Settlement

**Settlements** is one of the overhauls introduced in Horizon. A large settlement can rise to *Community* status which gives various bonuses focused on missions, or a settlement can remain a small Expedition Camp and receive bonuses to producing raw materials. Settlers can take mission jobs and complete Missions in order to bring rewards and gain global Settler skills, or to work in faсtories and farms.

Additionally, settlements can attract Tenants, non-settlers who are invisible ingame. These help generate Income by paying rent. Tenants can also work in leased factories to support production.

## Settler Recruitment

Settler recruitment in Horizon is possible via Recruitment Stations (similar to vanilla recruitment radio beacons) and a new system using rewarded radios to call in settlers. Furthermore the player is able to recruit Synth Settlers (Gen 1 and 2), able to do most jobs, by using special caller devices which can be crafted in the Tech Lab.

In the recruitment station, recruitment can be limited to 5, 15, or turned off.

### Settler Recruitment Radio

This item, obtained from various missions and accomplishments, allows to call one settler to the local settlement. It can be used in the Pip-Boy "Aid" tab. Each settler queued takes ~6 seconds to arrive and up to 10 settlers can be queued in this way. Settler mission "Assault" has a high chance, and settler mission "Entertainer" has a small chance to yield a radio.

### Recruitment Chance

Every day, 1 chance is added for recruitment. Chance is based on different factors such as: available food/water/beds, happiness, and workshop level upgrades. Every time a settlement is visited, the recruitment system rolls the queued chances and settlers are recruited if chances succeed.

Up to 30 chances can be stored at one time (i.e. 30 days) and a maximum of 10 settlers can be recruited at one time.

#### Daily Chance

* Base chance = 10%
* Available Food for a new settler = +10%
* Available Water for a new settler = +10%
* A Bed for a new settler = +5%
* 2 available Defense for a new settler = +5%
* Workshop Technology = +1% for every level above 1
* Workshop Trading = +1% for every level above 1
* Happiness = +0.5% for every happiness above 60% (100% happiness = +20% chance)

1 Recruitment Cycle = 24/16 hours (in-game) = 72/48 minutes (real-time) with Timescale 20/10.

#### Hidden Chance

Recruitment receives a hidden +25% chance for;

* the first settler for each settlement (shares the same flag as the vanilla beacon).
* the first 10 settlers recruited from Horizon stations (globally).

This gives new games a chance to get a kickstart, and represents the chance of extra settlers roaming before a settlement exist.

### Unique NPC Recruitment

Unique NPCs can be persuaded to join an owned settlement, if the requirements are met[*citation needed*].

* Doc Anderson
* Anne Hargraves
* Buddy
* Jezebel
* Ron Staples
* Trader Rylee
* The Scribe
* Smiling Larry
* Shaun (synth)
* Sheffield
* Tina De Luca
* Vault-Tec rep

### Obtaining

*Main article:* Guide/Settlement Take Over
Settlements can be obtained by doing quests issued by locals, through Minuteman quests, or just by killing either enemies or settlers present. See the guide for details.

### Scrapping

In Horizon, there are many more objects with revised components that can be scrapped in a settlement. Each settlement can be scrapped as usual by hand or through Horizon's own Scrap Cleanup Station. The cleanup station can be found in Architect > Utilities. After use and depending on the selection, the station automatically scraps objects in a settlement. It can also hide unique settlement structures.

Another option to scrap settlements is to use a Control Panel. Control panels are part of the the Enhanced Settlements addon. Example: A control panel can have the bridge partially or fully repaired in Sanctuary Hills or restore/hide the houses in Sunshine Tidings, etc.

* `scrapall`
* Control Panel

❗ `scrapall` is not recommended! Scrapall is known for destroying settler navigation points (Precombined Meshes, Navmeshes) and scrap objects outside of a settlement. In rare cases it can lead to a CTD. By scrapping precombined meshes (navmeshes) the game is forced to re-render in real-time thus performance suffers especially with increased game progress.

## Statistics

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Every settler requires a certain amount of basic needs such as water, food, defense, beds, etc. to be happy. These requirements interact with each other; defense builds on water and food, recruitment chance depends on basic needs and so does happiness.

 (Vanilla) Settlement statistics can sometimes not be displayed properly in the Pip-boy menu. This is due to engine limitations in pre-rendering cells and can be perceived occasionally. This is called "Display Bug" or "Resource Display Bug".

### Food

Increased by placing food objects from Architect workshop menu. Settlers require 1 unit of food to be happy. Excess food produces Settler Rations which are stored in the local workbench.

Excess food will not be automatically stored in the workshop at any settlement whose workshop already contains more than 10 food items (including items that cannot be produced by settlement resources, like meat, gumdrops, etc). This cap on excess food storage increases by 1 per settlement population.

Food and water affect defense rating. 1 food and 1 water needs 2 extra defense.

### Water

Increased by placing water objects from vanilla workshop menu. Settler require 1 unit of water to be happy. Excess water is stored into the local workbench as Dirty Water. Water can be purified with at least 1 purifier module, 1 water purification unit and a work order. Most water objects are depended to a Workshop Technology.

Excess water will be automatically stored in the workshop at any settlement whose workshop already contains more than 5 water items (including items that cannot be produced by settlement resources, like dirty water, alcohol, etc). This cap increases by 1 per every 4 settlers[*citation needed*].

Water pumps and purifiers can be damaged during a settlement attack.

Food and water affect defense rating. 1 food and 1 water needs 2 extra defense.

### Power

Power is used to power anything that needs electricity. Distance of power lines is largely enhanced in Horizon. As opposed to vanilla FO4, Architect unlocks lights, defense turrets and many other buildings that don't require power anymore, since power is affected by multiple vanilla bugs.

Generators can be damaged during a settlement attack.

### Defense

Measures the apparent defense of a settlement based on defense ratings. Provided by workshop building objects; mines and traps don't count toward settlement defense rating. Some creatures can be captured using cages (Wasteland Workshop), which benefit defense rating. Certificates can be purchased in order to build "Guard Animals", much more advanced animals than e.g. the junkyard dog from Gene, to increase defense too.

Every settler requires one defense to stay happy. Settlers can be equipped with armor and weapons using the Settler Outfitter. Settlers themselves do not contribute to the defense rating, rather, well armed settlers will be better at repelling attacks, provided the player character is present.

A siren can be built near a guard post which the guard will activate upon spotting an enemy to alert settlers.

### Beds

Every settler requires one bed to be happy; ideally, the bed should be covered from rainfall. Settlers assign themselves to available beds automatically. In rare cases settlers may not assign themself to beds. Scrapping all preexisting beds and building new ones may help avoid this problem.

Horizon allows to place Buildings which can include beds based on layout.

### Happiness

Happiness primarily correlates with providing for the needs of the Settlers. Each Settler needs:

* -1 Food: 20 Happiness
* -1 Water: 20 Happiness
* -2 Defense: 20 Happiness
* -1 Bed: 20 Happiness
* Total **80** Happiness

Each need (food, water, beds, and defense) accounts for 20 happiness thus allowimg a maximum of 80 happiness. Reaching 100 happiness requires stores, decorations, certain production buildings and other things that increase happiness, as well as pets. Each robot settler (excluding most robot companions, such as Codsworth, but including Ada) instead provides 50 happiness points at all times. Although synth settlers are strictly robots, they are not treated as such in Horizon and demand the same needs as human settlers.

Synth infiltrators (Suspected Synth) count as normal settlers and don't affect happiness..

Recruitment Chance: +0.5% for every happiness above 60% (100% happiness = +20% chance). Having high happiness and/or high Wellness will attract a few extra Tenants.

### Size

*See: Field Kit • Settlement Options Menu*

Shows number of objects that have been placed in a settlement. Existing and/or user-built objects takes up settlement size. If size is maxed, other objects must be scrapped in order to place more building objects. This limit comes from vanilla and is rather arbitrary, it can be increased without any cost.

* Settlement building budget can be increased in Horizon at any time using the Settlement Options Menu in the Field Kit.
* Settlement objects can be scrapped automatically using the Scrap Cleanup Station.

Large amounts of objects may cause frame rate issues and lag while in that settlement. The can be largely avoided using Buildings and Foundations as well as any other Architect building object since most buildings in Horizon are optimized to limit frame rate issues.

## Advanced Statistics

New settlement statistics have been added, which add more depth to settlement communities and progression

* Stability – How well the settlement is doing overall (see more on this below)
* Wellness – How healthy settlers are on average (see more on this below)
* Sanitation – Is the settlement being cleaned up of unhealthy garbage
* Sewage Treatment – Does the settlement have a working sewage system
* Heating – Does the settlement have functioning heating or hot water (either count)
* Refrigeration – Does the settlement have any working refrigeration units

This system is not complete yet. Some of these statistics aren't fully used yet, but are planned to be in upcoming patches.

### Stability

This new workshop statistic determines how balanced each settlement is. Not having enough food, water, beds for settlers will decrease it (per settler)

* Settlements under 15 settlers can never fully reach 100% stability
* Happiness under 75% loses stability (even moreso under 65%, 55%, and 45%)
* Wellness under 75% loses stability (even moreso under 60%, 50%, and 40%)
* Stability stops dropping at 10% (which is really bad anyway)

### Wellness

This new workshop statistic determines how healthy settlers are in each settlement. Wellness has huge influence in Tenants and will higher their population and rent: Vendor Credit income.

**Decrease** – not having ...

* enough food, water, beds for settlers will decrease health conditions (per settler)
* any Doctors decreases Wellness by 30%
* any Sewage Treatment decreases Wellness by 5%
* any Sanitation decreases Wellness by 5%
* any Water Purification Units decreases Wellness by 10%

Wellness stops dropping at 10% (which is really bad anyway)

**Increase** – Settlements with any amount of

* Heating will gain a bonus of +5%
* Refrigeration will gain a bonus of +5%

Heating and Refrigeration can potentially help offset the need for missing resources like a purification unit.

## Progression

### Community

When a settlement reaches

* 15 Settlers
* 75% Happiness

it becomes a **Community**. Having multiple communities brings different bonuses and features:

* Unlock more Mission Slots
* Extend Production Limits

Production limits are tied to game progress and installation, i.e. Desolation Mode greatly reduces the respective maximum of a product compared to default Horizon.

### Specialized Communities

Settlements acquire **Specialized Community** status once they match the requirements. A settlement can only be one type of Community. If the requirements for multiple communities are met, the settlement becomes the community with the highest "priority". Requirement progress can be seen in a Recruitment Station. Community type can be manually set from eligible ones in the Command Table or Recruitment Station.

Certain Settlement Communities unlock Mission Slots. Mission Slots increase the number of settlers that can be sent on Missions. As of 1.9 mission job bonuses are balanced around having one Science community, one Industrial community and two of all the others.

* Fishing Traps, Small Animal Trap, Chicken Coop
* Hunters
* Milk Brahmin
 Science Outpost
* Research Library
* Research Mainframe
* Research Station
* Engineer
 Trading Market
* Shipping Manager
* Vendor Stall
 Military Outpost
* 100 Defense rating
 Recreational Park
* Many bonus happiness buildings
 Industrial Park

## Settlement Attacks

In case of an attack the player will be alerted and can intervene to support settlers during an attack. Settlement attacks are based on the cell the settlement is located in[*citation needed*]. In general, settlements located further south will face tougher enemies.

* 1 point of defense lowers the chance of an attack by 1%.
* 1 settler lowers the chance of an attack by 0.5%, in addition to any other defensive value the settler provides.
* 1 food and water production at the settlement increases the chance of attack by 0.1%.
* Each edible and/or drinkable item stored in a settlement's workbench increases the chance of attack by 0.1%.

The minimum chance of an attack per day is 2%, regardless of defenses. A settlement can't be attacked if it has been attacked in the last 7 in-game days.

### PC Intervention

Any friendly NPC present, including settlers, companions, Automatron robots, can assist the settlement if attacked, if the player character will intervene.

The normal combat system is used in case of a PC intervertion thus turrets, traps and mines can also be involved in defending the settlement. Fighting continues until all attackers or the PC is dead.

### No PC Intervention

If the player doesn't intervene or help a settlement to defend in time the attack will be resolved off-screen.

### Scripted Attacks

Several quests (such as Minutemen quests) include scripted settlement attacks which use similar mechanics, but with greater rewards and consequences for failure.

### Damage

The combat system determines damage caused to settlement objects. Friendly fire is just as capable of damaging settlement objects as enemy fire. It is also possible for the player character to inadvertently kill friendly NPCs during the battle which can be circumvented using essential settlers in Horizon.

Failing to defend a settlement attack will cause damage to various settlement objects, permanent loss of some inventory items and reduction to workshop statistics. Turrets, water pumps, purifiers, generators, and crops can be damaged and thus wil no longer function. If the player character doesn't intervene, damage will be applied to a random selection of settlement objects. Quests will also apply damage to settlements from time to time. This damage will repair itself over time.

Settlement object damage repairs will consume the required materials from the workshop or supply lines automatically. The player can decide to repair building objects manually via the workshop menu.  It is possible to store damaged settlement objects in workshop mode and rebuild without paying any repair cost.

## Technical Issues

🌀 *The content below transcludes to Technical Issues.*
* Display bug: Settlement statistics may not be displayed temporarily, corectly, depending on amount of script (lag). This leads to insufficient power, which in turn makes power dependend buildings that produce goods temporarily unusable.
	+ Since power is tied to and a whole range of statistics, they are all equally affected, i.e. they are not displayed correctly. Display is the keyword, the function of the mechanics that is tied to the retrieved statistics should work. Whether this is a pure vanilla Fo4 bug is unclear.
* In Vanilla FO4 and Horizon, having more than 21 settlers in every settlement starts to cause extra lag and other workshop problems. This can currently be avoided with Tenants, Leased Utility Buildings, setting Settler Recruitment to 15 settlers per settlement (Recruitment Staion), etc.
* Communities aren't finish yet. A community unlocks a mission slot, etc., but its use is currently limited.
	+ Recreational Community requirements are almost impossible to achieve.
* The Advanced Settlement Statistics system, e.g. Stability, Wellness, Sanitation, Sewage Treatment, Heating, Refrigeration, is not complete yet. Some of these statistics aren't fully used, but are planned to be in upcoming patches.
* The Charles River usually includes no seawater. The river flows against the ocean. Egret Tours Marinas has the ability to place a Seawater Extractor which logically shouldn't be possible. Finch Farm instead is connected to the ocean but not considered to in Horizon as of version: 1.8.0-BETA7.
* Navmesh: Settler may stand around during night-time, without finding their way to a bed, this is a navmesh issue.
* Settlement attack: It is possible to store damaged settlement objects in workshop mode and rebuild without paying any repair cost.

## See Also

* Development/Settlement
* Enhanced Settlements
* Architect
* Settler
* Tenant
* Guide/Settlement Building
* Guide/Settlement Building Limitations

## References

1. ↑ https://steamcommunity.com/app/377160/discussions/0/2579854400736484264/
2. ↑ https://steamcommunity.com/app/377160/discussions/0/154643214753572566/#c154643249631641924
3. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/falloutsettlements/comments/jjejky/so\_for\_some\_reason\_my\_settlers\_constantly\_group/gacthut/?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
4. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/fo4/comments/3wsm19/how\_do\_i\_remove\_synth\_infiltrators\_from\_a/
5. ↑ https://discord.com/channels/436824471295361025/436824471295361027/958416778709590076