You should always check on the various workbenches that dot the wasteland, including those at your settlements. It’s an incredibly enriching experience, and gives you a really personal tailoring over the kind of character you want to play, but it’s also confusing.
You can tweak guns to entirely change their makeup, function and general effects, as well as modify armour with unique stats and buffs. Crafting in previous Fallout games was somewhat half-formed, but in Fallout 4 it’s absolutely everywhere.
