- Is Fallout 76 Cross Platform: The Cross-Platform Capabilities of Fallout 76 - April 17, 2023
- Fallout 76 Secret Service Armor Guide – Not So Secret Anymore - February 23, 2023
- Fallout 4 Settlements Guide - February 1, 2023
Bottom Line Up Front
There are 20 bobbleheads in Fallout 4, each in a unique location throughout the base games map. These items are segmented into three groups, S.P.E.C.I.A.L, Utility, and Weapons.
The Bobbleheads scattered throughout the wasteland in Fallout 4 serve as a neat little collectible item that offers the player a tangible reward for their hard work and perseverance. The game developers most likely hoped or assumed that these bobbleheads would be merely stumbled upon throughout the game’s playthrough and not hunted down with near pinpoint accuracy via a list such as this.
The concept for collectible items scattered throughout the game is not an unfamiliar one for those well versed in the Fallout franchise. In Fallout 3, players also have to find bobbleheads scattered throughout the capital wasteland. While in Fallout New Vegas, the players must locate snow globes for Mr. House.
This idea has also been seen to permeate outside of the Fallout franchise into the general Bethesda ecosystem. Skyrim employs a very similar technique through the Stones of Barenziah quest. Although I will say, the bobbleheads in Fallout games are a little easier to find and much less of a hassle compared to these stones.
What are the Bobbleheads, and Why Should You Find Them?
The actual bobbleheads themselves were nothing of any real value before the war and the sole survivors exiting of Vault 111. They served as mere trinkets or gifts to certain executive-level employees at the Vault-Tec Corporation, a thank you gift for helping the company create a series of underground metal bunkers wherein higher-ups at Vault-Tec could happily torture their captive audiences for the rest of time, presumably.
All of the bobbleheads found in Fallout 4 correspond to a specific S.P.E.C.I.A.L, Utility, or Weapon skill and thus have corresponding poses/props to go along with said skill. For example, the Repair bobblehead can be seen holding a comically large wrench. As one would therefore assume, when a bobblehead is found, a permanent buff to that specific skill is gained, such as gaining plus 1 Strength after acquiring the corresponding bobblehead.
This is the real reason players like to hunt out these bobbleheads, for the easy metrics boosts they give. We must also never forget the completionists out there who simply can not and will not put a game such as Fallout down until all things have been done and no stone is left unturned.
After some simple crafting, these collectors’ items can then be placed on a stand in one of the player’s settlements. Alternatively, should the player be conducting some weird sort of non-building run-through of the game, a stand is available in Vault 81 after their quest is completed, and a room is given to the player as a reward.
Bobblehead Locations
There are a total of 20 bobbleheads spread throughout the Commonwealth; therefore, for any player to get their hands on these rare items, a good bit of leg work will have to be employed. I promise you, however, seeing that stand completed at the end of your journey is well worth the time and effort, so let’s get started!
S.P.E.C.I.A.L Bobbleheads
Strength – Effect = +1 Strength
Location: Mass Fusion Building, fifth floor, atop the statue.
The Strength Bobblehead can be found inside the Mass Fusion Building. This building may be one of the easiest locations to find throughout the entire game. Not only does the general architecture of the building stand out from the rest of the ‘skyscrapers,’ but it is also much taller than the vast majority which surrounds it, making this building the tallest location in the game.
Should you still find it difficult to find this location, however, just head north of Goodneighbor and west of the Old Corner Bookstore until the sheer height of this building takes you by surprise.
Once the sole survivor finds this location, they may have to battle their way past some hardened raiders in order to get to the coveted strength bobblehead. After a series of isolated gunfights and the traversing of many stair/lift combinations, the player should eventually find their way to the fifth floor, wherein they will find the raider boss and the bobblehead.
The raider boss may be wearing power armor; however, they should still be quite easily dispatched, leaving the player plenty of free time to locate that blasted collector’s item. If you’re having trouble, just head on over to the statue which hangs over the main lobby and climb up onto it, there you should see and be able to pick up the strength bobblehead.
Perception – Effect = +1 Perception
Location: Museum of Freedom, sitting on a desk at the far side of the northernmost second-floor room.
The player will most likely find this bobblehead fairly early on in their playthrough of the game, assuming they do not just wander off the beaten path as soon as the game allows them to. I mean, I completely forgot about Shaun too, but not within ten minutes.
After exiting the vault, the player is instructed to head towards the Museum of Freedom, outside which a pretty serious firefight takes place. This battle, between the raiders both inside and outside the building and the few Minutemen members inside, has seemingly been going on for a fairly long time, trapping the militia members inside a tiny room at the front of the building’s second floor.
Should the player have managed to skip this event entirely, however, simply head back to the vault and towards the town of Concord, in the center of which stands the museum in question.
In this room, the player will find the perception bobblehead on a desk at the far end of the room, past Preston Garvey, should the player have not already made his and his annoying settlement missions’ acquaintance yet.
Endurance – Effect = +1 Endurance
Location: Poseidon Energy, sitting in the suspended room above the central chamber.
This bobblehead can be found at the Poseidon Energy power plant. This site previously generated power via natural gas and solar power for the inhabitants of the Commonwealth. However, it is a shadow of its former self when the player discovers it after its long hibernation.
This factory is located just to the far southeast of the Commonwealth, east of Peabody House and the Quincy ruins. However, before you decide to go hunting for this endurance bobblehead, the sole survivor may need a good store of points already placed in endurance and medicine in order to deal with the sheer number of raiders inside the former power plant.
Scattered across all floors as well as the many rooftop levels and along the grounds, these raiders will take a good deal of your ammunition reserves to dispatch all of them.
If the player manages to push through all of these raiders and mirelurks, yes, there are also mirelurks, then the bobblehead should be fairly easy to find. Simply head to the central chamber, a room characterized by its unique large opening and suspended room sat in the center of the chamber.
It is inside this room that that player, supported by a series of ramps, scaffolding, and bridges, will be able to find the bobblehead along with some more enemies for good measure, of course.
Charisma – Effect = +1 Charisma
Location: Parsons State Insane Asylum, sitting on jack Cabot’s desk.
This bobblehead, I would bet, is the most important and useful one to acquire in the entire game. Not only does charisma deal with the player’s ability to barter and haggle with shop keepers throughout the wasteland, but it also allows the player to dictate the way situations take place with the player’s sheer charm allowing many seemingly hostile situations to be resolved quietly and with respect. Not only does this save the player ammo, but it also allows for some rather unique and interesting dialogue options in the end up.
To find this prestigious collector’s item then, the player must head to Parsons State Insane Asylum. This asylum, located to the north of the central Commonwealth area, is central to the quests Special Delivery and The Secret of Cabot House; therefore, the sole survivor may have already discovered it during a playthrough.
If the player has not started or completed either of these quests, however, especially The Secret of Cabot House questline, the location may be locked down, forcing the bobblehead seeking a player to venture to the Cabot House, a location situated to the west of the Pickman Gallery and south of Bunker Hill. From here, then, the player can begin the necessary quest to gain entry to the asylum.
Once the player has finally gained entry to this location, expect some confrontations with less than friendly raiders all the way through the apparently not-so-well-secured building.
Then the player can either continue on their quest or forget all about it and steal the charisma bobblehead from the desk of Jack Cabot. The player can either take a look around the location to find Jack’s office or should he be with you during the quest, simply follow him as he will walk you straight to it.
Intelligence – Effect = +1 Intelligence
Location: Boston Public Library, the northernmost room of the second-floor, sitting on a terminal.
If you had not noticed a trend already regarding the location of bobbleheads in Fallout 4, then this one will certainly lift the lid on the developer’s sense of humor. The intelligence bobblehead is located in Boston Public Library; I know, hilarious, right?
This library is located east of Diamond City, situated right in between Police Precinct 8 and Trinity Plaza. After making your way to the front door of the monolith of knowledge, the player must fight the post-apocalyptic version of that one annoying librarian we all had in school, a series of protectron, turrets, and other automated defenses.
Which, now that I think about it, why did a library in the middle of pre-Great War Boston need machine turrets to protect some old books? Anyway, let’s not think about that one too hard because right after you’ve managed to deal with these hindrances, the player may have to deal with a squad of super mutants hellbent on keeping the sole survivor from reaching that cherished bobblehead.
Once all of these enemy NPCs have been dealt with, the player must travel to the library’s second floor and head towards the northernmost room on that floor. Here, the player will find a chamber, at the end of which will be a wooden door. The player will see a series of computer terminals inside this door with the intelligence bobblehead sitting proudly atop the central monitor.
Agility – Effect = +1 Agility
Location: The Wreck of FMS Northern Star, sitting on the edge of the top platform at the bow of the ship.
To find the agility bobblehead, the player must head to the Wreck of the FMS Northern Star. This location can be found to the southeast of the Commonwealth map, east of the Atom Cats Garage, and south of Warwick Homestead.
When the player finally manages to make their way to this wreckage, you would be excused for thinking that you have accidentally messed up some of your settings, especially those containing dialogue because the former sailors one finds aboard this vessel all speak Norwegian to the player. These ghoul sailors will attack the player on site, apparently forgetting the maritime kindness, forcing the player to kill them to reach the ship’s inner workings.
After the player managed to dispatch some of the Norwegian crew, they must head to the top room at the bow of the ship (front of the ship); passing this room, the sole survivor will see two planks, one going left and the other right. To get to the agility bubblehead, the player must turn right and follow the path up until they get to the platform, wherein the agility bobblehead will be found right at the edge of the barrierless platform.
Luck – Effect = +1 Luck
Location: On Spectacle Islands east coast, sitting in the locker of a small green tugboat.
This bobblehead may be one of the harder ones to find all by yourself; located on Spectacle Island, a remote location seemingly on its own, the bobblehead sure makes itself hard to find. This island, located in the far eastern part of the map, can be found to the east of the Fallout map, past the castle.
Once the player makes it onto this hell island, they will come up against a series of Mirelurk mutations, including but not limited to; Softshell Mirelurk, Mirelurk Killclaw, Mirelurk Hunter, Mirelurk King. Therefore, should the player be a little bit scared of these creatures, like a certain writer of this list, I suggest you bring some heavy-duty firepower should you not want to be caught up in a swarm of the crablike beings.
After these critters have been well and truly dealt with, and the missile launcher, power armor combo that you arrived with has been put to the test, the player must move their attentions to actually finding the bobblehead. Don’t worry; this is the easy bit; on the southern shore of Spectacle Island, the player will see a green tugboat sat banked or the coast. This derelict vessel must have been detached some time ago and was thus abandoned. Inside the small boat, it will not take long to locate the bobblehead inside an open locker in the wheelhouse portion of the boat.
In Brief:
- The bobbleheads in the SPECIAL category can often be found throughout the game’s main missions, thus allowing the player to advance quicker throughout the main quest.
- The locations of these bobbleheads are often chosen for comedy value, such as the intelligence bobblehead very obviously being placed in a library or the luck one being placed in a rather unlucky beached boat.
- Finding a SPECIAL bobblehead simply gives the player +1 to their SPECIAL stats, even if they already have 10 in a certain stat.
Utility Bobblehead Locations
Barter – Effect = +5% Better Prices
Location: Longneck Lukowski’s Cannery, sitting in an office located to the northern side of the building’s top floor.
In what I can only call an interesting decision on the developer’s part, the bobblehead relating to barter can be found in Longneck Lukowski’s Cannery. To find this location, you just need to head to the far eastern side of the Commonwealth map; once you find yourself both to the east of Lynn Pier and west of Kingsport Lighthouse, the cannery should be in plain view.
The building itself does not have any notable features besides housing the bobblehead, and however, the quest Mystery Meat does take place inside the building. So, if it is your first time entering this location in search of the bobblehead, just be wary that you may get stuck inside for some time completing this quest as only on completion can you escape.
Once the quest has either been conquered or begun, the player can go around the building searching for the bobblehead with relative ease. However, simply head to the assembly room within the factory. Once there, the player must walk up the ramps inside the building until eventually ending up in an office to the north side of the building. Inside this office will be a terminal and a desk, alongside a storage chest. The bobblehead will be sitting atop the busted terminal, easily in the player’s view.
Lockpicking – Effect = Easier Lockpicking
Location: Pickman Gallery, sitting on the floor beside a burning trash can in the basement of the gallery.
The lockpicking bobblehead can be found inside the Pickman Gallery, which formerly housed great art exhibitions before the Great War. This location, named after an H.P. Lovecraft story named “Pickman’s Model,” can be found just to the south of the USS Constitution and north of the Old North Church.
However, this building is not all that it may seem, on the outside. When the sole survivor manages to enter the building, they may overhear some of the raiders inside talking about their thirst for revenge against this illusive Pickman character, for what reason you do not know why yet. However once you are either spotted or choose to dispatch these raiders, the player is greeted by some harrowing sights.
As it turns out, Pickman has been capturing and utilizing the sometimes still living bodies of raiders for his art installations, performing horrible acts of mutilation on them to satiate his sick desires. The reference to Lovecraft may be rather fitting, after all, it seems.
To find the bobblehead, however, the player must not leave in screaming horror at the sight of these horrid art pieces. Instead, you must head down to the lowest level of the building in order to find the infamous Pickman. At this stage, it would seem that the raiders have caught up with their man and are currently holding him at gunpoint. The violence that ensues is inevitable. After the dust settles, the player character is the only one left standing, head on over to the burning trash can in the center of the room; beside it, you will find the bobblehead.
Medicine – Effect = +10% Stimpak Healing
Location: Vault 81, sitting on a desk inside Curie’s office/medical center.
During your travels throughout the Commonwealth, the player may have come across quite a few vaults, but none of them are anywhere near as nice as Vault 81, the location for this next bobblehead. Not only is the interior to this vault spotless, but it is also the only vault in the entirety of the Commonwealth that is still operational and thriving if I do say so myself. The reason for this vault’s success where all others failed is seemingly because the past overseer managed to behave like a human for at least ten minutes, sabotaging Vault-Tec’s plans right from the get-go.
This vault, located just south of Oberland Station and west of Chestnut Hillock Reservoir, is a veritable treasure trove of useful stuff for any resourceful wanderer. Holding inside its steel frame, two magazines, one bobblehead, and one companion by the name of Curie. Not only this, but the vault also holds a key place in several quests, including Here Kitty, Kitty, Dependency, and Hole in the Wall.
As mentioned, there is a possible companion in this vault that goes by the name of Curie, undoubtedly after Marie Curie considering the robot also has a French-accented voice. Anyway, within this companion’s office/medical center, the player will find the bobblehead sitting on a desk for which the floating robot undoubtedly has no use.
Repair – Effect = +10% Fusion Core Duration
Location: Corvega Assembly Plant, sitting on a box atop the highest piece of exterior scaffolding on the building.
Here we go, now this one makes a pretty big and noticeable difference in the grand scheme of things. If you’re like me and always afraid of running out of fusion cores, then this bobblehead is a must. This allows the player to make more efficient use of their fusion cores and helps remove some of that anxiety you might have surrounding the wearing of power armor suits that the scarcity of these cores may pose.
To find this bobblehead, the player must head over to Corvega Assembly Plant, a location-based within Lexington, a relatively central location within the Commonwealth and Fallout 4 map.
The player may come across this location first of all during the Last Voyage of the USS Constitution quest, wherein the player must loot some useful technology for the flying three-masted frigate. If not, the player will have to deal with all the raiders inside in order to make their way to the bobblehead’s location. These raiders can sometimes number in the twenties, so it may be advisable to bring some extra ammo and Stimpaks with you for this one.
Once you are inside, however, the player must head to the very top of the plant’s exterior scaffolding; once there, the player will find the bobblehead around a giant blue balloon-looking structure sitting on a box near a repair chest.
Science – Effect = +1 Guess Hacking
Location: Malden Middle School/Vault 75, sitting beside a terminal in Basement Level 3.
Whilst this bobblehead is, of course, no use to me, someone who definitely reads the tutorial menu of each Fallout game that pops up on your first terminal hack and definitely doesn’t just guess randomly; however, you might find this one somewhat useful. I can’t help but think that this one may have been more useful in the earlier games when the terminals used to lock you out completely after a failed terminal hack was an attempt, considering you just need to wait ten seconds now. It resets, it might not be that needed in the long run.
That being said. However, I’m sure some people will find it useful out there. If your one of them, head on over to Malden Middle School, otherwise known as Vault 75. Yes, you lucky duckling, you get to go back into another vault with this list, but don’t worry, it is definitely not as nice as the previous one.
Once the player gets inside the building, head on down to Basement Level 3; once you’re down there, you will find a room that overlooks a set of rundown stores; this room will have the bobblehead you seek placed just beside an old busted terminal.
Sneak – Effect = +10% Harder to Detect
Location: Dunwich Borers, sitting beside a terminal in the depths of the quarry, near area 4.
An essential for anyone pursuing a stealth build for their latest Fallout 4 playthrough, the sneak bobblehead can be found deep within the cave system of Dunwich Borers. This quarry sits in the northeastern area of the Commonwealth and can be found west of Hugo’s Hole and east of The Slog, across the water.
As you might imagine, with this location being a vast underground quarry, locating the bobblehead may be a bit difficult, so please do turn on your Pip-Boy light for some added visibility. More specifically, though, the bobblehead can be found on a metal table, right next to a terminal post marked area #4.
Speech – Effects = +100 Vendor Caps
Location: Park Street Station/Vault 114, sitting on the overseer’s desk.
If you, like me, rage at the tiny number of caps that vendors in all Fallout games seem to have, then this bobblehead might do something to slightly reduce your anger. Located at Park Street Station or Vault 114. Located just to the east of Diamond City and south of the Old Granary Burying Ground, this location will most likely be found during the player’s hunt for the missing Nick Valentine as part of the main questline.
Located in the Overseers office, the player will find both Valentine and the bobblehead in the same room, allowing the player to kill two birds with one stone before venturing forth with the detective in order to find your beloved Shaun.
In Brief:
- The utility branch of bobbleheads addresses different areas of core gameplay mechanics, making the overall gaming experience more enjoyable.
- These bobbleheads are, in general, harder to find through sheer luck than the SPECIAL ones.
- The easiest bobblehead to get is probably the medicine one, as no quests or enemies must be killed to gain access to it.
Weapon Bobblehead Locations
Big Guns – Effect = +25% Critical Damage with Heavy Weapons
Location: Vault 95, sitting between two couches in the vaults lower residence quarter.
Well, here we are again, returning to another vault, in this case, Vault 95. It seems the developers really wanted to make sure their players showed a special interest in their vaults, most likely due to the amount of lore put into each one of them.
This vault is found in the southwest of the Commonwealth, at the edge of the Glowing seas and to the west of Somerville Place. Should the player decide that this bobblehead is worth the effort, they will need to head into the vault, clearing out the many enemies inside, including raiders and other wasteland horrors, before finding their way into the lower residence of the vault. Once there, the player needs to walk through the destroyed wall at the base of the readily apparent ramp, turning to your right soon after. The room you come across next will have two couches, the bobblehead being placed on the radio in that same room.
Energy Weapons – Effect = +25% Critical Damage with Energy Weapons
Location: Fort Hagen, sitting between two refrigerators in the Command Center’s kitchen.
To find this bobblehead, the player will have to take a short journey to Fort Hagen, located at the western edge of your map and situated in a town with ArcJet Systems to its southwest along with Hagen Filling station. However, the location will most likely already have been discovered through the main quest line as long as the Getting a Clue quest has been activated or completed.
This bobblehead will be found in the Command Center section of the Fort and, more specifically, in the kitchen area of this sector. The item will be sat between two refrigerators when the player eventually finds it.
Explosives – Effect = +15% Explosive Damage
Location: Saugus Ironworks, inside the Blast Furnace room, sitting atop a control panel at the back of the room.
Make your way to Saugus Ironworks for this bobblehead; this factory is located east of the Fallout 4 map and can be found to the south of The Slog and west of Hub City Auto Wreckers.
When you reach the location, head on inside and deal with all of the forgers inside the first two chambers; explore the building further, heading deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of broken catwalks and scaffolding until you find the blast furnace area. Once inside here, the player will see the item on top of a tall computer, directly behind where the NPC Slag stands on your first meeting.
Melee – Effect = +25% Critical Damage with Melee Weapons
Location: Trinity Tower, sitting on a desk inside the cage that Strong is kept in, at the tower’s very top.
Located just to the east of Diamond City and west of Hubris Comics stands one of the tallest buildings in the game, Trinity Tower, the location for the melee bobblehead. Part of the Curtain Call side quest, this location holds many unique items/NPCs for the player to explore, including Rex Goodwick and his Goodwick suit, as well as a script for Macbeth should that interest the player.
Of course, you are here for the bobblehead and not some script. Just head on up to the very top of the tower, find where they are keeping Rex and Strong imprisoned, and release them. Once this is done, the bobblehead can be collected from the desk behind them.
Small Guns – Effect = +25% Critical Damage with Ballistic Guns
Location: Gunners Plaza, behind a master-locked door on the ground floor, sitting atop a desk inside the room.
As you might expect for a bobblehead concerning the firing of a weapon, this one can be found at Gunners Plaza. This relay tower is just east of Cutler Bend and south of Fallon’s Department Store.
Once the player manages to gain entry to this building, they will see a big sign above one of the doors that reads, “On the Air,” to get through this door, the player will have to do one of two things. Firstly, they can either pick the master locked door and enter as normal, or they can pickpocket one of the assumedly dead Gunners you had to fight on your way through to this location for the key. Either way, once you’re past the door, the bobblehead will be sitting on a desk inside.
Unarmed – Effect = +25% Critical Hit Damage with Unarmed Strikes
Location: Atom Cats Garage, sitting on the hood of a rusted car in the main workshop.
Well, congratulations, your journey is almost over, and soon, you can go back to your normal wasteland exploring life, allowing yourself to forget about the rather annoying and arduous process of recovery all of these bobbleheads after some time and mild concussions as the hands of some super mutants.
However, one last location stands in your way, the Atom Cats Garage, a junkyard located at the southeastern edge of the Commonwealth map, situated east of Neponset Park and west of Warwick Homestead. This location not only provides the player with two, yes two suits of power armor but a bobblehead as well; what a steal.
To find the bobblehead then, look for a very rusted car sitting in the middle of the main garage; on the hood of this car, you will find the bobblehead that will complete your long and hard journey once and for all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Are bobbleheads permanent in Fallout 4?
Answer: Yes, even after the player decides to display them on their dedicated stand, the effects garnered from the bobbleheads are still in effect and cannot be stripped away from the player throughout the game.
Question: How do I get into Parsons State Insane Asylum?
Answer: To access this location, the player must begin the Secret of Cabot House quest by either walking into the Cabot house or finding Edward Deegan at Bunker Hill or the Third Rail and speaking with him will begin the same quest.
Question: Is there a bobblehead in Diamond City?
Answer: There is not a bobblehead within the city; however, many can be found in the settlement buildings, such as the Mass Fusion Building just northeast of the city.
Question: Where is the first Bobblehead in Fallout 4
Answer: The first bobblehead many players will find in the game is located inside the Museum of Freedom; this perception bobblehead is found after you help out Preston Garvey and his followers from their attack by raiders.
Conclusion
So, there we have it, a complete Fallout 4 Bobblehead Locations Guide to all of the bobblehead locations in Fallout 4. If you ask me, whilst this task is a bit tedious and boring at times, involving many painful loading screens and not much dynamic action, there are moments of exploration that make everything worthwhile.
The discovery of Vault 81, for example, I first found the vault on my first playthrough of the game whilst looking for the medicine bobblehead. The backstory of that vault, along with the corresponding quests, made the bobblehead venture all the more worthwhile. Not to mention that amazing feeling you get once all of them have been added to your settlement of choices presentation stand.