Almost three years have passed since Fallout 4 was initially released in November 2015. Gamers took on the role of the Sole Survivor on their search for their stolen baby, Shaun. The main story starts after Nate or Nora wakes up from a 200-year long nap from cryogenic sleep. While they are the protagonist of Fallout 4, life continued on for the settlers within the Commonwealth.

After the bombs of the Great War fell, the survivors had to pick up the pieces. They were forced to rebuild or learn how to manage with the rubble that was left. The East Coast, where Fallout 4 takes place, did not recover as quickly as the West Coast. While we see societies being swiftly rebuilt in Fallout: New Vegas, the Commonwealth is suffering. These settlers couldn't restore their broken cities. They weren't able to clear the radiation from the Glowing Sea that has absorbed the entire Southwest portion of the map. It's not just the settlers who are struggling to cope. The companions that the Sole Survivor bonds with are also struggling to cope with their past ghosts.

There are several hidden plot lines hidden within the world of Fallout 4. Gamers may have missed these interesting stories on their quest to find Shaun. Life had to continue for others while the Sole Survivor was building settlements and helping collect baseball memorabilia. This list contains massive spoilers for both Fallout 3 and 4.

25 Step Aside, Dogmeat

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Dogmeat made his first appearance in the first Fallout game. Cats didn't show up until Fallout 2 but were not as plentiful as wild dogs. Many players don't realize that these furry felines were missing from the Capital Wasteland. Cats reappeared in Fallout 4 in large numbers. Not only are stray cats wandering around the streets of Boston, but they're as domesticated as dogs.

Travel Southeast of Walden Pond, and you'll find a cabin filled with cat paintings and feline pets.

A cat hoarder resides in Diamond City. One of the sidequests, "Here Kitty, Kitty" has the Sole Survivor putting aside their search for their child to find a little girl's cat named Ashes. Though cats have had to sit on the sidelines for dogs, they've become popular pets in the Commonwealth.

24 A Demand To Fulfill Expensive Dietary Choices

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When the Sole Survivor wakes up 200 years in the future, they weren't expecting all of the world's changes. Boston, a city they knew and loved, was in pieces due to nuclear bombs. Another huge difference was the dietary choices. Desperate settlers were eating Radroach meat, radiated Sugar Bomb cereal, and mutated Mudcrab chunks. Wealthy citizens of Diamond City wanted more upscale meal choices.

In the sidequest "The Devil's Due," during your travels to the Museum of Witchcraft, you'll learn that people are eating Deathclaw eggs. These mutated monstrosities are some of the toughest creatures you'll meet in the Fallout series. These wealthy citizens are willing to pay a hefty amount of caps for their daily "Tasty Deathclaw Omelette" meals and don't care who gets hurt in the process.

23 Sole Survivor’s Best Friend

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Dogmeat has made an appearance since the very first game. Dogmeat isn't always the same breed or gender but is the player's most loyal, neutral companion. After the Sole Survivor leaves Sanctuary Hills, one of the first locations you'll find is a Red Rocket gas station.

A German Shepherd named Dogmeat will be waiting for you as if fate brought you two together.

After meeting Mama Murphy in Concord, you'll learn that Dogmeat has had no owner. Like you, he has wandered around the Commonwealth looking for someone worthy to follow. If you end up missing the adorable pooch at the Red Rocket, Nick Valentine will whistle for him. It's almost like fate brought the Sole Survivor and Dogmeat together.

22 A Salesman’s Search For Somewhere To Belong

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During Fallout 4's prologue, you'll meet the jolly Vault-Tec Salesman. According to your spouse, he has been hounding you to pre-register the family in Vault 111. When the bombs fall, you'll be granted access no matter what. The Vault-Tec Salesman isn't as lucky as the young family. He is refused entry at the gate even though he has worked for the company for years.

Centuries later, you'll reunite with the salesman in Goodneighbor. He's no longer jolly or human. The Vault-Tec Salesman is now a docile Ghoul who was spurned by his company. He has spent years trying to find somewhere to belong. You can either help him find a place in the world as a Trader or turn your back on him like everyone else.

21 Someone Was Searching For The Sole Survivor

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Codsworth is the Sole Survivor's loyal Mister Handy. He acts as a butler who prepares meals, cleans the house, and takes care of young Shaun. The poor robot is forced to stay behind when the Great War bombs fell. He didn't realize what was going on until decades later.

When Codsworth reunites with the Sole Survivor, you'll learn that the robot has been heartbroken over the loss of his family.

He has wandered around the surviving area, trying to find Nate, Nora, and Shaun, with no success. He visited Concord but was only pummeled with rocks by the angry locals. The Sole Survivor may be searching for their missing baby but doesn't realize it took Codsworth two centuries to find his absent owner.

20 The Sole Survivor Isn’t The Sole Savior

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Many gamers play Fallout to feel like a hero. The Sole Survivor defrosts into town, only to save each faction and rebuild entire cities. Nate and Nora are treated like heroes and spoken about on Diamond City Radio as saviors. The protagonist isn't the only person trying to make a difference.

In a small shack near the Northwest of Bunker Hill, you'll meet the Savoldi family. Tony wants to make a difference by joining the Railroad and helping Synths live new lives. His father, Joe, isn't having it. He wants his son to live a normal life instead of being a hero. In the sidequest "Fallen Hero," you'll learn why. Joe's grandfather, a Minuteman, was fatally wounded trying to help others. Joe's just trying to protect his son from the same fate.

19 The Institute Isn’t Responsible For Every Missing Person

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Paranoia is at an all-time high in the Commonwealth. People are suspicious that humans are being replaced by Synths. These robotic creatures have become too eerily similar to humans. The Covenant is aware of these creatures. Before entering the settlement, you'll have to take a test to weed out the Synths from humans. Once you sneak around the settlement more, you'll discover why.

The Covenant is experimenting on strangers to find out their true biological identities.

These experiments are causing large amounts of people to go missing in the Commonwealth. The Covenant uses their knowledge to improve their entry tests. They're taking matters into their own hands. If no one protects them, then they are determined to save themselves.

18 A Game Of Propaganda

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Before the Great War occurred, there were large amounts of anti-communist propaganda floating around. Game developers decided to create holotape video games to spread their messages further. The Sole Survivor can find five different holotapes throughout the Commonwealth.

In Red Menace, Vault Boy has to save Vault Girl from a moving Chinese Flag. Atomic Command has the player defend eight American landmarks from enemies. Zeta Invaders is a game about defeating aliens. Pipfall has Vault Boy surviving through the hazards of the wasteland. Grognak the Barbarian and the Ruby Ruins is a text-adventures based off of the various comic books you'll find in Fallout 4. While the Sole Survivor is fighting Raiders, there are settlers who are still trying to protect themselves from other countries.

17 Puts His Search Aside To Help

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The Lone Wanderer first meets Robert MacCready in Fallout 3. MacCready travels from the Capital Wasteland to the Commonwealth. In this region, he falls in love with a farmer's daughter named Lucy. They get married and have a son named Duncan. Lucy is lost to the dangers of the Commonwealth, but Duncan lives. Unfortunately, Duncan contracts a strange disease. MacCready searches for a cure. He doesn't stop until he meets the Sole Survivor. MacCready hides this painful secret until he feels comfortable talking to his new friend about it.

The main plot of Fallout 4 may be searching for Shaun, but other characters are harboring painful secrets in the Commonwealth. Now you can understand why MacCready wants some incentive before putting aside his search for a cure to help you.

16 A Four-Century Long Family Feud

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Almost immediately after entering the Dugout Inn in Diamond City, a Ghoul named Edward Deegan wants to hire the Sole Survivor. Of course, you can refuse, but doing so will cause you to miss out on years of family drama. In "The Secret of Cabot House," you'll learn about both the Parsons State Insane Asylum and the Cabot family.

The oldest member of the family, Lorenzo, found an alien artifact that gave him abilities far beyond his wildest dreams. The artifact has also made him nearly immortal, and he has lived for over 400 years. It started to affect him mentally, so he locked himself away to protect his family. His son, Jack, wanted to use Lorenzo's blood to harness the power of immortality. This puts them in a decades-long power struggle that the Sole Survivor has to resolve.

15 Friends And Family Could Be Your Greatest Enemy

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Fiddler's Green Trailer Estates is located in the most Western section of the map. From the outside, it appears to look like any other trailer park.

Once you gain access to the trailers, you'll discover three holotapes that are parts of The New Squirrel.

This story tells the tale about innocent squirrels taking in a Red Squirrel for help. After earning the trust of his new friends, the Red Squirrel tricks them. He leads a group of feral cats to attack his friends to protect his home, leading to the demise of his new friends. The story is told similarly to Aesop's Fables. Whoever told the story wanted kids to know that they should never trust communists, even if they are your friends or family. Propaganda in Fallout didn't stop after the bombs fell.

14 Their Missions End In Failures

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There are several side quests throughout the Commonwealth that will keep the Sole Survivor busy. While traveling throughout the land, they'll notice something crashing in the sky. Travel Southeast of Oberland Station and you'll find an unusual crash site. The plane doesn't belong to the Brotherhood of Steel. It's a UFO. These alien invaders have had a long history in the Fallout series, and the tradition continues in Fallout 4.

Follow the trail of green goo to a small nearby cave. The alien is wounded, but very aggressive and will attack. The creature will immediately attack you, even if you want to help. It appears that aliens are still trying to invade Earth. Luckily for Fallout's residents, they keep failing miserably.

13 Help Him Make Peace With His Past

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Goodneighbor and The Slog share one common trait: they're both predominantly inhabited by Ghouls. Unlike the deviant Ghouls of Goodneighbor, The Slog wants to be a thriving trade spot. They produce tarberries in the giant pool. One of their residents is Arlen Glass. It can be easy to pass him by in the small workshop behind the main building. He asks the Sole Survivor to fetch him some spare parts for a toy he's repairing.

If you access Arlen's office at Atomatoys HQ, you'll learn about the inventor's devastating past.

His work kept him from his daughter and wife. They were immediately destroyed when the bombs fell, leaving Arlen alone. If you give him his daughter's holotape, he will make peace with his past and return to the remains of their family home.

12 One Weird Boys’ Club

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The Boylston Club was a private establishment for America's most powerful men. Politicians, wealthy heirs, and anyone willing to pay the annual fee, were accepted. The men joined together to discuss power and politics. Things changed for the worse when the Great War occurred. These men all survived. One week after the bombs fell, they no longer wanted to live on a planet where their paper money no longer mattered. They agreed to hold one more gala.

The Sole Survivor will witness the after effects centuries later. At midnight, the men all drank a lethal spiked drink. The drink worked immediately, and their remains can be seen throughout the Boylston Club. It goes to show that in the post-apocalyptic world, survival is more important than Pre-War Money.

11 A Voyage Lasting Decades

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The USS Constitution is an armed ship that can be found within the city of Boston. It was resting peacefully, but someone decided to strap rockets to the ship. The rockets launched the ship on top of the Weatherby Savings & Loan bank.

The robotic inhabitants of the USS Constitution have been trying to get back on the water for years.

The Sole Survivor can help the crew by again strapping rockets to the ship. Your companions think the entire situation is a joke. The robotic crew has been living in fear. Not only are they trapped on top of a building but there are a group of Scavengers trying to destroy them and steal the ship. "Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution" is presented as a joke, but it shows that robots are no longer going to be pushed around by humans.

10 An Internal War May Never Change

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The Sole Survivor is accepted into the Brotherhood of Steel with little resistance. Since the faction began after the Great War, they didn't grow up learning about Brotherhood. "The Lost Patrol" gives players insight into the close bonds forged between these soldiers. The Sole Survivor will discover three distress signals. They belong to Knight Varham, Knight Astlin, and Scribe Faric. Through their holotapes, you will learn that their mission was a failure.

The tapes all lead back to Recon Bunker Theta where their former leader Paladin Brandis resides. He is suffering from the guilt of being the only remaining survivor. Nate or Nora will have to do a lot of convincing to make him return to the Prydwen. Either way, he has to overcome his struggle to forgive himself for the defeat of his squad.

9 Vault-Tec’s Experiments

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Vault-Tec posters are all over post-war America. The company doesn't work to help normal citizens. They worked with the US Government to create top-secret experiments. They used the Vaults as sealed testing grounds. Their testing began long before the bombs fell. The Sole Survivor will discover the Suffolk County charter school along with their journey.

After reading the Principal's terminal, you'll learn that she agreed to serve the children an experimental substance.

Vault-Tec wanted to see how the students would respond to the unusual food. The children turned pink and became unruly. It seems that all Americans were at risk of being part of Vault-Tec's government experiments.

8 Not Every Dweller Had A Bad Experience

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Vault-Tec's primary experiments took place within their expensive vaults. The Overseers were instructed to comply or else. As the Sole Survivor will see on their journey, many Vault Dwellers were victims to their fellow neighbors. Vault 81 was meant to have the ability to cure any disease. The Vault's residents would contract a disease, and various antidotes were given to them.

Within the Vault's terminal, you'll learn that similarly to Vault 101, the Overseer overrode the harmful experiments so that the Dwellers could live there peacefully. Within the Vault, there are still dangerous creatures living there, along with a potential companion named Curie. The Sole Survivor may have suffered in Vault 111, but there were others still living happily while isolated from the rest of the world.

7 Underwater For Two Centuries

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Pre-war America promoted anti-communism propaganda through posters, holotape games, and stories. Two hundred years later they would learn that the Chinese would come upon American shores.

The Yangtze is a submarine that was sent to patrol the Atlantic Coastline before the bombs fell.

It turned the residents of the submarine into Ghouls, including Captain Zao. The submarine wasn't able to move on its own, and he didn't want to abandon his crew. He also didn't have the heart to take out the people he once considered family. The Sole Survivor can help him move on. By repairing his submarine, he can help Captain Zao return home. The Captain will be so grateful that he will give the Sole Survivor homing beacons in case they need some extra firepower in the Commonwealth.

6 Most Neighbors

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John Hancock is a difficult character to know. At first glance, he appears to be selfish and addicted to chems. When you first arrive in Goodneighbor, he gives a speech off his balcony condemning Synths. These hard feelings are based on his past with his brother, Mayor McDonough.

When the Mayor was trying to become elected, he ran on the platform of getting rid of all non-humans, specifically Ghouls. Hancock will tell you a Ghoul became feral, so all non-ferals were forced from the settlement. The banished Ghouls joined Hancock and traveled to Goodneighbor. Hancock accepts all types of people and creatures, except Synths, and has tried to become a more diverse home compared to Goodneighbor. Their settlements have been feuding for decades. Sadly, there is nothing the Sole Survivor can do to mend the McDonough brother's relationship.