There is no shortage of quest-givers to keep the Sole Survivor busy inFallout 4, with everyone in the Commonwealth needing a helping hand. Setting out into the world fresh out of the Vault, there are so many fun and interesting side quests to sink your teeth into, in between your journey to find Shaun. However, not all quests are created equal, and unfortunately, there are a fair few in the game that are more than a little disappointing.
WhileFallout 4boasts some fantasticside quests packed with story and lore, some arejust plain boring. While some of these can be avoided, others are linked to the main plot or play crucial roles in other questlines, leading to a fair amount of frustration all around. So, whether they have poor rewards, are annoying to complete, or make no sense lore-wise, these quests can ruin an otherwise fun playthrough.
10Fallen Hero Burns Resources For A Hat
All Risk, No Reward
“Fallen Hero” is a miscellaneous side quest that can be picked up from Joe Savoldi, who owns the bar at Bunker Hill. Asking Joe for work will lead him to explain that the family comes from a long line of Minutemen and asks you to find out what happened to his grandfather, Brent. Joe will point you in the direction of Malden, andyou’ll have to find Old Gullet Sinkhole to find Brent’s remains.
However,the rest of the quest is a slogthrough deathclaws, ghouls, and a glowing one all to get a hat. Returning to Joe, he’ll reward you with caps and give you Grandpa Savoldi’s Hat, which gives a plus one bonus to Charisma. Considering the enemies you’ll need to face, the reward for completing “Fallen Hero” isn’t worth it, despite it being a Goonies Easter egg.
9Cappy In A Haystack Is Tedious
Finding All The Cappys Isn’t Fun
“Cappy in a Haystack” is oneNuka-Worldside quest that had me tearing my hair out. The quest can be picked up from Nuka-Cola super fan Sierra Petrovita, who can be found wandering around Nuka-Town USA.She’s been trying to complete a pre-war competitionand wants you to help find the hidden clues for her.
Brushing aside the problem of Sierra wanting you to do all the legwork,there are 10 Cappy clues hidden all over Nuka-World, and they are a pain to find. Once you’ve located them all, return to Sierra for the last part of the quest, which, despite having some great lore, has weak rewards. I’ve only ever completed “Cappy in a Haystack” once, and that is enough for anyone.
8Hole In The Wall Is Deeply Frustrating
Bugs Spoil An Otherwise Excellent Quest
“Hole in the Wall” is a quest that has a great story and reward, butI never looked forward to doing it because of the buggy way the quest works. The quest can be picked up in Vault 81 after completing “Here Kitty, Kitty” or returning to the Vault after 24 hours. A young boy has fallen ill after exploring a hidden area of the Vault, and you need to find a cure before he dies.
“Hole in the Wall” is a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl as you delve into the secret area and fight mole rats. However,the quest has a severe bugwhich results in the Sole Survivor being infected with the mole rat’s disease if their companion, or even a hacked Protectron, is bitten. Not even the reward at the end of the lovable new companion Curie can prevent this from spoiling an otherwise fun quest.
7Restoring Order Is Very Irritating
Good Rewards, But A Chore To Complete
I really enjoyed theAutomatronstoryline overall, despite many of the quests feeling a little weak. However, one thing that puts me off from repeating it each time is the final story quest, “Restoring Order”. In the quest, you must infiltrate the Mechanist’s Lair and, after finding the mastermind behind the robot attacks, stop them by eithersaving or killing the Mechanist.
”Restoring Order” locks you into having Ada as a companion, so making sure she is upgraded is essential.
There are two ways to complete the quest, both of which are irritating. The first to survive wave after wave of robots, which burn through resources, and even with good equipment, is a tough fight. The second step is to locate three holotapes throughout the facility, then backtrack to the dungeon’s starting point to avoid the robot battle.
6Weathervane Quest Quickly Becomes Annoying
Whatever You Do, Don’t Look Down
The Railroad questline forFallout 4has some fantastic entries as the underground faction struggles against the Institute. However, as with allfactions inFallout 4, the Railroad has a few radiant quests to fill out its plotline.The most annoying of these is easily “Weathervane”, which can be gotten from Tinker Tom.
Tom will claim that the Institute is trying to terraform the Commonwealth, and to stop them, he needs you to place several weather devices all around the area. Although it sounds simple enough, some of the locations are a pain to get to, andthis is definitely a quest anyone with a fear of heights should skip. This will go on for 10 excruciating locations before Tom decides he’s done and never mentions them again.
5Don’t Bother To Find The Treasures Of Jamaica Plain
A Twist Ending That Lands Flat
“Find the Treasures of Jamaica Plain” is a side quest that can be started in a few ways, such as finding a flyer about the tourist attraction or reading about it at Boston Airport. The quest invites you to travel to the settlement of Jamaica Plain anddiscover some hidden pre-war treasure. Jamaica Plain is in the south of the Commonwealth, close to University Point, and packed with feral ghouls.
To find the treasure, you’ll have to make your way into the basement of the Town Hall, where the security systems can either be bypassed or dealt with head-on. However,all the buildup is for nothing really, as the treasure turns out to be a time capsule exhibition, filled with junk items and one decent melee weapon. Although I know that’s the point of the quest, it’s still a letdown to go through so much work and build up for nothing.
4Kid In A Fridge Makes No Sense
Poor Rewards For A Baffling Quest
I don’t think I’ve found aFallout 4quest that has divided the fanbase as much as “Kid in a Fridge”. The infamous quest can be started after passing by a fridge just south of University Point and hearing muffled cries from inside. Opening the fridge will reveal Billy, a ghoul child thatdefies all previously established lore about ghoulsand should realistically either be dead or feral.
There is a fan theory that Billy actually hasn’t been in the fridge for centuries, and sirens and bombs Billy is referring to were the attack on nearby Quincy.
Billy’s existence aside,the rest of the quest is a massive letdownwhere you face a choice between either helping Billy get home or selling him to a random stranger. Taking Billy home will reveal that his parents survived the bombs and are both ghouls too, stepping up the weird ridiculousness of this quest. No amount of caps can fill all the plot holes in this odd side quest.
3There’s No Avoiding Dangerous Minds
This Main Quest Breaks The Momentum
So far, all the quests I’ve talked about can be avoided if you want, as they have all been side quests or optional DLC content. However, “Dangerous Minds” is the seventh quest in the main plotline and marks the beginning ofFallout 4’s Act 2. The trouble is that after the rush to find information about Shaun’s whereabouts,the dive into Kellogg’s memories slows down all the momentum to a crawl.
Kellogg’s story is a parallel to the Sole Survivor as both lose a spouse and child, but each reacts in very different ways.
During the quest, you’ll have to hook up what’s left of Kellogg’s brain to Nick Valentine and take a trip through the grizzled mercenary’s memories.While the information gained is interesting, the quest itself is far too slow, and it feels like a waste of effort to humanize the murderer of our character’s spouse. “Dangerous Minds” can’t be avoided, unfortunately, but it can be rushed through, and I recommend not waiting for the prompts to move forward.
2Best Left Forgotten Is Terrible Quest Execution
One Quest Spoils The Best DLC
Far Harboris easily my favoriteFallout 4DLC, and one of my favoriteFalloutDLCs of all time, with its fantastic blend of atmosphere and story. However,it also contains theFalloutquest that I hate the most, “Best Left Forgotten”, the fourth quest in the main story. The premise of the quest itself is excellent, as you must unlock DiMA’s lost memories to help bring peace to the Island.
However, the execution of this quest is nothing short of horrible, pulling you from the story and the world andforcing you into the luridly colored setting of the memories. There, you must useFallout 4’s imprecise build system to build defenses and gain access to each of DiMA’s secrets. The idea in theory is an interesting one, but poorly implemented, sucking the fun out of the questline and DLC.
1All The Minutemen Radiant Quests
You’re Meant To Be The General, Not The Errand Boy
Finally, the worst quests inFallout 4don’t have any particular name but instead are made up of a few different radiant quests such as “Clearing the Way”, “Defend”, and “Raider Troubles”. These are, of course,the infamous Minutemen radiant queststhat are meant to keep you feeling like you’re involved in the running of the Commonwealth settlements. However, in reality, they turn what could have beenFallout 4’s coolest factioninto a meme and reduce one of the nicest companions into little more than a joke.
Worse still, these never-endingFallout 4quests of randomly generated content are as meaningless as they are boring. Although there are 10 to 11 main quests for the Minutemen, depending on whether you take on the Brotherhood or not, the majority of the faction’s side quests are radiant ones.These time-limited quests are forced on youif you engage with the Minutemen questline, which means that many avoid the faction entirely.
