Five more things to do first in Fallout 4

It has been seven months since Fallout 4 was first released, and it is still one of the most talked-about games in the industry right now. With so much to do in the game, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with all the content.

Have no fear though, because I am here to help guide you through the commonwealth. So here are five more things to do first in Fallout 4

This is a follow-up to my previous article "Five Things to do First in Fallout 4."

5. Play around with mods

If you are on Xbox One, PC, or PS4 -- and if you are reading this after mods have arrived -- then I suggest that you look at some fun mods before you start the game. Two that I would recommend downloading right away are "Everyone's best friend" and "Spring in the commonwealth". Both change the game in a big way and it's nice to have them both enabled right from the start.

"Everyone's best friend" allows you to have Dogmeat and another companion with you at all times (the way the game was meant to be played).

"Spring in the Commonwealth" adds greenery throughout the game. Flowers, grass, and trees with leaves may seem like small changes but it truly feels like a different game with this mod.    

4. Play on survival difficulty

Survival difficulty is the ultimate test of your skills. With survival mode on, the game is as hard as it can possibly be. You need to sleep, eat, drink water, take antibiotics, you can't fast travel, and enemies are at their strongest. Oh, and did I mention you can only save when you sleep at a bed, otherwise you're out of luck? Playing on this mode is as realistic as the game can be -- and believe me, it's pretty tough.

3. Keep and collect as much pre-war money as you can

Not only does pre-war money come in handy when crafting (it counts as cloth) but it can also be sold for a decent amount of caps. Each stack of pre-war money can be sold for 9 caps at any vendor. If you have 100 stacks, which is pretty easy to find in the early game, that's 900 caps right there. That money can really help when starting out the game, especially on survival difficulty. And the best part is it doesn't weigh a thing.

2. Build yourself a base of operations. 

One of the most important things to a good Fallout 4 playthrough is having a good place to call home. Sanctuary Hills is a nice place to use because it is found early on in the game. My personal favorite is Spectacle Island -- an island located on the east side of the map around the middle. I like to use this settlement because it is the largest settlement on the map, but it is hard to get to early on in the game.

Regardless of where you pick, fix up your settlement and build yourself a nice home. Make sure to have one of each kind of crafting station (weapons bench, armor workstation, etc.), but most importantly make sure you have a power armor station. Having all of the crafting stations will allow you to make and upgrade things without having to go out and buy them. Why look for duct tape when you can make vegetable starch at a cooking station which works as an adhesive?

1. Pit Marcy Long against a Deathclaw

One of the most annoying characters in gaming history is Miss Negative Nancy, aka Marcy Long. All she ever does is criticize you and complain about everything. I swear she could complain that water is too wet and the sheets on her bed are too soft. 

The best way to take care of her is to make her fight for the rest of her life. What you need to do is build a fighting arena. Use Marcy as one of the fighters and give her either a crappy weapon or nothing at all. Then you need to trap yourself a Deathclaw, build a cage and wait. Once you have a Deathclaw captured, bring Marcy to the arena and release the Deathclaw. The two will fight and bring you much joy. Even if Marcy somehow manages to kill it, she will still be stuck in the arena. You can thank me later.

So there you have it, 5 tips to help guide you through the Commonwealth and help you stay alive. I hope these tips help you as you start out your journey through Fallout 4.

Have a tip I didn't cover? Leave it in the comments so others can see it. Good luck out there -- and remember: war never changes.