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This article covers: Economy, Loot, Lock Breaching, Vendors, and Exploration
Horizon's loot system is very detailed, and covers a large array of containers and NPCs. Many new items are added to the game to increase the feel that you're in a living world.
Containers often contain more appropriate loot. Locked containers also give more appropriate bonus loot based on the type of container (safes, ammo boxes, etc.)
Horizon also gives purpose to some crafting ingredients that weren't widely used before, adding more diversity to hunting down materials. Certain junk items are even converted into real crafting ingredients (such as tools), instead of just being scrap.
Overall, more items feel useful and valuable.
Economy
The economy of the Commonwealth actually feels more like a real thing now. Caps are much more valuable than they were in vanilla Fallout 4. Many items and services (such as doctors) are more expensive, and you will often find yourself actually needing to use them occasionally now. You may even need to buy cooked food and water, something that probably was rarely ever done before.
Ammo is very expensive, and more difficult to find. You will most likely find yourself buying ammo wherever and whenever you can. You may want to consider a wider range of weaponry to make use of different ammo. Ammo crafting is now available in Horizon too.
Bartering is more normalized, because of the fact that items have such high prices now. What this means is the maximum range on prices won't be as drastic as it used to (mainly due to the lack of charisma.) I'm not completely satisfied with the state of bartering, but it's much more balanced than vanilla FO4.
General Changes to the Economy
- Ammo and medical supplies are significantly more expensive
- The maximum value you can sell items for is lowered to half the value of the item (down from 80%)
- Buy prices can also be reduced to an even 100% of their listed value
- Vendors take 7 days to restock their goods (5 days with my Timescale Addon)
- Each vendor is overhauled to be more unique, and provide specific goods
- Vendors stock less rare goods than usual
- Purchasing Home Plate is reduced to 950 caps, and it works with the new fast travel system
In an unmodded vanilla Fallout 4, item rarity is somewhat unrewarding and boring. Horizon changes this.
One thing that Horizon strives for, is to make more individual items have an actual (and sometimes more realistic) purpose now. This in turn makes exploring and salvaging more interesting. You should actually WANT to explore some cabin because it might have something good in it.
Horizon introduces many new junk items that give more flavor to looting and scrapping. It also finely tunes the weights and prices of all misc items.
Loot Changes and Additions
Horizon's loot system contains so many changes, it's impossible to document all of them. Don't let this small "Exploration" section of the documentation fool you.. the changes to loot in Horizon are a very large part of the mod.
Many new junk items were added in to add flavor and make it feel more like a living world.
A large amount of containers were completely overhauled to give more appropriate loot, and a much better (and balanced) distribution of loot.
Junk Items
- Many new junk items add flavor and balance to crafting components
- Many items that are used in crafting, are now converted to unscrappable parts, such as tools
- Creatures have brand new junk items that can be harvested (many require the Hunter perk)
- Robots/Synths have brand new junk items that can be harvested (many require the Technologist perk)
- Most junk items were given more appropriate buy/sell values.
- All junk weights are normalized based on their scrap components
- A few recipes that used junk items directly, were converted to use components instead
Loot Containers
- Many containers that are used post-war are relabeled, such as "Rusty Safe", "Damaged Ammo Box", "Tattered Suitcase"
- Medkits/mirrors were overhauled, and can contain many brand new and appropriate items
- Medkits/mirrors give a large assortment of medical loot that is very carefully balanced
- Desks and filing cabinets were overhauled, and can contain brand new and appropriate items
- Mailboxes were overhauled, and can contain appropriate items
- Gun toolcases have a better chance of having some ammo, and rare chance of having extra
- Gun toolcases can contain small bottles of smokeless powder
- Vault 111 now contains specific starter items placed around it
- The cellar in Sanctuary now contains a small amount of starter items (these containers do not respawn)*
- Too many other things to list.. I'll fill this in later
(NEW) Clean Ammo Boxes
- This new type of ammo box type replaces specific boxes in certain areas (usually locked up rooms)
- These boxes will always give a large consistant amount of ammo
- Can still give a random assortment of ammo types
- Does not respawn
- Does not give extra random "locked" loot, since they are already balanced
Scrounger and Fortune Finder
- Scrounger adds more of a realistic "feel" and specific purpose for these perks
- Containers that generally have lots of drawers, or hidding spots, have increased gains (filing cabinets, desks, etc.)
- Small containers or containers with little room for searching around, will no longer work (ammo boxes, safes, coolers, etc.)
Many players (including myself) have grown tired of the old lockpicking and hacking mini-games. They were interesting the first few times you use it, but have become tiring over 3 games. Most players even just bypass it completely, which removes some of the immersive feel from breaking locks.
Horizon has it's own style of breaching locks, which is balanced around the gameplay. There's a few methods of obtaining the ability to craft these lock breaching devices.
General Notes
- There are 3 new devices used to break locks (with 2 grades each)
- There is 1 new device used to hack terminals (with 2 grades)
- Some devices take a few seconds to perform their actions
- When a device is activated, the lock is unusable until the device is finished
- All devices make loud noises, and aren't supposed to be a stealthy way to open locks
- The low grade version of each device is for Novice/Advanced locks
- The high grade version of each device is for Novice/Advanced/Expert/Master locks
- The system will always try to use your low grade devices first on lower lock difficulties
- If you have no low grade devices for low level locks, it will then use a high grade device
- Each recipe requires different ranks of "Recipe: Safecracker" which is advanced by finding Tumbler magazines
- Each recipe can also be unlocked by a specific perk, from the perk tree
- Some devices can rarely be found in loot
- Tier 2 lock breaching recipes won't show up in the Robotics Lab until level 5
- There's 1 explosive charge in the Sanctuary cellar crate as an introduction to the devices
- NOTE: Upon breaking into doors that zone into other areas, the act of animating the door automatically zones you inside (same as normal lockpicking)*
- NOTE: when more methods of adding Safecracker ranks are introduced, the requirements may increase
*I may try to see if there's a way around this, without losing the door animation. I never liked how even normal lockpicking does that too.
(NEW) Explosive Charges
- Used to break the locks for any type of container, safe, or door
- This option is accessed while sneaking
- After the charge is set, a small explosion occurs after 5 seconds (doors have a larger explosion)
- Explosive Charge I works on for Novice/Advanced locks (requires Safecracker rank 1 -or- Demolitionist rank 1)
- Explosive Charge II works on for Novice/Advanced/Expert/Master locks (requires Safecracker rank 4 -or- Demolitionist rank 3)
- Explosives are not guaranteed to break safes, but do have 100% chance on doors and regular containers
- Using explosives on safes scale based on the lock difficulty and the grade of charge you're using
- Ex: you have a 50% chance to crack an Advanced safe with a low grade charge (100% chance with high grade charge)
- Ex: you have a 50% chance to crack an Master safe with a high grade charge (75% chance on an Expert safe)
(NEW) Locksmith Tools
- A brute force method of breaking out the lock from doors and normal containers
- This option is accessed while standing
- Locksmith tools have a 100% chance to work, but can't be used for safes
- Takes 4 seconds to smash the lock (sparks and sound effects occur every second)
- While smashing the lock, your character is unable to do anything else
- Locksmith Tools I work on Novice/Advanced locks (requires Safecracker rank 1 -or- Locksmith rank 1)
- Locksmith Tools II work on Novice/Advanced/Expert/Master locks (requires Safecracker rank 3 -or- Locksmith rank 3)
- (I may add character animations in the future)
(NEW) Autodialers
- These devices are used to specifically break into safes by finding the combinations
- This option is accessed while standing
- These devices have a 100% chance to work, but only work on safes
- Every 4 seconds, it will figure out one of the combination numbers
- Upon completing the last number, the device burns out
- Autodialer MK I works on Novice/Advanced locks (requires Safecracker rank 2 -or- Technologist rank 2)
- Autodialer MK II works on Novice/Advanced/Expert/Master locks (requires Safecracker rank 5 -or- Technologist rank 4)
(NEW) Auto-Hack Devices
- Works just like other lock breaching devices, except on computer terminals
- Comes in 2 Tiers: Tier 1 = Novice/Advanced, Tier 2 = All levels
- Auto-Hacker I requires Hacker Rank 1 -or- Recipe: Hack Attack Rank 1
- Auto-Hacker II requires Hacker Rank 3 -or- Recipe: Hack Attack Rank 4
- When you use the option on a terminal, it will takes some time to hack in, displaying messages
- Will not work on terminals that cannot be hacked and require a password
Most vendors have been overhauled in Horizon, to both balance the game better, and create a more unique feel between them.
Weapon Vendor Changes
- Vendors now sell raw ingredients for crafting ammunition, explosives, and fusion cores
- Weapon vendors will now sell loose weapon mods and a bigger variety of them (most vendors didn't even sell any before)
- Loose weapon mods sold on vendors will no longer roll "standard" (since it's a waste of a roll)
- Weapons sold on vendors are no longer modded, and sold in "packages"
- All "standard" mods are valued at 1 now, so they can't be re-sold for anything
- All loose mod values are rebalanced
- Vendors never sell Fusion Cores, but they sell parts for them now
- Fusion Core value has been greatly reduced (below vanilla value even.. because of the way their health works)
- The prices on unique weapons and armor is rebalanced (some are more expensive, some are less)
- The personal weapons/ammo that vendor NPCs have should no longer appear in their stock (for most NPCs, not all)
- Certain ammo types are unrealistic to be on most vendors: (you'll need to craft or loot them now)
- Cryo Rounds, Cannonballs, Alien Blaster Rounds will no longer appear on vendors
- Railway Spikes, Gamma Rounds, Flamer Fuel will only appear on appropriate vendors
- Doctor vendors: No longer sell chems
- General Stores: Has a chance to sell only basic low level ammo types
- DLC: Because of the odd respawn times for DLC vendors, most DLC vendors have significantly less goods for sale
- DLC: Weapon vendors can sell DLC ammo packs, but only have a chance to spawn them
- DLC: Harpoons will only appear on some DLC vendors (this ammo type is expected to be crafted if you want to use it often)
- DLC: Some Commonwealth weapon vendors have a chance to sell DLC ammo above level 8
(NEW) Ammo Packs
- Ammo is now sold on vendors in "Ammo Packs", which contain preset amounts of ammo that vary based on type
- Values for Ammo Packs are based on average damage output of the round
- Loose ammo is generally not supposed to be sold on vendors anymore
- Ammo packs allow the game to be better balanced around ammo buy/sell pricing
Other Vendor Changes
- Crops on all vendors are now only sold in "Bundles" (the amount varies based on the type)
- All individual crops are lowered in value
Diamond City - Weapons
- Sells a standard variety of ammo and ammo-based crafting mats
- Sells a moderate variety of weapons and loose weapon mods
Goodneighbor - Weapons
- Sells pre-war military themed weapons, explosives, and explosive crafting mats
- Sells loose mods based around certain pre-war and heavy weapons
Cricket
- Sells "raider" style weapons/ammo/mods, and some melee weapons
- Sells some weapon/explosive materials, and some chems
Carla
- Sells mostly junk only, but a lot more of it
Rufus
- Sells mostly tools and parts only
General Stores
- Sells mainly misc junk and some assorted food/chem/medical items
- Sells less ammo/weapons/armor now
Brotherhood - Weapons
- Sells energy weapons, energy ammo, and energy crafting materials
- Sells 5mm ammo, missiles, and heavy weapons
- Sells loose mods based on energy and heavy weapons
- Sells Fusing Casings, used to craft Fusion Cores
- Sells some ballistic ammo
- Sells 10-pack of Vertibird Signal Flares
- Sells T60 Power Armor pieces (same as before)
Railroad
- Sells a select variety of weapons, ammo, and mods
- Sells an Ammo Pack of Railway Spikes
- Sells 10-pack of Standard Flares
- Sells the usual other RR stuff
Workshop Weapon Vendors
- Tier 1/2: sells basic ammo and weapons
- Tier 3/4: sells additional ammo, weapons, crafting materials, and explosives
Farms
- Vendors at most farms now actually sell crops and farm-related items
- Abernathy Farm, The Slog, Finch Farm, Graygarden, Warwick
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