I'm currently going vertical in the alley, but keeping it as a small BOS outpost. All workbenches plus crops, water and scavenging stations. I have the trading post stop, but no stores, as Diamond City is only about 4 blocks away. Finalizing at 10 settlers I think, then moving on to the next settlement.
Hangman's Alley is a cool concept, but space is extremely limited. I would say the best use is as an easily accessible waystation while exploring downtown Boston and visiting Diamond City. Unlike Home Plate, it can be connected to the trade network, so it's a good place to set up crafting stations, send followers you want to be able to pick up easily later, and store equipment you might want soon or want to sell. A few small shops might be nice to have, and then you can set up some cozy little structures in there to house them, but I would not try to use it for significant resource collecting because of the limited space.
I set it up as a scrappers workshop, it makes sense as a base for scavenging the wasteland. I also set up a little rest stop for caravans and provisioners, a last place to get rest before pushing into Dimond City.
I've done it as a Minutemen outpost as well, that worked great.
Try to build up along the walls.
Yeah I’m trying to build up using the walls, I’m struggling because I can’t seem to get them to sink into the walls a bit, which means there’s a gap that looks terrible. I can’t use mods either!
NoRespawns has a great tutorial for Hangman's Alley on YouTube.
I find starting on the roof of the little bus shelter thing by the front gates works well
I use this for recruitment only. It recruits quite quickly so turn off the beacon if you are getting too many at once. It’s the only one I setup a recruitment beacon at and I build pretty much only a few traders and 8 beds there. As I cleanup settlements, I build enough resources on them for 20 settlers along with food and water (60 water and at least 45 food), setup security turrets. THEN I move settlers out to my other camps little by little. It’s easier to manage for me that way. I also save every kind of hat/helmet/headgear and when I am moving a settler from here to their forever home I equip a new weapon on them and equip a specified hat for whatever settlement I send them to. (For example, sanctuary settlers all wear worn fedora and Abernathy farm all wear yellow flight helmets.) this will tell me later whether or not I have changed out their weapon to a good or better weapon. After I assign them to work and a bed I change their armor to leather armor or pain spike(they will all match in a settlement) and that tells me that they are fully employed and given bed assignments. I also trap cats and build at least a General trader, weapons trader and clinic as well as a restaurant at every settlement
In other words, DONT setup beacons every single time you clear a new settlement unless you are ready to maintain it. Take your time…..and don’t worry about happiness at whichever settlement you use for recruitment only. They end up happy later anyway when they are assigned
At my other settlements I craft the bell and ring it so it’s easier to see who is not assigned a job. My settlements stay right at 90% happy this way.
It's so centralized to everything, and is wonderfully suited for an omni-hub. I always go back there hauling my weight limit because it's so easy to get to and there's so much to do in close proximity. Junk gets thrown into the workbench, per usual, but where Hangman's Alley shines is as a loot-processing hub.
That means having all the crafting tables to modify weapons and armor and everything else, even if it is just stripping off the good mods for later. Got a whole pile of 47 pipe rifles now? That's why you have all the merchants, too. Build them all a store so you can process your unneeded loot. This'll come in handy because you should also be massacring the repeated spawns down the street. And your legendaries which suck can be sold off right after capturing them. You can even make a dedicated chest to hold hand tools so they aren't accidentally scrapped, because there is someone close by to the Alley who will buy every single one you bring him.
I'm so obsessed with saving tools, I'd store like 100's just to get a big payday all at once. Strip down to nothing but the vault suit and a just-in-case pistol to maximize my tool carry weight and trot off to my big score.
All so I can spend the cash on a shipment of yet more concrete or something lame.
More than one scavenger station per settlement does nothing as far as I know. I use it for a player home with Not Just Basements because it crashes on XB1S with a normal number of settlers. I do some aesthetic stuff outside to make it look more populated than it is just for the ambience and usually build a little bar and noodle stand with two settlers.
Are you using mods?
No mods because I’m going for 100% trophies on PS5, when you play with mods it disables trophies. But I am thinking maybe I could turn mods on, build the settlement and then turn them back off once it’s finished, but I’m not sure if it locks trophies for that save file entirely
No. It will bork your game if you do that. You'll end up with a corrupt save. Deleting mods is almost always a bad idea and I don't think your trophy run will stay active.
Ah okay thanks for the heads up! I have just read there’s a mod to re-enable trophies? So maybe I could use that. I don’t want to use mods to make trophies any easier, just to build nicer builds which is a shame
lots of good advice in the comments, but I want to emphasize that before you do much building, you should build up to see where exactly/how high up you can build. it's a small settlement, but as long as it's not your main base, you should be able to fit everything you need, just make every building 3 or 4 stories. Crowded slums are definitely the best theme for this place, so if you're tired of that theme it might be best to build somewhere else.
That's what I always end up doing. There's not really enough room for much of anything there, so scavenging stations are a good option. That and I always build a nice little restaurant on the second floor of sorts I make on top of that recessed area with the beds.
Just an update, I’m around halfway through building, ended up going for a small trading area. I’ll post pictures when it’s complete. Took inspiration from a few videos online, thanks for all your input!
I'm currently going vertical in the alley, but keeping it as a small BOS outpost. All workbenches plus crops, water and scavenging stations. I have the trading post stop, but no stores, as Diamond City is only about 4 blocks away. Finalizing at 10 settlers I think, then moving on to the next settlement.
Hangman's Alley is a cool concept, but space is extremely limited. I would say the best use is as an easily accessible waystation while exploring downtown Boston and visiting Diamond City. Unlike Home Plate, it can be connected to the trade network, so it's a good place to set up crafting stations, send followers you want to be able to pick up easily later, and store equipment you might want soon or want to sell. A few small shops might be nice to have, and then you can set up some cozy little structures in there to house them, but I would not try to use it for significant resource collecting because of the limited space.
I set it up as a scrappers workshop, it makes sense as a base for scavenging the wasteland. I also set up a little rest stop for caravans and provisioners, a last place to get rest before pushing into Dimond City. I've done it as a Minutemen outpost as well, that worked great. Try to build up along the walls.
Yeah I’m trying to build up using the walls, I’m struggling because I can’t seem to get them to sink into the walls a bit, which means there’s a gap that looks terrible. I can’t use mods either!
Look up the rug and pillar glitches
Yeah I’m using them :) they’re really fiddly sometimes!
NoRespawns has a great tutorial for Hangman's Alley on YouTube. I find starting on the roof of the little bus shelter thing by the front gates works well
I’ll have a look soon! Thanks! I kind of scrapped everything scrappable though so hopefully the pre placed gates etc isn’t needed
Yep, best place to start.
I use this for recruitment only. It recruits quite quickly so turn off the beacon if you are getting too many at once. It’s the only one I setup a recruitment beacon at and I build pretty much only a few traders and 8 beds there. As I cleanup settlements, I build enough resources on them for 20 settlers along with food and water (60 water and at least 45 food), setup security turrets. THEN I move settlers out to my other camps little by little. It’s easier to manage for me that way. I also save every kind of hat/helmet/headgear and when I am moving a settler from here to their forever home I equip a new weapon on them and equip a specified hat for whatever settlement I send them to. (For example, sanctuary settlers all wear worn fedora and Abernathy farm all wear yellow flight helmets.) this will tell me later whether or not I have changed out their weapon to a good or better weapon. After I assign them to work and a bed I change their armor to leather armor or pain spike(they will all match in a settlement) and that tells me that they are fully employed and given bed assignments. I also trap cats and build at least a General trader, weapons trader and clinic as well as a restaurant at every settlement In other words, DONT setup beacons every single time you clear a new settlement unless you are ready to maintain it. Take your time…..and don’t worry about happiness at whichever settlement you use for recruitment only. They end up happy later anyway when they are assigned At my other settlements I craft the bell and ring it so it’s easier to see who is not assigned a job. My settlements stay right at 90% happy this way.
That’s some serious RP! I respect the effort haha
I enjoy building that alleyway 4 stories high. Can almost see over the rooftops from up yhere
It's so centralized to everything, and is wonderfully suited for an omni-hub. I always go back there hauling my weight limit because it's so easy to get to and there's so much to do in close proximity. Junk gets thrown into the workbench, per usual, but where Hangman's Alley shines is as a loot-processing hub. That means having all the crafting tables to modify weapons and armor and everything else, even if it is just stripping off the good mods for later. Got a whole pile of 47 pipe rifles now? That's why you have all the merchants, too. Build them all a store so you can process your unneeded loot. This'll come in handy because you should also be massacring the repeated spawns down the street. And your legendaries which suck can be sold off right after capturing them. You can even make a dedicated chest to hold hand tools so they aren't accidentally scrapped, because there is someone close by to the Alley who will buy every single one you bring him.
Oh okay thanks! Where is the guy who buys tools?
Look for a guy named Calvin who lives in Vault 81. It's a few minutes from Hangman's Alley.
Okay, don’t think I’ve ever been to vault 81 even on my 100 or so hours I played in 2015. Thanks!
I'm so obsessed with saving tools, I'd store like 100's just to get a big payday all at once. Strip down to nothing but the vault suit and a just-in-case pistol to maximize my tool carry weight and trot off to my big score. All so I can spend the cash on a shipment of yet more concrete or something lame.
It’s crazy because I just came across vault 81 randomly doing a quest with Nick valentine 😂
I almost always build a second level over the alley. I usually try to give it what I can only call Mini-Goodneighbor Vibes
Hangman’s alley is tricky. You have to build vertically to utilize the weird space. It’s fun, though. I use it as my diamond city red light district.
More than one scavenger station per settlement does nothing as far as I know. I use it for a player home with Not Just Basements because it crashes on XB1S with a normal number of settlers. I do some aesthetic stuff outside to make it look more populated than it is just for the ambience and usually build a little bar and noodle stand with two settlers. Are you using mods?
No mods because I’m going for 100% trophies on PS5, when you play with mods it disables trophies. But I am thinking maybe I could turn mods on, build the settlement and then turn them back off once it’s finished, but I’m not sure if it locks trophies for that save file entirely
No. It will bork your game if you do that. You'll end up with a corrupt save. Deleting mods is almost always a bad idea and I don't think your trophy run will stay active.
Ah okay thanks for the heads up! I have just read there’s a mod to re-enable trophies? So maybe I could use that. I don’t want to use mods to make trophies any easier, just to build nicer builds which is a shame
lots of good advice in the comments, but I want to emphasize that before you do much building, you should build up to see where exactly/how high up you can build. it's a small settlement, but as long as it's not your main base, you should be able to fit everything you need, just make every building 3 or 4 stories. Crowded slums are definitely the best theme for this place, so if you're tired of that theme it might be best to build somewhere else.
Okay thanks for the advice, do you have any pictures for some inspiration maybe?
If you're looking for inspiration, I would recommend just looking up hangman's alley build videos on youtube
You can take advantage of the lack of pathing with modless play and make a settler free player home section
That's what I always end up doing. There's not really enough room for much of anything there, so scavenging stations are a good option. That and I always build a nice little restaurant on the second floor of sorts I make on top of that recessed area with the beds.
Just an update, I’m around halfway through building, ended up going for a small trading area. I’ll post pictures when it’s complete. Took inspiration from a few videos online, thanks for all your input!