Easter eggs are a fun addition to any game, either referencing earlier games in a series or a piece of pop culture. Some of these Easter eggs can be found pretty quickly, but some are only discovered years after the game is released. Fallout 4 is no exception to this rule, featuring a wealth of amazing secrets that players have found throughout their adventures in the game.
Easter eggs seem like a staple in the Fallout series, making references to modern pop culture and many iconic moments that originated in the past. While the references can range from skeletons posed in a certain way, some references come in the form of quests given to the player.
Updated on June 15, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Fallout 4 is a game that split many fans down the middle, with Bethesda's attempts to appeal to a more casual audience ending up backfiring on them after both hardcore Fallout and Bethesda fans ended up disliking the title for varying reasons. However, while these criticisms are justified, there's no denying that Fallout 4 is a great title once players look past its flaws, with the amazing open world and improved combat doing a great job of modernizing the moment-to-moment gameplay in a first for the series.
There are many secrets and Easter eggs present in Fallout 4's Commonwealth, with players loving the act of discovering a hidden or unique piece of imagery and figuring out the reference. This has been a staple across most Fallout games, with titles like New Vegas even adding a perk called Wild Wasteland that increases the number of real-world references in the game.
13 Alien
There's a ton of junk that players can obtain in Fallout 4, with their main purpose being that players can break them down into basic components that can be used for settlement building. Of course, players can sell these items too, but the amount they'll get for these items is fairly negligible barring a few special cases.
One of these junk items is a Flux Sensor, which seems like an innocuous item that actually houses a reference to the popular sci-fi horror film, Alien. If players examine this item in greater detail, they can flip it over to reveal a serial number that turns out to be the digital ID for the Nostromo, which is the starship that is invaded by the Xenomorph.
12 A UFO Sighting
The Fallout series has always flirted with the concept of Aliens, and the fourth mainline entry is no exception to this golden rule. Players who want to interact with extraterrestrial creatures in this game will get an opportunity once they ascend to Level 20 and head toward the Old Gullet Sinkhole near the Greentop Nursery.
If the conditions are met, the players will witness a UFO flying above them before crashlanding somewhere nearby. Going to the crash site will reveal the crashed ship along with a cave nearby that harbors an alien. It is hostile and attacks the player, with the iconic Alien Blaster being a unique piece of loot that can be obtained from his corpse.
11 Classic Video Games
The Pip-Boy is an iconic aspect of every Fallout game, with the fourth game doing justice to this unique piece of technology that served as a way for players to track their metrics, sort their inventory, and everything else along the same lines. A new and unique feature added to Fallout 4's Pip-Boy is the ability to find and play different holotape games scattered across the world.
These games are Red Menace, Atomic Command, Pipfall, Grognak & The Ruby Ruins, and Zeta Invaders, which invoke the game of real-life classic titles like Donkey Kong, Missile Command, Pitfall, Ultima, and Space Invaders respectively.
10 Pickman Gallery
Pickman Gallery is a store controlled by raiders the player can find. When they walk inside, they will notice odd paintings and mutilated raiders. Going further will find a man named Pickman surrounded by raiders, and the player can fight the raiders to rescue Pickman.
The gallery and character of Pickman is a reference to an H.P. Lovecraft story called "Pickman's Model." Rescuing Pickman will get the player a unique knife that causes enemies to bleed for extra damage.
9 Christmas in Diamond City
If the player visits Diamond City on December 25 in the game, they will find the town decorated with Christmas trees and lights. The decorations will stay up until New Year's Eve in the game, adding a bit of change to the city. It is a fun thought that the residents of Diamond City still celebrate the Pre-War holidays.
If the player also visits the city on Halloween, the city will be decorated with Halloween-related items. While it might not have been expected, it is a nice surprise for anyone not expected to see the city decorated to celebrate a Pre-War holiday.
8 Jaws
Throughout the Commonwealth, there are boats that have a dolphin attacking a skeleton in a blue jacket with a bandana close by. This is a reference to the movie Jaws, where a shark is terrorizing the waters around a town.
Players who stumble across this will most likely recognize it as the scene where the shark attacks and destroys part of the boat. After seeing this, we better hope these creatures aren't still swimming around Boston.
7 Codsworth's Name Database
An exciting feature in Fallout 4 is that some NPCs are able to say the player's name. Codsworth is the first NPC who does this when he speaks to the player in the introduction. Anyone who wanted to name their character after someone from a movie or another video game may be surprised to hear Codsworth say the name.
Codsworth is able to say the names of characters from Mad Max and will even call the player Trump if they named themselves that. Players who name their character after a curse or something vulgar may be surprised to find Codsworth saying that, too.
6 Dark Souls
In the Nuka-World DLC, the player is able to find a house that has a sword inside of some ash. If interacted with, Stimpaks will drop down and a fire will start. This is a reference to the Dark Souls series, where a bonfire is used to heal the player.
This house can be found near Bradberton on the DLC's map. The player is also able to take the sword, giving the player some health packs and a new weapon to use.
5 Star Wars
Anyone who finds this Covert Operations Manual might recognize this issue's name pretty quickly. It is a reference to Obi-Wan's quote from Star Wars: A New Hope. In the movie, Obi-Wan uses a mind trick to tell a stormtrooper, "These are not the droids you're looking for."
Most players may not even encounter this Easter egg, making it easy to miss for many fans in the series. It is good to know that the military in the Fallout universe was taking ideas from a Jedi master, even if the war itself had one of the most tragic outcomes in any fictional universe.
4 The Cask of Amontillado
In the bottom part of The Castle, players can find a skeleton that has been bricked into the wall. This is a reference to The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. Players can find wine bottles labeled as Amontillado nearby along with the body of the Minutemen general, McGann.
A fun bit of trivia is that Edgar Allan Poe was actually stationed at Fort Independence, which The Castle is based. It was his time at the fort that he was inspired to write this story.
3 Nirnroot Found
When on the Prydwen, players can find an area where Brotherhood of Steel scientists are growing plants. One of these is labeled as an experimental plant, but they look pretty familiar. Players who have also played Skyrim will recognize these plants as Nirnroot.
It would seem that Skyrim is now invading the Fallout universe. While it is just an Easter egg, it is fun to think that the Elder Scrolls might have taken place long before the events of Fallout.
2 Todd Howard Makes An Appearance
In paintings found throughout the Commonwealth, players might find a familiar face. While it looks like it would be Napoleon, players who look closely will notice that it is Todd Howard. Todd Howard is the executive director at Bethesda and has helped develop every Fallout game created by Bethesda.
It is fun to realize that this is actually Todd Howard in an in-game painting. His reputation may not be at the heights he used to enjoy after Bethesda's controversial release of Fallout 76, but this video game director still deserves a ton of respect for marketing games like Skyrim in such a brilliant manner.
1 Titanic
In the Far Harbor DLC, players can find two skeletons. One is resting on a door and one is holding on while in the water. This is a reference to the end of Titanic, where the characters Jack and Rose have to use a door to stay alive.
Players who stumble across this will definitely recognize the reference because of the iconic imagery. Sadly, it would appear that both of them did not survive. At least in this Easter egg, the skeleton holding on did not sink to the bottom of the water.
Fallout 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.