Building Robots, Weapons & Mechanist Quests (2024)

Guide to Robots, Mechanist Quests, and Gameplay Features

Automatron Trailer

Fallout 4's Automatron DLC is available now in most countries. This Guide covers its major features. I cannot do so in-depth yet as I've just got my hands on it myself, but I'm providing some insight into how things work for players who are either new and inexperienced, or contemplating the purchase of this DLC. This section of the guide will be vastly expanded in the coming week. Automatron is available on all platforms - PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Quick Tips for Automatron

• Quests (and level requirement) - while the bulk of the DLC is in the new robot-building system, we will get a radio signal to help us meet up with Ada and begin the quests to track down the Mechanist. Evidently, we will need to be level 15. Some players have said it is challenging at that level and power armor may come in handy.
• Where to find the Robot Workbench - It is in the Workshop > Special menu, after you have met Ada (ie after the first quest). You can begin upgrading her as soon as you construct this in one of your Settlements.
• Robotics Expert (Perk) will be much more usful in the DLC, as it will be used as a requirement to upgrade your robots with unstable (more powerful) parts that can break, and likely come in handy during combat with more robots around. You can now use a scope to hack a robot from afar. Unfortunately, these unstable upgrades are not automatically repaired as the regular upgrades are. Take that into consideration, and look at the available upgrades to see if you'll need it for your robot.
• How to Get Schematics will come from the new robots added via DLC, but not run-of-the-mill Assaultrons and Synths you encounter. After the first quest, killing Mechanist robots will drop mods. When you get one, you've permanently learned the schematic for that part. There are a lot of parts to find!
• Unlimited Robots, but Limited Followers - we will still only get one follower, however you can have more than one (and possibly many) robotic companions built for different situations. You can evidently send them to different settlements, as well.
• Stockpile Advanced Crafting Materials - Items like fiber optics, plastic, and nuclear material are going to be more important (and scarce) than ever. You'll need a lot more than before, especially if you're going to build multiple advanced robots.
• Robots do not require frames - we will get to build robots from nothing, so no limiter other than the materials you have available to you. The normal robot will be like a protectron, though it's clear far more advanced types are available.

The Mechanist and Robobrain

An evil mechanist has unleashed a horde of robots across the Commonwealth and you're able to hunt them down while pursing the quest. The robots also wander the Commonwealth so that you can find them at random and collect new types of robot parts. Several quests are included, and given out by a new character named Ava. Robobrains from previous Fallout titles will return as enemies, and are just under a Sentry bot in terms of difficulty (depending what they are equipped with). They were convicts turned into cyborgs to be used for military purposes, and certainly fit in with the lore in this DLC - a maniac building robots would not be above such a thing.

Battle Robots to build Automatrons
Fighting the new robots will be a key part of the new DLC. We will hunt them for new schematics, which will in turn let us build better robots at the new Robot Workbench crafting station. Hunting robots will undoubtedly lead to other discoveries - marked locations we've missed, more wandering, and some interesting scenarios if they mix in with other enemies. That's a big selling point for me, but the next known gameplay feature is even more exciting. I may yet drop lone wanderer!

As you kill robots, parts will drop that can be found under Inventory > Mods. Once you've found one, you know the schematics and can then make that part at the Robot Workbench at any time. Gradually killing more robots, you'll eventually know how to make every part but still be hindered by your perks in terms of what you can and cannot build. Everything from Blacksmith (melee) to Science! and a dash of Robot Expert here and there are used.

Build Robot Companions

From killing the robots, you'll get schematics, scrap and parts that can be used to make your own, customizable robot - and they are quite cool as we can see in the release trailer. You are not limited to one creation, though only one can follow you at a time. Create different types and mix and match parts to make our own, unique companion for different situations. You could make one with high carry capacity and slow speed that functions as a pack mule, or a tank that battles in melee with high damage and energy resistance. Robots can also be healed with a new type of item (Robot Repair Kit), though Stimpaks will not work on them. You don't need to hotkey it, just walk up to the robot when it's crippled and press the button you would normally. They recover naturally just like other companions if you don't want to waste these.

New Faction, Armor, and Weapons

There is a new faction to fight (not join) in the DLC - Rust Devils, along with a new Lightning Cannon (which functions as a rifle and thus benefits from Rifleman) and 2 new melee weapons (Mr. Handy and Assaultron Blade). An Assaultron head can be used as a pistol, firing the powerful eye beam that normally precedes the death of a character. You can outfit your robots with many types of weapons, but these are the kind you can use for yourself. There are also a few pieces of T-60 Tesla Armor that can be used, so a new kind of Power Armor, along with armor that drops from the Mechanist (and can be upgraded with ballistic weave), though you may not want to kill them to get it. Lastly there is a new type of normal armor - robot armor - which has a full set of arms, legs, and torso and is fully upgradeable like other armor.

Getting Started in Automatron

A guide to making Robots can be found here. I've written walkthroughs to Getting started in the DLC which will help clear up how some things work for players who are new, and set you on a path to collecting parts for your Automatrons. The third quest, "Headhunting, is also covered as well as the final Quest Restoring Order, in which you deal with the Mechanist. You'll find info on the rewards after completing the Mechanist story on this page: Mechanist's Lair, Rogue Robots and the Eyebot.