The first and most important step in Fallout is character creation. Make no mistake, character building does not only mean choosing a gender, appearance and race for your character, apart from that it means the things that your character is most skilled in.

In the world of Fallout, SPECIAL, apart from its original meaning, actually specifies the 7 main skills and capabilities of each character. These 7 skills are:

• Strength
  
• perception
  
• Tolerance
  
• attractiveness
  
• intelligence
  
• Agility
  
• Chance

Apart from skills, Perks are elements of the game's Level system, each of which belongs to one of these skills and gives a special characteristic to the main character. Character building and level-up in Fallout is based on this special system and perks. If you look at the table of perks on Pipboy, your mobile computer, you will see these 7 skills in the first row, and the sub-category perks of these skills in the next rows.

Strength: indicates your physical strength. In Fallout 4, you are supposed to loot as much as you can, but if the load you carry exceeds the limit, your speed will slow down and you will not be able to Fast Travel. The higher your Strength, the stronger your punches and the more weight you can carry.
Perception : represents your character's awareness and the strength of his sixth sense and increases the accuracy of shooting in V.A.T.S. The higher the score of this skill, the less likely the arrows will miss in V.A.T.S.
Endurance : is your ability to withstand all kinds of damage, be it physical, electrical, or radioactivity. The higher the score of this skill, the more health will be depleted by taking damage and Action Points by running slower. In addition, by consuming less food, you will get poisoned.
Charisma :is your ability to persuade others. The more charisma you have, the easier it is for others to be tamed, and the better your buying and selling prices with sellers. If you have high charisma, you can satisfy others with verbal tricks, even lying.
Intelligence : represents your character's intelligence and thinking power, and the higher its score, the more XP you get from various activities and the faster your level rises. You can craft better weapons and armor, and you'll also have more dialogue in conversations.
Agility shows your character's fitness and reaction speed, and the higher it is, the less Action Points required to shoot in V.A.T.S., and in stealth mode, harder enemies will detect you.
Luck:, as its name suggests, shows the luck of your character. More luck means better loot, more random XP and other random mechanics in the game.

In the game the score of each skill is one starting, then you are given 21 points which you have to spread between the abilities. Every time you level up, you get a point that you can invest in these features or perks.

To get the perks, you need to reach a certain level of skill of the skill they belong to. Tier 2 perks require one point and tier 11 perks require 10 points in their respective skill. For example, the Lone Wanderer perk in the fourth row of the Charisma column requires at least three points in the Charisma skill.

Now you choose to define the style of play and choose skills and perks based on that. If you can raise a character with Health, go for the Strength branch, but if you like more stealthy methods, Agility is your skill. Would you like to avoid bloodshed as much as possible by persuading your enemies? Do you want to earn more money from missions? Go to the Charisma branch.

Each skill you choose at the beginning of the game and more on it can determine the way you play. Just remember to never rely on just one skill. Maybe you prefer the hidden style of work, but think about when you will be exposed. In this case, if your strength is enough, it will not reach the speed of the man. Without the Gun Nut perk in the Intelligence branch, you can't change the guns as you should or maybe.
We recommend that at the beginning of the game, when you are given 21 points to get a skill, you should never raise a specific skill to 10. Try to allocate about 5 to 7 points to your favorite skill and divide the remaining points between other skills.

Get the essential perks from your main skill and then move on to the perks that every character needs in every playstyle. Anyway, no matter what style you play, having perks like Gun Nut, Armorer, or Science are essential to make better weapons and armor. Also, you will definitely need Locksmith and Hacker perks to open locks and hack terminals, to find shortcuts, to bypass enemies or to find better items.

In this chapter of the guide you will find maps related to the walkthrough for Fallout 4. These maps should be helpful in finding important locations in which you can start main or side quests.

Above you can see a world map with most important cities, villages, camps, vaults and quarters of four main factions marked on it. Many of these locations are inhabited only by characters that are friendly towards you, but in some of them you can find enemies as well. On the next pages of this chapter you will find maps of nine main sectors of the world map. They are more detailed, informing you where specifically you can start a quest.

Important - On the pages with walkthroughs for quests you will find references to maps from this chapter. For example, reference (M1,1) means that you must open the M1 map (Sanctuary) and find point number 1 on it (it's in the bracket next to the name of the location).

Vault 111 [1] � Main quests: Out of Time

Museum of Freedom � Main quests: When Freedom Calls, Jewel of the Commonwealth

Sanctuary [3] � Minutemen quests: Sanctuary, The First Step, Taking Independence, Mama Murphy

Red Rocket Truck Stop [4] � Railroad quests: Concierge

Thicket Excavations [5] � Side quests: Pull the Plug

Drumlin Diner [6] � Side quests: Order Up

Abernathy Farm [7] � Side quests: Returning the Favor

The above M1 map shows the first sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the northwestern part of the game world in which you will find, among other places, the Sanctuary. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.

Areas where you can begin quests

Areas where you can begin questsMed-Tek Research [1] � Brotherhood of Steel quests: The Lost Patrol

General Atomics Galleria [2] � Side quests: Report to Director in General Atomics Galleria

Covenant [3] � Side quests: Human Error

Malden Middle School [4] � Side quests: Vault 75

The Slog [5] � Side quests: Find the toy repair parts for Arlen Glass


Areas where you can begin quests
Finch Farm [1] � Side quests: Out of the Fire

Longneck Lukowski's Cannery [2] � Side quests: Mystery Meat

Museum of Witchcraft [3] � Side quests: The Devil's Due

The above M3 map shows the third sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the northeastern part of the game world in which you will find, among other places, the city of Salem. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.

Areas where you can begin quests
Graygarden [1] � Side quests: Troubled Waters
Institute quests: Powering Up

The above M4 map shows the fourth sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the western part of the game world in which you will find, among other places, the Fort Hagen. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.

Areas where you can begin quests
Cambridge Police Station [1] � Brotherhood of Steel quests: Fire Support, Call to Arms, Semper Invicta, Shadow of Steel, Quartermastery, Cleansing the Commonwealth.

USS Constitution [2] � Side quest: Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution.

Cambridge Polymer Labs [3] � Side quest: Cambridge Polymer Labs.

Greenetech Genetics [4] � Main quests: The Molecular Level

Bunker Hill [5] � Side quests: Special Delivery

Institute [6] � Main quests: Institutionalized
Brotherhood of Steel quests: The Nuclear Option, A New Dawn.
Institute quests: Synth Retention, The Battle of Bunker Hill, Building a Better Crop, Plugging a Leak, A House Divided, Reclamation, Appropriation, Pest Control, Hypothesis, Political Leanings, Mass Fusion, Pinned, End of the Line, Airship Down

C.I.T. Ruins [7] � Institute quests: Mankind - Redefined

The above M5 map shows the fifth sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the central part of the game world in which you will find, among other places, the city of Cambridge. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.


Diamond City Market [1] � Main quests: Unlikely Valentine, Reunions, Dangerous Minds
Railroad quests: Road to Freedom
Side quests: Painting the Town, Out in Left Field, Confidence Man
Companions quests: Story of the Century, The Gilded Grasshopper, The Disappearing Act

Old North Church [2] � Railroad main quests: Tradecraft, Boston After Dark, Operation Ticonderoga
Railroad optional quests: Butcher's Bill, Mercer Safehouse, Jackpot, Memory Interrupted, Weathervane: Broken Monorail (repeatable quest), Randolph Safehouse (repeatable quest), Variable Removal, Lost Soul, To The Mattresses

Vault 81 [3] � Side quests: Vault 81, Short Stories, Here Kitty Kitty, Hole in the Wall, Dependency

Goodneighbor [4] � Main quests: The Glowing Sea
Side quests: Memory Den, Silver Shroud, Public Knowledge, The Big Dig, Trouble Brewin', Bring hallucinogens for Fred (miscelaous)
In The Third Rail you'll find MacCready - companion quest Long Road Ahead.

Park Street Station [5] � Main quests: Getting a Clue

Pickman Gallery [6] � Side quest: Pickman's Gift

Trinity Tower [7] � Side quest: Curtain Call

Cabot House [8] � Side quests: Emogene Takes a lover, The Secret of Cabot House

Sham. Taphouse [9] � Side quests: Here There Be Monsters

Charles View Amphitheater [10] � Side quests: Pillar of the Commonwealth

Combat Zone [11] � Side quests: Combat Zone

The above M6 map shows the sixth sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the central part of the game world which is also the very center of Boston. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.
The Castle [1] � Minutemen quests: Old Guns, Defend the Castle, The Nuclear Option
Prydwen [2] � Brotherhood of Steel quests: Tour of Duty, Show no Mercy, Liberty reprimed, Blind

betrayal, Tactical thinking, Spoils of war, Duty or dishonored, A Loose End, Learning Curve, Feeding the Troops, Leading by example, Collect technical documents for Proctor Quinlan, Secure viable Blood samples for Scribe Neriah, Collect Reactor Coolant for Proctor Ingram.

Boston Airport [3] � Brotherhood of Steel quests: Outside the Wire, Ad victoriam, From Within.
Institute quests: Nuclear Family

General Atomics Factory [4] � Side quests: Quality Assurance

Rocky Cave [1] � Main quests: Hunter/Hunted
Side quests: Cure for Virgil

Som. Place [2] � Side quests: Raider Troubles at Somerville Place.

The above M8 map shows the eighth sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the southwestern part of the game world which is highly radiating and due to that unavailable during the early phase of the game. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.

Jamaican Plain [1] � Side quests: Treasure of Jamaican Plain

The above M9 map shows the ninth sector of the world map in Fallout 4. It's the southern and southeastern part of the game world which is also the southern part of Boston. Yellow dots on the map mark locations in which you can start some quest (main, side or faction one). Red dots symbolize other locations. You will not unlock any quests there, but they might be related to quests started in other parts of the game world.

How to unlock: You don't have to unlock this quest. It will happen automatically after you've started the game.

Important - All of the major character choices you'll make during the prologue aren't final. You will be allowed to change them while completing the next main quest - Out of Time.

Moments before the apocalypse
You start off looking at the mirror in the bathroom. You can choose whether you want to play as a male or a female character and you can also modify your looks (face, body shape, distinctive marks etc.). Once you're finished playing with this unique version of a character editor confirm that you're done (push a certain key/button).

Go to the kitchen and interact with a robot named Codsworth. Once you're doing that search for a coffee cup located on the kitchen counter and drink coffee.


A salesman will soon knock on the door. Go to the door, open it and start a conversation with the Vault-Tec Rep. He will invite your family to go and stay in Vault 111 and during this meeting you will be asked to fill a registration form. This is when you must decide on your base statistics - Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. You have 21 points to distribute between them and you can find our suggested builds in the strategy guide. Aside from setting the statistics you also have to name your character.

After the conversation has ended go to the child's bedroom. Play with your son Shaun and then interact with a crib mobile. You will soon be asked to return to the main living room. Go there and watch an emergency broadcast.
Reaching Vault 111
Exit the house via the main door and head right. Keep following a rather linear path through the neighborhood. The soldiers met along the way will be pointing where you need to go next so you shouldn't get lost. Once you've reached a small checkpoint go pass the other residents and talk to the Officer so that he'll allow your family to pass through.

Keep going up the hill. Stand on the round platform where you'll witness a nuclear blast. Wait for the elevator to descend to Vault 111.

Wait for the elevator to reach the underground vault and listen to the Overseer. Follow a near linear path. You will talk to the Vault-Tec Staff along the way and receive a Vault-111 Jumpsuit. Follow the Vault-Tec Doctor to a nearby chamber. Here you must comfort your son and then enter one of the decontamination pods. It'll soon turn out that this in fact a cryogenic chamber and you'll be put to a long sleep.

How to unlock: The quest will start in Vault 111 (M1,1) automatically after completing the Prologue.

Quest objectives:

• Leave Vault 111
  
• Go home
  
• Talk to Codsworth
  
• Search the neighborhood with Codsworth
  
• Look around the Concor

Watch an important cut-scene before you're allowed to leave the cryo chamber. Your main objective is to leave Vault 111 and for most of the time you'll be following a very linear path through the vault, opening doors to gain access to new areas. A radroach is in one of the nearby rooms. Punch the little critter to get rid of it (you don't have any weapons yet). Expect to encounter more radroaches in the adjacent rooms. Keep attacking them one at a time and consume the radroach meat if your health drops too low (it shouldn't). You can also try doing power punches on some of the radroaches for better effects.

Stop after you've entered a larger room. Look around to find a 10mm Pistol with ammo, a bunch of Stimpaks (you can use them to heal yourself) and a few other items. The most important object here is the Overseer's terminal on the main desk. Interact with it. Choose the last option from the menu - Open Evacuation Tunnel. You can now proceed through a newly unlocked door.

Expect to encounter new radroaches in the next tunnel. You can keep relying on melee combat or you can use the pistol you've just found to eliminate them (consider practicing how to use the V.A.T.S. system as well).


Head east and you'll soon reach Sanctuary. It's the neighborhood where you've started the game, but obviously it's devastated now. Look around to find Codsworth and talk to the robot. You can choose a unique persuasion dialogue option (the yellow one) during the conversation if your Charisma is high enough. If you succeed you'll receive a holotape (Hi Honey!) from Codsworth. You can then search the Sanctuary together or you can do it alone. It's not too complicated - visit some of the houses (including your own), kill a few weak monsters and talk to Codsworth again once you're done. The robot will suggest that you go to a nearby town of Concord.

Concord is located to the south-east from Sanctuary and you can get there by travelling in a straight line or (a safer option) by staying on a main road (make sure to visit the Red Rocket Truck Stop along the way, because you can "recruit" Dogmeat there). Watch out for bloodbug hatchlings near the entrance to Concord. They can inflict more damage than the radroaches you've fought so far so you must be more careful (you can also go around them). Follow the sounds of gunshots and you'll find the Museum of Freedom. You'll witness the local residents here engaged in a gunfight with the raiders. Help in getting rid of the (first wave) of bandits. You'll then be asked by Preston Garvey to help in securing the museum and a new main quest will begin - When Freedom Calls.

How to unlock: The quest will start automatically near the Museum of Freedom (M1,2) after completing the Out of Time main quest.

Quest objectives:

• Enter the museum
  
• (Optional) Take the laser musket
  
• Find the imprisoned settlers
  
• Talk to Preston Garvey
  
• Obtain fusion core
  
• Install the fusion core in the power armor
  
• Put the power armor on
  
• Take the rotating turret
  
• Clean Concord of all enemies
  
• Go to Preston
  
• Join Preston Garvey in Sanctuary

Securing the museum

The quest begins near the Museum of Freedom in the town of Concord. Look around in front of the museum to find a very good short laser musket. Pick it up to complete an optional quest objective (collect ammo for this gun from a nearby Minuteman corpse) and then enter the museum via the main door.

Start exploring the main floor of the museum - you can open a gate which has an advanced lock (Locksmith perk and a bobby pin required) or you can go around through the rooms to the right. Be prepared to defeat new raiders. Some of them will be on this floor and some them will be on the upper floor (it's recommended to keep using the rifle you've collected not long ago).

Head up and continue eliminating all the new raiders you encounter. You can't get lost, because there's only one path leading to the room where the settlers have barricaded themselves. Talk to Preston Garvey and then to Sturges when you get there. You'll find out about an inactive power armor on the museum's roof which you'll be able to use to deal with the remaining raiders.

Important - There's a bobblehead in the room with the settlers. Pick it up to get a permanent increase to Perception.

How to unlock: The quest will start automatically in the Museum of Freedom (M1,2) during the When Freedom Calls main quest.

Quest objectives:

Go to Diamond City
Obtain information about Shaun
Go to Valentine's Detective Agency
Journey to Diamond City

You can unlock this quest during the final part of the When freedom calls main quest. After the large battle with raiders and deathclaw in the Concord city, you will have to return to the Museum of Freedom. There, talk with Preston Garvey and with Mama Murphy. You will be sent to the Diamond City in search for kidnapped son. The city is far south from your current location. On the way you can be attacked by bandits or monsters, but the city itself is protected by neutral guards and you don't need to be afraid of their attacks. Boards with directions will lead you to the entrance to the city.

Use the passage leading to Diamond City Market. Go to the back of the location and explore the narrow alleys. You will find the entrance to Valentine's detective agency. Talk with Ellie Perkins inside, she will tell you that Valentine has gone missing. During the conversation you can use dialogue option related to high Charisma twice, first time to tell her that you have an important business with the detective, and then to encourage the woman to put a price (125 bottlecaps) for finding him. No matter how you acted, the quest will end and another one will start, related to finding Valentine.

Quest rewards: Experience points, new main quest (Unlikely Valentine).

How to unlock: The quest will start in the Diamond City Market (M6,1) automatically after completing the Jewel of the Commonwealth main quest.

Quest objectives:

• Find Nick Valentine
  
• Free Nick Valentine
  
• Talk to Nick Valentine
  
• Follow Nick Valentine

You will receive this quest after meeting with Ellie Perkins in Valentine detective agency in Diamond City. The woman will send you in search for the detective. You must go to the hideout of the local gang related to the investigation led by Valentine. The hideout is in the Park Street Station northeast from Diamond City. Once you reach the destination, find the entrance to the metro tunnel and use it.

A long trip is ahead of you. During the trip you will face many groups of enemy triggermen. You should attack each group by surprise and hide behind cover once the battles start. Luckily, the enemies will be mostly using weak pistols (regular and machine ones). Keep walking, first exploring the station and then going along the tracks. They will lead you to the Vault 114 hidden in the tunnels. Press the red button in order to unlock the entrance to the vault.
Sadly, you will be regularly attacked by the gangsters while exploring the vault. The first group will be found at the entrance to the crypt, it is a good idea to attack them from a distance, as only a narrow, uncovered metal balcony is leading to them. Further in the vault you should watch out in the larger, darkened room. You should use a rifle or other similar weapon once you get there.

The detective whom you seek is held in the last part of the vault, in the Overseer's room. He is guarded by Dino, a more important killer in the ranks of the gangsters. If it is possible, surprise attack him (for example, with a shot from long distance), not allowing him to defend himself. You can get to the room with Nick Valentine in two ways - by using the Overseer Door Password found at Dino's corpse or by hacking into the terminal on the right. Enter the office and talk to Valentine.

Important - There is a bobblehead in the room with Valentine, you will find it on one of the tables. Picking it up will increase the limit of bottlecaps that the merchants can use.

Follow Nick Valentine. On your way to the surface you will meet new triggermen. Luckily, you don't have to worry that your new ally will die during the battles. However, it is wise to keep him in his full strength, thanks to that you will receive help from him.

Just after you get to Park Street Station, you will be stopped by Skinny Malone and his men. This encounter can have few outcomes. If you play as a character with high Charisma level, you can try convincing Darla who is accompanying Malone to escape or to turn against her lover.

If you have chosen a peaceful solution, there is a chance that you and Valentine will be also able to leave the location before Malone changes his mind. If the persuasion attempt failed or if you decided to fight, then the battle will start. During it, you should use shotgun or other weapon that is useful on short distance - you will have nowhere to hide. Luckily, Malone and his men aren't a great threat.

How to unlock: The quest gets unlocked when you complete An Unlikely Valentine - after you rescue detective Valentine and you both go back to Park Street Station (M6,5).

Objectives:

Go to Valentine's agency
Talk to Ellie
Sit down
Tell your story to Nick
Follow Nick
Obtain the key to Kellogg's house
Search Kellogg's house
Show the cigar to Dogmeat

You need to go back to Diamond City Market and head for Valentine's office. Start by talking to Ellie. You will receive Faded Trench Coat, Worn Fedora and bottlecaps (100 or more if you persuaded Ellie to set a reward for rescuing the detective). You can sit in the chair now, then tell Nick Valentine your story and describe Shaun's abduction. The detective will offer to help investigate Kellogg's apartment, since he suspects him of taking part in the abduction.

Get out of the office and follow Nick Valentine. He will lead you to Kellogg's apartment located in the Diamond City Market. When you reach it, you'll see a locked door and you'll have to solve the issue.

Gaining access to Kellogg's house
You can gain access to Kellogg's house in two ways. The first one is using a hairpin to unlock the door. It is possible only if you developed the Locksmith perk up to at least third level that will allow you to open Master locks.
f you don't have the required skills, you have to acquire the key. To do so, go to the Mayor of Diamond City, whose office is located above the market. Find the elevator near the market exit - it leads to the Mayor's office. Stand inside, press the red button and wait until you reach the top. You'll see Piper (if she's not your current companion) and you can have a brief conversation with her to see why she wants to meet the Mayor.
You can get Kellogg's house key from one of two people - one of them is Mayor McDonough. He will refuse to give you the key but you can bribe him with 250 bottlecaps or use Charisma and convince him that Kellogg is the abductor. Alternatively, you can pickpocket him (high stats and corresponding perks are required).
Another person who has the key is the Mayor's secretary, Geneva. While talking to her, you can act similarly - give her 250 bottlecaps as a bribe or use one of two dialogue options available if you have a high level of Charisma.

Regardless of how you obtained the Kellogg's House Key, bring it back to Valentine and use it to open the door.

Searching Kellogg's house
Kellogg's apartment is not a big one and you don't even have to enter the upper floor. Stay on the first floor and search the desk. There is a button shown in the screenshot above; pressing it will unlock a secret chamber.
Of course, you can collect all items from the secret room. The crucial step is to pick up the Cigar Box and Gwinnett Stout from the table near the chair. Listen to the conversation with Nick about using Dogmeat's sense of smell to determine Kellogg's location. You can now decide whether you want to take Valentine or your current companion with you (the choice will not affect the quest too much).

Exit Kellogg's apartment. Dogmeat should be waiting close to the building. You just need to get close to him and show him the cigar. You'll take care of finding Kellogg during the next quest - Reunions.

Rewards for completing the quest: Experience points, a new quest (Reunions).

How to unlock: The quest gets unlocked after completing the main quest called Getting a Clue in the Diamond City Market (M6,1).
Objectives:

• Follow Dogmeat
  
• Check on Dogmeat
  
• Find a way into Fort Hagen
  
• Search Fort Hagen
  
• Confront Kellogg
  
• Kill Kellogg
  
• Search for more information
  
• Discuss your findings with Nick
  
• Discuss your findings with Piper

The quest begins at the Diamond City Market and you start by following Dogmeat all the time. Exit the city and follow the dog. Keep in mind that you will encounter various monsters on your way, including mirelurks, mole rats, bloatflies, feral dogs and ghouls. The most dangerous creatures are definitely yao guai bears. Keep distance at all cost and use a ranged weapon to get rid of them.
Dogmeat will lose track of Kellogg from time to time and you'll have to search the surroundings for a new item. You will stop at following locations:

A small body of water near the Hardware Store - take the San Francisco Sunlights cigar from the ashtray located on a chair by the water
Tunnel entrance near Vault 81 - take the Bloodied Bandages
A tunnel near the river - pick up the Gwinnett Stout Bottle located near the deck chair
A road near the Forest Grove Marsh - find the damaged assaultron and talk to it
A broken fence - find Bloodied Bandages on the fence
Your destination is Fort Hagen. It's located near the western edge of the map and it is shown in the screenshot above. Dogmeat will stop sniffing now and your new objective will be to find the way inside.
Go to the back of Fort Hagen, because you'll find metal balconies leading to the roof there. Take your time using them - several turrets have been placed in the vicinity and destroying them is a wise move. When you clear the roof, look around and you'll see a large hatch - get inside the fort.

Start a long, linear walk through corridors and rooms of Fort Hagen. Hostile synths are inside the building - energy weapons similar to their own are the most effective against them. Moreover, look out for turrets (laser ones are the most dangerous) and occasional mines. If you want to make the whole process easier, hack a terminal, activate a protectron and set it to patrol the surroundings.

In the beginning, you'll reach a door that's locked with a chain from the other side. What it means is that you have to take a longer way. When you do it (watch out for a laser turret on the ceiling), find an elevator, call it and descend to the lower floor.

Right after you exit the elevator, you'll encounter more synths; defeating them might be more difficult because the fight takes place in a long, narrow corridor. Keep going forward and ignore Kellogg's messages, because he does not pose any threat yet. You'll soon reach a door leading to Fort Hagen Command Center. You will keep going along the linear path (consider breaking into the armory where you can get a Fat Man) and eliminate all dangers. Stop when you reach the room shown in the picture above. Save the game because a tough battle awaits you ahead.

Kellogg is currently in a large room nearby with a group of synths. You won't be attacked right away and you can approach him for a short conversation. Don't count on avoiding the fight, Kellogg will attack you as soon as you stop talking.

You won't learn anything while talking to Kellogg, so you can attack him right after you reach the room. It's a safer alternative if you have a Fat Man in your inventory, because a single attack with a mini nuke might kill Kellogg instantly.
If you don't own any elite weapon or you insist on talking to Kellogg, focus all your attacks on him. Sooner or later, Kellogg will use camouflage that will make V.A.T.S-based attacks impossible. In that case, use a shotgun or other weapon that doesn't require precise aiming, consider using explosives as well. Don't let Kellogg heal himself and take care of your own health.

Find more information about Shaun
Leave Diamond City Market and head towards Goodneighbor located to the northeast. When you reach it, go to the Memory Den. Get inside, go to the back and find the stairs leading to the basement. You'll find Doctor Amari.
Talk to Doctor Amari about your situation and show her the implant you got from Kellogg's body. If Nick Valentine is your companion, he'll try watching Kellogg's memories first. The attempt will be unsuccessful and you'll have to watch them yourself.

It's time for a linear "journey" through Kellogg's memories that's not very interactive. Use unusual paths to reach places where memories are going to be played. You don't have to do anything, just watch the scenes.

Watch all of the memories, including the one with Shaun. To return to the real world, use the Memory Lounger (TV). After leaving the chair, talk to Doctor Amari. You'll learn that you have to find Virgil. You'll take care of that in the next quest - The Glowing Sea.

Rewards for completing the quest: Experience points. a new main quest (The Glowing Sea).

How to unlock: The quest unlocks automatically after completing the Dangerous Minds quest in the Memory Den location in Goodneighbor (M6,4).

Quest objectives:

Find Virgil on the Glowing Sea
Preparations for the journey to the Glowing Sea

The Glowing Sea covers the whole southwestern part of the world map. This area has very high radiation level. It means that you must prepare well before beginning the mission of killing Virgil. You can deal with the radiation in three various ways. The simplest way is equipping large supplies of Rad-X and RadAway chemicals. Rad-X temporarily increases radiation resistance and RadAway allows you to get rid of the radiation you already received. These chemicals don't offer a stable, long-term protection, during the journey you would have to use large numbers of them and move in a straight line towards the target to maximally reduce the trip time.
A second way to neutralize the radiation is obtaining the Hazmat Suit. This suit can be found in the game world (for example, in the Cambridge Polymer Labs location) or bought from some merchants. If you decide for the second option, the easiest way is to go to the Diamond City Market and visit the Fallon's Basement shop (screen 1). In the basement you can trade with Becky Fallon and she has, among other items, Hazmat suit in her offer (screen 2). Using the Hazmat Suit gives you one important disadvantage - it has no other protection values. It means that you can die easily if you are attacked by monsters or bandits. Due to that, you would have to move through the Glowing Sea slower and remain far from any potential threats.

Third way is definitely the best - it's using the Power Suit. The suit doesn't give you 100% protection from the radiation, but the protection is sufficient to avoid having to regularly use RadAway. In difference to the Hazmat Suit, you don't have to worry about whether you will be helpless when attacked by monsters. In addition to that, the Power Suit increases the general defense level. If you still have the suit from the beginning of the game (the one from the first meeting with Minutemen), you can use it. Otherwise, obtain a new one in any way you want, for example by visiting the Robotics Disposal Ground location shown on the picture 1 (on the road south from the disposal ground there is a suit standing)

Important - To work, power suits require fusion cores which can be found in many larger locations of the game world (they are used as power sources). Try to have 3-4 spare cores with you before you start completing this quest.

Select some already uncovered location that is closest to the Glowing Sea and start your journey towards the first marker. Watch out for yourself, as on the way there you can be attacked by overgrown bugs, radscorpions, ghouls or mole rats. As you will keep journeying, the location of the next markers will change and they will lead you to one of the most important locations in this part of the world map - the Crater of Atom. The place was marked on the picture above.

In the crater you can find a group of people calling themselves the Childs of the Atom. Meeting with them is not mandatory, but you can decide to do it anyway. Find Mother Isolde at one of the western buildings and talk with her about Virgil's whereabouts. You will learn that he is living in a cave southwest from the crater.
Important - if you will be unfriendly towards Mother Isolde, you can start a battle with her and other Childs of the Atom. It doesn't make it impossible to reach Virgil. You can find him on your own or learn about his cave from a note found in the crater.

Go southwest from the crater, according to the guidelines. You must find the Rocky Cave marked on the picture above. Be cautious, as a single deathclaw can be found near the cave. You can defeat this monster (if you are using power suit and you have some good weapon like rocket launcher or plasma cannon) or sneak up next to him.

Start the conversation with Virgil after entering the cave. During the conversation you can use special dialogue options available for a character with high Charisma twice, but except for the experience you won't gain anything from doing that. Virgil will ask you to obtain a serum for him. He will tell you about a way to get into the Institute quarters. Another main quest, Hunter Hunted, will start.

Quest rewards: Experience points, new main quest (Hunter Hunted).

How to unlock: The quest unlocks automatically after completing The Glowing Sea main quest in the Rocky Cave (M8,1) location.
Quest objectives:

• Go to C.I.T. ruins
  
• Adjust to courser's radio frequency
  
• Use courser's radio frequency to track one of them
  
• Kill the courser
  
• Get courser's chip

Adjusting to courser's radio frequency
In order to start the quest, you must reach the C.I.T. ruins located in Cambridge, in the central part of the map. Once you reach the destination, don't enter the large CIT building. Instead, activate Pip-Boy and open the tab with radio stations. Select Courser Signal from the list of radio frequencies.

Using coursers' radio frequency to locate one of them
Notice that from now you will regularly see information about the strength of the radio signal appearing in the upper left corner of the screen. It will be helpful in finding the courser you are looking for. Your destination is the Greenetech Genetics location marked on the above picture. It is located few hundred meters east from C.I.T. ruins. Reach the large green building and find the door inside that are on the ground floor.
The road through the Greenetech building is quite linear. You must reach one of the highest floors. However, linear doesn't mean that it will go with no emotions. While in the building, you must be ready to face members of Gunners group (watch out especially for the enemy with a rocket launcher) and various defense turrets (some of them can be turned off by hacking into the terminals). In addition to that, watch out for the traps placed in some points (especially on long bridges). The traps have a form of laser beams and mines.

In the next part of the climbing you should use elevator to reach higher floors of the building. Your objective is to reach the room in which you will find Z2-47 synth. Conversation with him is possible, but you will not manage to solve the situation peacefully and the battle will take place anyway. You can start the duel with activation of the V.A.T.S. system, but switch to conventional battle methods when the enemy starts using camouflage. If you want to finish the battle quickly and easily, you can sneak up to the nearby stairs, pick up the Fat Man lying there and shoot the mini atomic bomb towards the mission target.

Find the corpse of Z2-47 and pick the Courser Chip. Thanks to that, you will unlock another main quest, The Molecular Level. If you want, you can free the synth K1-98 Jenny held in the neighboring room. In order to do it, you must find the toolbox under the stairs (the ones with Fat Man) and pick the Greenetech Genetics Password from it.

Quest rewards: Experience points, new main quest (The Molecular Level).

The Molecular Level - beginning of the quest

How to unlock: The quest unlocks automatically after completing the Hunter/Hunted main quest in the Greenetech Genetics (M5,4) location.

Quest objectives:

• Give the courser chip for analysis
  
• Find the Railroad - this objective will activate only if you haven't contacted with that faction before
  
• Go back to Virgil
  
• Organize help for building the signal interceptor
  
• (Optional) Talk with the Minutemen - you can ask only one faction for help
  
• (Optional) Talk with the Railroad - you can ask only one faction for help
  
• (Optional) Talk with the Brotherhood of Steel - you can ask only one faction for help
  
• See what the faction's scientist has to say - each faction has different specialist with whom you must talk
  
• Build the Reflector Platform
  
• Build the console
  
• Build the relay dish
  
• Build the beam emitter
  
• (Optional) Find the bio scanner in the hospitals - the objective will become active only if you have no bio scanners in your inventory
  
• (Optional) Find the sensor module near the telecommunication infrastructure - the objective will become active only if you have no sensor module in your inventory
  
• (Optional) Find the proper circuit board in the military facilities - the objective will become active only if you have no circuit boards in your inventory
  
• Provide power for the signal interceptor
  
• Use the signal interceptor

Important! It is recommended to perform a manual save of the game after you finish the conversation with Virgil at the start of this quest. Further quest objectives are related to creating stronger bonds with one of three main factions. It will not make other factions unfriendly towards you, but it is better to secure yourself anyway, especially if you're not one hundred percent sure which faction you plan to help later in the game.
Giving the courser chip for analysis
Return to doctor Amari with the chip obtained in the previous main quest. She can be found in the Memory Den building in Goodneighbor. Once you reach the office in the basement of the building, start the conversation with Amari and show her the chip. The woman will send you to search the Railroad faction which will be able to crack the protection of the chip.

Finding the Railroad

If up to now you haven't found the Railroad faction, now you must do it by completing the Road to Freedom quest. Completion of the quest is needed even if you don't plan to cooperate with the group later in the game. If you have found the headquarters of the faction, then you can skip this part and go directly to the end of this section - the meeting with Desdemona in Railroad H.Q.
The Road to Freedom quest mentioned earlier can be unlocked in few ways. The easiest one is overhearing the conversation of two men in the Diamond City Market. They can be found north from the main trading plaza, near Nick Valentine's detective agency.
You can also go straight to the park in the center of the city that is marked as the mission objective's destination. There you will find a marker on the ground from which a red line is leading somewhere. It is quite long and not always visible, so you must be cautious. You can ignore the enemies you met: ghouls, thugs and mutants. Simply follow the path.
The road ends before the white door which leads to the Old North Church. Inside turn immediately right in order to avoid the ghouls and walk through the door to the basement.

There, at the last wall you will notice a symbol on the wall. It is a lock which outside's face (the one with letters) can be turned and selected by pressing the middle button. You must create a "RAILROAD" password from the letters on the face and confirm each word by pressing the button. Once you do it, the secret passage will open. Now you can walk into the next room where you will meet Desdemona.
If this is your first encounter with Desdemona, first you must answer few of her questions. If you have made contact with the faction earlier, you can walk directly to Railroad H.Q. and talk to her. No matter the circumstances of the meeting, you must mention doctor Amari and the courser chip that you have. The next person with which you must talk is Tinker Tom who can be also found in the H.Q. Agree to give the chip to the Railroad (if needed, you will be able to reclaim it later in the game) and wait for Tom to finish analyzing the item. He will give you the Courser Chip Data holotape.

Leave Railroad faction's headquarters and go again to the Rocky Cave located in the southwestern corner of the map. Enter the cave, talk to Virgil and give him the data you obtained. He will inform you that you must build a signal interceptor and he will give you the plans of the device. You will need to ask one of the factions for help in constructing the device. This topic is described on the next page of the walkthrough.

You can ask one of three main factions in the game for help in constructing the signal interceptor - Brotherhood of Steel, Railroad or Minutemen. It is an important decision, as you will get their help only after you officially join a faction and complete one or few of its large quests. Walkthrough for faction quests can be found in a separate chapter of this guide. Below you will only find information about the minimum requirements of cooperation with a faction - to the point of securing access to its scientist who will check the plans obtained from Virgil.

If you intend to ask the Brotherhood of Steel for help in building the signal interceptor, then you will have to complete more faction quests than in case of other groups. Below is the list of faction quests that you must complete:

• Reveille
  
• Fire Support
  
• Call to Arms
  
• Semper Invicta
  
• Shadow of Steel
  
• Tour of Duty
  
• Show no Mercy

During the final part of the Show no mercy quest you will be forced to return to the deck of the flying ship of the Brotherhood, Prydwen (it will happen after you take care of the supermutants that were occupying the fort). Meet with elder Maxson on the airship and talk with him about the plans of the signal interceptor. He will send you to proctor Ingram who is Brotherhood of Steel's expert in new technologies.
Proctor Ingram can be found on the surface, so you must leave the Brotherhood's airship. Talk with her and give her the plans you received from Virgil. First she will give you instructions about how to build Stabilized Reflector Platform.
You can construct the platform and other parts of the teleport in the place pointed by Ingram, in the airport hangar. But you can also start building the construction in any other of the unlocked settlements, for example in the Sanctuary. All steps required for building the teleport are described on the next page of the guide.
Cooperation with the Railroad
If you decide to ask the Railroad for help, then you will have to complete only one new quest for that faction - Tradecraft (Road to Freedom, the "starting" quest of the Railroad, you have completed previously).

After completing the Tradecraft quest and officially joining the Railroad faction, meet with Desdemona in Railroad H.Q. located under the Old North Church. Talk about having the signal interceptor plans. Desmona will send you to Tinker Tom who is Railroad's expert in new technologies.

Tinker Tom can be found in Railroad H.Q., so you won't have to search for him too long. Talk with him and give him the plans you received from Virgil. First he will give you instructions about how to build Stabilized Reflector Platform.
Constructing the platform and other parts of the teleport requires some free space. Tom will suggest talking to the PAM robot in the H.Q. and completing the Mercer Safehouse optional quest that will provide you with a hideout with free space for building the teleport. You can also start building the construction in any of the already unlocked settlements, for example in the Sanctuary. All steps required for building the teleport are described on the next page of the guide.

If you intend to ask Minutemen for help in building the signal interceptor, then you will have to complete few first quests of this faction. Below you will find a list of quests that you must complete:

• When Freedom Calls
  
• The First Step
  
• Sanctuary
  
• Taking Independence

Meet with Preston Garvey after completing the Taking Independence quest in his current residing place - it will probably be the Castle where you fought the mirelurks queen. During the meeting with Preston, talk about the plans of the signal interceptor. He will send you to Sturges, who is Minutemen's expert in new technologies.
Sturges can be found in one of few locations. The most probable place where you can find him is the Sanctuary. Talk with Sturges and give him the plans you received from Virgil. First he will give you instructions about how to build Stabilized Reflector Platform.

You can start building the signal interceptor in Sanctuary or in any other unlocked settlement. All steps required for building the teleport are described on the next page of the guide.

After you improve your relations with one of the three main factions, you will meet with its expert in new technologies. In the Brotherhood of Steel it is Proctor Ingram, in Railroad faction it's Tinker Tom and in Minutemen it is Sturges. The expert will give you information about the steps required for building the first part of the teleport. Later in the quest you will have to return to him for further instructions. The teleport can be built in the location suggested by the expert or in any of the unlocked settlements (for example, in Sanctuary). All steps required for building the signal interceptor are described below.

Build the Reflector Platform

Go to the location where you intend to construct the interceptor and open the workshop window. Select the Special tab and then the Stabilized Reflector Platform. In order to build the platform you will need very common materials. If somehow you don't have enough of them, then press the button and they will be marked with a magnifier icon. From now on the icon will appear whenever you find the material you need or an item which will give it to you after disassembling.

Once the platform is build, talk again to the expert of the faction you have selected. You will learn that the next parts of the signal interceptor are console, relay dish and beam emitter. You can construct the objects in any order you want.

Building the consoleThe Control Console has one rare material needed for building it - the Biometric Scanner. In order to find it, you can follow the suggestion (optional quest objective) and go to one of the medical facilities in the game world. However, it isn't mandatory, as biometric scanners can be frequently found near many destroyed security turrets. You must only make sure that it will be a higher level turret (for example, fifth level), as only such turrets are "dropping" rare items.

Building the relay dish
The Relay Dish can be placed much easier, as rather common materials are used for building it. Having the Sensor Module isn't mandatory for constructing it. If despite that you want to obtain that item, then you can search for it for example in USAF Satellite Station Olivia located in the northern part of the map.

Building the beam emitter
The Beam Emitter, similarly as the console, requires you to have one rare item - Military-Grade Circuit Board. You can search for that item in one of the military facilities on the world map, but similarly to the biometric scanners it can be also found at many destroyed security turrets. Once you gather all the materials, build the beam emitter precisely above the previously created reflector platform.

Powering up the signal interceptor
Now you have all the parts of the signal interceptor constructed and you must power it up. The device requires 27 units of energy to work. If you have the Science! Perk, you can build two large generators, but they will require some rare Nuclear Materials.

If you don't have that perk or the required materials, then create six medium generators. Place the additional generators in a straight line, near to each other and to the interceptor. An example line of the generators is shown on the above picture.

Now you must connect all the objects (the generators and interceptor's parts) with cables. Start with connecting the generators - position yourself next to each of them (you must have the workshop window open) and press the key/button responsible for connecting the cables. After a cable appear on the screen, move towards the neighbor generator and finalize the connection (an example is shown on the picture above).

Once you connect the generators to each other, you must attach the cables to the console, to the dish and to the beam emitter. You can connect them in any combination you want. Every part of the interceptor doesn't need to be connected directly to a generator. In the end, all teleport parts (except the platform) must be connected to the network.

An example finished signal interceptor is shown on the picture - A on the image is the console, B is the beam emitter, C is the reflector platform that is precisely under the beam emitter, D is the relay dish and E is the row of generators attached to objects A, B and D using cables.

Important - If the game doesn't allow you to attach a cable to one of the interceptor parts, it might mean that it is too far away. Move it closer to generators and/or other teleport fragments.

Using the signal interceptor
The final part of the quest is very simple. Speak to the person who was helping you in building the signal interceptor and position yourself on the reflector platform. Before you do it, you can of course save the game. You will be teleported to the headquarters of the Institute and the quest will end.
Quest rewards: Experience points, access to Institute headquarter unlocked.

How to unlock: The quest unlocks automatically after you enter the Institute (M5,6) for the first time.
Quest objectives:

• Enter the elevator
  
• Leave the Institute - the objective will activate only if you refuse the Father
  
• Meet the division leaders - the objective will activate only if you accept Father's proposition
  
• Use the scanning holotape - the objective will activate only if you accept Father's proposition

The quest will not appear in your journal after completing The Molecular Level quest. However, it is not a problem since after using the teleport and appearing in the Institute you must only make few steps ahead for it to trigger. The Father will contact you through the intercom and will want to meet with you. Start a lineal walk, use two elevators on your way - first larger and then smaller one. You must reach the room where behind a glass wall you will see Shaun. Try talking with him. At the end of the meeting the Father will enter the room. During the conversation you will learn his true identity.
Option A - Refusing the Father and leaving the Institute
During the meeting with Father you can act in two main ways. If you don't want to have anything in common with the Institute, you can select negative answers, first by negating his identity and then refusing to work together. It won't make you Institute's most wanted enemy, but later in the game you won't be able to cooperate with this faction. Father will allow you to return to the room with the teleport where you will be able to leave the Institute and end this quest.

Option B - Accepting Father's proposition and remaining in the Institute
If during the conversation with Father you will believe in his version of the events, you will be able to continue the quest and start a closer cooperation with the Institute. It is worth mentioning that at this point you aren't making any crucial decisions. You don't need to worry that your relations with other factions will worsen, that will happen only after you start further Institute quests. You can stop the cooperation with Institute at any point you want.
Meeting the Division Leaders

The Father will ask you to meet with leaders of all Institute divisions. It will be five different people to which it is best to go after activating this quest in the journal (in that case the markers will lead you to them). You must talk with each of them - the conversation will be short or long, filled with asking them additional questions. The division leaders are:

• Allie Filmore
  
• Newton Oberly
  
• Madison Li - she will modify your Pip Boy by installing a chip that will allow you to freely teleport to the Institute from any point in the game world (quick travel)
  
• Clayton Holdren
  
• Justin Ayo - during the conversation with him you can use Charisma and ask why he doesn't trust you

Important! The division leaders can be located in various places depending on the current time - during the day you can find them in their working places or in cafeteria and at night they can be located in their quarters.

Using scanning holotape

This objective can be deceiving as the game will not mark any computer terminal on the map. It's because you can interact with any terminal in the Institute. Don't pick any option from the menu after loading the main screen. Instead of that, press the load holotape key/button. Select the Network Scanner tape from the list (the screen above) and confirm that you want to start scanning the net (Initiate network scan). This is the end of the quest. Now you can remain in the Institute and start first quests for this faction (including the Synth Retention quest) or leave the facility using quick travel.

Quest rewards: Experience points, new Institute quest (Synth Retention) - only if you agreed on Father's proposition.

Important - Walkthrough for quests related to Institute faction can be found in a separate chapter of this guide. This main quest was the last "general" one. All further main quests are related only to the faction you have selected (Minutemen, Brotherhood of Steel, Railroad, Institute).

Below you can find the main quests path that shows you how the main plot proceeds and what choices you can make. This graph shows you how your choice of faction affects the endings.

Bethesda created its game in such a way that it leads the player linearly through all of the missions up until the quest called Institutionalized. From this moment on, we need to side with one of the factions, thus ultimately deciding with whom we want to finish the main plot. Joining the Institute happens during the quest Institutionalized, but you can contact any of the other factions (the Minutemen, the Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad) at any point in the game. The game does not punish you for joining all of the factions at once. However, when you complete quests dedicated to a specific faction, you can worsen your relations with another group so much, that you won't be able to do any more missions for them.

This page will be updated as soon as we investigate which exact quests block the ability to complete tasks for other factions.

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