16. The Slog

East and slightly north of Greentop Nursery, one the river. Unlocked by completing a radiant quest for the resident (friendly!) ghouls. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

17. Finch Farm

South of The Slog. Unlocked by completing the quest Out of the Fire, given by the resident humans - or by murdering the resident humans.

18. County Crossing

South west of Finch Farm. Unlocked by completing a radiant quest for the resident humans. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

19. Coastal Cottage

In the far north east of the map, not far from The Slog. Unlocked by killing the resident raider, but be wary on approach; the surrounding landscape features some challenging random enemies. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

20. Kingsport Lighthouse

East of the midway point between The Slog and Finch Farm. Unlocked by defeating the resident Children of Atom. Can be challenging. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

21. Croup Manor

East of Finch farm and County Crossing and south of Kingsport Lighthouse, on an island reached by a long trek across a bridge. Unlocked by clearing the resident ghouls, which can be challenging. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

22. Nordhagen Beach

South east of County Crossing and south of Finch Farm, on the narrow east arm of the island. Be wary of challenging random enemies on approach. Unlocked by completing a radiant quest for the resident humans. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by Minutemen radiant quest.

23. Jamiaca Plain

A long jog east of Egret Tours Marina. Surrounding enemies can be challenging. Unlocked by killing the resident ghouls. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

24. Murkwater Construction Site

Almost directly south of Jamaica Plain, in a swampy area. Unlocked by clearing out the resident Mirelurks, including a Mirelurk Queen who respawns occasionally. A challenging and hazardous area. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

25. Warwick Homestead

East and slightly south of Jamaica Plain at the end of a north-pointing peninsula. Be very careful of the Gunners and other baddies in the area, including on the beach itself. Unlocked by completing the quest Building a Better Crop for the resident humans, or sometimes through a radiant quest. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Minutemen radiant quest.

26. Spectacle Island

A lovely big and largely empty island, perfect for elaborate constructions. Unlocked by flipping a switch in the boat to the south, then killing the Mirelurks, which include a Mirelurk Queen and sometimes a Mirelurk Deep King depending on level. If not yet secured, may be highlighted by a Railroad radiant quest.

27. The Castle

North east of Jamaica Plain at the east end of a peninsula. Unlocked as a settlement during the Minutemen faction questline, which is why we've listed it towards the end of your settlement collection journey. Can be completed before endgame events, so feel free to tackle it any time. You'll need to complete the quest Taking Independence to unlock it, and complete the following quest Old Guns to gain access to all the pre-built crafting stations.

28. Bunker Hill

South west of County Crossing, this settlement is not unlocked until completion of the quest the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the early missions in the Institute quest chain. Your actions here can affect your standing with the Institute, the Brotherhood of Steel and the Railroad, so be careful with your choices; it is possible to continue the Institute questline even while aiding the Railroad, mind. In any case, speak to Kessler after the mission to unlock this handy hub.

29. Boston Airport

Unlocked by joining the Brotherhood of Steel, or by eliminating the Brotherhood of Steel as part of the main story ending, then clearing the resident ghouls. We're listing this one last because you may want to leave it until you've completed the main storyline. See our article on how to get the best ending in Fallout 4 for further information.

Fallout 4 DLC settlement locations

Seven settlements were added to Fallout 4 with its DLC packs, most notably in Far Harbour. We recommend playing the DLC add-ons in order of release, and have ordered the settlement locations accordingly.

30. The Mechanist's Lair

Added with the Automatron DLC, The Mechanist's Lair is an interior settlement, but can still function as normal in terms of settlers and trade routes (unlike Home Plate in Diamond City, for example). It is unlocked as a settlement by completing the Restoring Order quest in the Automatron mini-campaign (it's available after level 15; here's a guide on how to start the Automatron DLC in Fallout 4). This can be achieved by winning the boss fight, or by loading the Lead Engineer's, Facilities Director's and Chief Scientist's holotapes into the terminal next to the elevator near the dungeon's entrance, and use a speech check to talk the boss out of the battle.

31. Longfellow's Cabin

You must advance the Far Harbour campaign through to the start of Walk in the Park to access Far Harbour settlements; see our page on starting the Far Harbour DLC in Fallout 4 for assistance. Although Far Harbour takes place on its own map, you can build settlements here and join them to your trade route network as normal; presumably your traders take a boat. The first settlement location you'll find is directly north of the town of Far Harbor, and is unlocked after completion of A Walk in the Park. Just use the workshop thereafter.

32. National Park Visitor's Centre

West and slightly north of Longfellow's Cabin. Unlocks after speaking with Uncle Ken during the side quest The Hold Out (see our detailed page on Far Harbour side quests for further information).

33. Dalton Farm

North West of National Park Visitor's Centre. Unlocks during the later steps of the side quest Blood Tide (again, see our detailed page on Far Harbour side quests for further information).

34. Echo Lake Lumber

On the west side of the island, too far from other settlements to use them as reference points. Other nearby locations include BGrney's Bait and Tackle and Atom's Spring. It is directly west of Acadia if you don't mind a long walk and getting your feet wet. Unlocks after speaking to Bertha having completed the side quest Turn Back the Fog (once again, see our detailed page on Far Harbour side quests for further information).

35. Vault 88

Added with the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC, Vault 88 is a huge seamless environment perfect for building the home of your dreams. To unlock it, you'll end to complete the Vault-Tec Workshop mini-campaign, which is triggered by listening to the Vault 88 frequency on your radio after reaching level 20 or passing through the Quincy Quarries area. The workshop becomes available upon completion of the Better Living Underground quest, but you'll want to continue through Explore Vault 88 to clear the vault out in full and allow you to build as you see fit. It's also well worth doing the Power to the People quest.

36. Nuka-World Red Rocket

This final settlement location is found in the north-east corner of the Nuka-World map. It unlocks after you restore Nuka-Worlds power as part of the DLC questline. Can be joined to trade routes, although it will not be displayed on the in-game map.