Most PC gamers treat the developer console on games as little more than a way to unlock cheat codes, but it is actually capable of far more than that, especially in games like the recently released Fallout 4.

Sure you can make yourself invulnerable or unlock an infinite amount of money, but you can also accomplish much more complicated tasks like disabling certain items (or characters) from the game world, acquiring items that are otherwise impossible to get, changing the size of your character to monstrous proportions, and more. The console is so powerful that if you do not know what you are doing, you can very easily break your game, which is why Pete Hines, VP of Marketing at Bethesda Softworks LLC, recently advised against using it.

When asked on Twitter if the developer console would ever make its way onto the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version of the game, Hines responded, “Nope. use of the console is not supported or recommended on PC. that kind of thing isn’t permitted on consoles anyway.”

In another tweet, he also added, “[The console] can very easily mess up save games.”

While it is true that there are plenty of console commands that can make the game unstable and potentially ruin your current save, that does not mean that simply using the console will put you at risk, and there are still ways to use it safely.

Safe commands

Any command whose effects are temporary, such as toggling on or off God mode, is probably ok, especially if you don’t save while the command is active.

Below are a few useful commands that are not likely to screw anything up. To use the codes, simply open the console with the ~ key (technically it’s the ` key) and enter the code in the window that opens. Press the ~ key again to close it.

• tgm – Turns on god mode, which makes your player unkillable, gives you unlimited ammo and Action Points, and lets you build anything you want in your settlements without using up materials
• tcl – Turns on no-clip, which allows you to walk through walls and fly. This one can mess up your game if you use it to get into areas you shouldn’t have access to yet, but if you just need to get yourself unstuck from a corner, it should be fine
• player.additem 0F 1000 – Adds 1000 bottle caps to your inventory. Change the final number to whatever you want to change the amount.

Screenshot by Eric David | SiliconANGLE