Every Major City In Fallout 4 & How Many NPCs Live There

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Key Takeaways

• Fallout 4
  features unique and populated locations within the Commonwealth for players to explore and interact with.
• Key settlements like Diamond City, The Institute, and Nuka-World offer valuable loot and engaging quests for players.
• Each location, from Sanctuary Hills to Goodneighbor, provides a different atmosphere and challenges for players to navigate.

While the Boston Commonwealth isn’t nearly as populated as it once was, Fallout 4 has a handful of locations that are home to a decent number of citizens struggling to survive in the wasteland. These areas are typically the ones players want to go to for safety, supplies, and someone relatively sane to talk to or get quests from.

While none of these locations are as huge as cities in other open-world RPGs, they are the largest cities that can be found in the Commonwealth. While there are many unnamed NPCs living in areas like the Institute and Diamond City, Bethesda has included a relatively large number of named characters that live in these post-apocalyptic cities.

Updated September 5, 2024, by Matthew Weideman: Fallout 4 remains a popular game in the wake of the Amazon Prime Fallout show. Players revisiting the game after many years may want a refresher on where to find the relatively few population centers spread out across the Commonwealth. This list has been updated to include some of the larger settlements that players can build as part of the Minuteman quest line, since they can easily surpass the population of many of the smaller pre-existing settlements throughout the Commonwealth.

18 Vault 88

NPC Population: 4 Named NPCs + Recruited Settlers

• Southeastern part of the map

Vault 88 was still under construction when the Great War broke out. The entrance to the cavern that was designed to become the Vault’s atrium caved in, and the Overseer was trapped alone for over two centuries. The Sole Survivor is the first person to enter the Vault since October 2077.

After freeing the Overseer, who survived because she became a ghoul, the player can work with her to run experiments on NPCs that volunteer to join the Vault as a settlement. The player can also explore the cavern and expand the Vault.

Valuable Loot:

• X-cell: Near the stairwell in the northeast corridor
• Vault-Tec Control Board: Security Chief Anderson in the reactor control room
• Pip-Boys and Vault-Tec Jumpsuits: In the trunk right of the entrance

17 Warwick Homestead

NPC Population: 6

• Southeastern corner of the map, east of Quincy

The settlement known as Warwick Homestead was a water treatment plant before the Great War. After a couple of centuries, some people settled there and created a thriving farm, since they were able to trade with the nearby Atom Cats.

It was also a point of interest for the Institute’s plan to investigate the surface world, since they replaced Roger Warwick with a synth in order to experiment with growing crops in the irradiated world above their underground city. This synth, along with the family of the man he replaced, live in the homestead along with a couple of other settlers.

Valuable Loot:

• Mini Nuke: In the northwestern building
• Two Vault-Tec lunchboxes: On the boat and in the service room in the elevated walkway
• Goodybe letter: With Bill Sutton

16 Atom Cats’ Garage

NPC Population: 6

• Southeastern corner of the map on the coast

The Atom Cats are a minor faction that live in a Red Rocket Station on a peninsula near Quincy. They are greasers who love to paint and modify power armor instead of hot rods. The player can join them by helping the small gang defend their garage and their beloved armor from an assault by The Gunners.

One of the Atom Cats, Rowdy, is a merchant who specializes in power armor. This unique settlement cannot be settled by the Minutemen, but it does serve as a great base to this small yet unique faction in an otherwise hostile area of the Commonwealth.

Valuable Loot:

• Unarmed bobblehead: In the main building, sitting on the hood of a car
• Atom Cats custom paint job: Purchased from Rusty
• Fusion core: Generator next to the main building
• Hot Rodder Issue #2: In the trailer with the pink flamingos out front

15 Graygarden

NPC Population: 6 + Recruited Settlers

• Western side of the map, southeast of Beantown Brewery

Graygarden is a greenhouse that was put up just a few days before the Great War broke out. A senior RobCo engineer named Edward Gray built it to be a self-sufficient farm tended to by a handful of Mister Handy robots. They used water from the Weston Water Treatment Plant for growing their mutfruits until it became infested with mirelurks and broke down.

By clearing out the mirelurks and fixing the water plant, the Sole Survivor can convince the robotos to join the Minutemen. After that, the player can build structures, recruit settlers, and build up Graygarden’s defenses.

Valuable Loot:

• Ammo boxes: Inside a crashed Vertibird on the highway above Graygarden

14 The Slog

NPC Population: Up To 8 Recruited Settlers

• North side of the map, south of Parsons State Insane Asylum

The Slog is an abandoned public swimming pool that became one of the two settlements founded specifically for ghouls to live in across the Commonwealth. While it is smaller than Goodneighbor, it can grow thanks to the Sole Survivor and the Minutemen, since it can become one of the many settlements where the player can build and recruit NPCs.

Before joining the Minutemen, there are eight ghouls living in the Slog. They use the swimming pool as a bog to grow tarberries, and brag about it being the only tarberry bog in the whole Commonwealth. The player can assign any settler NPC to live here, but it can be fun to keep in line with the original goals and only assign ghouls like the Vault-Tec Salesman to join up.

Valuable Loot:

• Snack bar note: Inside the locked snack bar on the counter

13 The Castle

NPC Population: Up to 8

• On the coast east of Gwinnett Brewery

The Castle has seen more than its fair share of war. It was originally built to protect Boston’s harbor during the Colonial era, and was known as both Fort Adams and Fort Independence before the bombs fell. After the Great War, it was used as a main base for the Minutemen until a Mirelurk Queen partially destroyed its walls and killed many of the faction’s leaders.

Forty-seven years later, during Fallout 4, the Sole Survivor can retake The Castle for the Minutemen and reestablish it as a huge base of operations for them. Once the Mirelurk Queen has been killed, the Sole Survivor can use the radio antennae to attract people to the base and recruit them to the Minutemen’s cause. With its strong walls and position on the coast, it makes for a very defensive settlement that can grow easily to large numbers of residents.

Valuable Loot:

• Guns and Bullets #8: In the courtyard on top of the operator’s desk
• Fat Man & Mini Nuke: In the armory, after the Old Guns Quest
• Two Stealth Boys: In the armory, after the Old Guns Quest

12 The Crater Of Atom

NPC Population: 8

• Southwest corner of map in the Glowing Sea

The Glowing Sea is a heavily-irradiated area in the southwestern part of Fallout 4‘s map. It is extremely dangerous to come here without a hazmat suit, power armor, or large stockpile of Rad-X and Radaway. At the heart of this region sits The Crater of Atom, which was formed by the nuclear explosion that the player witnesses at the beginning of the game. A minor faction called The Church of the Children of Atom has taken up residence in some shacks built in the crater’s center.

Players can hear unique dialog with the NPCs here if they have joined the faction in the Far Harbor DLC. Players can trade with Brother Ogden, and they can remove some radiation simply by talking with Mother Isolde. It is a risky trek to reach this remote area, and the ambient radiation is so harsh that players cannot advance time by sitting and waiting on furniture. This is truly the harshest settlement in the game.

Valuable Loot

• Astoundingly Awesome Tales #13: Second floor of Mother Isolde’s shack

11 Covenant

NPC Population: 10

• North side of the map near the center

The Covenant is a small community that has done surprisingly well for itself and built some impressive defenses. The ten residents that call this community home live in pre-war homes that have remained standing and are comfortable behind their large walls manned by turrets.

If players wish to enter this community, they must first take a psychological survey to prove they aren’t a synth. Those who fail the test suffer an unfortunate fate, as players find out when completing the quest Human Error.

Valuable Loot:

• Power Armor: Head to the wrecked Vertibird to find this suit.
• Justice: Penny Fitzgerald is selling this shotgun with unique properties.
• Destroyer’s Helmet: Also bought from Penny Fitzgerald, part of a unique armor set.

10 Acadia

NPC Population: 12

• At the top of the mountain in the Far Harbor DLC

Found in the Far Harbor add-on, Acadia was once an observatory that has since been converted into a safe haven for synths who have escaped The Institute. The residents are a mix of humans, synths, and humans who think they are synths.

It’s a relatively quiet place to live on top of a small mountain on the island that is free of the fog that plagues the rest of the area. The player can complete a number of interesting quests that can help or harm the residents found here.

Valuable Loot:

• Islander’s Almanac #4 – Middle level, head over to Dejen to find it by his store.
• Sergeant Ash – Buy this flamer weapon from Dejen with unique perks.
• Old Reliable – Also from Dejen, this rifle comes with unique perks.
• Mini nukes (3) & fusion cores (3) – Lowest floor, locked up behind a maglock door that requires the player to hack a Master-level terminal.

9 Far Harbor

NPC Population: 13

• East side of Far Harbor DLC area

The largest city that can be found on Mount Desert Island, Far Harbor is home to humans who are desperately trying to keep themselves safe from the ever-present fog that covers the island and corrupts those who wander into it.

These hearty fishermen don’t take kindly to strangers and have been at war with the Children Of Atom who’ve developed an obsession with the fog. Players can improve the town’s defenses, solve many of the mysteries in the area and even become the new captain by completing the various quests found here.

Valuable Loot:

• Various quest-related items, including Defender’s Harpoon Gun (Hull Breach 3), Bloodletter (Blood Tide), The Captain’s Hat and The Captain’s Feast (Rite of Passage), and Lucky Eddy (The Way Life Should Be).

8 Boston Airport & The Prydwen

NPC Population: 16

• East side of the map along the coast

The Brotherhood of Steel’s flagship, The Prydwen, flies into the Commonwealth when the player leaves Fort Hagen during the main story quest “Reunions”. It eventually comes to a rest at the Boston Airport on the opposite side of the game’s map from where it entered.

After this point, the airport serves as the main base of operations for the Brotherhood in the Commonwealth, and players can ride a Vertibird onto the airship once they have joined this faction. Joining them also unlocks the workbench and allows the player to build here, which is also an option for players who side against the Brotherhood and destroy their flagship later on in the campaign.

Valuable Loot:

• Fusion Core – In a generator at the Southeastern end of the terminal
• Fat Man – On the runway near the water
• Mini Nuke – On the top floor
• Long Range Laser Rifle – In a crate labeled “sharpshooter stowage” on the forecastle of The Prydwen
• Nuka Cola Quantum – The bottom deck of The Prydwen

7 Bunker Hill

NPC Population: 17

• North of Goodneighbor on the Eastern side of the map

Bunker Hill is a formidable settlement populated by both humans and synths. It’s surrounded by tall walls that protect the strong 17 citizens that have taken up residence here. It’s a great settlement for the player to build up and plays a pivotal role in the story.

In fact during the quest The Battle Of Bunker Hill the city will come under siege during a three-way war between The Institute seeking to reclaim the defected synths, The Brotherhood of Steel who wishes to eradicate the synths, and the Railroad trying to preserve the synths’ freedom.

Valuable Loot:

• Wastelander’s Friend – For a unique pistol, head over to Deb to buy this.
• Destroyer’s Left Arm – Buy this from Deb to complete the set.
• Black Ops armor – Also bought from Deb.
• Live & Love #5 – Go up in the obelisk to find this perk magazine.
• Mini nuke – Downstairs on the basement floor.

6 Sanctuary Hills (Pre-War)

NPC Population: 18

• Northwest corner of the map

At the beginning of the game, the player and their spouse live in a charming suburb populated with 18 individuals whose lives all come to an abrupt end when the bombs fall. Before fleeing to the nearby Vault, the player has a chance to explore the area and communicate with the citizens who are understandably distressed.

Sanctuary Hills will never be the same, no matter the effort the player makes to resettle and repopulate the area. Still, it makes a fine temporary headquarters for the Minutemen and is remote enough to avoid the conflict and politics consuming the rest of the Commonwealth.

Valuable Loot:

• You’re SPECIAL! – To gain a stat boost, head back to Shaun’s room and search beneath his dresser to get this book.
• Grognak the Barbarian #3 – Found in the Sole Survivor’s own kitchen.

5 Goodneighbor

NPC Population: 20

• Near the center of the map, East of Diamond City

Goodneighbor is a city populated by 20 individuals who did not find themselves welcome or comfortable within the walls of Diamond City. Inhabited by ghouls, criminals, and outcasts, Goodneighbor is a rough town. Mayor John Hancock is doing his best to bring a measure of peace and stability, but it’ll be a while before this is achieved.

For the player, this represents a great opportunity to find some action and engage in profitable work. There are over a dozen quests and many will have the player interacting with the seedy underbelly of The Commonwealth.

Valuable Loot:

• Destroyer’s left leg and chest piece – Head over to Daisy to buy these and complete the set.
• Live & Love #10 – At the Hotel Rexford, found at the bar.
• Live & Love #4 – The Third Rail’s bathroom.
• Devastator’s armor – Can be bought from KL-E-0’s store.
• Partystarter – For a missile launcher with unique perks, head to KL-E-0’s store.

4 Vault 81

NPC Population: 21

• West of Diamond City near the center of the map

Vault 81 is one of the few vaults to possess a semblance of normalcy and ethics. The residents found here were sheltered by the wise leadership of a number of overseers who refused to carry out the horrific experiments meant to take place at this site.

It’s an interesting place to explore and perhaps the best companion and best romance option in the game can be found in the secret laboratories hidden in the abandoned sections. This vault isn’t without its dark secrets and questionable morals, but it fared better than any other vault in the area.

Valuable Loot:

• Bobblehead: Medicine – Head to Curie’s lab.
• Taboo Tattoos #16 – Found at the barbershop where Horatio is working.
• Grognak the Barbarian #5 – Quest-related item (Short Stories), received in Vault 81’s classroom.

3 The Institute

NPC Population: 31

• Only accessible after a certain point in the main quest

The Institute is a massive facility that houses the scientists and synths belonging to the faction of the same name. Tucked beneath the C.I.T. ruins, The Institute is a technologically advanced colony home to the smartest individuals in the Commonwealth.

Easily the most luxurious city in the Commonwealth, The Institute houses many pre-war amenities and newer inventions that make life in the post-apocalypse bearable. Their goals might be questionable to some and downright evil to others, but if players want to live in luxury, this is the place.

Valuable Loot:

• Astoundingly Awesome Tales #12 – Head to Clayton Holdren’s room to find this perk magazine.
• Various armor pieces from the synth requisition officer, including Institute division head coat in three colors, and Mark 2 and Mark 3 synth armor.

2 Diamond City

NPC Population: 52

• In the center of the map, south of Cambridge

The jewel of the Commonwealth is a settlement residing entirely within the walls of the pre-war stadium, Fenway Park. The walls of the stadium have made the settlement highly defensible, and the city is seen as a bastion of civilization, trade, and safety in the wastes.

If players can overlook the mysterious disappearances and the whispers of synth invasion by some of the more paranoid members of the community, it’s a decent enough place to live in a radiated world. A place where those living in the field can aspire to be among the wealthy living in the upper stands.

Valuable Loot:

• Live & Love #9 – For this perk magazine, head to the schoolhouse.
• Big Boy – Arturo Rodriguez sells this Fat Man with a unique perk.
• Old Faithful – For a unique laser pistol, head to Arturo Rodriguez’s shop stand.
• Rockville Slugger – A spiked, unique baseball bat purchased from Moe Cronin.

1 Nuka-World

NPC Population: 73

• Off the western edge of the map, near Fort Hagen

The largest city in Fallout 4 is this Pre-War amusement park turned settlement, Nuka-World. This massive area is home to a number of citizens living under the thumb of raiders in the area. The park has become a fortress, with the once peaceful and free citizens acting as slaves and serving to amuse the raiders who’ve gained control under the leadership of Colter.

If players can stand the hostile raiders, crazy Hubologist cultists, and the other inhumanities and violent acts that occur here, they can find themselves overthrowing the overboss to become the leader of The Operators, The Disciples, and The Pack. It’s only fitting that the largest city in the Commonwealth can become the player’s personal playground to rule over.

Valuable Loot:

• Power Armor – Head to the Bradberton Overpass to challenge a Gunner wearing this suit.
• 2x Power Armor – At the Nuka-World Power Plant, these two are locked behind hackable terminals.
• SCAV! #4 – Attic of the Grandchester Mystery Mansion.
• SCAV! #2 – Nuka-World junkyard, within the big warehouse.
• SCAV! #5 – Dry Rock Gulch employee area, on top of one of the buildings.
• SCAV! #1 – At the Galactic Zone, in Starport Nuka, near an employees-only doorway.
• Quantum X-01 Power Armor – Found in a glass case in Starport Nuka at the Galactic Zone.
• SCAV! #3 – Head to the Fun House at the Kiddie Kingdom. Players can find it in the hypnotic hallway.
• Thirst Zapper, Project Cobal schematics, and Nuka Quantum grenade – Hidden deep inside the Secure beverageer lab, underneath the World of Refreshment.
• Nuka T-51 Power Armor – In a maglocked display in the World of Refreshment.
• Several quest-related items, such as Nuke-Nuke Launcher (Cappy In A Haystack), The Problem Solver (speak with Mason), Aeternus, Raider power armor, BoS paint T-60 power armor, and T-45 power armor (Amoral Combat).
• Splattercannon – A unique weapon that can be purchased from the Nuka-Town market by speaking to Aaron Corbett.
• Throatslicer – Another unique weapon at the Nuka-Town market, bought from Katelyn Alden.