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This page is about the region in Fallout 4. For the quest in Fallout 4, see The Glowing Sea. |
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The Glowing Sea is a region of the Commonwealth introduced in Fallout 4.
Comprising the southwestern corner of the territory, the Glowing Sea serves as one of the biggest reasons for the Commonwealth's reputation along the East Coast as a near-inhospitable landscape, regularly generating violent radstorms that blanket everything under a deadly radioactive cloud. As a whole, it is the largest area of land irradiated as the result of a single nuclear detonation in the entire Fallout series.[Non-game 1]
Background[]
The Great War[]
In the years leading up to 2077, a host of communities had developed in the countryside to the southwest of Boston proper, connected to the metropolitan area via the Mass Pike Interchange and the sprawling overpass roadway crossing much of Massachusetts. This region was also home to a swathe of industrial and military sites, including the nuclear missile silo Sentinel Site Prescott. On the day of October 23, 2077, this region became the ground zero of a single high-yield nuclear detonation, visible from distances as far off as Sanctuary Hills to the north,[1] which annihilated large swathes of the area and also devastated Boston proper.[2]
The source of this blast is not specified. One possible source is the Chinese stealth submarine Yangtze-31, which was near Boston Harbor at the time and is known to have successfully fired all but one of its high-yield nuclear missiles according to its captain Zao, but its targets are not known.[3]
Post-War[]
While it is unclear where its name first originated, the "Glowing Sea" is not a sea in the traditional sense, rather existing as a vast landscape of omnipresent, lethal levels of radiation, hosting hordes of mutated monsters that make it an unforgiving deathtrap to the unprepared. The Sea's sickly green glow can be seen from all corners of the Commonwealth, particularly in the dark of night.
Much of the Glowing Sea's landscape consists of scorched earth spotted with radioactive ponds, charred trees, wrecked cars, and heaps of rubble. The few remaining buildings that were not reduced to thinly spread debris are half-buried by landslides and sinkholes. Moreover, weather systems that often pass over the Glowing Sea heading northeast invariably collect loose irradiated material from the region and spread it to the rest of the Commonwealth in the form of radstorms.[4][Non-game 2]
Despite the combined dangers of the rads and monsters, the Glowing Sea hosts limited human habitation. One of the few constants is a sect of the rad-worshipping Church of the Children of Atom who created a small settlement, the Crater of Atom, within the impact crater left by the nuclear blast that birthed the Glowing Sea over 200 years ago.[5] Sometime prior to 2287, in an effort to hide himself from pursuit by the Institute, the rogue scientist Brian Virgil injected himself with a strain of the Forced Evolutionary Virus and transformed into a super mutant to survive in the Glowing Sea, eventually going to ground in a rocky cave deep within the radioactive hellscape.[6]
 | The following is based on Creations and/or Creation Club content. |
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An Enclave expedition to the Commonwealth in 2287 established their field headquarters within the Glowing Sea at the ruins of the Atlantic Offices to ward off any potential aggression from local threats while undertaking field operations.[7]
| End of information based on Creations and/or Creation Club content |
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Layout[]
As a general rule, the Glowing Sea is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at a low level or without adequate supplies and protection. The entire region is heavily irradiated, inflicting at least 10 rads/second in most areas, sufficient to kill unprotected players at low-to-mid levels in less than two minutes of unprotected exposure. Drinking water from local sources in the Glowing Sea inflicts 10 rads rather than the normal 3 rads, and immersion in open water inflicts 20 rads/second rather than the normal 10 rads/second.
To survive, one should bring an ample supply of RadAway and Rad-X to minimize exposure. Further protection can be achieved by wearing rad-resistant armor, such as power armor or a hazmat suit (though power armor gives better protection from attacks by mutated creatures inhabiting the Glowing Sea). Completing the side quest The Secret of Cabot House by siding with Lorenzo Cabot will grant access to an unlimited supply of the mysterious serum, which heals 10 rads/second for one hour.
Perhaps more dangerous than the radiation is the local wildlife, as only the hardiest creatures can survive in this hostile environment: packs of deathclaws, radscorpions, and mutant insects such as bloatflies, bloodbugs, and stingwings roam the wastes, attacking anything in their path. Useful resources (such as food, chems, and ammo) are scarce in this hellish landscape, although the various ruins and wrecked vehicles scattered about the area contain modest amounts of loot. These ruins hold their own dangers, however, in the form of large packs of feral ghouls and the occasional mole rat swarm.
Locations[]
- Atlantic Offices, north-northeast of the Crater of Atom and west-northwest of the capsized factory.
- Capsized factory, northeast of the Crater of Atom and east-southeast of the Atlantic Offices.
- Caves, with the northern cave underneath a road near a Red Rocket station northeast of the capsized factory, and the southern cave beyond the edge of the map southwest of the Vertibird wreckage.
- Crater of Atom, southwest corner of the map.
- Decayed reactor site, beyond the edge of the map, west-northwest of the Crater of Atom.
- Decrepit factory, beyond the edge of the map, southwest of the Crater of Atom.
- Edge of the Glowing Sea, northeast edge of the area, north of Hopesmarch Pentecostal Church.
- Federal supply cache 84NE, northeast of Federal Surveillance Center K-21B.
- Federal Surveillance Center K-21B, northwest of the Atlantic Offices. The underground facility is accessed through an abandoned shack on the surface.
- Forgotten church, beyond the edge of the map, west of Federal Surveillance Center K-21B.
- Hopesmarch Pentecostal Church, north of the Vertibird wreckage.
- O'Neill Family Manufacturing, beyond the edge of the map, southwest of Skylanes Flight 1665 and north of the Sentinel site.
- Parking garage, an unmarked location just north of the southern cave.
- Red Rocket (Glowing Sea), an unmarked location just northwest of the northern cave.
- Relay tower 0DB-521, east-southeast of the Vertibird wreckage.
- Rocky cave, beyond the edge of the map, southwest of the Crater of Atom.
- Sentinel site, beyond the edge of the map, south of O'Neill Family Manufacturing.
- Skylanes Flight 1665, beyond the edge of the map, northeast of O'Neill family Manufacturing and south of the Vertibird wreckage.
- Vertibird wreckage, west-northwest of Relay tower 0DB-521.
Notable loot[]
- Astoundingly Awesome Tales issue #10 - Sentinel site.
- Astoundingly Awesome Tales issue #13 - Crater of Atom.
- Tesla Science Magazine issue #3 - Rocky cave.
- U.S. Covert Operations Manual issue #4 - Federal Surveillance Center K-21B.
- Two Gauss rifles - Skylanes Flight 1665 (if the player character is at least level 32 and has either the Skylanes cargo key or the Locksmith perk at rank 3).
- Virgil's rifle - Rocky cave.
- Complete set of raider power armor with fusion core - Southern cave.
- Partial set of power armor with fusion core - Federal Surveillance Center K-21B.
- Fusion core - Atlantic Offices.
- Six Vault-Tec lunchboxes - Federal Surveillance Center K-21B (two), rocky cave (one), Sentinel site (three).
- Three mini nukes - Federal Surveillance Center K-21B (one), rocky cave (one), Sentinel site (one).
- Two Stealth Boys - Federal Surveillance Center K-21B (one), rocky cave (one).
- Nuka-Cherry - Federal supply cache 84NE.
- Sentry bot model - O'Neill Family Manufacturing.
Appearances[]
The Glowing Sea appears only in Fallout 4.
Gallery[]
.png "Art of Fo4 Glowing Sea (2).png (425 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ As seen during Out of Time in Fallout 4
- ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: The Glowing Sea is the most highly irradiated region in the entire Commonwealth. According to local legend, it was ground zero for the high-yield nuclear blast that devastated most of Massachusetts.
- ↑ The Sole Survivor: "Where are you going to get that?"
Captain Zao: "Ah... Now that is the right question to ask. 200 years ago, I launched all of Yangtze's high-yield nuclear missiles. As ordered. For 200 years, I have lived with that guilt. That shame. So much fire Such bei. But one missile failed to launch. You must go down. Remove the warhead. Then bring it to me."
(Captain Zao's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: The Commonwealth is occasionally plagued by radiation storms that blow in from the Glowing Sea, far to the southwest.
- ↑ The Sole Survivor: "Holy ground? What makes this place holy?"
Isolde: "Atom reached out and touched this world, bringing his Glow to us. It remains to this day, a reminder of his promise. Infinite worlds through division."
(Nate's/Nora's and Isolde's dialogue) - ↑ Brian Virgil personal log 0176
- ↑ Events of Echoes of the Past in the next-gen update
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Collector's Edition pp. 353-354: "ZONE 5: NATICK AND THE GLOWING SEA
Complete and utter desolation as far as your blistered, irradiated eyes can see. A perpetual cloud of radiation haze. Fierce and toxic storms. If the Deathclaws and Radscorpions don't get you, the radiation sickness might. This is the epicenter of a massive (and highly successful) nuclear strike centered on what is known colloquially as the Crater of Atom. While the northern and riverside fringes of this zone are relatively free of radiation, be sure to stock up on chems and wear proper protective attire once you're south of Natick. Welcome to the Glowing Sea."
(Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Map) - ↑ E3 2015 panel by Todd Howard