Grenades in Fallout 4 - are a type of explosive weaponry, homemade or factory-made. The main influencing perk is Demolition Expert, which is also relevant for weapons like the "Fat Man," Gamma Gun, and "Spray n' Pray." 

Using grenades is an excellent opportunity to deal additional damage during combat and increase your chances of victory. Therefore, in the guide, we will delve into how hand grenades work in Fallout 4, as well as which ones are considered the strongest. 

Influencing Ability

The Demolition Expert perk allows you to craft explosives in any chemistry station. Each level of upgrade increases physical damage from explosives by 25%. How the damage bonus changes with each level:

• Level 1 - damage increases by 25%;
• Level 2 - damage increases by 50%;
• Level 3 - damage increases by 75%;
• Level 4 - explosives deal double damage, including if mines or grenades are detonated in V.A.T.S. mode.

Additionally, you'll find useful additional perks like Lone Wanderer if playing without companions and Bloody Mess. 

Best Grenades in Fallout 4

Pulse Grenade 

The Pulse grenade can be found throughout the world, crafted independently, or purchased from vendors. It's a fusion grenade that deals massive area damage with an electromagnetic pulse. Effective against both robotic enemies and humans or regular flesh monsters. 

It's implied that you'll use this grenade against robots since it deals significant damage to their mechanical systems. And it does indeed work. The issue is that the energy damage inflicted isn't boosted by any available perks, so the damage will be limited. This limitation becomes more noticeable with each new character level. 

Molotov Cocktail

The Molotov Cocktail - a classic type of grenade, logically, the weakest available in the game. After all, it's just a burning bottle that spreads fire in the area. How can it compete with energy and mechanized grenades?

It's not that simple. The effectiveness of the Molotov Cocktail is higher than that of the Pulse grenade, and it costs several times less. Moreover, Molotovs are scattered throughout the game world in huge quantities. You won't have any trouble finding them. 

However, you need to be careful with the Molotov. It explodes upon the first contact with the target. If you accidentally throw it at your feet or at the nearest obstacle instead of the enemy, you risk taking damage. Note: the damage comes from the explosion wave, not the fire. If you throw the Cocktail far away and stand where the flames appear, you won't get hurt. 

By the way, the Molotov deals physical damage, not fire damage, which is quite strange considering it ignites everything around it. 

Cryogenic Grenade

The Cryogenic grenade when detonated lowers the temperature within the blast radius to critical levels. The enemy simply freezes. But there's a catch: all enemies are covered in frost, but not all of them are slowed down. This only works on relatively weak enemies, while bosses and legendary enemies maintain their previous movement speed. 

The Cryogenic grenade does indeed deal a lot of damage, but the main feature - freezing - is lost. Any other grenade can hurt just as much. Plus, the freezing effect on the player works completely opposite - upon impact, you're slowed down for 10 seconds. Like the Molotov Cocktail, it deals physical damage, not ice damage. 

Baseball Grenade

The Baseball grenade is very rarely found in the open world, so it's easier to craft or purchase from Moe Cronin in Diamond City. 

In terms of damage, it surpasses all previously mentioned grenades but is inferior to the Frag grenade, which we'll discuss next.

Frag Grenade

The Frag grenade - one of the best in the game. Firstly, it's easy to find in the open world and loot from enemy corpses. You won't need to buy it unless you want to replenish your supplies. Secondly, we get a lot of area damage. For example, to kill a powerful Yao Guai, you'll need only 4-6 grenades. It doesn't have any other notable properties, but do we need them in this case when the damage and application are in order? The question is rhetorical. 

"Smart" Fragmentation Grenade

The "Smart" fragmentation grenade - a variation of the regular Fragmentation grenade. By the way, this is the only legendary grenade in Fallout 4. Differences from the regular Fragmentation grenade: it weighs more and doesn't damage the player if caught in the explosion radius.

MIRV Fragmentation Grenade

The MIRV Fragmentation grenade - another variation of the Fragmentation grenade. And its combat power is significantly higher. Only 2-3 pieces are needed to kill the same Yao Guai, which is half the amount compared to the regular Fragmentation grenade. 

Both the MIRV and "Smart" fragmentation grenades have a significant drawback. They cannot be found in the open world and crafted. The only available way to obtain them is to purchase from vendors. The quantity is also significantly limited - only 3 pieces each. And in grenades, quantity is precious.

Plasma Grenade

The Plasma grenade - a mix of the Fragmentation and Pulse grenades. The damage here is slightly higher than that of the Fragmentation grenade. Plus for power, but a minus for the price. You can find the Plasma grenade in the open world and even craft it yourself, but from vendors, it will cost more than 400 caps. It's a noticeable price that doesn't justify its properties. We indeed get slightly more damage, but not significantly enough to overpay several times compared to the Fragmentation grenade. 

Nuka Grenade

The Nuka grenade, or nuclear grenade, is the most powerful grenade in the game. Upon impact, a small nuclear "mushroom" appears at the explosion site. All targets within the blast radius receive additional radiation damage. The blast radius of the Nuka grenade is significantly larger than that of all the mentioned grenades. 

Despite all the charms and power of some grenade types, they are still weaker than the strongest weapons. It's best to use them as a supplementary rather than the main source of damage.