By now, many of you will have taken your first steps in Fallout 4.

But in the scheme of things, you probably haven’t seen that much, and could use some pointers in knowing where to find some of the most impressive, most spectacular, and most fascinating places in the game.

Here are 10 locations that have stood out as some of the most awesome you can visit.

10. Salem

Thankfully, this wasn’t lost on Bethesda, who decided to include Salem, and make it live up to its ominous reputation.

The town itself doesn’t disappoint either. There are some spooky holotapes lying around, and it’s also the location of a creepy little quest called ‘Devil’s Due’, taking you into the town’s infamous Museum of Witchcraft, where you’ll find… well, you just wait and see.

9. The USS Constitution

One of the first six frigates ever built for the US Navy, the USS Constitution is one of the most famous ships in US history.

Used in a war against the British in 1812, her successes earned her the nickname, ‘Old Ironsides’.

Near the start of the 20th century, she became designated as a Museum Ship.

Old Ironsides makes a breathtaking appearance in Fallout 4, somehow surviving the Great War and subsequent 200 years of abandonment.

8. Hidden Areas Off The Map Grid

In the very south-west corner of the Boston Wasteland, you can find a little pathway that leads to the decayed reactor pictured above, a secret cave, as well as a few other intriguing little areas to explore.

This area does actually have some relevance later in the game, but it’s fascinating to know that the four corners of the map on your PIP Boy are not all there is to the game world.

7. The Overpasses

It looks like some kind of brutalist post-apocalyptic monument, a representation of the defunctness of objects that were essential in the old world, but are mere relics in the new, post-apocalyptic world.

This overpass here is pretty much the grim equivalent of Manhattan Bridge, and you can imagine that dating young couples would come here to watch the sun set and smooch before having to fight their way through feral ghouls and bloatflies to get back to their settlement.

6. Diamond City Market

When you first step through the formidable, fortress-like gates of Diamond City, you’ll probably be overwhelmed with relief.

Getting to the main metropolis of the wasteland early in the game is a tough long journey, and when you finally make it you should zoom out into the third-person perspective, then spin the camera around like they do in every cheesy movie when some out-of-towner visits Time Square for the first time.

It’s a fantastic place to trade, obtain quests, and generally soak in the most urban vibes in the wasteland.

5. Lake Quannapowitt

One of the larger lakes in the area surrounding Boston has been faithfully recreated in Fallout 4. 

Well, faithfully recreated but with dead trees, irradiated water and murderous creatures hanging out on all sides of it.

Even with the lake in its current state, you kind of wish you could push a boat out onto it and fish for some mirelurks or other mutated species.

As the sun starts setting, you can take your catch of the day back to your settlement and cook people up a nice mirelurk steak.

4. Fenway Park Stadium

Boston’s main baseball stadium and home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, makes an appearance in Fallout 4, housing the Commonwealth’s main urban hub, Diamond City.

Around the city, you’ll find remnants of the stadium itself, and there are a few nods to some of the real-life Baseball heroics that went down at Fenway Park.

One wasteland wanderer spotted the famous red seat in the stands, commemorating the 502-foot shot hit by Ted Williams in 1946 – the farthest ever home run hit at the stadium.

3. The Glowing Sea

Desolate, creepy, and incredibly dangerous, the Glowing Sea isn’t really a sea, as you can see.

It’s here that the nuclear weapon that destroyed Boston detonated, turning the area into a yellow-tinted highly irradiated wasteland that makes the rest of the wasteland look like the Garden of Eden.

Entering this area is an impressive experience. As you approach it, the slightly saturated blue skies make way for a sickly yellow mist, and it feels like you’re entering the atmosphere of a hostile, unliveable planet.

2. The Castle

Fort Independence is a real-life star fort that was first built by the English in 1634, renovated several times, and used as a formidable defensive position by the British during the American Revolution, then by the Americans in the War of 1812.

In Fallout 4, the fort is in a bad state of disrepair, but it remains one of the best possible places to found a settlement thanks to its natural defensive facets and plenty of building space.

The Castle offers awesome views across the Commonwealth as well as out to sea letting you spend quiet evenings up on the ramparts, looking out to the ocean and speculating on what’s happening in other parts of the post-apocalyptic world.

1. The ‘Cheers’ Bar

After all the beautiful bleakness and haunting decay of the last nine entries, let’s finish on a high note with quite possibly the best easter egg location in the entire game.

Once inside, you’ll be greeted by the whole cast of characters, slumped in exactly the same places they were in during the show.

There’s Norm and Cliff in the far corner. Frasier’s on the near side with his back to us, and say hello to Sam behind the bar.

Obviously they’re all dead, you can’t play the jukebox in the corner, nor can you turn this bar into a settlement, and bring it back to its cheery halcyon days.

What a pity.

(source:whatculture)

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