Happiness ( Fallout 4 ) Happiness is a gameplay mechanic in " Fallout 4 " which shows how satisfied settlers are in a settlement . Reaching 100 % happiness in any settlement will reward the Benevolent Leader achievement / trophy . How it works . Each store provides some certain happiness bonus . The system sums all bonuses and divides the sum by the number of settlers in your settlement . The result is added to the base 80 % happiness . To know how many stores you need for your settlement , you can use this simple formula : X * 20 = Y , where X is number of settlers in your settlement and Y is total bonus you need for getting additional 20 % happiness . The result can be used to choose stores . In order to get 100 % happiness , sum of all store bonuses in the settlement should be equal Y or higher . For example , for making 100 % happy 2 settlers you need total 40 bonus for your settlement ( 2 * 20 = 40 ) . So for 2 settlers you can use : 1 tier 3 bar ( bonus 40 ) , or 1 tier 3 clinic + 1 junkyard dog ( 30 + 10 ) , or 1 tier 2 bar + 1 tier 2 clinic ( 20 + 20 ) , or 4 junkyard dogs ( 10 * 4 ) , or 1 tier 3 clinic + 1 tier 1 general store ( 30 + 10 ) , etc . it is recommended that , if you ' re having troubles getting to 100 % happiness , that you dismiss any companions to another settlement , as an issue with companions counting as a settler can arise . Happiness sources . Stores . The table below lists the happiness given by stores at a given rank . For further details on how to craft these stores see the settlements article . Animals . The table below lists the increase in happiness in a settlement by having a given animal live there . Note : the gorilla contributes both directly ( by adding 20 points to bonus happiness ) and indirectly ( by adding 10 points to the settlement defense ) to the total happiness of the settlement , so it ' s by far the best creature to have around if you want to make your settlers happy . Basic one settler method . Explanation . This method for obtaining the achievement is based on the way that the game calculates Happiness via several actor values including codice _ 1 being the main factor in raising Happiness beyond a cap of around 80 up to the required 100 which is governed by the codice _ 2 . There is also a modifier which appears to reflect some variables such as success or failure of settlement attacks but this is less important for attaining the achievement this way . The main factor to consider is that , currently , with one Settler assigned the full bonus is applied , so 80 + 20 = 100 . For every additional Settler added the bonus applied is effectively divided between them i . e . ; With 1 x Settler the full Bonus Happiness ( 20 ) from a Bar is applied . It would take 20 x Settlers each assigned to 20 Bars to achieve the same increase . This basic method uses the minimum of resources and just 500 Caps . This is chiefly to reflect the above game mechanic but also to demonstrate that it is possible to get this achievement without a heavy investment in time and perk points . Also , with no resources to damage , there is very little likelihood of an attack . More Defense is fine as is a Rank 3 store but not essential . The other consideration is that , based on the game files , it is only the crafted Store shops which include a reference to " make the settlement happier " in their tooltips , that actually provide Bonus Happiness . No other decorations etc . provide this contrary to a lot of early speculation . There is one other source of this bonus which is the junkyard dog NPC obtained via a random encounter with Gene . It is possible to have more than one which opens up the only current opportunity ( without use of console commands ) to get the achievement at Level 1 with no Charisma or perks . However it is totally random and not easy to do this reliably . With the addition of the " Wasteland Workshop " add - on , a junkyard dog can also be captured using a dog cage . Whether a junkyard dog or another hostile dog is captured is random , but players can change the type of creature that appears by saving before opening the cage , and then reloading until the desired creature appears . The only other variable appears to be penalties for not providing the required basic resources and defense ; or not placing beds under cover for instance . Plus some variance for quests completed , attacks defended or failed which should not factor in this method . Though possible to do this with more settlers , it simply requires a lot more resources for the same end result . Also , if a settlement is being used then the Happiness may well be below 80 and will require even more time to raise . This way gives you 80 Happiness right from the start . Finally , the more resources , turrets , generators etc . the higher the chance of attacks which would further complicate the process . Requirements . It is recommended to use Red Rocket truck stop to do this being a smaller settlement ( less building required to attain yellow / orange size / large settlement stage but note that this may not be necessary ; check below in the method ) but any settlement will work . The main consideration is that it is initially empty and workshop interface stats are at zero other than the base 50 Happiness . Due to the current zero stat bug that can occur when travelling away from settlements , it is recommended not to leave the settlement for the duration of this process . What you will need . A supply line is not necessary ; indeed , it may actually take the resources for other settlements so it is recommended to not have one . No crops planted . No water pumps constructed etc . All Water & Food required for the one Settler should be placed in the workshop storage , sufficient for around 10 - 15 in - game days ( 1 Food / 1 Water per day ) The settler ( not a companion ) is assigned from another settlement . You do need the ability to use the workshop . Method . For the achievement ( based on the tooltip text ) the size bar on the interface must move from green to yellow / orange color which signifies a large settlement . The simplest way to do this if you have not done any scrapping here is to spam craft 91x wooden crate ( 3 wood , 273 total . These can be scrapped afterwards , returning one wood ) . Otherwise just craft these until size turns orange . Note : It may in fact not be necessary to push the settlement size to large as is stated in the achievement tooltip ( and why nearly all guides suggest it ) There are some examples of the achievement being gained while the size was never pushed to large . The choice is up to the player whether they try without or with to be sure . If the choice is without pushing to large size and the achievement doesn ' t register , then follow the original instructions and try that way . 6 . Once confirmed move an existing Settler from another settlement via the workshop interface to the prepared settlement and assign to the Bar store . If all went as planned you now have a settlement with Happiness 80 already ( which appears to be the maximum level with no bonus ) The process should now have started . The Happiness should have reached the maximum 80 without the bonus and there should be an green Up Arrow next to Happiness indicating it will increase to the Happiness Target . Now we have the pretty tedious part which is unavoidable because the rate at which Happiness will rise is governed , at least partly , by time played and not just in - game time . So you can ' t simply Sleep for 10 days and have the Settlement reach 100 in a matter of minutes . It is suggested to make saves after each up tick to ensure progress is not lost due to a crash etc . Suggested Daily ( In - game ) Routine . Once the settler is assigned it is suggested to use the following daily ( in - game ) routine ; First day it wont rise so sit in a chair and Wait until 8 : 00PM then : 8 : 00PM > 8 : 00AM Sleep ( make another Sleeping Bag for this is easiest . or just Wait ) 8 : 00AM > 12 : 00PM Just open the workshop window and idle in - game and watch for the Happiness to tick upwards . Often it will happen within 1 - 2 actual minutes , if so then move to next stage . If not wait for around 10 - 15 real minutes then move to next stage regardless if it ticked up or not . 12 : 00PM > 8 : 00PM Use a chair and Wait , then repeat cycle and sleep until the next in - game day . Repeat until Happiness 100 and the achievement pops up . Around 10 in - game days Note : It is also possible to simply leave the game window open and go AFK . However this routine appears to speed up the process if you prefer to get it done faster and can actively manage it . Also there is always the chance of a random attack and the defense getting damaged which will drop the Happiness value , while AFK . Notice that as the Happiness rises closer to the target 100 the daily up tick decreases until you only get + 1 each day for the last points . Something like this ; 80 > 84 > 88 > 91 > 93 > 95 > 96 > 97 > 98 > 99 > 100 After approximately 10 in - game days it should reach Happiness 100 and the achievement will trigger . Method with Clinics and 20 settlers . This achievement / trophy is , by common consent , the most arduous one to unlock as it requires an enormous investment in resources and even more in time . The following tips are proven to work . Since this method will most likely make a painful dent in your budget and can result in a lot of trouble with other settlements , it is advised to run it on a separate save and reload once the achievement has been unlocked . Requirements : 1 . Choose a suitable settlement . The Starlight Drive In is a good choice , although many players prefer Sanctuary Hills . Note that Sanctuary Hills is prone to several glitches and bugs , such as Mama Murphy taking up a settler slot without doing anything to support the settlement , which makes unlocking the achievement much more difficult . 2 . Supply your settlement with everything that ' s necessary to support a full population of 20 settlers - 20 beds ( type doesn ' t matter ) , 20 food , 20 water and at least 100 defense . The beds need to be placed under a roof . A radio beacon is of course necessary to attract settlers ; alternatively you can transfer personnel from other settlements . Decorate the settlement with reasonable amounts of paintings , active TVs and other recreational equipment until the " Size " bar in the upper right corner turns yellow ( this also fulfills the trophy requirement of a " large settlement " ) . 3 . Assign four settlers to food production . If possible , equip them with clothing you can easily recognize - this will help with keeping the workers apart later on . 4 . Build 16 Surgery Centers ( tier 3 clinics from the Shops menu ) and assign them settlers as they arrive . Again , equipping them with distinctive clothing is helpful to keep them apart from new arrivals and the crop farmers . Make sure every single one of your settlers is given a task , as idleness decreases their happiness . Your happiness rating should already be climbing by now , which is denoted by a green upward arrow next to the count . 5 . Once all this is done , wait without leaving the settlement . Leaving often glitches the settlement ratings and causes them to decrease for no apparent reason , so you ' re stuck in town until you have the achievement . This is easily the most annoying part of the whole process since the happiness score increases very , VERY slowly . Anything from 2 to 13 real - time hours has been reported necessary to max out the happiness rating , depending on the initial value . To speed up the process , sit down somewhere in - game and wait ( ' T ' button on PC ) for 12 hours . Stand up , check the happiness . If nothing has changed , repeat . If the score has increased , sleep for 24 hours , rinse and repeat . Keep an ear open for any sounds of combat in the meantime and defend your settlement if the need arises . If everything has been done correctly , the achievement / trophy will eventually pop up . Note that this is one possible approach to becoming a Benevolent Leader , though seemingly the only one that effectively works at this time . Other players have achieved the same result at other settlements with fewer settlers and correspondingly fewer shops , but the overall strategy remained the same . Additional Remarks