Fallout is everywhere right now. Thanks to the new Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime Video, players far and wide, new and old, and everything in between are venturing into the post-apocalyptic wasteland to visit Vaults and deal with Deathclaws.

And there's no better place to start than in the bold blue jumpsuit of Fallout 4—especially considering that Bethesda just released it on the Epic Games Store for the very first time. Originally released on PC in 2015, Fallout 4 remains the most modern singleplayer experience in the series to date.

Emerge from Vault 111 more than 200 years after the bombs fell and venture across the Massachusetts wasteland in search of your stolen child. Follow the trail, or explore the world and make your own fun—either way, Fallout 4 is a game that keeps you coming back for more. Here’s what we love about it.
 

Build character, and more

Fallout 4 is ripe with customization. That begins with the player character, who you can design and name, and who will grow as you play, adding perks, tweaking stats, and gathering companions.

But it goes beyond your character. The wasteland itself can be stripped for parts, turning junk into weapons and mods, and eventually letting you build an entire settlement and bring a community of survivors together. You can make a huge difference in Fallout 4's world.  

Power Armor is still badass

If you've seen the antics of Maximus (played by Aaron Moten) in Amazon's Fallout series and fancy a bit of that, then suiting up in Power Armor is a must. Located all over the map, Power Armor essentially lets you embody the Mark I Iron Man suit, greatly enhancing your strength and defense (including radiation protection), supersizing your inventory, and eliminating fall damage altogether.

Fallout 4 perfected Power Armor, making you feel unstoppable the moment you step into the suit. Just remember: Swimming is out of bounds. While you can breathe underwater, that hunk of metal doesn't float, so you'll end up walking through the silt.
 

Diamond City

Diamond City—also known as the Great Green Jewel—is the biggest city in Fallout 4's Commonwealth, with the entire structure based on the famed Fenway Park baseball stadium.

What makes Diamond City so fun to visit is its assortment of colorful characters and quests, both those that touch the main storyline and some that definitely fly under the radar. If it's not the self-deprecating radio DJ, it's the murderous plastic surgeon, the teacher-robot romance, or even a drug bust gone awry. Diamond City even has its own dedicated paper, Publick Occurrences, named after the first multi-page newspaper founded in the US.

And best of all, Diamond City is home to one of the best characters in the entire game, which brings us to…

 

Nick Valentine

There are companions, and then there are companions. Fallout 4 features 13 unique characters you can team up with—but none of them compare to the one and only Nick Valentine. The sole proprietor of Valentine Detective Agency, this android companion is a private investigator who could go toe-to-toe with Humphrey Bogart, if he wanted to.

With a righteous moral compass, an endearing personality, and plenty of engrossing stories to keep you entertained for days, Nick Valentine is a big part of what makes Fallout 4 so great.

To recruit Nick Valentine, progress through the main story until eventually you're tasked with a mission titled "Unlikely Valentine," which sees the detective imprisoned in Vault 114. Once rescued, Valentine will be free to join you on your adventure.
 

Those damn Mirelurks

Mirelurks are nasty, mutated crab-like creatures that spawn randomly all over the map, typically near water. They are simultaneously one of my favorite and least favorite memories of Fallout 4. Seriously! The sound design surrounding their movement is the stuff of nightmares, featuring a sickening scuttle that makes my stomach churn every time I think of it.

That said, these creepy crustaceans make for some thrilling combat encounters that will push you to the edge. Don't miss out on the "Rite of Passage" side quest found in the Far Harbor DLC, featuring an epic battle with a Queen Mirelurk. Just be prepared to go to war.

 

Blow stuff up

When we say "blow stuff up," we don't just mean the pitiful explosion you'd get from any stick of dynamite or grenade. We mean do some serious damage.

Enter the Big Boy and Mini Nuke combination. The Big Boy is a legendary Fat Man launcher that makes Tom Brady look like Conan O'Brien in comparison. It's only fitting then that the Mini Nuke is a nuclear warhead as big as a football. Put these two together and unleash ultimate chaos.
 

Discovering Vaults

Like the Fallout TV show, Vaults were made for civilization to survive in preparation for nuclear war. There are only seven in Fallout 4, but searching each one out is a treat.

Not only do they make for some interesting side quests—like Vault 118, where you take part in a murder mystery buried beneath a hotel that was destined for Hollywood stars—but learning about the people who reside within and how they ended up there adds depth to Fallout's long-running lore.

Some explain the role of cryogenics in the Fallout world, while others offer a darker look at the sadistic testing that went on behind closed doors. One even features a thriving society that banished the outside world altogether.

 

New PC upgrades

Bethesda announced a new next-gen update of Fallout 4 for consoles along with a host of new upgrades for the PC version—most notably, ultra-widescreen support. With this update, the city of Boston can be enjoyed in all of its desolate glory. Bask in the stunning wasteland vistas, face a Deathclaw with crystal clear clarity, and smell the eradicated roses.

Additionally, Bethesda added some general fixes for Creation Kit (Fallout 4's free mod editor) and updated numerous quests. Taken together, this means that Fallout 4 is now in the best state it's ever been.

If you haven't had the chance to play Fallout 4 or fancy revisiting the game, it’s on the Epic Games Store right now.