You're wandering the Commonwealth, maybe picking through the remains of a Red Rocket or just trying to avoid a pack of Feral Ghouls, and then it happens. A massive, screaming roar tears through the sky. If you're quick enough to look up, you see a streak of fire. It’s fast. It’s blue. It looks nothing like the Vertibirds you see the Brotherhood of Steel crashing every fifteen minutes. Most people actually miss the visual because they’re stuck in a menu or looking at a terminal. But that sound? You can't miss that.
The Fallout 4 UFO crash site is one of those legendary Bethesda moments that bridges the gap between creepy urban legend and actual gameplay rewards. It isn't just a "blink and you'll miss it" Easter egg; it’s a scripted event that changes the map forever. Honestly, if you haven’t found it yet, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful unique weapons in the game. It’s also just weird. Fallout has always had a thing for aliens—Zetans, specifically—but this feels more grounded and eerie than the DLC madness of Mothership Zeta.
When Does the Alien Actually Show Up?
Here is the thing: you can't just run to the crash site the second you step out of Vault 111. It won't be there. The game won't let it happen. You have to trigger it.
Bethesda hard-coded this event to trigger once your character hits Level 20. There are some reports of it happening at Level 17 or 18 if you’ve completed specific quests, but Level 20 is the gold standard. Once you hit that milestone, the next time you are outside in the open world—not in an interior cell like Diamond City or a basement—the ship will spawn.
I’ve seen people spend hours reloading saves thinking their game is glitched because they went to the spot near Beantown Brewery and found nothing but dirt and trees. You have to wait for the event. Your companions will usually comment on it. Piper might act surprised, or Nick Valentine might make a dry remark about things getting weirder. If you have Cait with you, expect her to be mostly unimpressed. That's just how she is.
Tracking the Smoke to the Fallout 4 UFO Crash Site
So, the ship screamed overhead. Now what? The game doesn't give you a quest marker. It doesn't hold your hand. You have to be a bit of a detective.
The crash happens in a very specific patch of woods. You want to head to Oberland Station. It’s south of Sanctuary and a bit to the east of the Beantown Brewery. If you’ve found the settlement with the two sisters living in a tower, you are basically on top of it. Walk southeast from the station. You’ll start seeing downed trees. Then, you'll see the fire.
The ship itself is a classic saucer shape, buried nose-first into a ridge. It’s smoking. It’s glowing. It looks like it hit hard. But the pilot isn't in the cockpit.
Following the Green Trail
Look at the ground near the ship. You’ll see splashes of bright green liquid. This isn't radioactive sludge or coolant. It’s blood. Alien blood.
Follow the trail of green goo. It leads down a small hill, past some rocks, and straight into a nearby cave. This is where the atmosphere shifts. The music gets a little tenser. You’re not just looking at a wreck anymore; you’re hunting something that survived a fall from orbit. Inside that cave, you'll find the survivor.
The Zetan is injured, but he’s not friendly. Don't expect a dialogue tree. He will open fire with an Alien Blaster the moment he sees you. He’s relatively squishy, but that gun packs a punch. Kill him. It’s the only way this ends.
The Prize: The Alien Blaster Pistol
The real reason everyone hunts the Fallout 4 UFO crash site is the loot. The Alien Blaster Pistol is a beast. It’s lightweight, has a massive fire rate, and the projectile travel time is actually manageable compared to previous games.
- Damage Type: Energy.
- Base Damage: Significantly higher than your standard 10mm or laser pistol.
- The Catch: It uses Alien Blaster Rounds.
You’ll find about 400 to 500 rounds on the pilot’s body. In the grand scheme of Fallout 4, that's nothing. You’ll burn through that in two or three major firefights. Once those rounds are gone, the gun becomes a very expensive paperweight.
The Science Perk Solution
Unless you’re a hoarder, you’ll want to modify the gun. If you have the Science! rank 4 perk, you can take the blaster to a weapons workbench and swap the magazine. You can convert it to use Fusion Cells.
Does it lower the damage? Yeah, a little bit. But Fusion Cells are everywhere. Every synth you kill is a walking ammo crate for this thing. Converting it turns a "special occasion" weapon into a reliable primary sidearm that can disintegrate a Deathclaw in seconds. It’s arguably the best energy weapon in the game for a VATS-heavy build because the Action Point cost is incredibly low.
Why This Matters for the Lore
Bethesda loves the Zetans. They’ve been in almost every game since Fallout 1, though back then they were more of an "encounter" than a faction. In Fallout 4, the crash feels more like an accident than an invasion.
There is a long-standing theory among fans—and some evidence in Fallout 76—that the aliens have been watching the Great War for centuries. Some think they even started it. Finding this lone pilot, bleeding out in a cave, makes the terrifying "aliens from space" feel vulnerable. He wasn't here to save the world or conquer it. He just crashed.
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It’s also worth noting the location’s proximity to Vault 75 and other high-tech areas. The Commonwealth is a magnet for weird tech, and the UFO is the literal peak of that.
Common Misconceptions and Glitches
I've talked to players who swear they saw the UFO at Level 5. They didn't. They probably saw a Vertibird exploding, which happens so often it might as well be weather.
Another big one: "Can you fix the ship?" No. You can't. There are mods on PC and Xbox that let you repair the saucer or even fly it to a new world space, but in the vanilla game, it’s just a static piece of terrain once it hits the ground.
Sometimes, the green blood trail doesn't spawn correctly. If you find the ship but can't find the cave, just look for the nearest cave entrance north-northeast of the crash. It's usually called "Cave" on the local map. The Zetan will still be inside even if the blood decals glitched out.
Also, if you bring Dogmeat, he can sometimes "find" the alien before you even see the ship. He’s a good boy like that.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re staring at your Pip-Boy wondering how to maximize this encounter, here is the move.
First, grind to Level 20 doing side quests like "The Silver Shroud" or just clearing out the Corvega Assembly Plant. Don't rush to Oberland Station early; you'll just waste time. Once you hear the crash, drop everything. The Alien Blaster is most effective at mid-levels before enemy health scaling gets totally out of control.
Second, save your Alien Blaster Rounds for the tough stuff. Don't waste them on Radroaches. Use them on Mirelurk Queens or Sentry Bots. By the time you run out of the original ammo, your Intelligence and Science! perks should be high enough to facilitate the Fusion Cell conversion.
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Third, check the cave thoroughly. There isn't just an alien in there; there’s often some decent scrap and occasionally a legendary spawn nearby outside the cave entrance.
The Fallout 4 UFO crash site is a reminder that the wasteland is bigger than just the war between the Institute and the Railroad. It’s a big, weird universe. Go get your ray gun.