Fallout 4 Varmint Rifle DLC Explained

Intro

If you’re like me, you’ve spent the last month digging through the massive Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition update. We got the “Tale of the Beast Hunter” (which I reviewed last week), we got the graphical overhauls, and we finally got the Creation Club content we’ve been begging for.

But the sleeper hit of the November 2025 patch isn’t the flashy power armor skins. It’s a humble, bolt-action beauty that smells like gecko steaks and nostalgia: The Varmint Rifle.

Bethesda dropped this mini-DLC for free, labeling it a “Creation,” but let’s be honest this is a love letter to the Mojave. I’ve spent the last 48 hours testing the ballistics, solving the headache-inducing puzzles, and hunting for every Easter egg. Here is everything you need to know.

The Lore: From Goodsprings to the Commonwealth

For the uninitiated, the Varmint Rifle was the first real gun you touched in Fallout: New Vegas. It was the “Sunny Smiles special.” In Fallout 4, it’s been conspicuously absent until now.

The new lore introduced in this quest explains the absence perfectly. You aren’t just finding a gun in a box; you’re uncovering a smuggling operation. The quest, titled “Vermin Control,” leads you to a nondescript manhole cover near the South Boston High School.

Once you drop in, you aren’t in a generic dungeon. You’re in a pre-war “Rodent Disposal” facility that was secretly repurposed by a West Coast arms dealer trying to introduce the 5.56mm “Varmint” platform to the East Coast market before the bombs fell. The terminal entries are fantastic, detailing the dealer’s frustration that Bostonians preferred “clunky pipe weapons” over his “elegant Mojave precision.”

The Quest & The Puzzles

This isn’t a shoot-loot-leave mission. This is a puzzle dungeon.

To get the rifle, you have to navigate a series of sealed testing chambers. The mechanic involves shooting specific targets with a loaner Varmint Rifle to trigger doors but here’s the catch: the targets only activate if hit with a specific caliber. You have to scavenge ammo types within the dungeon to progress.

The Rat Maze: There is a section where you have to guide a rad-rat through a maze by shooting steam valves to steer it. It’s frustrating, janky, and incredibly charming.
The Jump Puzzle: Yes, a platforming section in a Bethesda game. Save often. You’ve been warned.

The Weapon

The prize at the end is the Varmint Rifle, fully moddable.

Ammo: Uses 5.56mm by default (can be rechambered to .38 for cheap plinking).
Feel: The bolt animation is crisp. It’s slower than the Hunting Rifle but has almost zero recoil.

The Unique Variant: If you solve the optional “Master Lock” puzzle at the end of the dungeon, you get the unique variant: “The Patient Hunter.”

It comes with a brand new Legendary effect called Patience:

“Grants +75% damage if you haven’t fired a shot in the last 3 seconds.”

This changes the sniper meta completely. It’s not about rapid-fire; it’s about rhythm. Wait… breathe… crack. Wait… breathe… crack. It creates a zen-like flow to combat that feels distinct from the frantic Gauss Rifle spam.

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Easter Eggs: The Mojave Connection

This DLC is packed with nods to New Vegas:

The “Sunny” Skeleton: In the final room, you find a skeleton wearing a unique outfit called the “Desert Guide Leathers” (a clear nod to Sunny Smiles). Next to it is a holotape simply labeled “Cheyenne, Stay.” (I may have shed a tear).

Ratslayer 2.0: You can find a modification schematic called “Rodent Atonement.” Applying this gives the gun a matte black finish and night-vision scope, effectively recreating the famous “Ratslayer” unique weapon from New Vegas.

The 1st Recon Beret: Hidden behind a crate in the server room is a red beret. It doesn’t give the critical hit bonus of Boone’s beret, but it looks identical.

The Verdict

Is the “Varmint Rifle” DLC ground-breaking? No. It’s a gun and a dungeon. But is it good? Absolutely.

It fills a gap in the early-to-mid game sniper progression that has existed since 2015. The puzzle dungeon offers a nice break from the usual combat loops, and the nostalgia factor is handled with respect rather than cheap fan service.

Pros:

The “Patience” legendary effect is a legitimate game-changer for stealth builds.
“Ratslayer” visual mods are included.
It’s free with the Anniversary update.

Cons: