6 Fallout 4 exploits you might want to use before they're patched out

Next week a Fallout 4 patch arrives. Now we don't yet know what it's going to fix but there are a few things you might want to try and take advantage of over the weekend just in case.

The game has been fairly stable with most of the issues confined to visual bits and pieces, but there are a few glitches that you can use to get certain items, or bypass some of the inbuilt limits. Obviously that's cheating so you should feel ashamed of yourself for thinking about it, but just in case your scruples hang low you might want to check out this list of... options.

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Use Dogmeat to get the Cryolator

Fallout 4's big freezey gun is held under your nose as you leave Vault 111. Now you could become a master of unlocking (level 18 with a perception of 4) to crack open the case. Or you can just pop back with Dogmeat and ask him to fetch. Currently he'll just yank the thing out of the case. Post-patch? Who knows?

Max out your SPECIALs & duplicate items

This is definitely getting patched out because it breaks so much. You can use this to max out your SPECIALs by duplicating the stat-boosting book you find in Shaun's room, but it'll work with any item. Basically drop whatever you want in front of Dogmeat and ask him to fetch it but pick it up before he does. Time it right and you'll end up with your copy and an extra one Dogmeat magics out of thin air.

Build bigger settlements

Of all the glitches and tricks here, this feels the most risky because it lets you build settlements beyond the game's built in size limit. There's no way of knowing what will happen to oversized bases if it's patched. However, if you dream big and want a settlement to match then dump a bunch of weapons inside the green boundaries and then store them using the settlement editor. The game thinks you're taking building stuff away and reduces the build size accordingly.

Break into a few places with chairs

Locked doors in Fallout 4 can be infuriating - you just know there's probably something really good behind then. But, before you give up and vow to return later, check you can't see any chairs though gaps, cracks or windows. If you can, and the 'Sit ' prompt appears then you can use it to magically plonk yourself on the chair and appear inside. What security?

Get loads of caps

This almost seems too easy. Just go to a vendor and buy all of one type of ammo, then sell one - and only one - kind of ammo back to them. Don't finalise the sale and then sell the ammo again without reaching zero. Get it right and your ammo counter should not go down, but your cap count should go up.

Get loads of adhesive

Less a glitch here and more away of getting sweet, sweet adhesive - usually the only thing between you and a new gun handle. This basically involves farming at a settlement. If you can get together three mutfruits, three ears of corn, three tatos, and one bottle of purified water you can make vegetable paste. That breaks down into five units of adhesives. You can grow all the veg and Codsworth makes purified water in his spare time so that's an unlimited supply of adhesives!

Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.