Fallout 4 When Pigs Fly: Complete Lore & Walkthrough

Story

Before the bombs fell, a small but ambitious merchant outfit was operating in the industrial fringes of Boston. Their dream? To turn farming and trade into an airborne delivery network, using jury-rigged cargo aircraft to distribute goods throughout the Commonwealth. The name of their grand plan: “Project Pigwing.”

When the world burned, their operation crumbled. But some of their workshops and ledgers survived, and scavengers soon discovered these old facilities. In the post-war years, the ruins became a power struggle point between rival scavenger factions, raiders, and independent merchants trying to control the profitable trade route around Monsignor Plaza.

The quest “When Pigs Fly” begins with a rumor of a lost shipment ledger that could lead to a hidden stash of merchant goods. Investigating the old workshop and confronting the competition reveals how post-apocalyptic capitalism turned vicious.

Quest Start: Rumor of the Ledger

Trigger:

Player overhears a conversation between traders at a settlement (e.g., Bunker Hill) about “the old pig flyers” near Monsignor.
Alternatively, the player may discover the workshop on their own while exploring east of Cambridge.

Quest Objective: Investigate the merchant workshop.

Step 1: Investigate the Merchant Workshop

Location: A weather-beaten merchant workshop near the river bend.

Enemies:

Low-level Raiders or scavvers may patrol the perimeter.
Inside, there are traps (tripwires, makeshift turrets).

Interior Clues:

Scattered shipping manifests labeled “Pigwing Freight.”
Ledger on a desk with the note:

“If those vultures at the Monsignor depot think they can undercut us… we’ll fly higher than anyone ever has.”

Terminal logs detail a rival merchant group that tried to sabotage them even before the bombs.
A map marker is added: Competing Workshop – Monsignor.

Notable Loot:

Caps stash hidden behind a filing cabinet.
Rare pre-war food items (a nod to their trade).
Low-tier weapons from raiders.

📝 Lore Insight:
Pigwing Freight wasn’t just a trader’s fantasy. They were one of the last pre-war startups trying to rebuild private shipping routes after the government’s collapse. Their biggest competitor? The Monsignor Merchant Syndicate, a group that leaned heavily on extortion and black market dealings.

Step 2: Travel to Monsignor Plaza

Location: Monsignor Plaza : once a bustling commercial hub, now a Raider fortress.

Enemies:

Multiple Raiders at elevated positions.
Traps along entry points.
A Raider boss (formerly a merchant enforcer).

Combat Tips:

Watch for grenade bouquets and rigged tripwires.

Bring long-range weapons , the plaza’s open layout favors rooftop shooters.

Step 3: Investigate the Competing Workshop

Interior:

Converted into a Raider headquarters with old merchant signage still visible.
Storage rooms contain crates labeled “Pigwing” that were clearly stolen.
Terminal labeled “Syndicate Records” contains the following entry:

“The flyers are dead. They couldn’t make pigs fly after all. We’ll take their routes, their caps, their planes if those rust buckets ever leave the ground.”

Hidden safe with a unique holotape: “Pigwing Manifest.”

Notable Loot:

The holotape reveals the coordinates of a hidden merchant cache in the wilderness , optional side objective.

Optional Step 4: Hidden Cache

Location varies but usually in a wooded or rural area northeast of Monsignor.
Light opposition : a few ferals or scavengers.
Cache contains:
- Caps (moderate sum)
- High-tier junk for crafting
- Rare pre-war food
- A “Pigwing Pilot’s Cap” (unique clothing item)

Lore Insight:
Pigwing Freight planned to store high-value goods off-grid as a safeguard against rival sabotage. The war came before they could retrieve them. Raiders simply picked up where the rivalry left off.

Quest Conclusion

If you clear the Raiders and loot the site:

The Pigwing story ends with you uncovering their failed dream.
You can optionally claim the workshop as a base (if using settlement mods or Survival mechanics).

If you ignore the cache:

Raiders will continue to respawn around Monsignor Plaza.
The legend of Pigwing remains another half-forgotten pre-war dream.

“They wanted to make pigs fly. The bombs made sure no one did. But out here in the Commonwealth… someone always picks up the pieces.”

Lore Significance

Theme	Detail
Merchant Rivalry	Pigwing Freight vs Monsignor Syndicate mirrors pre-war corporate feuds.
Raider Economics	Raiders occupy old merchant hubs for their infrastructure.
Environmental Storytelling	Everything from graffiti to terminals paints the story of greed and failure.
Optional Exploration	The hidden cache rewards players who read and follow lore breadcrumbs.

Final Narrative

“When Pigs Fly” is less about combat and more about what the wasteland does to old dreams. Pigwing Freight tried to build a network of hope , rival merchants turned it into a war, and raiders turned that war into a fortress. In the Commonwealth, even a dream of flying pigs ends in blood and rusted steel.”