Raiders ( Fallout 4 ) Raiders are a group of hostile gangs spread throughout the Commonwealth and Boston in the 23rd century . Background . Unlike other factions , raiders are not an established organization , but rather a collective term for the countless groups of bandits , thieves , murderers , junkies , sociopaths and psychopaths who dwell in the Commonwealth and its ruins . They have no true " society , " living simply by the philosophy that might makes right and killing anyone who gets in their way . Most raider gangs are small , consisting of up to a couple dozen members and make a living scavenging the ruins of Boston , as well as through robbery , extortion and the manufacture / selling of chems . Raiders are notoriously cruel and merciless , shooting any non - raider on sight . Although they are not nearly as powerful as other dangerous groups like the super mutants or Gunners , they make up for it through scare tactics via their ruthless reputation and their intimidating mannerisms . The bases they build in the ruins are often decorated with graffiti and the mutilated bones and bodies of previous victims , and their outfits and weapons are equally crude and low - tech , built from scrap metal and other junk . Some gangs of raiders have a roughly - established hierarchy : lower - ranking members wear very basic armor and clothing and wield low - tech pipe weapons , while higher - ranking members wear more impressive armor and wield more powerful weapons , such as assault rifles and various heavy weapons , including the Fat Man . Some raider leaders even wear their own power armor . The equipment of the various raider gangs will vary depending on location . For example , the raiders at Dunwich Borers will all equip mining helmets , as opposed to raiders in more generic locations . Variants . Raider . A common raider is the weakest of the cannon fodder found in " Fallout 4 " . Even the greenest of players should have little trouble in dispatching several of them . Armed with pipe guns and little health , they tend to survive only a few hits , even from early game weapons , before succumbing . New players should be warned that they usually travel with stronger variants and on occasion , a boss . Raider scum . Raider scum are little more than raiders with slightly beefed up stats . They usually are armed with pipe weapons and crudely made welded armor , and also leather armor . The armor they equip may also have a few low level upgrades on them . Low level players may find these opponents somewhat challenging . However , after several weapon upgrades and a few levels they should fall with little effort . Raider psycho . Psychos are melee - dependant chem using raiders that charge at their enemies and may throw grenades . Raider scavver . Raider scavvers are basic raiders that may have a wider assortment of armor or weapons ; they are the most common raiders that will spawn in raider power armor . Raider Scavvers are also the lowest level raider that can occasionally be seen with the " Sturdy " variant of raider armor . Raider waster . Wasters are a medium to high level raider . They are the lowest level raider type that can be found with combat armor , and rarely also " Heavy " raider armor . Raider survivalist . Stronger than the raider scum and raider psychos , Survivalists tend to have more health and hit harder . They will typically hide behind objects and blindfire around them . When changing hiding positions they will take well aimed shots that are best avoided . Not terribly strong but still caution should be taken when encountering these . Raider veteran . Raider veterans are battle - hardened warriors . They are among the toughest raiders . These veterans are raiders who have managed to survive the perils of the wasteland for the longest amount of time . Given the dangers associated with the profession , it should come as no surprise that these enemies can pose quite a challenge . Armed with military grade weapons such as combat rifles , assault rifles , and on occasion laser weapons . These enemies are further bolstered by a high health pool and segments of combat armor . They are almost never encountered alone , in fact they sometimes act as bosses for mid level areas . Raider veterans around Hyde Park and Quincy Quarries may be seen with " sturdy " combat armor , making them a somewhat easy source to acquire said armor , along with " Heavy " raider , leather and even metal armor . Raider boss . Raider bosses are unique , named raiders who lead a particular group of raiders and can be found at various specific locations . Raider bosses have the same stats as one of the regular raider types , depending on the player ' s level , although they typically spawn at a higher tier than their regular raider minions ( i . e . if the raiders in the location spawn as raider psychos and raider scum , the location boss may have the stats of a raider waster ) . Some of them are also equipped with better - than - normal equipment , such as power armor . An example of a raider boss is Boomer , the raider boss in Outpost Zimonja . Appearances . Raiders appear in " Fallout 4 " and its add - ons " Vault - Tec Workshop " and " Nuka - World " .