THE COMMONWEALTH MINUTEMEN – Complete Faction Guide

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide

The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests

The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide

The Railroad Main Quests

The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide

The Institute Main Quests

The Institute Side Quests

THE COMMONWEALTH MINUTEMEN – Complete Faction Guide

Introduction

The Commonwealth Minutemen are a faction of settlers lead by Preston Garvey, who can initially be found on the top floor of the museum in Concord. The group mostly dedicates itself to increasing the number of their allies and reclaiming or protecting territories they believe necessary for rebuilding civilization. Should you complete the game as a Minuteman, the faction will become a dominating force that occupies and guards every territory you visit afterwards.

Custom Item – Flare Gun

By joining this faction, you earn the opportunity to complete The First Step quest and add the Flare Gun to your inventory in the process. The Flare Gun is meant to be fired into the air as a means of signaling Minutemen reinforcements whenever the battle you’re engaged in becomes too overwhelming to survive without help. It can only be discharged once per day and can summon about five NPCs at a time to your location, as long as the signal is launched in the direction of the nearest settlement you control.

Quest: The First Step

You’ll need to complete the When Freedom Calls mission and agree to help Preston Garvey rebuild the Minutemen to access this quest.

Speak with the settlers at Tenpines Bluff to learn about the raiders that have taken over the Corvega Assembly Plant and load up on essential supplies before traveling to this destination, then enter the building to start clearing it out room-by-room with the help of grenades, V.A.T.S. and cover points that allow you to score head shots from a safe distance.

Once the building has been secured, return to the settlers at Tenpins Bluff to give them an update on your success and report back the Preston Garvey to receive the Flare Gun.

Alternate Endings

The quests and endings that become available to you while serving the Minutemen are dependent on which faction you choose to the go to war with, The Institute or the Brotherhood of Steel. By deciding to go to war with the Institute, you will end the game with the Nuclear Option quest. By going to war with the Brotherhood of Steel, you will have to complete the With Our Powers Combined objective and end the war by finishing the Defend the Castle quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Joining the Minutemen

Quest: When Freedom Calls

You’ll need to complete the Out of Time mission and acquire a fusion core before accessing this quest.

Travel to Concord to reach the Museum of Freedom and enter the building via the double doors out front, then proceed down the first hallway on your right to pass through a series of room filled with crates and mannequins.

Have a close-ranged weapon equipped to eliminate the first raiders you encounter and retreat backwards into a previous room whenever you need to reload or recover from damage, then continue forward across the ground floor of the museum to climb the next staircase on the right and use the same technique as before to clear the second and third stories.

Locate the trapped settlers to speak with Preston Garvey and have a positive conversation with the Minutemen to offer them your help, then follow the objective markers to suit up into the Power Armor and acquire the mini-gun.

Exit the museum by dropping off the rooftop and walk up main street to mow down the approaching raiders with your mini-gun, then reach the end of the road to finish clearing the area and back up slowly in the opposite direction to avoid the Death Claw monster that emerges from the pavement.

Keep the min-gun trained on Death claw to consistently pump bullets into this creature as it approaches you and make a left or right when you reach the museum again to stay on the move, then continue firing on the monster while keeping a safe distance to eventually kill it and return to main street to eliminate any remaining raiders.

Make your way back to Preston’s location inside the museum to have another positive conversation with him, then travel back to your neighborhood to meet up with him again and officially join the Minutemen.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Main Quests

Quest: Taking Independence

Speak with Preston Garvey about a heavily-guarded location known as the “Castle” to activate this quest. Meet the rest of the Minutemen inside the decimated building marked ‘Ivan’s” to speak with Preston again and choose your plan of attack from the options offered to you.

Regardless of the strategy you choose, equip a sniper rifle and head east to approach the collapsed section of the fort’s wall in the the distance ahead, then use your weapon’s scope to zoom in through the hole in the wall and identify the threats inside the Castle before you reach striking distance.

Use your sniper rifle to pick off the Mirelurks patrolling the ground level and surrounding ledges above, while improving your accuracy by continuing to move forward until you’re standing within the hole in the fort’s wall and finish clearing the area with the help of the Minutemen.

Enter the “Castle’s” courtyard to smash the eggs nesting in the surrounding area and equip your knife to help with the destruction or to fend off any hatchlings that emerge.

Once the ground floor is clear, ascend the stone staircase located against the inner wall of the fort to reach the area above and finish eliminating the nests that occupy the Castle, then approach the collapsed section of the western wall to locate Preston Garvey and position yourself above him on to left to engage the Mirelurk Queen approaching from the other side.

Remain at an elevated distance and back away whenever possible to avoid the toxic yellow cloud the Queen sprays into the air around her, then focus your gunfire on the source of this poisonous gas (the creature’s mouth) to cause critical damage and continue retreating in between attacks until the monsters is defeated.

Follow Garvey back into the courtyard below to use the workshop against the east wall and use it to access enough generators to produce 10 units of power, then connect these generators to the indicated radio so that a signal can be found and speak with Garvey one more time to complete this quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Quest: Old Guns

Speak with Garvey about the Castle trying to get in contact with you to start this quest, then return to this location to meet up with Ronnie Shaw in the courtyard and follow him around until he leads you into the General’s quarters.

Activate workbench mode to clear the gravel obstructing the adjacent passageway and descend the steps to enter the Castle Tunnels, then equip a long range weapon before proceeding towards the current objective marker and turn each new corner ahead slowly to avoid running straight into Sarge, a Sentry Bot that patrols this area.

Defeat the Bot by firing on it from a safe distance between taking cover behind wall corners or within arched doorways and retreat whenever this enemy moves in close to avoid being at a critical range, then continue in the direction of the objective marker to give Ronnie access to the security terminal and continue following him to eventually reach the Armory.

Take whatever supplies are available inside the Armory before grabbing some smoke flares on your way out and follow Ronnie back into the Castle’s courtyard to speak with him again, then enter workshop mode to select Special and access the construction of artillery turrets.

Build an artillery turret in front of the gaps in the surrounding walls and assign it to one of the nearby Minutemen before speaking with Ronnie again, then travel to the indicated location he gives you next to toss a smoke flare directly at the green marker and sprint to a safe distance to avoid friendly-fire.

Wait for the Minuteman you assigned to fire the artillery turret at the location that was just marked with a smoke flare, then meet up with Garvey to speak with him and complete their quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Quest: Inside Job

During the Molecular Level mission, you’ll need to ask Sturges for help with constructing the teleporter for access to this quest.

Travel to the Institute to access any available computer terminal and insert the holotape Sturges gave you, then scan the network until the required data has been collected and eject the tape.

Return to Sturges location to hand the holotype over to him and complete this quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Quest: Defend the Castle

You’ll need to recruit eight settlements to access this quest.

Return to the “Castle” to speak with Ronnie and open workshop mode to access your machine gun turrets, then place them along the top of the fort’s surrounding wall so that they cover multiple angles and ideally face out from the corners of the structure to give them a wider range of fire on the enemies that will eventually approach from various directions.

Position any remains turrets you can spare at ground level in front of any large gaps you see in the Castle’s walls, then equip a sniper rifle before returning to the top of the fort and wait until the invading Synth Patrollers start setting off your machine-gun turrets before choosing a spot from which to engage.

Stand beside the turrets you placed at the corners of the wall, then zoom in with your sniper rifle to search for targets approaching from the surrounding wooded area by checking the river banks/landbridges for incoming enemy traffic and by watching any broken-down vehicles you see until the soldiers who like to take cover behind them finally show themselves.

Pick off enough of the invading force from your current vantage point until it becomes noticeably thin, then immediately switch over to the next closest turret you installed at the top of the wall and help clear out the enemies approaching from this direction as well before moving on to another area that needs help being defended.

Try to focus on the soldiers closer to reaching the fort first before picking off the ones in the distance and take cover behind an automated turret or nearby Minuteman whenever you need to reload or manage your health, then continue defending the “Castle” until the Synth are able to breach one of the gaps in the wall and equip a machine-gun as your primary weapon before engaging them.

Maintain your elevated position atop the wall as you mow down enemies that slip through the holes in the Castle’s walls at close-range, then continue moving between the turrets in the corners to snipe invading soldiers from a safe-distance once again, and turn back towards the courtyard every few seconds to avoid being flanked from behind.

Use the sniper rifle to clean up the last of the invaders dwelling inside or outside the fort until the Minutemen give you the all-clear, then speak with Ronnie and Preston to complete this quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Quest: The Nuclear Option

You’ll need to complete the Defend the Castle and Inside Job missions before accessing this quest. It is also advisable that you go into this battle while wearing Power Armor.

Speak with Garvey and Sturges to learn about the latter’s secret entrance into the Institute, then travel to the objective marker that appears to access this entrance located by the river and proceed forward through the sewer ahead.

Climb the steps at the end of the tunnel to hack the terminal on the left and collect from the trunk in the room that opens, then cross to the opposite side of the stairs to access the keypad on the wall and return to the water.

Enter the pipeline located to the left of the steps to proceed forward through the sewer system and equip a sniper rifle if possible to scope out the ceilings ahead for laser turrets before destroying them from a safe distance, then climb the next available staircase to reach a metal catwalk in the room at the top and equip a close-range weapon before descending into the water below.

Fight your way past the Mole Rats with headshots at close-range to continue towards the objective marker and do the same upon encountering the Stalkers amongst the waterfalls, then switch to a scoped weapon before entering the green-lit tunnel on the left and take out the oncoming Glowing One before proceeding ahead.

Stand within the hole in the bricks that overlooks the room with a flashing red light and clear the room with a long-range weapon, then hack the nearby terminal to access a hallway and open the door at the end on the right to collect supplies.

Descend to the ground floor of the room you just cleared to access the exposed pipeline against the wall and proceed forward through it until you can open the indicated hatch above, then open the next hatch ahead on the right to enter a new room and use the waypoint marker to find the computer you need to use.

Load the Institute Relay Targeting Sequence holotape into the computer to initiate the Relay Sequence and play the tape to teleport reinforcements into the room in front of you, then speak with Preston Garvey before proceeding towards the next objective marker and stop at the next row of windows on the right to look through them with a scoped weapon.

Eliminate the laser turrets and Synth guarding the room below before descending into it and proceed towards the objective marker by moving between cover points so you can snipe oncoming enemies or laser turrets ahead, then continue stopping at windows and checking around hallway corners for targets waiting on the other side to safely reach the reactor.

Hack the Robotics Terminal you encounter next to unleash the Sentry Bot on the room ahead and aim a long-range weapon through the nearby window to eliminate it after the area has been cleared, then proceed towards the objective marker to snipe any remaining Synth and drop through the indicated hatch in the floor to follow the tunnel ahead.

Enter the laboratory to encounter a force of Synths and laser turrets on the surrounding walls above and use the planters stationed around you as cover until the room is clear, then pass through the yellow-striped doors to access the Institute and use an automatic weapon to eliminate the enemies that approach from the glass staircase ahead.

Finish clearing the area before stepping into the base of the helix at the center of the room and press the button inside to descend into the corridor below, then follow the waypoint marker to use another elevator and climb the next available staircase to reach the indicated room at the top.

Approach the old man laying in the bed to speak with him and activate activate a cut-scenes until the conversation is over, then approach the terminal on the nearby table to Override the Institute Lockdown and equip an automatic weapon before exiting via the spiral rampway outside the room.

Fight your way towards the current objective marker to access the Advanced Systems lab and eliminate a pair of laser turrets on the wall in the last corridor to locate the reactor on the other side, then descend to the reactor room’s entrance to snipe enemies through the window beside it and finish clearing the ground floor with the help of your fellow Minutemen.

Move slowly into the reactor room to zoom in on the enemies occupying the catwalks above and take them out by firing through the steel steps or railings they’re standing behind, then climb the stairs to pass through the glowing blue energy sphere and plant a Fusion Pulse Charge inside.

Approach Preston Garvey to teleport back to the room where you previously played the holotape and speak with, Garvey, a small boy named Shaun and Sturges in that order, then step back into the teleportation chamber to travel to the Mass Fusion Executive Suite and activate the detonator to complete this quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Quest: With Our Powers Combined

You will need to complete the Nuclear Option quest and be at war with the Brotherhood to access this mission.

After speaking with Preston, travel to five different settlements currently in your control to construct artillery devices in suitable locations at each one and be sure to put a settler in charge of them every time you do, then return to the Castle to lay turrets and other available defensive measures along the upper level.

Approach the radio operator in the courtyard to tell him to give the signal to open fire and ascend to the Castle’s upper level to look across the water towards the north, then wait until the airship in the distance is blown out of the sky and equip a scoped weapon to prepare for the oncoming retaliation.

Stand near your defenses while zooming in on the approaching Vertibirds and take aim from an angle that gives you a clear viewpoint at the airships’ open side doors, then open fire on the Knights riding inside to eliminate these threats before they have a chance to reach the ground and continue this strategy until enemy soldiers start breaching the Castle’s courtyard.

Drop back into the courtyard to take cover within the stone archways along the walls and start picking off the ground troops currently facing away from you to reduce the chance of taking damage, then continue shooting the Vertibird passengers once the invading force starts to thin out again and alternate repeatedly between targeting the enemies on foot and targeting the ones in the sky.

Defend the Castle from the invading force by eliminating every last threat in the area and speak with Preston afterwards to complete this quest.

The Brotherhood of Steel Faction Guide
The Brotherhood of Steel Main Quests
The Brotherhood of Steel Side Quests

The Railroad Faction Guide
The Railroad Main Quests
The Railroad Side Quests

The Institute Faction Guide
The Institute Main Quests
The Institute Side Quests

Side Quests

Quest: Out of the Fire

Travel to Finch Farm to speak with Abraham about the missing sword and his son Jake, then proceed in the direction of the next waypoint marker that appears to discover Saugus Ironworks and approach this building from its north entrance to engage the Forged enemies patrolling the area out front.

Remain at a safe distance to defeat the Forged by picking them off with a scoped rifle and by lobbing grenades at the feet of enemies moving towards you in pairs or larger-sized groups, then use the available cover to pick off any remaining threats still lurking outside of the Ironworks and proceed through the indicated doors to enter the building.

Equip a close-ranged weapon before crossing the first metal catwalk in front of you on the left and use a grenade to help remove the flamethrower enemy blocking your path, then climb the staircase on the opposite side of the room to hack the terminal located beside the next door above and pass through the room that unlocks to locate the collapsed walkway in the corner ahead.

Jump onto the collapsed walkway to climb up it and eliminate the enemy at the top with the help of a grenade before proceeding forward, then make the next available left turn to approach the staircase in the corner and use a scoped weapon to take out the turret above before ascending the steps.

Enter the Blast Furnace to encounter Slag via a cut-scene and encourage Jake to walk away so that he doesn’t turn hostile towards you once the conversation is over, then employ the use of VATS to target the most immediate threats before they can retaliate and turn around as soon as possible to avoid being flanked by additional Forged.

If your intention is to keep Jake alive, then focus your initial VATS attack on the guard standing nearest to him and avoid throwing grenades anywhere in his direction. If Jake’s life is meaningless to you, use the VATS to target the weak points in Slag’s armor and unload as many rounds into him as possible before he can fire back.

After your first attack, target the Forged descending the stairs on the right to take him out with a headshot before the flamethrower he’s carrying causes too much damage and use the VATS to deliver a string of critical damage hits against Slag until he finally falls over dead.

Collect the Shiskebab sword from Slag’s corpse and speak with Jake (if possible) before leaving the blast furnace, then climb the steps to exit onto the rooftop outside and equip your new melee weapon weapon to eliminate any patrolling enemies you encounter by first sprinting into them at close-range.

Drop back to the ground below to proceed in the direction of the current objective marker and speak with Abraham again to complete this quest.