Fallout 4 was released in 2015, bringing with it a fresh innovation in the Fallout franchise - settlement building. This mechanic went one step further than simply owning a hideout or renting a room by enabling a player to truly manipulate the environment, creating a personalized, imaginative settlement. It didn't end with just one settlement, though - Fallout 4 contains no fewer than 37 settlements, from the relatively understated buildings to the simply enormous, open spaces
For years, players have worked to construct the most inventive builds possible. With the added assistance of creativity-focused mods, some fantastic settlements have emerged from the Fallout 4 community since 2015. However, while there are dozens of possible settlements to claim in Fallout 4, not all of them are worth it, and only a few amongst them can be considered 'endgame bases.' These are the locations where players can retire, build their final settlement and finally hang up the Pip-Boy.
9 Sanctuary Hills
It ends where it all began, in Sanctuary Hills. This is the first location that the player is exposed to in Fallout 4, serving as the home of the Sole Survivor. Following a few minutes in an idyllic, pre-war setting, the player emerges from a brief stint in a vault to find that the haven of Sanctuary Hills now stands devastated by 200-plus years of wasteland survival. It's now a relatively blank canvas; a ball of clay ready to be molded by the player.
Ultimately, Sanctuary Hills remains one of the best locations for an endgame build simply for the reason that the player is 'going home.' It's a massive, open space that boasts broad, flat areas and pre-built houses to fill with furniture. It's also set in an attractive part of the map, sitting on a river and surrounded by trees. There are worse places in Fallout 4 to build an endgame settlement, that's for sure.
8 Nuka-World Red Rocket
If a player follows the story in a chronological manner, the Nuka-World Red Rocket will be the last settlement they unlock. It's the only settlement found in Nuka-World, the final DLC released in the Fallout 4 lifecycle, which coincidentally serves as something of an endgame expansion. It pushes the player into a hostile theme park environment, overrun by raiders and all manner of mutated creatures.
Bizarrely, in the considerably vast and diverse map of Nuka-World, there is just one settlement - the Nuka-World Red Rocket. While it's not the most beautiful setting for an endgame build, it's an iconic brand in the Fallout universe, and it offers a relatively large, open build space. If it's the last settlement the player unlocks, why should they go any further?
7 Longfellow's Cabin
Found nestled into the fog-ridden island in Far Harbor, Longfellow's Cabin is a brilliant endgame settlement for one key reason: it's already an endgame settlement for someone else. When the player meets Longfellow, they're introduced to a surly yet helpful individual that has been leathered and wizened by decades in the wasteland. He's decided to house himself away from the core settlements in Far Harbor, opting to get a little peace and quiet.
As a result of this move, Longfellow's Cabin is in an undisturbed area of the map, set in an area full of trees and perched atop a small cliff that boasts clear-ish views over the map. It's one of four settlements introduced in Far Harbor, and it makes a perfect location to build that ideal retirement property.
6 Spectacle Island
Spectacle Island offers the biggest build area in Fallout, outside any modded content. It's a hidden location that appears off the coast of the main map, and unless players go exploring, it could end up being completely undiscovered. When it is eventually found, there's a secret quest that must be completed which sees the player wipe out a Mirelurk infestation from the island, after which point, the local workshop opens up.
Unfortunately, there's a clear imbalance present in Spectacle Island in that the build limit doesn't reflect the amount of space available. If players are open to the idea of using mods, then it's recommended to install something that removes or expands build limits. This is a huge build area that can literally house an entire city, should a player be able to devote the time to build it. Why settle for a simple settlement when being the leader of an entire city is on the cards?
5 Kingsport Lighthouse
Kingsport Lighthouse is originally occupied by the Children of Atom, who are hilariously 'powering' the lighthouse by entrapping a Glowing One at the top of it. It's a unique location that boasts a large build area, but it's a great endgame settlement for the sheer diversity of what's on offer. Firstly, there's a large, central building, alongside which is a towering, complete lighthouse. At the back of the property is a mostly undamaged pier, which houses further, smaller buildings.
It's one of the best base canvases for a settlement, especially considering most of the buildings are undamaged. For players that want a unique retirement home, there's the option to build at the very top of the lighthouse, upon which the player can survey the wide, open world of the Commonwealth Wasteland.
4 Home Plate
For the more social player, a perfect endgame settlement can be found in the heart of Diamond City. This is arguably the central location in Fallout 4, coming equipped with several quest-givers, multiple stores and vendors, and being home to key story missions. For a fee, the player can purchase ownership of the Home Plate, a relatively small building located in the Diamond City Market. It's not a huge location, and it's entirely enclosed (it's an interior-only settlement), but it feels cozy and can be packed out with furniture, thanks to a generous build limit.
It makes sense that a player would retire to this location, particularly if they're playing something of an RP game. Why should the Sole Survivor live outside in the wasteland, suffering from the post-apocalyptic conditions, when they can reside in the relative safety of Diamond City? It's the perfect endgame settlement for any budding Fallout 4 fan.
3 Covenant
Covenant is an early-game settlement that features iconic references to earlier Fallout games and an exciting questline. Once the player has completed the questline (for better or worse), the workshop will unlock and Covenant will become a customizable location. While it's quite a small build area, Covenant is dramatically unique, boasting an untouched, undamaged, pre-war aesthetic.
It has sturdy walls from the get-go, a ring of turrets surrounding it, and a ready-made community of around ten settlers. It's in a great location, mostly central to the map, and there are plenty of building options that can be explored.
2 Vault 88
Introduced in the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC, Vault 88 is the perfect retirement opportunity for players looking to retreat underground, living out the apocalypse in a vault. However, there's a twist, as this vault is a blank canvas; an enormous, sprawling cave with many subsections that can be used to build a massive, complex vault. It's able to be equipped with all the above-ground amenities that a player is used to, along with all the new features introduced in the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC.
Admittedly, Vault 88 is the toughest endgame settlement to build on, for the simple reason that the player is starting totally from scratch. It'll be quite a task to accomplish, with every tunnel, door, level, and room needing to be built from the ground up. However, when it's completed, the player is rewarded by having the ability to retire to an underground vault of their very own.
1 The Castle
Should a player go the way of the Minutemen, then The Castle becomes the perfect endgame settlement. It's the beating heart of the militia-based faction, serving as a base of operations and a well-defended fortress. There's plenty of room to play with in The Castle, provided the player is able to eliminate the Mirelurk threat that occupies it at the start of the game.
As a bastion of the wasteland, The Castle is a sensible choice for an endgame build. It's likely the toughest, most imposing location a player can find in Fallout 4, and it comes with several creature comforts from the moment the player takes over the workshop. It's always fun to think of The Castle as an actual castle, building a keep on the inside and using the walls solely for defense.
Fallout 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series platforms through backward-compatibility features.