The beginning of Fallout 4 features a lot of iconic locations, from Vault 111 to the destroyed suburbs of Sanctuary Hills. However, no place is quite as special as Concord, where the Sole Survivor first encounters the brand-new Minuteman faction, gets their first T-45 power armor set and a first taste of real challenge as they fight off a Deathclaw and raiders.
That being said, Concord quickly becomes that place that no one ever returns to after this specific questline that brings the Minutemen to Sanctuary Hills. It's a bit of a shame, because there are quite a few cool details in this sleepy little town, along with some remarkable loot that even experienced players may have never noticed before. Next time you start up Fallout 4, drop a visit to the place where most likely you had your very first truly difficult fight.
10 Sanctuary Hills Is Its Suburb
Although Sanctuary Hills isn't that much smaller than Concord and might even feel a bit bigger with how much horizontal ground there is to explore, it's actually just a suburb of Concord. Before the bombs fell, one can only imagine what kind of daily lives people led around this area.
It's safe to say that the Sole Survivor most likely visited Concord multiple times and did most of their shopping in the area. It was the primary place for people in Sanctuary Hills to get their clothes, drugs, and groceries, and many of them likely grabbed a drink at Concord's speakeasy.
9 The Bridge Looks Like The Old North Bridge
The theme of Fallout 4 is very much the American Revolution. This is not only illustrated in the location, which is Boston and its surrounding towns and areas, but also with the introduction of the Minutemen, a faction which has its roots in the American Revolution and has been revived in the post-apocalyptic world.
Due to this, a lot of relics of the Revolution can be found in the game, including the bridge that connects Sanctuary Hills to the mainland and leads people to Concord. The bridge looks a lot like the Old North Bridge, a real-world bridge that had a significant role in American history.
8 It Played A Part In The American Revolution
Just like Sanctuary Hills, Concord also had a significant role in the American Revolution. Its close proximity to a bigger city like Lexington makes it particularly noteworthy, as it acted as the starting point of many of the first battles that took place at the time.
This is a nice parallel to the events of the game as well. Concord is the first place where you'll encounter your first truly challenging enemies, and as you head over to Lexington and to the Corvega Assembly Plant, you'll fight off an entire army of raiders. It all lines up with American history in a roundabout way.
7 The Raiders Will Always Be Easy At First
Due to the importance of Concord as a quest location, it's one of those places where the enemies will remain very easy until the player actually comes and takes care of them. Therefore, the first spawn of raiders here will always be quite easy to deal with since they're locked to a low level.
After a while, like with most locations in Fallout 4, Concord will spawn more raiders. These will be more adjusted to the player's actual level. Unfortunately, that epic Deathclaw that bursts out from the sewers won't respawn here, but that doesn't stop you from encountering some random spawns.
6 Perception Bobblehead
The Museum of Freedom is quite the hectic location as you first walk into it. Between trying to help your new Minuteman friends and killing the raiders who have infested the museum, you're unlikely to notice all the cool small things that are hidden all around the museum. One of them is actually in plain sight.
As you speak with Preston Garvey for the first time, you might notice a bobblehead on a desk over his shoulder. Or, you might just be too focused on the discussion to notice it. Either way, before you head to the roof to grab the T-45 power armor, make sure to collect the Perception bobblehead on a desk by the door.
5 Two Magazine Issues
Magazines are another collectible that can be easy to miss but will really do a lot in the long run. Concord has two magazine issues which can be collected easily during the first visit there. The Taboo Tattoos 10 can be found within the sewers of Concord, down through the hole from which the Deathclaw emerges.
In the Museum of Freedom, there's another magazine next to Sturges' terminal. This one is a bit different since it's a RobCo fun magazine and gives you the Atomic Command Pip-Boy game holotape. Don't forget to pick it up if you're looking to collect each of the game holotapes.
4 Powerful Chems Early In The Game
You would think Concord doesn't have incredible loot since it's a location most players come to at such an early point in the game. Well, this is utterly false. The Concord Speakeasy is a fantastic location if you're looking to get your hands on some very rare and powerful chems extremely early.
The Speakeasy has two doses of X-cell, which is a powerful chem that boosts all your attributes by two points. It's located upstairs nearby a skeleton and is probably the easiest and earliest location to find some. There's also some Day Tripper, also located upstairs in the bathroom. Day Tripper boosts your Charisma and Luck by three but lowers your Strength by two.
3 New Museum Exhibit
As you walk through the Museum of Freedom for the first time it's evident most of the exhibits were focused on the American Revolution. However, it's not the common history we all know from the real world that would have been exhibited in Concord's famous museum.
There were actually plans of setting up an exhibit to showcase events from the Battle of Anchorage, which is one of the more famous battles in the Fallout universe, involving the Chinese invading Alaska. The battle was said to have lasted a decade or so. Unfortunately, the exhibit never received the funding it needed.
2 The Pre-War Drama
Bethesda has always been a master at telling stories without using words, typically by setting up mysterious scenes that we're meant to decipher by simply looking at them. One such cool scene can be found within the Workhouse of Concord, which is a tall, partly broken down building.
On the top floor, you'll find two skeletons seemingly caught in a fight. One appears to be choking the other, and based on the age of these skeletons, they're most likely people from the pre-war era. It's likely that they were in a heated argument the moment the bombs fell.
1 The Cheesy Way To Defeat The Deathclaw
At especially high difficulties Concord can be tricky. Raiders aside, the Deathclaw that emerges from its sewers is quite a bit to deal with, especially if the player isn't sparing with their minigun ammunition. Not to mention the Deathclaw does dish out quite a bit of damage, even on a power-armored Sole Survivor.
So what to do? Next to the museum, there's actually a clothing store you can walk into. Lure the Deathclaw to your location and stand inside the store, away from the windows. The Deathclaw won't be able to get inside, but you can still shoot it. There's another similar trick with a car opposite the shop, but for first-timers, it might be too difficult or risky.