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Guideline how to set up and finish chapter 2

Tarkkh

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Alright so after 7 lost playthroughs I have finally got to the point I understand most of the system with ss2 chapter 1/2 new additions!
Let me be clear, first!
Load order and mods you use can get you into several issues!
-My advice:
Stay away from mods that change Workshops or overhaul fallout 4 gameplay/ even quest mods are at this point not recommended if you are mostly going for an ss2 based gameplay.
Unless you know how to fix conflicts and manage them!

-That said I m currently playing with 401 active mods
And by no means I m an expert at fixing or finding conflicts! Using mostly mods that either enhance or do small changes to the base gameplay

SS2 Gamemode
I m playing with the automated mode active » Settlers Build and upgrade by themselves anything (city plans)(plots I place down)
No, I m not using Rise of the Commonwealth (It was causing me some issues on a previous save)

Tinkering with ss2
Make sure you have Resource Complexity as here
These are my choices! You aren't forced to do the same especially if you are going for the realistic option, The issue I had is the Disease system seems to be a bit buggy and I had settlers getting sick / death within the 1st hrs of gameplay! And they didn't get cured in the HQ. At a point, I had the entire HQ Sick and incapacitated!

Skipping to Chapter 2
Just starting a new playthrough? Your prev save broke?
Don't wanna do Chapter 1 all over again?

Np I got you covered with some easy steps

You can use:
Start me up(even tho it might cause issues)
Or use https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/57101

-The method I use:
1st grab https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13285
2nd Start the game and get to the vault door sequence
3rd Use the cheat terminal to level up to 30 or 40 (You will need the SPECIAL and Perks if you want to progress properly)
4th Use the Cheat terminal to give you the starter gear you will need
5th Exit the vault!
From here it's up to you! My advice is to do the originally intended route!
Use a Sanctuary blueprint to set your base! (a simple one) So after you can build a sanctuary city using the plot types!

Starting SS2
Build the antenna and initiate SS2 chapter 1
Chapter 1 obligatory quests
1. Laying Foundations
2. Plotting the Future
3. If I Had a Hammer
You will have to complete those or Lilly might not appear ever (experienced myself)
How to skip quests? Pipboy» Holotapes» City manager 2078 Holotape» Tools» Cheats» Quest Skipping» Skip ahead to a specific main quest
13. Who can? ASAM!
Read the ******
14. Picking Up the Pieces
Those are recommended to be also manually done!
Saw people who tried to skip directly to chapter 2 and it would break and never start or like me when I tried and somehow Old Paul was killing Hubbert group!
This way it should avoid these issues and give you full control to start Chapter 2!

*******At this point i advise getting some of the free to take settlements
Sunshine, Hangmans, Zimonja, Coastal cottage, Jamaica, Murkwater
-After taking them use the cheat terminal to add Crafting materials to the workshop! (how much is up to you! i usually add 200 of each crafting material to all workshops, you can select how much its added on the configuration option)

-Recruit some settlers either by the console or by the cheat terminal! (player.placeatme 00020593 5 and them assign them to that settlement in workshop mode)

-Make sure you grabbed all the ASAM BOxes out of the hardware store. Or craft them on a city planners desk

-Build a city planner's desk and assign one of your new settlers to it!

IMPORTANT Build a SS2 Resource STORAGE after the city plan is built (Same goes for Hubbert group settlement)
Make sure they have at least one plot of each »
Machine parts Gathering
Building Materials Gathering
Rare Materials Gathering
Organic
This way you can start chapter 2 fully prepared!
Also while at it you might want to do find or do any SS2 special settlers quests that appeared
And move your F4 main quest at least towards mid-game!(after joining the brotherhood/or not)

Chapter 2
Enjoy the storyline! Also, make sure you do the minutemen the brotherhood or the railroad quest lines! You will need them!
Make sure you do the CPD quest as soon they are available! Don't delay them!
The quest to progress and retake the new CPD HQ requires you to join the CPD after the initial quests!
Jarred will tell you to talk with Simon in order to do so after you got the police robots for him!
Explore all Simon dialog options, It's a bit messy and sometimes you skip his options without thinking.
»I need your help»I m looking for work » CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE NOW A CPD DETECTIVE
Talk with Lena and travel to BADTFL (don't fast travel directly or it might bug-out)(If fast travel is done go instead to bunker hill)

Time to take the GNN
Once you get the quest to escort Lupe to DC
-1st make a detour and talk with all the factions you befriended /Joined (Misc quest for that under the Misc quests)
After recruiting them you can go to DC with Lupe!

GNN Takeover
Straight forward! Do whatever you want!
(I must say I didn't experience any od issue doing the front door route) Get inside let Lupe do her thing! Blast your way to the elevator talk with the Bastard who killed our old Friend and kill him!) take his card and go back up! Talk with the commander and end them all!

How to HQ
If you did all the steps I recommended you should be in a better position to complete the following quests!
Once you establish your Supply agreement with Hubbert group Theresa does mention you should build Caravan services on all your settlements!
Get to it then! What are you waiting for?
Also, don't forget the Resource STORAGEs while at it! And the power plants!

-Recruiting settlers to the HQ
My advice get all the SS2 settlers you have recruited there 1st! All of them have extra good stats that make for good HQ staff!
If you don't have many then you can just go around your settlements with the vitomatic scanning everyone and choosing that way!

But we are getting ourselves ahead of what we should do!
So just follow the steps in How to HQ! Don't assign staff yet to anywhere! Clear up all rooms or as many as you can! It will take time unless you use the option to Override Timmers
While cleaning there are rooms that give you options on what they will be for(Make sure you don't choose the same option multiple times expt for living quarters)
After clearing all rooms / as many as you could, them built up the living quarters and get to recruit more settlers!

You can ignore Commonwealth Rising at this point! Keep doing How to HQ
Build living quarters and recruit Settlers!
Once you have between 8 to 10 people in facilities then you can assign one or 2 to logistics so you can add some extra Supply agreements!
This way you will get more resources. You can also donate the content or workshops directly to the city desk!

-Build common areas and keep recruiting! Once you recruit 15 settlers How to HQ will be done and the next quest start!

- After this, it's just a matter of following the quest lines! The next quests shouldn't be an issue!

Commonwealth Rising
So you have recruited your science head and you have 30+HQ staff?
Time to advance » Make sure all staff is properly assigned and you have Supply agreements with your managed settlements (settlements where you built extra plots to feed the HQ as I recommended above)
Build the Power distribution room
.
and
Network installation
.
Upgrade the Power distribution room to Level 4 or so!
That should bump the quest to the next phase!

-Remember when I said to Build Power plants at your settlements?
Now that's when that came in handy!
Travel to your settlements that have Supply agreements with the HQ and Build-up a municipal plot » Choose the plan Power Relay Station by Ruineworld

Link it to your grid! Do the same in all settlements. If you want Build up extra Generators! (As long as as you are sure to have 1k energy it should be fine)

Wait a few days

The quest should advance (if it doesn't upgrade the Power distribution room), then it's just a couple more steps for the ending of Chapter 2!

Still, having issues? Read more on the Wikia https://wiki.simsettlements2.com/gameplay/basics/hq

Or post here! But again I must enforce! Many of the current issues players are facing are caused by either load orders/mod conflicts or F4 engine itself
 
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Chapter 2
Enjoy the storyline! Also, make sure you do the minutemen the brotherhood or the railroad quest lines! You will need them!
Make sure you do the CPD quest as soon they are available! Don't delay them!
The quest to progress and retake the new CPD HQ requires you to join the CPD after the initial quests!
Jarred will tell you to talk with Simon in order to do so after you got the police robots for him!
Explore all Simon dialog options, It's a bit messy and sometimes you skip his options without thinking.
»I need your help»I m looking for work » CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE NOW A CPD DETECTIVE
Talk with Lena and travel to BADTFL (don't fast travel directly or it might bug-out)(If fast travel is done go instead to bunker hill)
Why do you recommend doing the CPD questline as soon as you get it, is there a timer on it? I've just got it but am nowhere near "midgame" in the main storyline; I've only just met the Railroad and visited Danse. I've done neither of their questlines beyond that.
 
Why do you recommend doing the CPD questline as soon as you get it, is there a timer on it? I've just got it but am nowhere near "midgame" in the main storyline; I've only just met the Railroad and visited Danse. I've done neither of their questlines beyond that.
Yes several of them have a timer (though not the first one I think) so those quests you want to act quickly on. If you delay them you can fail the quests and the CPD can turn hostile.
 
Yes several of them have a timer (though not the first one I think) so those quests you want to act quickly on. If you delay them you can fail the quests and the CPD can turn hostile.
on top of that, there is a known issue (spoilers) with the Raiders at BADTFL respawning in the later part of the quest and immediately killing critical NPCs if you wait multiple days between quests in act 2 and the end of act 3.
 
stuck on last quest in stage 75 -> 80, cant speak to jake, so no video appears for antenna upgrade...
jake is marked as quest person but no reaction to my trys to talk... all other person in hq have normal speaking options on talking, on jake sucks...
what happend...
 

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Does anyone know the specific quest involved in upgrading the mainframe? In my Misc list, it shows on stage 26 of 35 and has me going to the Lexington Pharmacy. Nothing is at LexPharm and the VATS Quest indicator points me to the door when inside. Outside, it points me back in. Neither Jake nor Lupe said anything about stuff to do back at HQ, and other than this, I'm pretty sure I'm done. I got the ending "cinema" and post-Chapter 2 discussions with the staff.

I don't remember anything about the mainframe per se, and it doesn't help that I've been fighting some rotten bug for two weeks, haven't played till today.
 
I have the IDEK mod supply routes, and alot of scrapping going on at all the settlements, (and I mean ALL, I have them all), 4 or 5 supply agreements..... and it still doesn't have enough resources to start any projects. Facility energy takes forever to accumulate. I have 3 bunk rooms, and the faculity, comm, admin, engineering and security offices. 12 residents, with 8 as facilitiees and the others as the department heads only. This has taken months of realtime, and probably 70+ hours of gametime and it's still only halfway built. Anyone know if the IDEK supply routes don't feed HQ properly?

This whole HQ thing is not worth it. Why can't this just be over. My whole goal to SS2 is to zone and let the people build. I don't mind designing the layout dynamically as the settlement grows... but HQ is worse than micromanaging a settlement plank-by-plank because of the pointless delays. There isn't really much choice the what goes where, so it's like a city that won't build itself, and no freedom to step in and place things myself. This really needs to be rethought. Maybe the interface just doesn't lend itself to completely converting an interior space. Maybe my potato 12-core computer can't complete scripts.
 
Anyone know if the IDEK supply routes don't feed HQ properly?
Hmm, maybe. Would probably need to start a caravan network then switch everything to IDEK to test that properly. It shouldn't cause such issues but I'm not sure.
This has taken months of realtime, and probably 70+ hours of gametime and it's still only halfway built.
The way you're describing it, yeah, it's probably not worth that much pain. And it's really not supposed to be like that. I'd suggest to use tgm and do it at the pace you want (instantly or at least reasonably fast).
 
I thought I would give "How to HQ" one more try. I cleaned all the areas not in basement and (facilities) built various quarters for the staff, but facilities now has run out of places to build and I attempted to clean the basement thinking I would create quarters down there. That failed too. So I am stuck needing more quarters for staff and can't find anywhere to build. I only hired 8 so far so it shouldn't be crowded. I give up. "How to HQ" is harder than Chinese/Greek Calculus.
Perhaps the devs will put in a turn-key system that lets facilities coordinate with Logistics without my help and get it done without my ramming my head into the brick wall again and again. Starflight here I come.
 
How to HQ hasn't changed yet. It is very confusing at first, though if you just clean everything there should be more options. According to wiki, on the main floor there are 11 rooms that can be used as living quarters for 2 or more. 12 actually, since you can turn player apartment into a room for 6 as well. And a lot of them can have 4 or 6 workers.
Perhaps the devs will put in a turn-key system that lets facilities coordinate with Logistics without my help and get it done without my ramming my head into the brick wall again and again.
I may be wrong but I think that's the intent. After the devs take a starfield break themselves, I hope HQ is at the top of the list :)
 
I thought I would give "How to HQ" one more try. I cleaned all the areas not in basement and (facilities) built various quarters for the staff, but facilities now has run out of places to build and I attempted to clean the basement thinking I would create quarters down there. That failed too. So I am stuck needing more quarters for staff and can't find anywhere to build. I only hired 8 so far so it shouldn't be crowded. I give up. "How to HQ" is harder than Chinese/Greek Calculus.
Perhaps the devs will put in a turn-key system that lets facilities coordinate with Logistics without my help and get it done without my ramming my head into the brick wall again and again. Starflight here I come.
I dealt with it by spawning a load of settlers using console, again used console to set all their attributes to 12; turned on TGM in HQ and and built all available living quarters and sent all the settlers I'd spawn to HQ. Then, still with TGM on, built the whole lot until stopped to take next mission; then rice/repeat.
 
The only thing I find exhausting in it at this point is recruiting. (Scrap logistics still kinda suck, it just feels like an arbitrary showstopper from the game. That's still my main argument to suggest tgm instead. But I suppose HQ forcing you to not upgrade everything at once reduces the chance of engine meltdown) Constant struggling to figure out who would fit there better from stats and roleplay perspective (if you care about that crap, much easier when you don't :acute ) and who's better off at settlements. If I even have anyone at all, otherwise a lot of spawning settlers and zapping their specials.
 
Kind of a switch in topic, but is there a consensus on how best to advance the vanilla questline alongside the SS2 questline? For instance, I'm about to finish Chapter 1 and start Chapter 2. I've contacted the Railroad and boarded the Prydwhen, and have retaken the Castle. Is it better to get into the Institute at this time or proceed with Chapter 2?

I don't care for a min/max XP standpoint, looking more for a storyline standpoint.
 
I guess it's expected to enter Institute before taking GNN (since you can get their support, and all other factions for the battle). Somewhat expected but otherwise who cares, you could nuke a faction then meet Jake :) And start of ch3 is when main factions are infighting. Somewhere around the middle of ch3 would be a good time to complete vanilla main quest for "under one banner", I think.
 
I did tried to load the last save before the quest of "How to HQ". I did clean and clear the rooms in HQ. But after that, it doesn't bring out options to build more living quarters other than just upgrading Cedric Mansfield's room and player's room only. I don't know if in my end could be a script issues that I may encountered or could it be mods that may overwritten it that would cause to not appear more building room options (like building more living quarters, etc..) in HQ after clearing and cleaning the rooms in HQ. That's where I'm currently at right now and thinking about opening out my FO4edit to check any mods that would overwrite the SS2 Chapter 2 for this particular one. But, I don't know if there would be a case that I may have to skip this quest to completed it? I don;t wanted to skip this quest, but it may be the last resort to help fix the issue of building more living quarters in HQ. But the good news is that my SS2's caravan plot are working properly since I did built it in several settlements that I currently have before the quest of How to HQ. I do have two screenshots showing what I'm currently having the issue with (and also here's my loadorder text file):
 

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Power and food are still very slow to get sent to HQ. I have agreements with about half of all settlements, and power transmission stations built and even upgraded in most of those. I still get power upgrade notices in HQ. Also, even tho most settlements have a food surplus, HQ shows almost no food.
I have built the IDEK hybrid caravan station at most settlements by now. Some power stations won't build, claiming that other stations are too far away. This despite that location (Egret) being the closest actual settlement to GNN...
On latest 3.0.3. HQ construction is about full.
 
after "How to HQ" I get no options sent to rooms, as I remember when I first did the GNN HQ before chapter 3 was available, I had no problems (though I find the workshop mode to be very clumbersome) each time a room was cleaned options were available for those rooms. I get a marker in the basement at the exit of the lift , which is for the generator room all I get is "no options sent", same for the SE basement rooms which is for the water purifiers. it's very frustrating, the only rooms I get options for is Mansfields room, the room next to the players room & cannot change the players room to IA accommodation, if I had the option I'd give the damn building back to the gunners
 
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I like the story line, but the problems with GNN head quarters ruin the mod & no one seems bothered to try sorting out the problems with "no options sent", reading through it seems to be a problem with other Workshop mods, which would mean re-starting all over again, after it's taken me months to get the game as stable as possible with mods. I'm thinking of stopping playing SS2 all together & going back to SS1 or even FO3.
 
It's an awful bug to have, yeah :/ I'm willing to bet no one on the dev team or support team had ever ran into it, despite all efforts. And while there were attempts to make it auto refresh the room plans whenever you change floors, idk if that works for everyone (likely not since people are still reporting this). On the somewhat flip side, it's very easy to quest skip everything up to HQ, and even all of chapter 2 HQ (if you do it one quest at a time). And on the off chance that it's load order related, I'd make sure that plugins list is in proper order and everything is updated. If nothing else, maybe the grand HQ update will fix it.
 
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