Summary

• Settlement building is a core aspect of Fallout 4, with unique NPCs becoming traders to enhance stock and provide special items.
• Some named NPCs can be convinced to Minutemen settlements, and some have quests or backstories.
• Unique settlers like Ron, Anne, and Doc bring specialized services and inventory upgrades to settlements when recruited.

One of the core aspects of Fallout 4 is its settlement building system, which allows the Sole Survivor to clear neglected areas and turning them into thriving small towns. As well as needing food, water, and power, these settlements can be upgraded with defenses and eventually traders. While any settler can be assigned to a trading stall, there are several unique NPCs dotted around the commonwealth that, as well as enhancing the stock, are pretty cool to have around.

When traveling throughout the Commonwealth or Fallout 4's various DLC locations, the Sole Survivor may have a random encounter with groups of potential settlers. While many are simply generic settlers with no name, there are a few unique and named NPCs that can be persuaded to sign up to one of the Minutemen's settlements. Some have cool backstories, while others will sell unique items, but all of these characters are worth adding to a settlement.

10 Ron Staples - Food & Drink Specialist

Found At Random Campfires

Ron Staples is a bartender who can be randomly encountered when wandering around the Commonwealth. He will be friendly when approached and invite the Sole Survivor to pull up a patch of dirt to him for a drink. The hard part about recruiting Ron is finding him, since he can spawn at 10 different campfire locations, including southwest of the Peabody house, northwest of Westing Estate and close to a small house south of Drumlin Diner.

Unfortunately, like many settlers in Fallout 4, Ron doesn't have an in-depth backstory, making him quite bland once recruited. Luckily, his inventory as a merchant will make up for that because once Ron is assigned to a restaurant stall, it will be upgraded to level four, and he will have some special food items to buy. To get Ron to a settlement, it will need to be linked to at least one other and have a population of over 20 people.

9 Anne Hargraves - Clothing Specialist

Found At WRVR Broadcast Station

Unlike Ron, who is a random encounter, Anne Hargraves is much easier to find. Anne can be found inside the WRVR Broadcast Station located in the south of the Commonwealth over the bridge from the Coast Guard Pier and Egret Tours Marina. When spoken to, Anne will explain that she used to be a seamstress, and she would make the costumes when they still put on live events. However, these days she just plays all the female roles in radio plays.

While the dialogue option to recruit her will come up even if her colleague Rex Goodman hasn't been rescued, this can often cause bugs with Anne. Because of this, it is better to complete the Fallout 4 side quest "Curtain Call" before asking Anne to work for the Sole Survivor. Once assigned to a clothing emporium, Anne will sell items such as Minutemen clothes but no legendary items.

8 Doc Anderson - Medical Services

Found At Random Campfires

Frequenting the same random campfire locations as Ron is the straight-talking, no-nonsense medic Doc Anderson. As her name suggests, this unique settler is a medical specialist who, when first encountered, will be treating a random NPC in the wasteland. Doc Anderson is brusque and to the point in her interactions with the Sole Survivor, but seems to have no extended backstory, which is a little disappointing.

The Doc can be recruited to settlements that have a surgery center, a population of over 20 people and a link to at least one other settlement. Once assigned, she will have health items and a decent stock of chems, as well as Addictol, which makes her a great addition to any large settlement. As with other medical vendors, Doc Anderson can also heal the Sole Survivor as well as cure radiation sickness and chem addiction.

7 Tina De Luca - General Trader

Found In Vault 81

When visiting Vault 81, the Sole Survivor will find themselves tasked with saving the life of a young boy named Austin during the quest "Hole in the Wall." After this quest has been completed, Vault 81's engineer Tina De Luca will approach, asking for help with her brother Bobby, who has become addicted to chems. Tina feels extremely guilty for causing and enabling his addiction and wants the Sole Survivor to talk Bobby into speaking with Vault 81's doctor, Rachel.

The quest to get Tina as a settler can be a little tricky; if it's not done in the right order the option to recruit her will vanish. To get Tina to leave the vault, Bobby will need to be convinced to visit Rachel, and then Tina must be spoken with immediately after. If Rachel is spoken with before Tina, then the chance to get a cool vault dweller with an interesting backstory will be lost as the quest "Dependency" will be completed.

Regardless of how Bobby is dealt with, a hard Charisma check is needed to recruit Tina to a settlement.

6 Smiling Larry - Weapons Specialist

Found Randomly When Traveling On Roads

Despite the creepy sounding name, Smiling Larry is actually a nice, unique merchant that can be recruited to a settlement. Larry is a little difficult to find as he is a random encounter that can spawn at around six different locations, such as northeast of the Boston Police rationing site, at the Red Rocket, or on the road south of Med-Tek Research. Larry will always be walking as part of a caravan and can simply be spoken to and invited to work for the Sole Survivor.

Larry will only settlements linked to one another via a trade route and with a population of over 30 people.

Despite having no backstory, Larry is a very cool addition to any settlement, as he is the only level four weapons vendor in Fallout 4. Along with an excellent assortment of weapons and ammo, Larry also sells a unique melee weapon called Reckoning. This brutal looking chainsaw lets its wielder take 15% less damage when standing still, making Larry a must-have for any melee-based playthrough.

5 Duke, Gracie, & Mishka - Guard Dogs

Purchased From Erickson At Horizon Flight 1207

Gracie, Mishka, and Duke are all guard dogs that can be purchased from the friendly super mutant Erickson with the Far Harbor DLC. Having come to the island with his war party, Erickson began to see things different, something he believes is down to the strange fog in the area, and no longer wanted to attack the human settlers with the rest of his group. After traveling for a while, Erickson eventually makes a place for himself at the crash site of Horizon Flight 1207, where he breeds dogs which he will sell to the Sole Survivor.

Erickson will always offer three types of dogs: a wolf, a junkyard dog, and a mutant hound. The first time these pups are bought, they will be given the names Mishka (wolf), Duke (junkyard) and Grace (mutant), after which names will be randomly chosen for any further purchases. Each dog will provide defense points to the settlement they are sent to, as well as increase happiness. Mishka is the exception as she provides eight points of defense but no happiness boost.

The wolf and mutant dogs will sometimes spawn as glowing version that give off radiation at higher levels. This can cause them to aggro traders, who will then attack them.

4 Sheffield - Can Be Assignment To Any Role

Found In Diamond City

Unlike some of the other unique characters here, Sheffield doesn't have any special features or unlock trader stall perks, but he is a cool guy. Sheffield can be found sitting on the floor in Diamond City Market, usually close to Arturo Rodriguez's shop. When first encountered, he won't have much to say beyond asking the Sole Survivor for a Nuka-Cola. If given a beverage, Sheffield will be much happier and will gratefully chat, sharing his story.

Sheffield will explain that Nuka-Cola is all he can really drink now, which wakes him up after years of heavy drinking which has caused extensive liver damage. To recruit Sheffield, all the Sole Survivor need do is ask, as the recovering alcoholic is more than happy to have a second chance in life. Once at a settlement, Sheffield can be assigned to any role just like a normal settler.

It is best not to assign Sheffield to any defensive roles as, unlike other settlers, he can die and will not regenerate health.

3 Vault-Tec Rep - General Trader

Found In Hotel Rexford, Goodneighbor

When starting a new playthrough of Fallout 4, the first NPC outside the family unit all Sole Survivors will meet is the Vault-Tec Rep. Knocking on the door during the game's introduction, he acts as an in-game way of setting S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and character name before the main plot kicks off. However, a surprising number don't realize that he also survived the bombs, and can be found 210 years later in Goodneighbor's Hotel Rexford.

Now a ghoul, the Rep is not initially happy to see the Sole Survivor and is upset that they look untouched by the ing of time. If the conversation continues, the option to ask him to return to Sanctuary will appear, and once visited in Sanctuary, the Rep can be assigned to any settlement. If assigned as a trader, the Rep can upgrade the stall to level four and sell unique items such as the Apocalypse chestplate.

2 The Scribe - Armor Specialist

Found Randomly When Traveling On Roads

While many of the settlers here offer great boosts to the settlements they , they often lack in-depth backstories. The Scribe is a cool, distinctive settler that not only sells unique armor pieces but has an interesting backstory with more details than the other expert merchants on offer. He can be found randomly on the road similarly to Smiling Larry, although these spawn points will be overridden by Automatron due to the Ruse Devils using the same encounter spots, meaning the Scribe will need to be spawned using console commands.

The Scribe can be recruited to any settlement that is linked to one other, has a population of over 10 people, and an available armor emporium.

What makes the Scribe interesting is what his backstory adds to the lore surrounding the Brotherhood of Steel. The Scribe once belonged to the Brotherhood under Elder Lyons in the Capital Wasteland but left once Maxson took over, believing that the young Elder was taking the Fallout 4 faction in a selfish direction. Although his explanation is brief to the Sole Survivor, the Scribe poses the intriguing question of how many others left the Brotherhood because of Maxson's changes.

1 Drinkin' Buddy - Provides Drinks

Found In The Shamrock Taphouse

Finally, for all around coolness when it comes to Fallout 4 unique settlers, then no Sole Survivor will need to look further than Drinkin' Buddy. Buddy can be met as part of the quest “Trouble Brewin’” where the Sole Survivor will be asked by Hotel Rexford's handyman to go find the modified protectron. Once found in the Shamrock Taphouse, Buddy can either be escorted back to Rufus in Goodneighbor or invited to a settlement.

Although the quest will not end until Buddy is in the Hotel, having him at a settlement is a much more fun option. Buddy will chill drinks to provide ice-cold beverages, but he will also tell terrible dad jokes which are guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face. Buddy's repertoire of drinks can be expanded by finding recipes throughout the Commonwealth, making Buddy the perfect addition to any Fallout 4 settlement.