The world of Fallout 4 is populated by all sorts of hostile enemies, with one of the most common being the raiders. These groups of bandits roam what remains of the Commonwealth, pillaging other settlements and leaving peaceful civilians dead in their wake.
While many raiders might have turned to the violent lifestyle out of necessity, some have embraced their vicious ways. Others have even developed strange practices, suggesting that many of the raiders of the Commonwealth have truly gone insane. In Fallout 4, the Sole Survivor can learn of such practices by exploring some of the raider-infested locations on the map.
East Boston Preparatory School
The East Boston Preparatory School can be found northwest of the Fallout 4 settlement Nordhagen Beach, and south of County Crossing. The main entrance to the structure is quite welcoming, with lights hung along the pathway, as well as signs that read “Purified water ahead” and “Traders welcome.” What’s suspicious, however, is the lack of guards stationed around the front door and even within the facility. As it turns out, the old preparatory school has become a base for a group of raiders led by Judge Zeller. They aren’t average raiders, as they practice a brutal way of recruiting new members.
Should the player get rid of the Fallout 4 raiders within the school, they’ll find that each fallen raider has a note labeled “Blood Contract” on them. The contract contains this ominous message: “With my blood I do swear my life to the Judge and his Jury until the end, upon pain of torture and death.” Further into the building, the player can also find a terminal with a record of all the new recruits, as well as empty makeshift cells. The terminal entries detail how each of the recruits was tortured — from immolation to starvation, and even tooth removal.
Judge Zeller had orchestrated all this to get more (unwilling) wastelanders to join his raider army. He and his band used cruel torture techniques to get prisoners to agree to the blood contract, forcing them to follow Zeller’s orders. Some recruits succumbed to the torture, while others were simply killed off. Luckily, the Sole Survivor can accept a job from Mayor Kessler of Bunker Hill in Fallout 4 to wipe out Zeller and his small army, putting an end to their barbaric recruitment methods.
D.B. Technical High School
The D.B. Technical High School is another raider-infested landmark. Located directly south of the Combat Zone (where the player can find Cait in Fallout 4), it’s currently inhabited by a small band of raiders led by a man named Bosco. The high school was the group’s base of operations while they raided nearby structures in an attempt to capture the entire downtown area of Boston. According to Bosco’s terminal entries, he, Cleaver, and Torque managed to secure Shamrock Taphouse. Their last goal was Back Street Apparel to the northwest.
However, before they could go out and capture Back Street Apparel, Torque’s dog bit into Bosco’s arm. After that, Bosco’s mental state slowly got worse. It started with frequent blackouts and a worsening temper. Soon, it devolved into paranoia, with Bosco believing that his own crew was out to get him. He and his group managed to raid Back Street Apparel. However, since they returned to the high school, Bosco moved to the basement and stayed there, making the Fallout 4 location much creepier. That area was flooded, so Bosco drank from there because he was wary of the other raiders poisoning him.
Then, Bosco began seeing some sort of beast in the basement. It wasn’t a beast, however, but an old mascot head in the shape of a bear — a unique piece of armor in Fallout 4. Bosco put it on and started killing off the rest of the raiders to “make a statement.” When the Sole Survivor arrives at the high school, they can find Bosco in the swimming pool room in the lower level, still wearing the bear mascot head. Killing him puts an end to his misery and also allows the player to take the headwear for themselves.
Saugus Ironworks
Lastly is the Saugus Ironworks facility directly south of The Slog (where the player can also get the Explosives Bobblehead of Fallout 4). This is likely a location many players who joined the Minutemen are familiar with, as it’s involved in the side quest “Out of the Fire.” In this quest, the Sole Survivor must retrieve Abraham Finch’s heirloom sword from a band of raiders in order to ally with their settlement, Finch Farm. The player can also opt to save Abraham’s son, Jake, who has joined the band of raiders.
The raiders stationed at Saugus Ironworks aren’t the typical raiders. They’re part of a group known as the Forged, a raider faction obsessed with fire and metal. This group is open to any wastelander of Fallout joining them, so long as they pass the Trials. While it’s unclear what these Trials are, the leader of the Forged, Slag, has a long list of recruits who failed at them. The consequences of failure are gnarly — from amputating the failed recruit’s limbs, to feeding them and the rest of their family to the forge.
Jake from Finch Farm was given some special treatment, as he brought Abraham’s special sword with him to give to Slag. When the Sole Survivor arrives in the blast furnace room of Saugus Ironworks, Jake’s being given one final chance to prove himself to the Forged. Slag demands that he kill the imprisoned settler, or else he’s out. At this point, the player can either convince him to comply or walk away. After, a fight will break out wherein the Sole Survivor has to kill Slag and loot the Shishkebab, an excellent melee weapon in Fallout 4, off his body.
There are plenty of interesting characters in Fallout 4, and some happen to be raiders who’ve gone off their rockers. The likes of Slag and Zeller are heathens who’ve fully embraced the violence that comes with being a raider, while poor saps like Bosco are doomed to live their lives in an insane daze. Overall, it makes the Commonwealth of Fallout 4 a much more interesting but certainly more dangerous place.
Fallout 4 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
