The Ultimate Guide on What Order to Play Fallout 4 DLC

As a long-time Fallout fanatic and gaming content producer, I am here to provide the definitive order for tackling Fallout 4‘s massive world plus all its epic DLC expansions. From Automatron to Nuka World, this guide covers everything you need to know about getting the perfect, most cohesive and exciting Fallout 4 experience!

The Optimal Order for Playing Fallout 4 DLC:

1. Complete the Fallout 4 main story questline
2. Install the Automatron DLC
3. Download the Wasteland Workshop DLC
4. Play through the Far Harbor DLC
5. Build settlements with Contraptions Workshop
6. Construct your own Vault with Vault-Tec Workshop
7. Finish off with the Nuka-World DLC for maximum fun

Why Follow This Order?

Bethesda crafted an intricate world full of choice, factions, and possibility – but also assumed most players finish the main story before diving into DLC content. As such, playing the expansions in release order ensures references, characters, and connections to the main story all align. Jumping into the latest add-on first can create confusing situations or story inconsistencies.

Additionally, certain DLC areas feature high difficulty combat challenges balanced around a level 30+ protagonist. Starting too early can lead to frustration. My prescribed order eases you into new adventures, unlocking sweet weapons and armor along the way, so finishing feels epic rather than impossible!

Finally, sequencing the additional content this way spaces out key narrative beats between the cerebral Far Harbor tale and the chaotic raider-focused Nuka World story. This avoids fatigue from similar themes or locales.

In summary: By playing the DLC packs in series, your Sole Survivor journeys along a thoughtfully crafted arc Rockwell certain add-ons enhance the fun and depth of settlement building projects along the way. So let‘s dive deeper into why I recommend this sequence!

Act 1 – Automatron: Robot Crafting Early On

Automatron should be the first DLC played after the base game for several key reasons:

1. It unlocks the ability to build and customize robot settlers for your growing list of settlements. Adding Mr. Handys and Sentry Bots to defend key locations helps improve happiness.

2. The recommended level 15 requirement means you can tackle Automatron‘s short but sweet questline without too much added difficulty from the main story end-game.

3. Unique new armor and mods become available for collecting and crafting after certain Automatron missions. Who doesn‘t love decking out in shiny Mechanist gear?

4. You‘re eventually able to craft the devastating Tesla Rifle weapon – perfect for bringing heavy pain to any enemy, from Super Mutant Brutes to Mirelurk Queens!

Automatron neatly plugs into the existing Fallout 4 experience while delivering satisfying new tools for settlement management. Before growing the Raider gangs of Nuka World, why not test yourself against the bot armies of The Mechanist?

Average Main Story Length: 3 hours

Act 2 – Wasteland Workshop: Customize Settlements

After dabbling in robots with Automatron, the Wasteland Workshop DLC lets you place a variety of new decorative items to further personalize your growing list of villages and bases. Key elements include:

• Conveyor Belts – Link resources between settlements for efficient material transport

• Spike-Covered Cages – Capture and tame Wasteland creatures from mongrels to mirelurk hunters!

• Arena Floor Pieces + Platforms – Build gladiator-style fighting pits full of raiders vs. deathclaws chaos

I recommend slotting Wasteland Workshop next since it‘s light on major quest content, functioning as a fun pit stop to spice up your settlements before diving into the deep stories of Far Harbor. Don‘t spend too long admired the detailed texture maps on your new deer head plaque wall mounts!

Average Main Story Length: < 1 hour

Act 3 – Far Harbor: A Foggy and Fantastic New Territory

Now the real meaty substance arrives! In terms of sheer scale + environmental details + writing quality, Far Harbor contains Fallout 4‘s strongest DLC chapter by far.

Set along the mysterious coastline of Maine, this fog-shrouded land presents an entirely separate and vast map to uncover. Travel between the various towns and regions occurs via boat for extra immersion. That‘s right – ship battles with torrents of cannon fire!

Some key elements which make Far Harbor so distinct:

• Brand new terrifying enemies: Fog Crawlers offer a nightmarish challenge while anglers burst from pond beds for jump scares galore

• Optional permanent Fog effects make navigation extra challenging. Or go for instead go for a vibrant, sunny post-processing look!

• Three unique factions vie for control with morally grey motivations. Who to trust when everyone seems suspicious?

• Synth companion Dima sheds light on hidden Institute secrets related to core story DNA experiments and replication tech

• Highly-customizable Lever Action Rifle and Harpoon Gun add fresh ranged weapons to your loadout

• Gorgeous new environment art direction with richer biome diversity compared to the Commonwealth

With gripping writing and nearly 15 hours of gameplay, I cannot recommend Far Harbor enough for showcasing the most compelling side content found in all of Fallout 4!

Average Main Story Length: 15 hours

Table: New Weapons and Factions Introduced Per DLC

Act 4 – Contraptions Workshop: Machines and Conveyors

After the dark, haunting tale of Far Harbor, I recommend settling back easy with Contraptions Workshop – another expansion focused purely on settlement options rather than story content.

Useful additions when installed:

• Manufacturing Stations – Connect machines to mass produce ammo, armor, food and medicine

• Elevators and Warehouse Shelving – Build vertically to save space!

• Track kits – Construct elaborate marvels through merging, intersecting loop roller coasters

Contraptions doesn‘t add much substance, but it does offer enjoyable opportunities for logical settlement expansion. Save the equipment budget for vital defense turrets, but go wild with utilizing warehouse space thanks to new lifts and shelves. Just watch out for settlers getting nauseous on elaborate coaster creations!

Average Main Story Length: < 1 hour

Act 5 – Vault-Tec Workshop: Overseer a Subterranean City

What better way to follow up engineering factory assembly lines than by designing your very own Vault city? While short on plot, the Vault-Tec add-on provides excellent gear for weaving an impenetrable underground fortress, complete with overpopulation problems!

• Assume the role of all-powerful Vault Overseer in vaults of variable size and layout
• Leverage new armor racks, hospital furniture, lab stations + classroom items to really sell the whole "desperate living underquantile dystopia" aesthetic
• Explore the sad tales of past vault dwellers through hidden discoveries and Easter eggs tucked away in closed chambers
• Unlock unique crafting plans for lab coats, prototype weapons + the powerful Vault-Tec Paint Job for Power Armor

If you still have unfinished vault blueprint ideas after playing Fallout Shelter on mobile, this DLC lets you take architect aspirations to the next level! Just mind pesky radroach infestations among the reactor levels.

Average Main Story Length: 2 hours

Final Act – Nuka World: Become Overboss of a Raider Empire

Last and certainly not least comes Nuka-World, the massive final expansion delivering hours of late game side adventures as you seize control of lethal Raider gangs. While containing less heart than greats like Far Harbor, Nuka manages to be a ridiculously fun guilty pleasure!

• Explore a sprawling new region, centered around the remains of an abandoned amusement park filled with deadly twists behind every turnstile

• Unique perk rewards for siding with the Pack, Operators, or Disciples – like increased damage from alcohol/chems or bonus sneak attack damage

• Collect Star Core fragments across the entire Nuka World map to unlock the orbital strike-firing Nuka-Nuke Launcher weapon

• High difficulty open-world encounters balanced for level 30+ characters

While the main story ultimately boils down to just picking a favored raider faction, the strength of Nuka World comes from embracing your inner outlaw: skulking through haunted houses, battling through lethal themed zones like Safari or Galactic, or racing rides like the gory Fury. Plus, who wouldn‘t want to arm settlers with squirt gun weaponry?

For maximum fun, I recommend a high Charisma Raider King build – maybe rocking Furious Power Fist + full Wastelander costume. But a stealthy Operator outfit or tribal Pack vestments perfectly complement Nuka‘s chaotic pacing too.

This remains the best way to role play evil while leaving the moral righteousness of Commonwealth factions intact! Just beware Parkway traitor gang member named "Gage" who you meet early on. His name says it all really…

In closing, I hope this grand tour through Fallout 4‘s incredible lineup of DLC encourages you to consider ways to best integrate additional content with the main game for better narrative flow and prepared enemy scaling. By adopting the prescribed stages above, the floodgates now burst open for countless hours left to explore forgotten coastal societies, construct labyrinthian machine networks, design pristine subterranean cities, and pillageModelAdmin trade outpost settlements!

Just save often so when your raider gang turns on you over a stolen chem stash, you won‘t lose too much playtime reclaiming authority as Overboss. This is the Wasteland after all – where only power armor and minigun spewing liberally applied lead persist!