Finally – it’s the end of the world. Again. After years of waiting, months of hype and some frenzied last-minute merchandising, Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic opus is back, this time staking out a ruined version of Massachusetts known as the Commonwealth. It’s 200 years after a nuclear war and you, as the sole survivor from a shelter named Vault 111, must make your way in a dangerous new land.

Much of your time will be spent following the main story (which very little is currently known about) and dispatching hundreds of raiders, super mutants, and other baddies along the way. But while you’re at it, here are 10 other activities to try, both practical and pleasurable.

1. Fiddle with your favourites

Selecting your favourite items will be key to survival.

The Commonwealth is full of items useful for two extremely important things: killing and avoiding being killed. Before too long it gets difficult to keep track of everything you might want to use at short notice, so it’s a good idea to get organised. The favourites menu has three slots per button on the d-pad, so you can have 12 items available for quick selection. Try organising them by type: three one-handed weapons, three two-handed weapons, three explosives and three healing items. It takes mere seconds to assign an item as a favourite, and the first time you come up against an alpha deathclaw, you’ll be glad you did.

2. Make a loot map

The world is full of locked cabinets and it seems the nuclear blast melted all the keys.

Given the lack of resources in post-apocalyptic Boston, one of your most useful skills is that which lets you access items that have been locked away. Early on in your travels, however, you can expect to encounter locks that are beyond your ability … for now. To avoid missing out on the kind of loot that warrants that extra security, make a note of its location so you can plan for a return trip when you’ve become a lockpicking master.



3. Play the metagame

Like cockroaches, retro arcade games were always going to survive a nuclear war.

Throughout the Commonwealth, you’ll come across “holotapes” that you can play on working terminals or on your Pip-Boy app. Most contain audio files like recorded messages or diary entries, but there are also five holotape games to be found. Thorough explorers will collect their first – a Donkey Kong-alike called “Red Menace” - near the start of their journey. The rest can be found attached to issues of the RobCo Fun! magazine, so keep an eye out for those if you want a way to unwind after taking out a gang of super mutants.

4. Become a private investigator

One side-quest has you solving a murder, like a post-apocalyptic Columbo

As you travel through post-apocalyptic Boston you’ll have plenty of opportunities to help other people with their problems. Often the solution comes down to a well-placed bullet, but not always. In one set of quests, the Detective Case Files, you get to turn private investigator: search for clues, interrogate witnesses, and hunt for Holotapes. If you really want to play the part, why not dress up in a traditional trench coat and fedora?

5. Dress up Dogmeat

Dressing up your dog is a creative way to spend those peaceful moments between mutant fights

Your best friend may not have access to as wide a range of outfits as you do, but there are a few items he can wear. A pair of welding goggles makes for a contemporary canine, and bandanas come in a range of designs. For a more practical look you can dress Dogmeat in a variety of collars and armours, though they don’t actually provide any damage resistance, which might seem unfair until you remember that all of your companions are technically invincible.

6. Enjoy a lover’s embrace

Sleeping near a romantic companion boosts your stats – just like in real life!

Several of your potential companions are susceptible to romance (most are human, though a couple are more unconventional), the mechanical motivation for which is a perk called Lover’s Embrace that boosts XP for a limited time after you sleep in a bed with your significant other. Relationships take work, however; you have to spend time with your chosen and encourage their affections by acting in ways they approve. Some like it when they see you helping others, while others like you to be mean, so play to your audience if you’ve got a specific partner in mind (perhaps for the extra individual perk that affinity with them affords you) or wait until you find someone who can love you just the way you are.

7. Find your faction

The game’s four major factions will all seek to recruit you into their ranks

Everyone gets lonely; even raiders and super mutants gather in groups. For those looking to join a more organised collective, there are four factions roaming the Commonwealth with an interest in you. Each offers its own set of profitable quests and rewards, so it’s often worth going along for the ride – even if there’s a conflict of interest. The downside is, if you get too cosy with one faction it may cost you the favour of another so weight up the advantages before you sign up.

8. Jump with a jetpack

Jetpacks: just right for those hard to reach nooks and crannies Photograph: Bethesda

One reward that may sway your choice of faction is a jetpack for your Power Armour. Other available mods can improve things like carrying capacity or resistance, but the jetpack is particularly useful because it enables you to access areas you otherwise couldn’t. With the need for a fusion core to power the armour it’s not for everyday use, but the next time you see something just out of reach, you’ll know where to turn.

9. Bloatflies for bullets

Bloatfly larva can be used as a rather unpleasant form of ammo.

Aside from modding armour and weapons, you can also craft your own ammo. If you find a Syringer somewhere in the Commonwealth hold on to it, because its ammo is more unusual than most. Use a chemistry station to craft such injectables as the Lock Joint Syringe, which may cause temporary paralysis, or the Mind Cloud Syringe, which tricks the injected into thinking you’ve disappeared. Next time you kill a bloatfly, make sure to loot its corpse for glands to make bloatfly larva, which when shot from your syringe can spawn another bloatfly; it’s the circle of life.

10. Lead the locals

Become a leader and get rich quick.

Crafting culminates in your ability to make your mark on the Commonwealth itself, through settlements in various locations across the map. Once you’ve won over the settlers, you’ll be able to use their workshop to craft everything from beds to machine gun turrets to entire houses surrounded with picket fences. You can even plant crops. Those with a vision may want to scrap an entire settlement, buildings and all, and rebuild from scratch. With the Local Leader perk you can establish supply lines between your settlements, building stores to bring in some extra caps; you’ll be a Commonwealth fat cat in no time.