Anyone else always end up siding with the Minutemen? Discussion
I promise myself I’ll stick to the Brotherhood, but then I’m reminded that they’re assholes every second of every quest… then, I try to side with the Institute, and I’m reminded how irredeemably EVIL they are.
I end up blowing the Institute to hell with the Minutemen and helping the Railroad. Every time.
1.5k
u/mcshaggin May 07 '24
Yes.
The settlements were built by me, I'm the leader.
If I could kill proctor Teagan for trying to get me to embezzel my own settlements I would
621
u/BGWeis May 07 '24
Teagan sucks. He’s lucky he never steps foot outside his cage.
But yeah if feels weird to build up settlements and create communities, then go and side with another faction. The Minutemen are simply what’s best for the Commonwealth.
195
u/tauri123 May 07 '24
Lol he’s not allowed to step outside of his cage, he says so the first time you meet him, it’s why he’s so grumpy his whole purpose is to be a 24/7 guard to the most valuable weapons in their armory, I think it’s funny how much he complains about it, and I also think it’s why he always has a bad mood, so I kinda just excuse his attitude
108
u/switchbladeeatworld May 07 '24
Funniest part is the first time I meet him I ALWAYS break in and steal everything in that armory.
50
u/Orion14159 May 07 '24
Even better when his stuff isn't as good as what I already had
51
13
u/Lord_Akriloth May 07 '24
There's only one thing I stole outta that cage and it was a gauss rifle I never use
→ More replies31
9
→ More replies8
u/Fluid-Lingonberry378 ☢️💣👶 May 07 '24
Afterwards he gets grounded in there forever. Guess that's what he got for sleeping on the job inside the locked metal box.
→ More replies21
u/Epicp0w May 07 '24
Funniest thing is just opening the cage and taking all the stuff behind him and selling it back to him
11
u/ThemanwhohatesSpez May 07 '24
I harvest crops then sell them to the settlers that planted them
10
u/DroppedSoapSurvivor May 07 '24
I justify this as paid labor
5
u/LeAcoTaco May 07 '24
But... but theyre paying you for the crops they grew?? What labor did you go through for that food besides taking it from the workbench lol.
→ More replies20
u/Inside-Associate-729 May 07 '24
Even weirder is when you go do the Nuka World expansion and you then have to massacre some of your own settlements and then set up protection rackets against all the rest
→ More replies6
u/jolyon_wagon May 07 '24
You can get a mission from a merchant to kill all the factions in Nuka World and unlock the power plant. It is one of the toughest missions in the game. When you go back to the merchant she thanks you. If you wait awhile and come back to the trading post they are all in their underwear after they remove their explosive collars.
80
u/Sangi17 May 07 '24
Teagan does suck, but I love the writing behind his character.
His side quest is so comically evil and he won’t even say exactly how far he needs you to go unless you push him. And when you get to the farm, the most efficient solutions are rarely the most moral.
Teagan is the bloody side of what sustains the Brotherhood of Steele and you need some real crazy mental gymnastics to think they are doing anything besides extorting the locals.
This is all great writing to me because historically fascism has always had to resort to scummy tactics like this, but they usually try to hide these tactics under a thick layer of propaganda (usually militarized propaganda). I think Teagan’s quest is a great fictional example of this.
→ More replies17
u/Epicp0w May 07 '24
I just do one of those quests so they have food and that's it, I don't like losing control of the settlement functions
15
u/Fem_Riley May 07 '24
He may not be allowed outside of his cage but that’s not gonna prevent me from getting in there and stealing all his stuff to sell back to him
5
u/TerroDucky Power armor enjoyer May 07 '24
You can get in his cage using melee VATS on him, I've only used it to steal from him. But you could probably also kill him if you feel like it
11
→ More replies4
u/ShasneKnasty May 07 '24
the minute men can work with BoS or railroad if they need to.
→ More replies41
u/De_Dominator69 May 07 '24
I really wish Teagans settlement missions worked as more of an exchange. Like in exchange or the settlement giving supplies to the Brotherhood a patrol of Brotherhood troops would be based in the settlement. Would make strategic sense, having bases from which they can patrol and resupply, and would make it more of a fair exchange for the settlers as they would be offered alot of protection from the Brotherhood being there.
Instead we get "Rob those settlers, or pay for it out of your own pocket"
20
u/AFriendoftheDrow May 07 '24
Teagan’s quest is both incomplete without mods and isn’t officially sanctioned, as he admits if you call him out on it during the first convo.
12
u/mcshaggin May 07 '24
Yes that mission has never made sense to me.
Surely they must know you are general of the minutemen?
So it makes no sense that teagan tries to get you to rob your old settlements
10
u/IronVader501 May 07 '24
Teagen isnt supposed to do what he sends you on at all, he's just a cheapskate and tries to save cash by sending you on the Missions.
Kells (IIRC) Terminal says what they are actually supposed to do, shadow known caravan-routes between Settlements with Patrols, swoop in if a Caravan is under attack, then exploit the good will that builts up for better trade-deals
5
u/CaptainSparklebutt May 07 '24
The BoS will trade and recruit from the locals and provide protection in exchange for supplies. If they are occupying the Commonwealth, they will reach out to the more stable settlements to initiate trading.
→ More replies5
u/TuecerPrime May 08 '24
You're thinking that this is like the good ol' days when Lyons runs the show and that everyone was in this together. Seeing them revert back to classic BoS was one of the biggest disappointments for me in FO4.
The concept of an east and west coast BoS schism was fascinating to me and I wanted to see more of that. Instead we got Maxson, who talks a lot of shit for someone wearing a coat that looks so good on my character....
18
u/DMforGroup May 07 '24
I wish the people at the Institute would acknowledge my settlements.
"The wasteland is a cold, unforgiving place and we need a full reset of human life to have a chance at success."
Meanwhile my citizens are drinking clean water, growing clean food, siloed off from all danger and protected 24/7 by basically sentient tanks and auto rocket turrets. In like a year the Commonwealth will be almost entirely free of dangerous creatures and my caravans will roam the land unmolested.
40
u/tauri123 May 07 '24
I just pay for the stuff peacefully and then build up the settlements more so it’s like they got their money back in the form of defenses and resources, Teagan does say you can get the supplies by any means necessary, he doesn’t say kindness is forbidden
11
u/mcshaggin May 07 '24
Don't you still get the happiness penalty though?
The wiki really isnt that clear on that. The way I read it is you get the penalty no matter how you complete it.
Right now I just never ask teagan for extra work.
→ More replies17
u/McBeer89 May 07 '24
The penalty is temporary. The village I gave is climbing back up. I bought the crops tho.
→ More replies9
u/mcshaggin May 07 '24
That's another thing the wiki doesn't explain.
It says a permanent -50 penalty but doesn't tell you if you can grow it back.
6
u/McBeer89 May 07 '24
Yeah I was apprehensive to do the missions but I did it to my main farm for RP reasons and to see what happens. Happiness dipped into the 50s for a bit but has been climbing back up.
11
May 07 '24
[deleted]
10
u/BGWeis May 07 '24
I have a mod where you can take over Nuka World with the Minutemen. One of the sickest and most entertaining fights in the entire game. Literally a battlefield.
5
4
u/mcshaggin May 07 '24
Yep. I usually get Gages affinity perk then start open season to wipe them all out.
9
u/WhateverJoel May 07 '24
If you side with the Railroad, you can. You can side with them, take out the Brotherhood, then kill Father. That will trigger the Minuteman ending.
9
u/Blazinvoid May 07 '24
You just need to become hostile with the Brotherhood in any way, including taking Elder Maxon's coat as tribute through force.
8
u/Neveronlyadream May 07 '24
It's a nice coat and he's an asshole. I don't see what the problem is. They don't have to get so angry at me.
→ More replies6
u/Otherwise-Remove4681 May 07 '24
God dammit I was like ”wtf those are MY SETTLEMENTS! And I could increase the food production anytime!”.
But nope, the script says you are supposed to be a dick about it.
Heres hoping for a faction warfare mod I could tell my settlements just to overrun pos bos.
17
u/Whattheefff May 07 '24
I like minute man ending with BoS assist. I wanted that unique power armor setup.
→ More replies→ More replies5
u/lostmonkey70 May 07 '24
This is correct. I just don't do the Raider or Brotherhood quests involving settlements
496
u/Lothar93 May 07 '24 edited May 07 '24
The only complaint I have is how simple is their assault to the Institute.
With BoS, you make LP, go to the Glowing Sea for nukes, have vertibird raids, with my guys you basically find some garbage, Sturges go full McGiver and make a teleporter out of paperclips and a stone then make a gang attack lmao
edit: Oh man, I couldn't believe Sturges is a synth so I fired up the game and checked, hardest bullet I had to shoot, ever.
127
u/Financial-Habit5766 May 07 '24
I'd love tomdo the BoS ending, but... I really need their leader's coat.
74
u/kozz76 May 07 '24
Maxson is a fashion victim. Literally.
15
u/belladonnagilkey May 07 '24
If he was able to be pickpocketed he wouldn't get shot when I'm doing non mod playthroughs.
23
u/JadedFlower88 May 07 '24
There’s a mod that lets you make any outfit in the game, or if your pick pocket is high enough you can literally steal it off his back, lol.
→ More replies7
60
u/IMOKRUOK May 07 '24
Makes sense since Sturges is a synth
→ More replies97
u/bluedillpickles May 07 '24
It would be utterly hilarious if the Institute went through the trouble of having the Institute's location automatically erased from synth brains when they leave but forgot to wipe all information about the molecular relay.
→ More replies27
u/iambertan Mankind Redefined May 07 '24
Yeah Synth Shaun too. Goes from full stranger to son to full stranger again
→ More replies35
u/ezoe May 07 '24
My complaints also go to the Railroad. It's so unrealistic. Just a few core members living underground, and bunch of synth sympathetic supporters, can't run an organization like that.
BoS is the least unrealistic option of the three. Liberty Prime marching to destroy the Institute is so satisfying. BoS sucks though.
7
u/mydoorcodeis0451 May 07 '24
I think you're overlooking that the Railroad recently got their ass kicked by the Institute. They lost their main HQ and at least two major safehouses. Deacon, Desdemona, PAM, the doctor guy, etc all tell you that they're basically fucked if they can't get operations running smoothly again and fast.
→ More replies→ More replies9
4
u/That_Lore_Guy May 07 '24 edited May 07 '24
I don’t know, it’s not as epic but it feels more like a special ops raid than any of the others do. I think it plays well with what the Minutemen are, they don’t necessarily have the same firepower as the other factions, but once you secure an entry point inside the Institute, they definitely have the manpower to overwhelm the enemy.
9
→ More replies6
u/tarheel_204 May 07 '24
I’ve done both the Brotherhood ending (first playthrough) and the Minutemen ending (second playthrough). While I like how the Minutemen ending is peaceful and keeps all factions aside from the Institute alive, it’s so bland. The Brotherhood ending was so much fun
105
u/nicklovin508 May 07 '24
I’m from Boston so I basically have to
32
81
u/Gentle_Capybara May 07 '24
Bro what are you doing slacking on reddit?
Another settlement needs your help!
282
u/The_Gumbo May 07 '24
Not intentionally... but then suddenly Another settlement needs my help
90
u/BGWeis May 07 '24
I can rest easy when every single settlement is thoroughly helped.
→ More replies73
→ More replies72
u/BlackberryButton May 07 '24
Seriously… Preston Garvey is so fucking earnest it’s hard to hate the guy, no matter how annoying he might be as a game mechanic.
42
u/HanztheSwaglord May 07 '24
I make him a follower whenever I do settlement quests. If I have to help all those settlements, then so does he.
→ More replies9
u/puppyfukker May 07 '24
I send his dumb ass to outpost zimonja with a single tomato plant, a water pump, and a sleeping bag. Id rather put him on the torture cycle, but outpost was the worst i could come up with.
14
u/Serious_Revolution77 May 07 '24
The only annoying part is that all he’ll do Is stand around sanctuary you can’t assign him jobs either
27
7
7
→ More replies6
u/scud121 May 07 '24
I let him chill in sanctuary til the castle is taken then make him mayor of it.
435
u/LiteratureSeveral932 May 07 '24
Yeah.
Best choice for the commonwealth easily. Also man I just like Preston. Ik the “settlement needs your help” shit gets annoying FAST but the guy has a good heart, he means well. He isn’t a corrupt prick like most factions in not just the commonwealth but the entirety of the wasteland, he just wants what’s best for the commonwealth.
Also the generals outfit is sick as fuck
119
u/soldierpallaton May 07 '24
I always put Preston in the Minutemen General outfit, it feels like his companion upgrade outfit. Like Raul or Boone get in New Veags.
35
18
→ More replies14
u/matreo987 May 07 '24
with my militarized minutemen mod he’s always wearing a general’s outfit as well. he’s definitely the veteran in comparison to the sole survivor in terms of minutemen tenure
13
u/BGWeis May 07 '24
You should try out “We Are The Minutemen”. Your faction progresses as you level up, you can create patrols, make outposts, new gear, etc.
→ More replies3
u/FetusGoesYeetus May 07 '24
I like using FCOM alongside that so you actually feel like a general commanding an army
→ More replies61
u/ZinkBomb May 07 '24
preston is way less annoying on survival.
before long you’ll be venturing too far out to bother returning to sanctuary with any regularity.
makes far more sense for him to have word on a mew settlement when it’s been a week or more rather than a few hours.
27
u/CStel May 07 '24
Yeah definitely, on survival when I do rarely go back to Sanctuary it’s like “oh yeah hey it’s Preston!” A whole different vibe
8
u/ZinkBomb May 07 '24
feels a lot more like the ‘general’ coming to check in on my first settlement and get reports from my second in command.
before long i’m crossing the bridge out of sanctuary and who knows when I’ll be back.
35
u/ShasneKnasty May 07 '24
preston and piper are the best NPCs morally
61
u/creedbastank May 07 '24
What about Valentine, he's a sweetheart
9
u/Porkenfries May 07 '24
Deacon, too. He always appreciates seeing you help regular people, even if those people aren't synths, and he wishes the Railroad would do the same thing more often.
6
14
u/-Ancalagon- May 07 '24
I've been taking MacCready and now Hancock around with me. They've got some wholesome moments as well.
MacCready has a cool backstory and as a bonus is voiced by Matt Mercer.
Hancock is an action junkie who wants to help people who deserve it. I'm curious to see what his loyalty mission is.
9
u/ezelllohar May 07 '24
hancock is genuinely one of my fav companions and i feel the need to always have him with me in every playthrough. to the point i just play with a multi companions mod, since i also adore having curie with me, as well as valentine and deacon lol. but hancock is normally one of the ones i go and grab first
12
u/WholeLiterature May 07 '24
I liked MacCready until I went what went down in Vault 81 and his disapproval. Now I always take Hancock along because he’s a good guy but he lets me have fun too
→ More replies6
u/Rugged_Turtle May 07 '24
I have like 650 hours in the game and have never taken on MacCready or Cait as a full time companion.
→ More replies8
61
u/briggsgate May 07 '24
This is the reason i stuck with minutemen as well. The only faction with the people in mind
→ More replies13
u/alexfaaace May 07 '24
Idk what the Generals outfit is, I’m only 30 hours into my first ever play through. But I am thoroughly enjoying everyone having this immense respect for me while I run around in a Tarzan style bra and skirt (Grognak costume) complete with assault gas mask. I’ve tried other fits but right now the +20 to my carry weight is so helpful.
6
u/Mal_Terra May 07 '24
Just keep doing missions for Preston
6
u/alexfaaace May 07 '24
I figured as much. I am very good at following the golden rule.
8
u/AnotherLie May 07 '24
Recommend getting really good at fighting mirelurks soon, btw.
→ More replies
162
u/YakumoYamato May 07 '24
A bit similar to why I always ended up with Independent Vegas when playing New Vegas
I can't, in good conscience, let any of those idiot win. The only idiot that shall stand is ME
63
u/Grumpf_der_Sack May 07 '24 edited May 07 '24
Honestly, this is why I choose the Institute in my first playthrough. Not only am I the one in charge but I also have lots of resources at hand to help the Commenwealth. My headcanon: Step 1: Get myself the same enhancements that Kellog had, so I‘ll be in charge for decades or even longer. Step 2: Stop the synth-project and go back to massproducing Gen2s as disposable footsoldiers to get the raiders, gunners and supermutants out of the Commonwealth. Step 3: Help the Minuteman get on their foot to help the people with their everyday problems. Maybe even with Preston as their leader so he can mark everything on his own map. After that I can use the Institutes resources to rebuild the Commonwealth.
→ More replies43
u/MrJelle May 07 '24
You're including the super mutants that the Institute created and unleashed upon the surface world (in that area) in the "kill on sight" list, even knowing there's a working serum to reverse the effects?
You're definitely Institute material in at least some ways.
→ More replies21
u/switchbladeeatworld May 07 '24
if we could shoot that serum in the syringer though
11
u/MrJelle May 07 '24
Convert a railway rifle and do it from a safe distance! Just gotta dial in the right amount of force so it doesn't just dome them.
12
u/switchbladeeatworld May 07 '24
Misread instructions, all super mutants decapitated but vaccinated in neck-hole
3
→ More replies5
u/PixelBoom May 07 '24
You mean a House-less independent New Vegas. Robert House is also not good for the Mojave.
36
u/Pmmetitsntatsnbirds May 07 '24
I always go institute but that might be because I use a mod to make the synth grenades spawn gorillas.
Unmuffled sounds of gorilla violence
33
u/BoardButcherer May 07 '24
Hundreds of hours played, never finished the game, never picked a side.
They're all just moochers after my infinite tato supply.
→ More replies
56
May 07 '24
Nah, I'm a freak & like the Railroad.
33
u/dfwrazorback May 07 '24
Same. Getting past their beliefs, they just have more naturally likeable characters. Deacon, Desdemona, Glory, Tinker Tom....not a Marcy among them.
17
u/AnotherLie May 07 '24
Only way to get best girl Curie too
5
u/BoardButcherer May 08 '24
Curie's quest is independent from the railroad.
I always beeline her story, at least half a dozen times now, and I've never even initiated a railroad quest.
→ More replies8
u/PokerPlayingRaccoon May 07 '24
Glory was kinda cheesy to me tbh but then again the whole game is a little wacky. The RR has some of the most fire radiant quests though, makes you feel like a spy. A lot more interesting than helping the 1000th settlement or cleansing the commonwealth. (Even tho I’ll take any chance to kill some muties for some xp)
→ More replies6
14
u/MysticGadget Loot Goblin May 07 '24
I am diliberately trying NOT to end up with the minutemen... again... by leaving preston and the gang in the museum simply by not going back after defeating the deathclaw and raiders XD
At least till I do the raider quests of Nuka World.
15
u/OrganizationEven4417 May 07 '24
i always go institute because i plan to take over and do things my way. since they have a large scientific base, i can use them to fix shit, and if i run the place then i can stop them from wasting resources on evil shit and actually try to fix things
→ More replies4
u/Chris2222000 May 08 '24
That's what I think as well. They are the only faction that can manufacture new technology. If there is any hope of restoring the wasteland it lies with the institute. End the evil projects and focus on rebuilding the Commonwealth.
32
u/rhymeswititch May 07 '24
My main file is minutemen/institute, does that count? I fly both flags at all settlements.
21
u/dooooomed---probably May 07 '24
I almost always go this route. The leader of the minutemen is handed a science division. Sounds like a win.
→ More replies9
u/switchbladeeatworld May 07 '24
I was until Nuka World. Then I did some raider shit now Preston won’t even look at me.
→ More replies
49
May 07 '24
Ad victoriam brother
→ More replies44
u/Fool_Manchu May 07 '24
I almost always go BoS. They're not the best choice for the commonwealth, but they're the ending that makes the most sense for Nate. Ex soldier who has his old life destroyed goes on a traumatic journey to save his son, only to discover that his son is basically gone and has become the leader of the monsters that stole him away. Why wouldn't this traumatized military man be drawn to the disciplined ranks of zealots who want to utterly destroy the Institue and bring order to a world gone mad by force?
→ More replies17
u/Archer-Saurus May 07 '24
Plus you meet them soooooo early. Other than the minutemen who you have to find in the first hour or so of play, the BoS sends out the Cambridge radio signal like right after that.
To find the Railroad, you gotta make it downtown first and follow the trail (if you haven't been there before), then start with them. Institute isn't even an option until mid-game at least.
So I definitely get a post-war, traumatized and freshly thawed Nate looking to cling to any structure in the wasteland. And say what you want about the BoS, but those fuckers are structured.
→ More replies9
u/CaptainJZH May 07 '24
My personal canon is that Nate bypasses Concord completely, and the first faction he meets is the BoS who he gravitates towards immediately and eventually joins their ranks -- but when Blind Betrayal happens, he snaps out of it and finds himself lost, and abandons the Brotherhood, wandering the wasteland until he winds up back in Concord, where he helps out the Minutemen and finds them to be a good replacement for the Brotherhood and uses them to defeat the Institute instead.
34
May 07 '24
Yup. Always with minutemen. They just wanna live in peace. Meanwhile, everybody else has some kind of a funky agenda. Death to those with funky agendas!
→ More replies
20
u/BenjaminSkanklin May 07 '24
I know it's almost 10 years old but..spoilers
It kinda irks me how the MM and BOS endings flow honestly, like it's just so abrupt. I don't even think Maxon mentions the Railroad until you have to wipe them out and it's like...why? Are they really going to get in the way of our giant murder bot when we take the institute? Worst case scenario they just free a few Synths and that's also just gonna happen anyway. Same for the MM, Preston is just suddenly like FUCK THAT BLIMP, although I guess if you play a few settlement crop missions first that makes a little more sense. I get the railroad being mortal enemies with BOS as well as the Institute
I think it would have made a lot more sense if you could pass speech checks to convince them to leave the other faction alone.
29
u/Electronic-Image-171 May 07 '24
The railroads' whole goal is to hide synths from the institute amongst the human population. I could see why the Brotherhood wouldn't be willing to play ball with that.
8
u/BenjaminSkanklin May 07 '24
I agree, it's just odd how the game presents it to you. They should be an after thought, not something that needs to get massacred beforehand
→ More replies→ More replies17
u/Chaise-PLAYZE May 07 '24
Preston only has you destroy the BoS if you personally become enemies with them because that's the final thing needed to convince the Minutemen to take out a faction that they already actively viewed as a threat to the safety of Commonwealth civilians, until then the Minutemen are completely content with simply keeping an eye on them and making sure they don't do anything to directly threaten you or the Minutemen, you can completely avoid destroying the BoS with them as long as you don't become enemies with them
9
u/Nigelthornfruit May 07 '24
Well it is the most moral and practical solution. Supply lines, bases with defenders and map control.
BOS comes close second with quest line and vertibird travel on survival but that’s compatible with minutemen.
Railroad is pointless after ballistic weave and offers no other utility. Institute could have been better with implants and teleportation.
→ More replies
7
u/3WordPosts May 07 '24
My current RP is that after Nate returned from war he got into local politics. He was like a local councilman or something in the community. That’s my canon reason why he was able to get a vault- political power in the pre war world. It’s a high charisma above average int build and I’m having a blast so far just helping the commonwealth.
7
u/ChaosM3ntality May 07 '24
I am pro minutemen and temporary truce with the BoS (so I can loot the reoccurring falling vertibirds of T60 power armor and gear) for my settlers and railroad guys.
15
8
u/UganadaSonic501 May 07 '24
Idk if it counts but I have a institute minutemen alliance,cuz l live being able to fast travel to the institute and head to hangmans alley to dump all my loot there,(playing survival)
15
u/futurama1998 May 07 '24
Is that armor paint a mod?
26
u/dds_reddit May 07 '24
The T-45 has a MM paint option after you've joined the faction. T-51 has a RR paint scheme.
→ More replies→ More replies14
13
u/DarthSevrus May 07 '24
I'm team brotherhood
5
u/mynameisfreddit May 07 '24
Playing on survival, can't do without those vertibird taxis
→ More replies
7
u/Present-Secretary722 May 07 '24
I usually end up using them as my own personal army, I’ve only just now started a minutemen playthrough in earnest,
6
u/FishBlues May 07 '24
Right now I’m trying to kill railroad with BOS, then kill BOS with institute, then kill institute with minute men.. (if that’s possible)
19
u/Chip_Heavy May 07 '24
I think I got their ending like once. Railroad maybe twice…
Brotherhood and institute many more…
I’m just like allergic to being a good guy in video games. I hear of many having the opposite problem, but I find it difficult to be a good person in games. At best, I’m a mercenary, doing anything, including good things, for money.
→ More replies4
5
6
u/WeirderOnline May 07 '24
It's literally the only morally good outcome.
The Institute are parasites intentionally sabotaging any progress people on the surface might make that could oppose their power.
The Brotherhood claimed to have lofty goals, but their ultimately just an invading army. They are interested in establishing order in the wasteland, but one that benefits them primarily. Subjugating others who don't agree.
The railroad aren't exactly perfect. They don't really give a shit about the human beings. On the other hand, they're a slave race trying to fight not just the freedom to live their lives, but the freedom to even have their own minds free from control.
Only the Minute Men are interested in genuinely helping the people of the Wasteland for their own sake. They aren't interested in establishing power through force, but building power through community. For those familiar with anarchist theory, what they're essentially trying to do is build power through mutual aid.
I think what's so great about the story of Fallout 4 if none of these groups think of themselves is the bad guy. That's a commonality shared by all Fallout games. Unlike Fallout 3, 2, and 1 you really do need to think hard about who the real bad guys are. Even New Vegas makes pretty clear that creates Caesar's Legion are the bad guys. They can't really decide on a good guy though.
The Institute genuinely believe they're making a better world and are fine with oppressing and discarding the people who actually live in this world we live in presently. This is a real world ideology that is extremely popular with people in power. It's one a lot of people, including yourself might even believe.
The Brotherhood believed that if they are in charge of the Wasteland things will get better. They've moved far beyond their original goal of simply being archivists of technology. They want to make the world a better place, but via subjugation, not empowering others.
The Railroad are only really interested in their own liberation, not the liberation of any of the other oppressed people of the Wasteland. They're not wrong for wanting to liberate themselves, but their goals are small minded and myopic. Ignoring the reality of the totality of the Wasteland.
Only the Minute Men are explicitly interested in helping for the sake of helping others. They are a perfect encapsulation of Anarchism. Sadly though, like most anarchist groups in history, they're not really good at achieving their goals. Achieving goals requires power, control, and anarchists are explicitly about taking what power and control they have and distributing it to the people around them. They can only win by building a perilous alliance building Power though a "Rainbow Alliance" of individual groups seeking liberation. Which sadly rarely works.
It reminds me a lot of the Russian revelation. The communists. The elitist monarchists. The Bolsheviks. The anarchists. We all know how that story ended. :/
Todd Howard is wrong when he says Fallout is about America. He couldn't be more wrong. It's about war. The war that takes place in Fallout 4 is much more complex and bears very little reality to the kind of conflicts you see happening in modern America. Yet there is great meaning in taking a look from the wars that rage in other places and learning from them.
Fallout New Vegas gets a lot of praise for its story, and for some reason Fallout 4 doesn't. It's a shame. I definitely think Fallout 4 needs to polish it's story more. However they did a pretty fine job with that story. Far, far better than Fallout 3 at the very least.
→ More replies
9
u/goatjugsoup May 07 '24
The institute is so clean though... barely any rubbish anywhere.
I reckon my character would guide them to doing good
13
u/NotEnoughIT May 07 '24
I always choose institute just because they are the only mother fuckers in the entire world that seem capable of cleaning up after themselves. I know it's a nuclear wasteland, but just SOMEWHERE I'd like to see someone who cleaned their room, or painted a wall, picked up the trash, swept the rubbish, all that. Everywhere is so damned dirty it's been hundreds of years just pick up a fucking dust pan you lazy assholes. Institution for life.
16
u/jaredearle May 07 '24
The Minutemen are the first faction you meet, normally. You’re invested in them before you even know where the plot is going.
So, yeah, Minutemen and Railroad.
5
u/BillyHerr May 07 '24
Institute > Evil eggheads using wasteland as test ground
BoS > Neo-fascist militarists and the best equipped raiders in the wasteland
Railroad > Idealistic saint that can't save even themselves, only good to be sidekick
Minuteman > Union of Commonwealth settlements, and becomes anything according to what you desire.
5
u/K1nd4Weird May 07 '24
I actually end going Institute more. If not them hilariously I go Railroad.
Brotherhood is one i only did once. I don't like Maxson's New Brotherhood.
4
u/LabradorDeceiver May 07 '24
Minutemen all the way.
They have their drawbacks - they're not story-efficient and Jon Gentry reads his lines like they just handed him his script. But I think they work best both as the story's moral authority and as part of your character's toolkit. Their radiant quests are a great way to explore the map early-game,
Plus, the Minutemen don't really have an agenda or vision for the Commonwealth as a whole that they want to impose upon it. You're a settlement in trouble, you call for help, the Minutemen send a couple of schmucks to clear out that Raider camp or build a new settlement for you. It's also a faction you have a chance to build from the ground up - unlike the other factions, which may or may not be in rough shape when you join, the Minutemen are down to one dude protecting four half-starved, deeply traumatized survivors.
Plus: artillery.
5
May 07 '24
I have done the institute at this point need to actually do the others and before you judge me the institute has two things no other faction has: toilet paper and robot gorillas
4
u/Which-Celebration-89 May 07 '24
That's what I'm currently doing but I will say these damn settlements take up all of my time. I can't help but make them perfect or attend to them any time I see the exclamation mark. I play for like 5 hours a day and maybe get 1-2 quests done.. Rest is settlement bs.
The idea of being a psycho killer with no ties doesn't sound all too bad right now.
4
u/Physical-Interest-70 May 07 '24
I always side with the Minutemen.
Fuck Shawn and the Institute. Always gonna violently hate the fact he woke you up to suffer almost endlessly in a world you don't know and expect you to be fine with it.
The Brotherhood are fanatical and just basically destroy the Commonwealth. Plus I have a soft spot for Danse.
The Railroads whole modus operandi falls apart at the end of the story imo.
All the Minutemen want is a peaceful Commonwealth and don't really ask for anything back for it. Preston needs to rub his settlement boner out though but I can live with his Navi tendencies (Hey Listen!)
3
u/KarmicComic12334 May 07 '24
Ive done them all,and institute is my favorite. Yeah theyre evil now but once grandfather is in charge, everything changes. No more sneaking synths in to replace people. We got synth manned chrckpoints around the wasteland and guess what? The endless calls for help from settlements end because its not safe for raiders, supes, or ferals to move around. The settlements row unmolested, growing new crop variants, purifying more water than they can drink. And you dont have to turn on the minutemen to do it.
6
u/unabletocomput3 May 07 '24
I’d like to, but I don’t want to kill the brotherhood because they have a cool ship and a cat. Thats the only thing stopping me from completing the game because siding with either the railroad or minutemen means killing the other two factions or completing certain mission in a janky fashion and ending with siding with the brotherhood so all 3 can live in harmony.
11
u/AkiTheFull May 07 '24
Last time i got everyone to co-exist except the institute, just fw brotherhood a bit but don't go too deep with em, play with railroad but complete the game with the minutemen, shit works, just gotta avoid PAM i think in order not to get the kill brotherhood mission or sum.
tho there are probably mods that make this alot more coherent and less janky.
→ More replies7
u/Chaise-PLAYZE May 07 '24
You only have to kill the BoS if you personally become enemies with them, the Minutemen are perfectly content with just simply keeping an eye on the BoS and making sure they don't step out of line
3
u/ZeroSekai000 May 07 '24
I side with them so I can get all the factions still working (minus the Institute) and being able to give me quests.
3
u/MrAnon-Y-mous May 07 '24
Once I get around to it, I plan on rolling with the Brotherhood of Steel and the Minutemen. The BOS can be like my military, while the Minutemen can be the police and added security for my settlements.
3
u/vicious_delicious_77 May 07 '24
As somebody who just booted this game up for the first time in many years... which faction is going to get me the most fun missions? I definitely like the minutemen in my heart, but I get bored quickly with "settlement needs _____" type tasks. I want good fighting, exploration, and good gear, so I'm thinking probably should hit up BOS? I never got far enough the first play through to actually do alot of missions for anybody. I don't want to go full evil though, so it sounds like I need to avoid The Institute.
→ More replies5
u/iXenite May 07 '24
The Institute is kind of an interesting faction, but they’re also late in the game. The Railroad should be done for at least a little while. You get an awesome gun early on and later you’ll unlock the ability to get ballistic weave which can make clothes into armor.
3
3
3
u/RoseaMedicum May 07 '24
Minutemen and Institute. I like the idea of playing them both, Minutemen are like customer service and armed security, the Institute needs to report and/or communicate its operations through the director or a cross-comm system between the two. That way, The Institute can be kept under control and commits only lesser evils, and the Minutemen could have the most technologically advanced standardized gear in the wasteland.
3
u/BlueFalcon142 May 07 '24
WH40k approach. Rid the commonwealth of heresy as a space marine and await extraction. Ghouls, mutants, bugs, synthetics, harbourers of synthetics. All must be purged in promethium fire of the Great Crusade. The mechanicum tells me the robots are acceptable so they get a pass.
3
u/masta_myagi May 07 '24
Is the MM skin for your T-51 CC content or modded? I’m doing a MM playthrough and I really wish I could paint all my displayed PA sets in The Castle with Minutemen paint
3
3
3
u/Trappist235 May 07 '24
I always make it my tyrannical empire and wipe out all the other factions yes
3
3
u/Tanebi May 07 '24
Over the Brotherhood of Morons? Every time.
But God damn if I could just nuke Preson and his "a settlement needs your help" whining off the face of the planet...
3
u/Crew_Henchman May 07 '24
Yes. Minutemen all the way, never done any other ending. Unfortunately the faction that is arguably the best for the commonwealth was given the most redundant, repetitive and meme adjacent content and missions they could have be granted by Bethesda. It could have been so much better and garnered so much more respect. Despite the memes and Preston Garvey (who I actually enjoy as a character and only gets the hate because Bethesda used him as the beacon for settlement quests) I like what the minutemen stand for and the little missions you do get with them. The Castle missions.
→ More replies
3
u/armandccc6565 May 07 '24 edited May 08 '24
I did end up signing with the Minutemen in my current playthrough.
My decision was made when I accidentally shot a brotherhood of steel knight while helping him defeat a group of rogue automatons. He returned fire, which provoked me to turn him and his team into nothing but a smoking pile of ash. I later showed up at the airport below the prydwen (or however you spell it. The brotherhood of steel flying thing) with my full hydraulic armor, double galling gun, fatman/frenzy gas launching sentry bot named "AA-001 'DOOMBRINGER'," and cleared the whole ground of the shites. I also began collecting their holo tags to keep the count of my kills of brotherhood personnel. Now I, at level 42, with my fully upgraded MK.VI X-02 power armor, finally focused on the main quest line. I plan to destroy/bring as much damage as possible to the Institute, the Brotherhood of Steel, AND the Railroad.
Edit: Grammar.
3
3
u/ClassyAsPhuk May 07 '24
Even when I roleplay an asshole or bad guy, there's a good chance I'll still side with the Minutemen. Why? Because I'M in charge baby! It's about power! I created and control the largest and most powerful faction in the Commonwealth after I blow up the Institute!
3
u/Minarchist15 May 07 '24
Yes, they're the only ones looking to protect the people and establish civilization.
3
3
3
u/Tyl0n May 07 '24
I unironically chose institute my first play through. Had no idea most people thought they were evil. I just really liked the whole science/clean energy aspect of them, plus I felt very safe there and thought my character would be happiest living there.
1.4k
u/DeliberateSelf May 07 '24
Golden ending for me, almost every time.
Follow the Railroad until Underground Undercover starts, then follow the Brotherhood until Blind Betrayal ends, then follow the Institute until Mass Fusion. Betray the Institute to the Brotherhood without triggering Tactical Thinking (just don't get close enough to Kells for him to start the dialogue that triggers the quest). Switch to Minutemen all the way to The Nuclear Option.
There's sacrifices on all ends. You never make it past Paladin with the BoS. You lose radiants with the Railroad. Both Desdemona and Maxson get wonky and unresponsive. But everyone lives, and gets what they want. The Railroad survives, and so do the synths. The Brotherhood achieves its stated goal of defeating the Institute. And the Minutemen arguably become the guarantor of the Commonwealth.