FO4: A Step-By-Step Guide To Completing The "Minutemen Ending"

[fragger]

A Guide To Completing Fallout 4 Using The Minutemen Ending
(while keeping all factions except the Institute on side)

Fallout 4 gets very knotty towards the end, and it's easy to make a misstep and turn one or more of the four main factions against you. You will need to proceed as described in this guide in order to achieve the "Minutemen ending" and finish the game with all surviving factions remaining friendly towards you (the Minutemen, The Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel) whilst retaining a convenient "jumping off" save point which you can reload to follow a different faction's ending path.

The only way to achieve a "peaceful" victory is to (somewhat paradoxically) destroy the Institute. Any other outcome will result in at least one of the factions permanently turning against you.

A major pivotal point in the story is reached when you obtain a "Courser chip". This must be decoded by "Tinker Tom", who works for the Railroad. It's advisable to finish up as many outstanding faction quests as possible (up to the points listed below) before you have Tom decode the chip (you might also want to finish up any outstanding side quests you have in your list, for any of the factions, before proceeding with the chip decode). Once the chip is decoded, you can build a teleporter (a.k.a the Signal Interceptor) during the mission The Molecular Level. This teleporter is the only way to gain access to the Institute (initially). You can build it with the help of the Minutemen, the Railroad, or the Brotherhood of Steel. To avoid complications, it's advisable to get the Minutemen (specifically Sturges) to help with this.

Once that's done, take the following course of action to proceed to the Minutemen ending (which means destroying the Institute). The order of completion of the various factions' main quests up to the points shown below is not important, unless otherwise indicated.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bear in mind that there may be variations between this guide and your own experience! Fallout 4 is a complex game with numerous side quests and random occurrences which may be completed or encountered in many different sequences, and this may cause minor deviations to what is detailed here. To cover all possible variations would require a truly enormous guide. However, these variations overall shouldn't impact the main course of events, and provided you follow this guide as closely as possible, the final outcome should be the same. The guide basically assumes that you have played "by the numbers", i.e. the Minutemen was the first faction you encountered in the game. Meeting other factions prior to the Minutemen can introduce said variations later on (I have so far experienced a number of these variations due to meeting the Railroad or the Brotherhood of Steel before the Minutemen, but the "Minutemen ending" was still achievable regardless).

There are three parts to the guide: Preparation, Proceeding Towards the Minutemen Ending, and Finale.

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PART 1:   Preparation (the faction quests which need to be completed)


Minutemen Quests

Complete all quests up to, and including, Old Guns.
                                                                                                                                                               


Railroad Quests

Complete all quests up to, and including, Tradecraft. DO NOT begin Underground Undercover when it appears.**

**You can continue to undertake side quests, such as those for Desdemona, Tinker Tom, Dr. Carrington, P.A.M., and the "Randolph Safehouse" dead-drop missions. Just make sure you don't begin Underground Undercover when it appears. In fact, once Underground Undercover does appear, it's probably best not to do ANY further Railroad side quests at all until after the end of the game.

NOTE - Underground Undercover may either appear automatically after you have infiltrated the Institute, or as a result of a later conversation choice with Desdemona (more on that below, under "Proceeding Towards The Minutemen Ending"). So limited-number radiant quests such as Tinker Tom's "Weathervane" (MILA) missions are probably best completed before entering the Institute.
                                                                                                                                                               


Brotherhood of Steel Quests (this is where care must be taken)

Complete all quests up to, and including, Liberty Reprimed (this quest, and the two BoS quests that precede it - From Within and Outside The Wire - only become available after you have infiltrated the Institute).

Then begin Blind Betrayal, BUT ONLY COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING STEPS OF THIS QUEST:

Step 1: Talk to Maxson aboard the Prydwen (NOTE – all of your initial responses to Maxson are speech checks, but they are low-level ones. However, it might be a good idea to have your Charisma up as high as you can get it before having this conversation, and maybe some Charisma-enhancing drugs and/or clothing to maximize your chances).

Step 2: Talk to Proctor Quinlan. Scribe Haylen will appear during this exchange. Interact with her as well, then follow her out when she asks you to. Talk with her again when she comes to a stop on a lower level of the Prydwen.

*** PROCEED NO FURTHER IN THIS QUEST AFTER TALKING TO HAYLEN! ***

This is quite important, as detailed further below. You can get back to this quest at a particular point later on (see "IMPORTANT NOTE 1" below). Instead, go to the Institute and talk to Allie Filmore as outlined under "Institute Quests" below. When you do get back to Blind Betrayal later, complete the remaining steps as outlined in "THE REMAINING BLIND BETRAYAL STEPS" spoiler below.

IMPORTANT NOTE 1: The remaining steps of Blind Betrayal should be done AFTER completion of Spoils of War/Banished From The Institute, but BEFORE beginning Burning Cover/Defend The Castle. There is a very important reason for this, outlined later in the guide.

IMPORTANT NOTE 2: Be aware that when you complete Blind Betrayal, Tactical Thinking will appear in your quest list – and as soon as it appears there, the Railroad's side quests from P.A.M. may become temporarily unavailable, even if you don't actually begin Tactical Thinking. However, P.A.M. should begin offering side quests again once the game's ending has been achieved (see "Post-Story Notes" at the end of this guide).

IMPORTANT NOTE 3: DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT, PROCEED WITH TACTICAL THINKING! It will show as having been begun at the end of Blind Betrayal, but you can safely ignore it.

[spoiler text=the remaining blind betrayal steps ]
Step 3: Go to Listening Post Bravo and talk to Danse. If you want to max out his affinity level and get his perk later, don't kill him - naturally. Instead, after talking to him, MAKE SURE HE ACTUALLY LEAVES THE BUILDING to confront Maxson, who will be waiting outside. If you don't wait for Danse, you may encounter a bug where Danse will not appear outside and Maxson will repeat "How dare you betray the Brotherhood" every time you try to speak with him. If this happens, go back into the listening post, take the elevator back down to the basement and wait for Danse. To be certain that Danse exits the building, stand inside the elevator (don't activate it) and wait for Danse to approach. When he gets close enough, he will disappear and you'll hear an elevator door noise. Then you will know for certain that he has gone up to the ground floor. Once you then take the elevator back up, Danse will be in the ground-level room. Follow him outside, and there will then be a conversation between you, Maxson and Danse. This will include a mid-level speech check with Maxson at one point. If you pass the speech check, Danse will be allowed to live and Maxson will leave (once again, make sure your Charisma level is fairly high before attempting this).

Step 4: Say goodbye to Danse, and leave him at Listening Post Bravo for now.

(You can get back to him and recruit him as a companion later, but if you do, DO NOT take him anywhere near the Prydwen, Boston Airport, or Cambridge Police Station, or he will fight the BoS. ESPECIALLY do not take him to Boston Airport, or he may get into a fight with Liberty Prime that will never end as neither can kill the other. Care should be taken whenever travelling with Danse as a companion after completing Blind Betrayal, because as long as he is with you, YOU WILL BE AN ENEMY OF THE BOS. However, as soon as you dismiss Danse as companion, the Brotherhood will revert to peaceful status).

Step 5: Report to Maxson aboard the Prydwen. He will give you access to Danse's previous quarters, and Danse's Power Armor. DO NOT approach Captain Kells on his command bridge at this point as that will constitute the first step of Tactical Thinking. Either go and get Danse's goodies, or do something else on board the Prydwen - or leave the ship altogether.
[/spoiler]
                                                                                                                                                               


Institute Quests

Complete all quests up to, and including, Mankind Redefined, and complete the first step of Mass Fusion (which requires you to find and talk to Allie Filmore inside the Institute) - However:

AND THIS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT!!!!!

Complete the Blind Betrayal steps as outlined above PRECISELY (i.e. no further than Step 2) BEFORE you talk to Allie Filmore during step one of Mass Fusion.

Here's why it's so important to speak to Allie at this particular point, after Step 2 of Blind Betrayal: It will ensure that Proctor Ingram WILL BE AT BOSTON AIRPORT AND NOT ABOARD THE PRYDWEN when you go to tip off the BoS about the Institute. If you proceed any further than Step 2 of Blind Betrayal, Ingram will thenceforth be aboard the Prydwen and not at the airport, and you won't be able to get to her without passing Captain Kells, who will then automatically drag you into the mission Tactical Thinking, and you won't be able to get out of it. You do NOT want to begin Tactical Thinking because IT WILL MAKE THE RAILROAD YOUR ENEMY. Getting to Ingram at the airport keeps Kells and his mission safely out of the way.

If you happen to run into Allie inside the Institute after completing Mankind Redefined and she begins to talk before you're ready for it, back away and leave her. I find it useful to have the Mass Fusion quest selected in the Pip Boy whenever I'm inside the Institute so that there is a marker indicating her position, and thus I can avoid her.

When you do talk to Allie during step one of Mass Fusion, DO NOT LET HER COME WITH YOU at the end of the dialogue. Tell her that she's not coming and leave her at the Institute. She'll get huffy, but it won't count against you. Be firm.
                                                                                                                                                               

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So, a quick summary of the BoS/Allie Filmore sequence (to lead up to the Minutemen ending):
Blind Betrayal: On the Prydwen, talk to Maxson, then Quinlan, then Haylen, then STOP.
Mass Fusion: Go to the Institute and talk to Allie Filmore. Refuse to let her accompany you, then go to Boston Airport and talk with Ingram to tip off the BoS.

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There are three things you might want to do before you are finally finished with the Institute (the first of these is VITAL if you want to later max out Danse's affinity level). You can do these at any point while you're inside the Institute before proceeding towards the Minutemen ending. I recommend doing them before beginning Mankind Redefined (except for number three, which might require Mankind Redefined to be completed first).

1: MAKE SURE you interact with any terminal while you are inside the Institute and do a "network data scan" using the holotape that Sturges gave you before you teleported in. THIS IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAXIMIZING DANSE'S AFFINITY LATER! Upon returning from the Institute, give the network holotape to either Sturges or Proctor Ingram (before you can give it to Ingram, you will first need to talk to Elder Maxson aboard the Prydwyn). Both characters will want this holotape, so immediately ask whichever of the two you gave it to, to give it back (they will make a copy of it). Either way, make sure the BoS get it. YOU WILL NEED TO GIVE THIS HOLOTAPE TO THE BROTHERHOOD IN ORDER FOR THE BLIND BETRAYAL MISSION TO BECOME AVAILABLE LATER, and completing Blind Betrayal is vital for maximizing Danse's affinity. I recommend giving the holotape to Sturges first. Ask for it back, then take it to Ingram.

2: Find the serum for Virgil, take it to him in his cave in the Glowing Sea, then leave him to it. After a few game days, a message will appear prompting you to visit Virgil. When you do, he will be back to normal human form. You should do this, because after the story is over, you can visit Captain Kells aboard the Prydwen. He will give you a mission to assassinate Virgil. However, if you have cured Virgil, there will be a mid-level speech check where you can convince Kells that Virgil is cured. If you pass the speech check, Kells will then change his mind about the assassination and will give you a unique Power Armor helmet.

3: You may want to recruit the synth X6-88 as a companion. You might get the opportunity to recruit him when he shows you to your quarters within the Institute, but if not, he can be recruited after completing Mankind Redefined. In the latter case, you should find him inside the Institute's "Synth Retention" department. If you want to max his affinity, you should try to do so before proceeding with any further faction quests. His presence can be problematic on some of those quests, particularly Spoils Of War, because as soon as you begin that quest, he will become hostile. After maxing him out, send him someplace where he can't do any harm, such as an uninhabited settlement. DO NOT send him to an inhabited settlement, or he will very likely attack the settlers when Spoils Of War begins. If you really want him gone, after the story's end you can simply go to wherever you sent him and kill him as he loses his "essential" status after the ending, and thus becomes killable.

[Unverified] Trying to take advantage of the "dismiss" exploit by taking him back to the Institute when you've finished with him, dismissing him but then choosing "Cancel" when the destination window appears, doesn't solve the problem. He will stay inside the Institute, but he will somehow survive the destruction at the end and will pop up elsewhere in the game world, reportedly somewhere near the Libertalia.

*** AN IDEAL SAVE POINT ***

Is RIGHT HERE, when all of the above conditions have been met, but RIGHT BEFORE talking to Allie. This will keep all faction ending paths available, and allow you to remain in good graces with all of them. Proceeding beyond any of the above quests/steps with any of the factions will lock you into that faction's ending path and will permanently turn at least one of the other factions against you (unless of course you proceed towards the Minutemen ending). This will also give you a convenient jumping-off point for following the ending paths of any of the other factions.

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PART 2:   Proceeding Towards The Minutemen Ending


After talking to Allie, go to Boston Airport and talk to Proctor Ingram to tip off the BoS about the Institute's intentions. After talking with her, the mission Spoils Of War will begin. Board the Vertibird with Ingram (you can elect to leave her at the airport, but it's probably best to take her along. I came into this mission without a companion, but I believe that if you have a companion, he/she will come along too [verification pending]).

DO NOT BRING X6-88 AS A COMPANION FOR THIS MISSION! If you do, he will jump out of the Vertibird as soon as Spoils Of War begins and will start fighting with the BoS at the airport. This fight will continue until THE END OF THE GAME.

Beginning Spoils Of War will have several consequences: 

* It will cause you to fail both the Mass Fusion mission for the Institute and the Underground Undercover mission for the Railroad (which is the outcome you need for the eventual Minutemen ending);

* It will give you the missions Burning Cover (for the Railroad) and Banished From The Institute. (In the case of the latter mission, there may be a sub-prompt telling you to speak with Father. You do not have to do this - in fact, you won't get the opportunity to do so. That's okay).

* When you attempt to board the Vertibird (with or without Ingram), a window will appear warning you that going ahead with this mission will make you an enemy of the Institute. Go ahead with it. Completing Spoils Of War will also automatically complete Banished From The Institute.

*** YOU SHOULD NOW COMPLETE BLIND BETRAYAL, RIGHT AFTER COMPLETING SPOILS OF WAR. REFER TO "THE REMAINING BLIND BETRAYAL STEPS" SPOILER ABOVE. ***

You MUST complete Blind Betrayal at this point, because if you complete Burning Cover/Defend The Castle first, YOU WILL FAIL BLIND BETRAYAL, which in turn means that you will never be able to maximize Danse's affinity (he will forever stay at 999 affinity points). After completing Blind Betrayal, Tactical Thinking will appear as having begun. DO NOT PROCEED WITH IT AS IT WILL CAUSE THE RAILROAD TO TURN AGAINST YOU. You will be aboard the Prydwen with Maxson on the forward observation deck at the end of Blind Betrayal. Avoid Kells in his command bridge below, and leave the ship.

*Tactical Thinking will automatically fail when you begin Defend The Castle later. This is fine.

* * * * *

Next, report to Desdemona. For reasons I haven't been able to fathom, you will need to take one of two slightly different steps next, depending on how Desdemona acts. Choose one of these two options accordingly:

Option 1: Desdemona may tell you that she needs the help of the Minutemen, in which case you will be prompted to talk to Preston Garvey and the mission Burning Cover will begin. Go and talk to Preston. That will conclude Burning Cover, and Defend The Castle will automatically begin. You will be locked into it.

Option 2: Desdemona may repeatedly ask you to choose the Railroad over the Minutemen. If this happens, do not join the Railroad as this will begin the mission Underground Undercover, which you don't want to do. Instead, tell Desdemona that you're staying with the Minutemen, then when the conversation is over, travel to the Castle. Ronnie Shaw should be near the central radio shack with her weapon at the ready. Talk to her, and Defend The Castle will automatically begin (Burning Cover will not be offered at all in this case).

* * * * *

NOTE: You will also need to have at least eight settlements established before you can undertake Defend The Castle. If you don't, a mission called Form Ranks will appear when you talk to Preston. This mission will compel you to acquire the prerequisite number of settlements before you can continue with Defend The Castle.

I also highly recommend having at least a 100 Defense Rating at the Castle before beginning Burning Cover/Defend The Castle - the higher the better. The fight at the Castle is a major battle, and strong defenses will definitely help (as will well-armed Settlers). Enemies will attack at both entrances and will try to gain access through the big breach in the western wall, unless you have walled it off (even then, they may "cheat" and teleport through). Also, choose your targets very carefully. If you accidentally shoot or kill a Settler, THEY WILL ATTACK YOU.

After completing Defend The Castle, talk to Preston again (you may need to talk to him a couple of times). The Nuclear Option will then become available. Find Sturges and talk to him to begin this mission.

NOTE: If you haven't completed the mission Human Error (from Covenant), do that before starting The Nuclear Option as it will no longer be available after The Nuclear Option is complete (and you won't be able to get Covenant as a settlement, should you want it).

Proceed with The Nuclear Option (there is quite a heavy fight inside the Institute, so gear up well). During this mission, you will have to get to the Directors' terminal in his quarters inside the Institute, and there you will find Father dying in bed. Talk to him, and if you pass a speech check, he will give you an access code. Then interact with the terminal in Father's quarters.

*** THIS NEXT ACTION IS VITALLY IMPORTANT!!! ***

MAKE SURE you issue the evacuation order on Father's terminal (select the option "Engage Evacuation Protocol BD-2"). YOU MUST DO THIS IN ORDER TO REMAIN ON GOOD TERMS WITH THE RAILROAD AFTER THE STORY IS COMPLETE.

After planting the charge in the reactor, make your way back to Preston and talk to him. Sturges will then beam you all out and back to the relay room. The young "Shaun" will be there and you will have the option to take him with you. That's up to you, but if you take Shaun with you, he won't physically accompany you (you'll find him later). More on that in "Post-story notes" at the end of this guide.


PART 3:   Finale


Follow the remaining steps of The Nuclear Option to destroy the Institute, thus ending the story (but not the game, which can continue indefinitely). There will be a closing cutscene narrated by a male or female voice depending upon which gender you chose to play as, then you will be put back into the game at the same location you were in before the cutscene. Preston will still be there too, along with some other Minutemen. Talk to him to complete The Nuclear Option and get a pile of XPs.

And that's it. You will have ended the main story while keeping the remaining factions on side.

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Post-Story Notes

If you elected to take Shaun with you from the Institute, you should find him at the Castle after the Institute has been destroyed. Speak with him and he will give you a holotape from Father.

Shaun can be worth saving from the Institute because after the ending, whenever you visit the Castle and talk with him, he will ask you to bring back a particular piece of junk for him on your next visit, such as a Biometric Scanner or a Microscope. If you provide him with what he asks for, he will use those items to produce unique weapons for you.

P.A.M. may no longer speak with you at Railroad HQ after completing Blind Betrayal, but she will after you have achieved the Minutemen ending. You will still also be able to obtain side quests from Dr. Carrington and Desdemona, and there will also still be side quests available from the BoS.

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[Art Blade]

That was nice. Quite a bit to read and obviously an even bigger amount of time and effort went into your guide, fragger. I think you about covered the Minuteman ending

Here's another +1 for all that, mate, and thanks

[PZ]

Nice read fragger!  +1   

[fragger]

Thanks chaps

It's open to amendment, if anybody finds anything wrong or if I've made any mistakes. I'm as sure as I can be that it's accurate, after much trialling and erroring, and only on a very few occasions did I seek help from the Wiki, and only then for details that it was too late for me at that point in the game to personally confirm (like X6-88 popping up again somewhere after the destruction of the Institute if you leave him there). That's why I put "unverified" on a couple of points, the ones I couldn't, or didn't, personally experience.

There are slight variations to the path that can be taken, but if I covered all of them, the result would have been twice the size. This is, as far as I was able to determine, the most concise way to detail it without leaving out anything crucial. It is a complicated game at that point and as I said at the beginning of the guide, it's notoriously easy to put a foot wrong and end up with a finale that might not be to one's liking.

I know it's big, but I really couldn't shorten it much without leaving anything important out. Whether anyone will ever need it or not I don't know, but I had fun compiling it and I know that the next time I get to that stage of the game, it'll help me, at least - because by then, I'll probably have forgotten what I need to do

[Art Blade]

I'll certainly look up your guide when the time is right. I'm too far from any of those missions that represent something like a turning point or point of no return. So far, as far as I can tell from the top of my head, your guide seems to cover about everything that I will need.

[fragger]

I'll keep this post updated just to let you know whenever I've made any changes to the guide


The guide has been edited to include this update:

Added some info regarding pre-ending Railroad side quests. Consult the section "Preparation - The Prerequisite Main Quests To Be Completed", and look under "Railroad Quests".

I clarified a few other minor points throughout the guide, so if you want to consult it before undertaking the Minutemen ending, I recommend reading the whole thing through

[Art Blade]

cheers

[mandru]

  +1

Thanks fragger.  That's quite the mountain of information you've shoveled up there.  I haven't stepped on any landmines yet towards completing this ending so I think I'll attempt to give it a go. 

I need to assemble a crib sheet from all this to refer to while I'm in game to avoid the plot line pitfalls.

Additional sources of side quests in the after game is always a plus.

[fragger]

Thank you too, mandru

I did it for all of us, including myself. Even mainly for myself, because I just know that next time I get near that point in the game, I'll be like, "Now, how did all that go again...?"

[Art Blade]

exactly why I posted mine long ago

Now we can use mine for general orientation and yours when it's getting close to those key missions.

[Art Blade]

I came across a Brotherhood of Steel side quest The Lost Patrol that can be started way before the Brotherhood of Steel main quest. In my case, I found some dead BoS guys and their distress signal which started the quest. It can also be given to the player by speaking to Danse after completing Call to Arms but before triggering Shadow of Steel.

Anyway, if you're not yet a member of the BoS (like me) I suggest to play it up to but excluding "investigate the bunker" because of an option you may or may not want to miss out on, and it requires you to be a member.

So there are two ways:
1) you're not yet a member of the BoS and you decide to investigate the bunker: Brandis will let you loot the bunker but stays there as you simply don't have the option that's available under 2) or you will have to kill him.

2) "If the Sole Survivor is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel they can attempt to convince Brandis to return to the order through three conversation checks ranging from easy to hard difficulty. If successful, Brandis will later meet them aboard the Prydwen where he will reward them with the Survivor's Special." Also, if you convinced Brandis to return to the BoS, he'll participate in BoS main quests.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lost_Patrol
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Brandis

[fragger]

I'm trying to remember when I did The Lost Patrol on my first game. I'm sure it was after I'd joined the BoS, because I met Danse very early in the piece and I'm sure I stumbled across Lost Patrol later (Danse never mentioned it). I only did the initial mish with Danse to go to ArcJet, but I didn't take him on as a companion or even go near him again until almost right before committing to the Minutemen ending. It was only sometime around then that he asked about the lost recon squad.

When I met Brandis in his bunker at the end of Lost Patrol, he let me help myself to his stuff, but I can't remember whether or not I got the opportunity to convince him to return to the BoS (I seem to recall some sort of speech check happening at the time, but not what it was about). I went to see him again much later in the game, after re-engaging with Danse to fly to the Prydwen for the first time (I can't recall if Danse brought up the lost recon squad then or later), but I failed to convince Brandis to return to the Brotherhood on my second meeting with him.

So much happened during the course of the game that I can't recall what order things happened in, or what I did or didn't do

But thanks for the info

[Art Blade]

welcome

The first time through I played very randomly until I was quite in the midst of it all, then I came across that YT guide. Now we're prepared from the start

[fragger]

I won't amend the guide to include Brandis though - not yet, anyway. As I said earlier, there are so many small variants to the path that I couldn't cover all of them without it turning into War and Peace But if Brandis returns to the BoS and we discover that his presence impacts the Minutemen ending in some way, then I'll edit.

[Art Blade]

He won't impact it. He's just one more character to run around with the BoS