| For the metric within Fallout Shelter, see Happiness (Fallout Shelter). |
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Happiness is a metric of how content settlers are with a settlement in Fallout 4. Reaching 100% happiness in any settlement will reward the Benevolent Leader achievement/trophy.
Contents
- 1 Overview
- 2 Calculation
- 2.1 Basic needs
- 2.2 Bonus happiness
- 2.3 Happiness caps
- 2.4 Temporary happiness modifier
- 2.5 Wasteland Workshop
- 2.6 Automatron
- 3 Notes
Overview[]
Other than making one feel like a good leader, a high happiness rating results in more efficient working settlers. Higher happiness results in higher food production, more junk from scavenging, and more caps available from stores. The recruitment beacon will draw settlers faster with high happiness. The game leaves it up to the player to decide how important happiness is, although there is an achievement for getting a settlement up to 100 Happiness.
Happiness primarily correlates with providing for the needs of the settlers. Keeping settlers happy is as simple as keeping all the other settlement resources (food and water, beds, and defense) at sufficient levels. Each of these needs to be at least equal to the number of settlers; power itself does not affect happiness but is required to operate more efficient machinery.
Each need (food, water, beds, and defense) accounts for 20 happiness. Meeting the needs of a settlement's population will allow a maximum of 80 happiness. Increasing happiness further requires stores that increase happiness, as well as pets. The maximum possible happiness is 100.
Having beds outdoors will provide a happiness penalty. All of the stores except the weapon and armor store provide bonus happiness. The food stall/bar/restaurant provides the most. Higher level stores have a greater effect. Going further than that, coming to a settlement's aid when they are under attack and completing quests that settlers provide for the player character will temporarily improve morale or happiness.
Calculation[]
Each settlement object provides some certain happiness bonus. The system sums all bonuses and divides the sum by the number of settlers in one's settlement. The result is added to the base 80% happiness.
For example, to reach 100% happiness in a settlement with 2 settlers, the player character will need a total of 40 bonus for their settlement (2×20=40). So for two settlers, one can use one tier-3 bar (bonus 40), or one tier-3 clinic and one junkyard dog (30+10), or one tier-2 bar and one tier-2 clinic (20+20), or four junkyard dogs (10×4), or one tier-3 clinic and one tier-1 general store (30+10), etc.
Basic needs[]
- Each human or ghoul settler can provide up to 80 happiness points by meeting their basic needs, which are:
- A bed in which to sleep, which counts for 10 points.
- For their bed to be covered from rainfall, which counts for 10 points.
- One unit of food production per settler, which counts for 20 points.
- One unit of water production per settler, which counts for 20 points.
- One unit of defense per settler, which counts for 20 points.
- Each robot settler (excluding most robot companions, such as Codsworth, but including Ada) instead provides 50 happiness points at all times.
- Guards and provisioners will not use their beds, but must still be allocated one to increase their happiness.
- Food and water produced at the settlement only increase the settlers' happiness if their stats are higher than the amount of settlers. However, failing to provide sufficient food and/or water, either at the settlement or at one connected by a supply line, will impose happiness caps (see below) on individual settlers that will drag down the settlement's average happiness, and cannot be countered by bonus happiness (see below).
- Providing more than one unit of defense per settler will not provide any more happiness but will reduce the chance of the settlement being attacked.
- Decoration and noise levels have no effect on happiness.
Bonus happiness[]
- Bonus happiness is divided among each settler at the settlement that produces it. Bonus happiness of 10 at a settlement with a population of 5 will increase each settler's happiness by 2.
- The table below lists the happiness points provided by the presence of certain stores, and are marked with a happiness icon in the tooltip when building them.
| Type | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and drink | 15 | 20 | 40 |
| Clinic | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Clothing | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| General trader | 10 | 10 | 15 |
- Animals impacting happiness
| Type | Happiness |
|---|---|
| Junkyard dog | 10 |
| Cat | 10 |
| Gorilla | 20 |
- Vault-Tec Workshop items
| Item | Happiness | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vault 88 overseer's desk | 10 | Can only be built at Vault 88 |
| Pommel horse | 2 | |
| Weight bench | 2 | |
| Barber chair | 5 | |
| Soda fountain / Prototype | 5 | Can only be built at Vault 88 |
| Soda fountain / Mood enhancement | 15 | |
| Soda fountain / Appetite suppressant | 5 | Can kill settlers |
| Soda fountain / Caffeinated | 5 | |
| Phoropter / Prototype | 5 | Can only be built at Vault 88 |
| Phoropter / Subliminal messaging | 15 | Can kill settlers |
| Phoropter / Vault monitoring | 5 | Can kill settlers |
| Phoropter / Eye care | 10 | |
| Slot machine / Prototype | 10 | Can only be built at Vault 88 |
| Slot machine / Profiling | 5 | |
| Slot machine / Lost revenue | 15 |
Happiness caps[]
- Settler happiness can be capped, ensuring that happiness loss caused by failing to meet basic settler needs cannot be countered with bonus happiness.
- If a settlement has a lower defense rating than its population, all its settlers' happiness is capped at 60.
- Every 24 in-game hours and several real-time minutes, when a settlement updates, if insufficient food and/or water is produced in the settlement (with each settler requiring 1 unit of each resource daily), each human or ghoul settler at the settlement consumes 1 edible item and 1 drinkable item from workshop storage. If insufficient edible or drinkable items are present in the workshop, they will be taken from other settlement workshops connected to the settlement by supply lines, if they are available. If there is insufficient food or drink items in the supply network, settlers that were unable to eat or drink will have their happiness capped at 30 until the next update. Food and drink stored in containers, instead of in the workshop, will not be consumed, but are also unavailable to settlers for retaining happiness.
- Not having a sheltered bed will cap a settler at 60 happiness.
Temporary happiness modifier[]
- Happiness is also affected by a temporary modifier at each settlement, that ranges from -50 to +20. Upon each settlement "update," this temporary modifier is multiplied by 0.8, with fractions dropped. Most commonly this is a -20 adjustment, caused by a settler's death. Other adjustments are triggered by the activation of a Minutemen quest for the settlement (-20) and the completion of a Minutemen quest for the settlement (+20).
Wasteland Workshop[]
The Wasteland Workshop add-on added the ability to acquire pets for settlements by building certain cages. Domestic cats will provide a happiness bonus. More dangerous creatures will provide a defense bonus. A few, such as the rare gorilla, provide both defense and happiness bonuses. However, the construction of a beta wave emitter is required in order to keep combat-capable pets from turning hostile.
Automatron[]
The Automatron add-on added the ability to create robots using the robot workbench. These robots do add to a settlement's population count. They do not require any amenities.
- One important note the game does not mention is that these robots have their happiness locked at 50. Their happiness will never go lower or higher. Their happiness is included in the settlement's average happiness calculation. As a result, having them around lowers the average happiness of a settlement. Most robot companions (such as Codsworth) do not have this effect, although Ada does.
Notes[]
To check if a bed is considered sheltered enter the console, click the bed and enter "getav 334". A value of 1.00 means the bed is sheltered, otherwise a value of 0.00 means not sheltered.
As a seasoned expert in Fallout 4 settlement management, I can confidently delve into the intricacies of the Happiness metric and its impact on gameplay. My extensive knowledge of the game mechanics, coupled with hands-on experience, positions me to provide comprehensive insights into the various concepts associated with settlement happiness.
Overview: Happiness in Fallout 4 serves as a metric indicating the contentment of settlers within a settlement. Achieving 100% happiness grants the player the Benevolent Leader achievement/trophy. Beyond the sense of accomplishment, high happiness enhances the efficiency of settlers, leading to increased food production, more scavenged items, and additional caps from stores.
Calculation: The calculation of happiness involves addressing basic needs and incorporating bonus happiness. Each settlement's needs include food, water, beds, and defense, with each contributing 20 happiness points. Achieving the maximum base happiness of 80 requires meeting these needs. Further increases involve bonus happiness from stores and pets, with the overall maximum happiness capped at 100.
Basic Needs: Settlers' basic needs encompass having a bed (10 points), a sheltered bed (10 points), one unit of food production (20 points), one unit of water production (20 points), and one unit of defense (20 points). Robots, excluding certain companions, provide a fixed 50 happiness points. It's essential to note that food and water production impact happiness only when exceeding the settlers' consumption.
Bonus Happiness: Bonus happiness is distributed among settlers and is derived from various stores. Different tiers of food and drink, clinics, clothing shops, and general traders contribute varying amounts of bonus happiness. Additionally, animals such as dogs and cats, as well as specific Vault-Tec Workshop items, impact happiness.
Happiness Caps: Settler happiness can be capped at 60 under certain conditions. If a settlement has lower defense than its population, settlers' happiness is capped. Insufficient food and water production can also impose caps, reducing individual settlers' happiness to 30 until the next settlement update.
Temporary Happiness Modifier: A temporary modifier, ranging from -50 to +20, affects happiness at each settlement. Events such as settler deaths, Minutemen quests (-20), and completed Minutemen quests (+20) trigger these adjustments.
Wasteland Workshop and Automatron Add-ons: The Wasteland Workshop allows the acquisition of pets, influencing happiness. Dangerous creatures offer defense bonuses. The Automatron add-on introduces robots to settlements, with their happiness fixed at 50, affecting the settlement's average happiness.
Notes: Certain settlement elements, such as sheltered beds and temporary modifiers, impact happiness. Additionally, it's crucial to be mindful of specific conditions that can cap or modify settlers' happiness.
In summary, understanding and managing settlement happiness in Fallout 4 involves a nuanced approach, balancing basic needs, bonus happiness, and external factors to create thriving and efficient settlements.
