Fallout 4 created by Bethesda Game Studios.
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- The Federal Ration Stockpile is located almost directly south of Sanctuary, just beyond the first major highway that runs east through Lexington. If you’ve already located and occupied Sunshine Tidings Co-op, you’re a short trip away from the Stockpile. Seeing an enormous windmill atop the highway in the distance is also a good sign that you’re getting close. (Though it’s also a sign that you should watch out for potshots from Gunners.)

- The Stockpile is Raider territory, and they’ve got quite a nasty setup. In addition to the usual Raiders and Attack Dogs patrolling the grounds, both on the ground and on higher bridges, there are also several Turrets set up to supplement their firepower. Night time also doesn’t help much, as there are search lights in place and plenty of torches besides to keep the place well-lit and free of stealth killers. And if you get too rowdy, one of the Raiders is wearing Power Armor! Yay! Still, it’s far from unbreachable. Here are some suggestions for getting the job done:
  • Characters who attack from a distance may have the easiest time killing the Raiders, thanks mainly to the terrain. There are some high bluffs in the rear of the Stockpile that you can climb onto and snipe down into the Stockpile with relative ease, and you’ll have plenty of time to pack up and find a new spot to hide before they can come find you.
  • The rocks also serve a useful purpose if you decide to be noisy, as they give you a really nice view of the Stockpile, along with plenty of cover. The Raiders are spread out enough that you should have plenty of time to mow one down before the next gets into view. The only really problematic one is the dude in the Power Armor, and you can lob explosives at him ’til he crumples. You can use the shacks and bunkers on the edges of the Stockpiles for this same purpose.
  • Melee characters have it a bit harder, but only if they telegraph themselves. The Raiders in the Stockpile only start moving together once they’re alerted to your presence, and if you can take out the searchlight and the Turrets before entering their camp you can move around relatively undetected, so long as you keep low.
  • If you can sneak into the eastern shack, which will probably require taking out a Raider quietly, you can hack an Advanced terminal to turn off the searchlights and the Turrets. Helpful! Also on the sneaking front, you can find the Power Armor parked in a crate near the front of the base, and even if you don't use the thing you can still steal it and prevent a Raider from hopping in.
- Once the Stockpile is empty, regardless of how you did the job, you can canvas the buildings and corpses to find a bunch of goodies. Nothing outstanding, but the one dude does have Power Armor, and you can find a lit Fusion Core stuck into a generator around the southwest corner of the camp. There’s also the matter of the interior, which you can access via the central concrete building near the wrecked construction vehicle. (If you don’t feel like killing you can also turn off the Turrets and spotlights from a terminal just inside the entrance.)

Federal Ration Stockpile - Interior

- After a few sets of stairs the path into the Stockpile opens, and you’ll see dangling can traps ahead. Disarm and collect ‘em, as they’ll alert the two Raiders and the Turret ahead and a little to your left. If you’re looking for a kidnapped Settler they’ll be in a room on this side, though it’s locked by a Master terminal.

- Take a right from the entrance. The pathways darkens ahead, and if you look closely you’ll see Frag Mines active on the walkway. Take them out. Keep walking and you’ll be safe until you see catwalks ahead. Not only is the path in the next room broken, but there will be a Raider on a lower catwalk. Take them out before hopping across the gap. There’s not much to see in the next room, mind, but there’s a Stealth Boy beside the two skeletons, and some explosives in a yellow box nearby.

- Jump down to the catwalks on the lower level. If you take a left through the water at the bottom you’ll return to the passage to the locked security door. Take a right and you can find a Novice locked door that leads to a rear room with several things to loot, including a Caps Stash and a Fusion Core. Go south through the red-lit door, however…

- … and, hey, baddies! There’s a Turret facing the doorway in the next room, and it’s supported by a Raider on higher ground. Take out the Turret, then the Raider. If you make enough noise you may draw two Raiders from the room up the stairs to your left, so be ready for company. There’s not much of interest loot-wise here besides a locked box.

- Head up the aforementioned stairs to find a two-tiered room. Stay on the upper floor for now and you’ll probably see Raiders around the next corner, assuming you were mildly quiet. If not you can safely descend a level and sneak to the left to find a door, this leading to a room full of shipping crates. There are two Raiders in here; kill ‘em as you see fit.

- The path splits. If you take a left from the entrance of the shipping crate room you’ll find the rear of the security room, which, sadly, you still can’t enter unless you have Master-level hacking skills. Take a right instead and you’ll find a smaller room with an Expert locked safe on your right and a door dead ahead. The door leads to an obstruction-filled area with two Turrets, a Raider, and a unique Raider called Red Tourette, who sits in a back room until you make a racket. This area is clogged with places to hide, which means, if you stay relatively still, the two enemies will move into your range eventually. There’s also lots of room to hide from the Turrets until you’re ready to shoot at ‘em.

- This room contains plenty of goodies once you clear out the enemies, though Red Tourette herself will almost certainly have the best gear on her. Included is a Federation Ration Stockpile Password which you can use to open the security room near the entrance. In Tourette’s room (it says ‘Welcome’ beside the door) you’ll find a terminal that can shut down the Turrets, if you managed to sneak past ‘em. It also has info on current events among Raiders. Check the desk near the door for a U.S. Covert Operations Manual, and look on a rear table for the Red! It's Lily! note.

- All done? Not quite. If you leave Tourette’s room and take a left you’ll find a side tunnel. This leads to a ladder which will return you to the Commonwealth. Specifically, you’ll emerge in the Lonely Chapel, a small building a short ways northwest of the Stockpile. If you need to get back in, for some reason, this is a good way to go.

Being Sneaky

By this point you may be asking yourself 'Can I go through the Lonely Chapel from the start?' The answer is an unequivocal 'Yes'. The Lonely Chapel's rear entrance is fully exposed, and you can use it to bypass the entire Stockpile, including the front door and all its guards. If you do still come out with guns blazing through the rear entrance you'll find the front door's Raiders easier to destroy, and the Raider with the Power Armor won't bother suiting up. (Didn't for me, anyway.)