Fallout 4: The 20 Most Exceedingly Rare Items In The Game

Highlights

• Fallout 4 has a wide range of rare and collectible items that appeal to players’ inner hoarder.
• Some of the most absurdly rare items include a leopard print bandana, HalluciGen Gas Grenades, and Poisoned Wine.
• Obtaining these rare items can be a challenge, requiring players to farm specific locations or complete difficult tasks.

Bethesda’s open-world games have a tendency to appeal to every gamer’s inner hoarder, compelling players to compulsively collect items. Fallout 4, in particular, features a ridiculous wealth of rare collectibles. Whether it’s a rare, powerful weapon or an uncommonly occurring piece of miscellaneous tableware, there’s something satisfying about putting it on display or stashing it away for safekeeping.

If players think they’ve got a premier hoard that includes every unique weapon and rare bauble in the game, put it to the test with the checklist below. Keep scrolling to check the most absurdly rare items in Fallout 4. Whether it’s a humble piece of junk or a fancy, exclusive firearm, no truly thorough item collection can consider itself complete without them.

Updated on December 30, 2023 by Rhenn Taguiam: With the upcoming Amazon Fallout series in 2024 being set in the wastelands of Las Vegas, fans of the Bethesda post-apocalyptic RPG may be wondering how it can differ with recent franchise entries such as Fallout 76 set in Appalachia and Fallout 4 set in Boston. Fans of the latter, in particular, may run a playthrough once more in a bid to help the sole survivor of Vault 111 reunite with their son. However, this time around, Fallout 4 fans may want to get their hands on some of the game’s rarest items, among which is a rare variant of an oil can, one sealed copy of a local newspaper, two unique weapons, and a bottle that recreates a popular literary piece.

20 Leopard Print Bandana

Extremely Random Drop

There’s actually an impressiveselection of bandanas and face covers available for the style-oriented raiders and road warriors of Fallout 4. Players could go with red, blue, skull-printed, military drab… the list goes on. However, the truly fashionable shouldn’t settle for anything less than leopard print.

Bandanas are common enough, but the leopard print variety is particularly prized as a trophy. Many players report going hundreds upon hundreds of gameplay hours without encountering one. They randomly spawn on dogs and settlers, so attempting to farm any location spawning hostile guard dogs or setting up a “settler farm” are popular methods of trying to snag one.

19 HalluciGen Gas Grenade

Only Nine Can Be Crafted In The Game World

HalluciGen Gas Grenades are craftable, but one of the necessary component is sorely limited: the HalluciGen gas canisters. In fact, there are only nine of them in total. They’re all located at the HalluciGen, Incorporated building.

What’s worse, these canisters will break down into crafting materials, meaning that they’re easily salvaged before the player realizes what else they can be used for. That’s an awful shame, considering how fun these things can be. They basically cause anything within the area of the effect to go berserk, attacking anything nearby – friend and foe alike.

18 Poisoned Wine

Looks Like A Way To Go Out Of The Great War

It’s difficult to fathom why the Sole Survivor might need a few bottles of Poisoned Wine, but they’re out there if anyone want them for their collection. Players might not want to use them as a conversation piece though, because the story behind them is pretty morbid.

The members of the upscale Boylston Club (where these bottles are found) were unwilling to go on in the post-war world, so they met up for one final toast one week after the bombs fell. Hopefully, it was at least a decent vintage.

17 Amontillado Bottle

One Location References The Author That Popularized The Wine

Unlike other rare items in Fallout gameplay, the Amontillado Bottle isn’t necessarily “scarce” compared to single-copy items in the game. After all, there are four Amontillado Bottles in Fallout 4, with three more copies found once players get the “Far Harbor” add-on. However, where the Amontillado Bottle shines as a rare item is its primary location.

When players go to the Castle Tunnels of Fort Independence, they can find a bottle of wine near the corpse of General McGann, who was at this point shackled inside the wall, with “P. Edgar” written on it. This is a reference to “The Cask of Amontillado,” a short story of Edgar Allan Poe about a man who exacts revenge on another man who insulted him by burying him inside the wall of a wine cellar. It seems General McGann is killed in the same way, as Fallout has a short story that says the General was buried in the wall for killing a favored officer.

16 Perfectly Preserved Pie

Use The Port-A-Diner In A Specific Way

The Perfectly Preserved Pie, or “PPP” as it’ll be referred to for the rest of this entry, is something of a legend in Fallout 4. Such is its mythical status that some would be tempted to label it unattainable. Rest assured, though, those suspiciously perfect looking slices of pie jammed inside those bedeviled Port-A-Diners are legitimately obtainable.

There’s actually a mathematical formula in play every time the Sole Survivor uses the Port-A-Diner, which determines the likelihood of successfully retrieving the PPP. Luck impacts the odds, and the chance of success increases slightly with every failed attempt. For context, a player with ten Luck stands a two percent chance of getting it on the first try. It may take hundreds of attempts, but patience is a rewarding virtue here.

15 Aluminum Oil Can

Looks Just Like An Oil Can

For a rare item that players can find in Fallout 4, the Aluminum Oil Can can be rather underwhelming. After all, the Fallout item is almost identical in appearance with the Oil Can, except for the full-aluminum appearance. As an ordinary item, the Aluminum Oil Can is still capable of providing scrap parts for Crafting. When destroyed, the Aluminum Oil Can yields two Oil and one Steel, while it sells for 12 Caps.

Unlike other rare items that may only appearance once in the entire game, there are only two copies of the Aluminum Oil Can in Fallout 4. The first Aluminum Oil Can is located inside Vault 81, and the other Aluminum Oil Can is located in Ticonderoga.

14 Sealed Boston Bugle

Untouched Copy Of A Newspaper

The Boston Bugle is one of the known newspapers in circulation prior to the Great War of Fallout, and old remnants of issues could be located all throughout Fallout 4’s Boston. Both the rolled and delivered variants are scattered around the game world and are considered Junk, but there exists only one Sealed Boston Bugle in the game.

Players can find it near Northy’s hideout, which in itself is to the south of Wattz Consumer Electronics. This copy may be difficult to find at first, as its appearance blends with the paper and concrete.

13 Alien Blaster Pistol

Proof That Aliens Exist In Fallout

Aliens seem to be the last of humanity’s concerns in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout, but it appears extraterrestrials also exist in the franchise’s wartorn Earth. When a UFO crashes from the sky, followers may comment noticing the extraterrestrial object falling to a particular direction. The crash site can be located when using the “garbled radio station” radio signal, asking players to travel to a location to the north of Vault 81. When players encounter the crashed UFO, players can kill its alien pilot to get the Alien Blaster Pistol.

The gun itself boasts an extermely futuristic appearance, boasting an appearance with heavy curves that can be alluded to the stereotypical design of a ray gun. Its slow projectile speed and large shots can pave the way for missed shots, but its decent DPS and accuracy can make it a dependable close-ranged weapon.

12 The Gainer

Unmarked Location Makes Its Acquisition A Treasure Hunt

The .44 Magnum isn’t necessarily a difficult acquisition among Fallout 4 weapons, but its variant The Gainer is one of the game’s most challenging items to acquire due to its location and place of hiding. The players can find The Gainer in an unmarked location east of Finch farm and Hub City Auto Wreckers. When travelling to this location, player should look out for the Vitale Pumphouse, particularly the code-locked door inside it. On an adjacent wall is the door’s code: 0-4-5-1.

When acquired, the Gainer resembles the traditional .44 Magnum except its Incendiary Legendary effect allows it to deal 15 Burning Damage whenever it hits a target. The weapon is also immediately modded with a Reflex Sight, Comfort Grip, Bull Barrel, and Standard Receiver.

11 The Problem Solver

An Extremely Hard Charisma Check Makes It Worthwhile

The Problem Solver isn’t exactly a big secret, but it’s a weapon that many will miss on their first playthrough, simply because it’s incredibly easy to permanently lock oneself out of getting it. In Fallout 4‘s Nuka World DLC, the player must pick consistently aggressive options with Mason for his dialogue during the quest “An Ambitious Plan.”

To top that off, they then need to pass a very difficult Charisma check, after which Mason rewards them with The Problem Solver, a unique handmade rifle with the Furious legendary effect applied on it. If the player fails this check, they’ll never get another opportunity to snag it.

10 Bathrobe

Odd Fashion In An Irradiated World

It might seem unimaginable that even the humble comforts of a good bathrobe are a rare luxury in the post-nuclear wasteland of the Commonwealth, but it’s true. One can be seen worn by a Sanctuary Hills resident in the prologue, and only one can be looted in the base game, in Monsignor Plaza.

Three more can be found within the Far Harbor DLC. Alternatively, they can be bought from WRVR radio actress Anne Hargraves if she’s assigned as a clothing vendor. Humorously, these can be outfitted with ballistic weave, so if they’re perfect for the player’s aesthetic, don’t let their initial lack of defensive properties get in the way.

9 Lieutenant’s Hat

Could Be A Quest Reward, Could Be A Dogmeat Find

The Lieutenant’s Hat exists in only two instances over the entire game. It can, most conventionally, be received as a reward for completing the quest “Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution,” but there’s a lesser-known way of skipping all the hassle for players in dire need of some extremely vintage military headgear. Ironsides does make the style look pretty fly, after all. His is a wee bit different, though.

Order Dogmeat to fetch items when standing outside the Custom House Tower. Lo and behold, chances are he’ll return with this very item in tow. It’s functionally worthless, providing nothing in the way of defense and only a plus one bonus to Charisma.

8 2076 World Series Baseball Bat

The Treasure Of Jamaica Plains On Display

The fabled treasure of Jamaica Plains can be a major letdown for how much the quest builds it up, especially for player who covet the 2076 World Series Baseball Bat. The Sole Survivor’s immense disappointment over being met with a glorified time capsule at the end of the treasure hunt can cause them to overlook this hilariously awesome melee weapon.

The bat looks unassuming enough, having been lumped in alongside some worthless memorabilia. However, it has a small chance to send struck enemies flying with every attack. The chance is fairly small, so it may take a while to get this effect to trigger, but the payoff is entirely worth the effort.

7 The Striker

Fight Enemies With Bowling Balls

If there’s one thing Bethesda nailed with Fallout 4, it’s the distinctly Fallout-style selection of weird and absurd weapons. From the Broadsider to the legendary Junk Jet, they’re absolutely great, but The Striker easily gives the lot a run for their money.

The Striker is a mini-nuke launcher that’s been configured to fire bowling balls. Found within the Beaver Creek Lanes in the Far Harbor DLC, this is a weapon that cannot really be described as practical. Still, if smacking raiders around with bowling balls doesn’t at least tempt players to crack a grin, they might need to get their sense of humor checked.

6 Prototype UP77 “Limitless Potential”

Puzzles Finding It Just As Worthwhile As Having The Item

The Laser Gun has become one of the more surprising technologies in the Fallout installment’s version of the Atomic Age. While players can enjoy the equivalent of a Star Wars blaster in their Fallout 4 gameplay, they may want a more powerful weapon in the form of the Prototype UP77 “Limitless Potential.” When equipped, this Unique Laser Gun variant has the “Never Ending” effect, granting unlimited ammo capacity. However, it still needs a Fusion Cell equipped to be used. Lore-wise, the UP77 seems to be the “basis” of all the laser weapon variants in the game.

However, despite a weapon of this scale, the UP77 can take time to notice. Players can only get this weapon in the University Credit Union in University Point. The first area they need to locate is a Novice-locked terminal that unlocks a Credit Union bank vault. Next, players must look for a Master-locked safe on the second row of safes in the area with the wall safes. This has a red button that reveals a hidden compartment on the right-hand wall of the room that leads into a secret area where the gun is located.

5 Survivor’s Special

Not Hard To See But Very Delicate In Acquisition

Laser guns are some of the most potent weapons in Fallout 4, especially if players access certain laser armaments with effects that change the flow of combat. Among these weapons is the Survivor’s Special, a long-barreled laser pistol with a bigger barrel than the standard Laser Gun. It has the “Bloodied” effect, wherein its damage scales based on the remaining health of the user.

The Survivor’s Special isn’t tough to obtain, unlike other rare weapons. Players have two ways of obtaining this gun. First, if they convince Paladin Brandis to join the Brotherhood of Steel during “The Lost Patrol” quest, the NPC will give players this weapon when he arrives on the Pyrdwen. The second option is to steal the weapon from Paladin Brandis before “The Lost Patrol” ends. However, players can’t do the “Reunions” mission with this weapon, as they will lose the gun as soon as they leave Fort Hagen.

4 Virgil’s Rifle

Virgil Is The Only Way To Get It

Among the laser guns in Fallout 4, the Institute variants look the most futuristic. Boasting a more bodied form with a larger casing, Institute laser guns give players a more imposing appearance. Chief among these Institute weapons is Virgil’s Rifle, a Unique Institute Rifle possessing the “Mutant Slayer” effect, whichdeals 50% more damage when fighting Super Mutants. Moreover, the gun already has several mods equipped that make it quite the steal.

Such is the uniqueness of Virgil’s Rifle that it can only be acquired from Dr. Brian Virgil, or Virgil.B, who resides in the rocky cave. Although a Super Mutant, Dr. Virgil still helps the player find their way into the Institute, where he initially worked as a scientist. Players can only get Virgil’s Rifle by killing him or through a successful theft attempt. However, players can’t get the rifle through the conflict that ensues if they don’t give him the Experimental Serum.

3 Wazer Wifle

Only Acquired Post-Game

The Wazer Wifle is a recurring weapon in the Fallout series, as it can also be found in Fallout 3 and Fallout Shelter. Like the UP77 Prototype, the Wazer Wifle has the “Never Ending” effect, granting unlimited magazine without needing to reload as long as a Fusion Cell is slotted into the weapon.

Despite its appearance as a large shotgun, the Wazer Wifle maintains a more archaic laser gun appearance than other models. Befitting its nature as a Fallout Easter Egg, the Wazer Wifle can only be acquired post-game. Once players finish the game’s main mission, complete three unmarked quests for Shaun. This can be accomplished regardless of the player’s faction of choice.

2 Ashmaker

A Minigun To Burn Them All

Players enjoying their Fallout 4 playthrough can switch things up by going wildwith their weapon of choice. If players want to wreak havoc, they should get Ashmaker, the Unique Minigun in the title. Taking the form of a stereotypical minigun, the Ashmaker is a massive beast of a weapon. It comes with the “Incendiary” effect, where targets hit are set on fire and suffer DOTs.

Despite the weapon’s unique nature, the Ashmaker can be acquired via “The Big Dig” quest, regardless of the player’s dialogue of choice during their confrontation with Fahrenheit. Should players side with Fahrenheit and make Bobbi No-Nose leave the area through peaceful means or violence, they get the Ashmaker. If players side with Bobbi and fight Fahrenheit, the Ashmaker is found on the quest giver’s body as loot.

1 Aeternus

Well-Earned In Gladiatorial Combat

After finally wrapping up “The Grand Tour” leg of the Nuka World DLC’s main quests, the Sole Survivor will be challenged for leadership of Nuka World in the same way that they obtained it. Which is through a deathmatch in the Cola-cars Arena. The Sole Survivor will face a new challenger every few in-game days until, finally, they’re confronted with the Rogue Knight.

Apparently a former Brotherhood of Steel Paladin, he’s well-equipped and definitely no slouch, but will drop this absurd, unique gatling laser upon defeat. The Aeternus has the Neverending legendary effect, but taken a step further. Rather than the weapon never needing to be reloaded, the Aeternus simply never runs out of ammo. Ever. It can literally be fired until players are bored with shooting.