Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
This Fallout 4 DLC order guide details where to start each DLC, level recommendations and reward information for your adventure in The Commonwealth. Fallout 4 has six pieces of downloadable content that add new stories, locations and workshop object packs for the settlement building mode.
For most players I recommend following the DLC release order of Automatron > Far Harbor > Vault-Tec Workshop > Nuka-World with story and reward spoilers for each below.
Table of Contents:
– Fallout 4 DLC Order (Release Dates/Recommended)
– Automatron
– Far Harbor
– Vault-Tec Workshop
– Nuka-World
Fallout 4 DLC Order Release Dates & Recommended Order
The release date order of Fallout 4 DLC is my recommended order:
| DLC | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Automatron | March 2016 |
| Wasteland Workshop | April 2016 |
| Far Harbor | May 2016 |
| Contraptions Workshop | June 2016 |
| Vault-Tec Workshop | June 2016 |
| Nuka-World | August 2016 |
A free Fallout 4 High Resolution Texture Pack was released exclusively for PC players in early 2017. Wasteland Workshop and Contraptions Workshop add new objects to the settlement build mode only. Vault-Tec Workshop is similar although is only available from level 20 and does include basic quest content.
The other factors in considering which order to complete the Fallout 4 DLC are:
- Automatron triggers a number of robot related events and mechanics across the core Commonwealth locations. Most players will wish to trigger this as soon as possible to start using these mechanics while other players might want to retain the vanilla Fallout 4 world experience instead.
- Far Harbor provides great armour and weapons that can assist players with their broader adventure. While it’s a standalone story it also builds on the backstory of a core companion (Nick Valentine) so story focused players may want to travel with this companion before diving into their personal adventure.
- Vault-Tec Workshop provides players with various utility mechanics and useful equipment by completing a small Vault 88 adventure. Doing this as soon as possible is recommended to start maximising the benefits as soon as possible.
- Nuka World is a significant challenge and intended to serve as a capstone piece of content towards the end of your adventure. Given the story of Nuka World offers a wealth of content for a bad karma character path those who are role playing as a good karma character in the core Fallout 4 game will either delay this to the end of a playthrough or sneak off do this before initiating the main storyline.
Automatron Summary
- Accessed By: Tune in to the Caravan distress frequency and visit Wattz Consumer Electronics in the top middle of the map.
- Recommended Level: 15 – 20
- Notable Rewards: Various robot themed mechanics which provide the ability to build robots and unlocks the Eyebot pod. Also allows players to obtain the unique Tesla Rifle and Mechanist armour.
Unlocked at level 15 Automatron unlocks quality of life robot mechanics to help you fill your settlements or improve your character. Depending on your preferences though if you’d rather not have these additional mechanics and retain the vanilla experience during the main story players can activate this DLC later.
This extra content explores the story of the mysterious Mechanist who has released evil robots into every corner of the Commonwealth with players creating their own robot army to fight back. One of the highlights of Automatron is the ability for players to build robot companions which can be customised for you needs and provide an alternative to the base game companion followers. Popular choices include pack mules to carry gear across The Commonwealth for players or a melee/ranged fighter that complements your own Fallout 4 character build. Building robots early can be a drain on resources but are generally worth the investment and provides an additional reason to farm resources not available in the base game.
Robots also double as potential settlers to populate your settlements or supply lines while allowing fully robot themed settlement locations if desired. Completing the Automatron quest line also provides two new schematics for build mode with a spotlight that is useful for spotting and tracking attackers and the Eyebot pod. With Eyebot pods you can command an Eyebot army to search for materials for you and then visit the discovered location to obtain a cache of the item you select. These provide another repeatable piece of content while helping to offset the additional cost of building robots in your settlements.
In terms of equipment the Automatron Fallout 4 DLC provides the Tesla rifle which is an impressive weapon for the level you obtain it. Players can also obtain the Mechanist armour which is a strong early game option and can be upgraded with the Ballistic Weave mod for additional protection.
Far Harbor Summary
- Accessed By: Complete the Getting a Clue quest in the main Fallout 4 storyline and then visit the Nakano Residence in the north-east section of the map.
- Recommended Level: 20+
- Notable Rewards: Useful mid game equipment like the Radium Rifle and Marine Armour.
With links to the core Fallout 4 storyline players will need to reach a specific point in the main quest line to access this DLC content. Designed for Nick Valentine players are encouraged to bring him along as the companion for your adventure which provides additional situational dialogue although is not required. Set on its own island known as Far Harbor it is a standalone story where you search for Kasumi Nakano while battling the politics between the synths and Children of Atom that ultimately decide the fate of the island.
A minimum level of 20 is the recommended level for Far Harbor although level 25+ and beyond will give you an easier time given the content difficulty. This rewards include the Marine armour that provides some of the highest defence of non power armour options in the game and the Radium rifle that is an effective radiation based weapon. The unique Skipper’s Last Stand also literally equips players with a harpoon gun that is an extremely fun heavy weapon to use.
Vault-Tec Workshop Summary
- Accessed By: Vault 88 radio beacon and visiting the Quincy Quarries in the southern middle of the game map.
- Recommended Level: 20+
- Notable Rewards: Utility benefits (SPECIAL boosts and water supply), useful under armour and the large Vault 88 building area.
The only workshop DLC that includes quests which require players to explore Vault 88 and create your own vault through experiments after meeting with the Ghoul Overseer.
While a hilarious adventure on the darker side of Fallout lore this DLC also provides notable rewards and utility. This includes the ability to construct water fountains at settlements for only 3 steel which provide a reliable supply of water and healing that can be a lifesaver in survival mode. Players also gain access to the Vault-Tec water pump that produces a regular amount of purified water for a potential Cap income stream.
Uniquely the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC provides players with a range of SPECIAL stat boosting objects that can give you +1 to your choice of SPECIAL when you leave Vault 88. Players can only have one active at a time but this flexibility can be invaluable by allowing you to shift where this single SPECIAL point is invested as your character progresses. Lastly on the equipment side players earn themselves the Legends of Vault 88 jumpsuit that provides notable protection from energy resistance and radiation as an under armour.
Nuka-World Summary
- Accessed By: Tune in to the Nuka-Cola Family Radio and visit the Nuka-World Transit Centre in the far west of the Fallout 4 map.
- Recommended Level: 30+
- Notable Rewards: Various powerful faction related perks and weapons.
Nuka-World is a tough unique piece of content in the Fallout 4 universe that starts via the radio at level 30 or can be started earlier if players visit the amusement park location directly. Focused on raider factions and other Fallout creatures that live here that are fighting for control of the area with some spill over into the broader Commonwealth as you claim settlements on behalf of raiders. This setting means that Nuka-World can impact on your karma, relationships with other Commonwealth factions and your broader role playing experience.
The intention of this DLC is an end game piece of content with players wanting to be a high level with appropriate gear and perks to ensure success. While this the intention some savvy players in the Fallout 4 community have created unique strategies to create a different story than intended by starting your Fallout 4 story with this DLC adventure instead. While difficult to do in practice this option is favoured by some players as it allows you to fully commit to the darker side of the DLC content without significantly impacting your karma and other Commonwealth faction reputation given you have not met those factions yet. After completing Nuka-World players then meet up with Preston Garvey in Concord to start the rest of the main story line without worrying about when to fit in the Nuka-World content and allows you to utilise the rewards throughout your Fallout 4 journey.
A popular alternative to this approach is to play Nuka-World as one of your last acts in The Commonwealth so you can similarly not worry about the impacts of your actions given you are at the end of your game. However, the negative of this approach is that you won’t be able to gain benefit from the powerful rewards to help you progress through the story. Rewards include powerful faction perks equivalent to that of other Commonwealth factions based on who you side with between The Operators, The Disciples and The Pack. The Nuka-World DLC perks are particularly useful to melee and stealth characters and a generally useful resist damage perk (Pack Alpha). Non-melee builds can also enjoy the Splattercannon that is easily acquired from the Nuka-World market and highly effective.
For further Fallout add-on content recommended orders and information refer to our Fallout New Vegas DLC and Fallout 3 DLC overview pages. After you’ve conquered and explored everything that The Commonwealth has to offer players can find their next action RPG adventure on our games like Fallout 4 page.
