Console commands are pretty essential to PC gaming. If you've never heard of them, check out our introductory explainer for a quick briefing.
Console commands are basically short lines of code that can be used to modify a game. They're particularly helpful this weekend to help you deal with any Fallout 4 bugs you may encounter. In order to use a console command, you need to open the console box -- press the tilde button on your keyboard (~/` right under the Escape key), type out the command you want to use, and press enter. You can close the console by pressing the ~/` key again.
You can use console commands to get into a secret dev test QA area that gives you an in-depth look at what items, armors, and other elements go into the game. You can even see all of the Power Armors available in the game.
Check out the video below for a detailed guide that shows you what a lot of the commands do:
Here's a basic list of commands you can use:
Coc (location) - this is the command you need to get to the secret area; just type "coc qasmoke" into the console without the apostrophes
AdvancePCSkill [AdvSkill]GetPlayerLastAction
GetPlayerName
Player Add Item ()
Player.Setscale #
SetSize [player.shrink 2.0]
ShowQuestStages
ShowGenericMenu
ShowLockpickMenu
ShowWarning
ShowChargenMenu
ShowLockpickMenuDebug
ShowAllMapMarkers
ShowRepairMenu
ShowBarterMenu
ShowDialogSubtitles
ShowViewerStrings
ShowShowQuestItems
ShowQuestObjectives
ShowSpellMaking
ShowNameMenu
ShowLooksMenu (1 for Haircut, 2 for Plastic Surgery)
ShowClassMenu
ShowMessage
ShowHelpMessage
SetActorFullName
SetCellFullName
UpdateLevel
For more Fallout 4 guides, check out our explainers on companions, Holotapes, unlocking a higher frame rate, and building settlements.