In Fallout 4, Bethesda drops everything on you, right at the start of the game, so it can be hard to keep track of things. That’s why this guide exists. With this guide, the Wasteland is your oyster, and there will be nothing in the scorched country that you won’t be able to fully master. Buckle up, and push the pedal to the metal- it’s time to master the wasteland.
COMPANIONS
While Fallout 4 is not a return to the cRPG glory days of old, where you would control parties of characters, it still includes a full range of Companion characters, who accompany you on your travels, and help you take on any danger you may run into. These include everyone, from Codsworth (who is likely to be the first Companion you encounter in the game), to the adorable Dogmeat. Some companions can also be Romanced, after you develop proper relationships with them.
The full list of Companions in the game is:
- Preston
- Codsworth
- Piper
- Nick Valentine
- Curie
- Deacon
- Maccready
- Dogmeat
FACTIONS
Analogous to the guilds in The Elder Scrolls, or the Covenants in Dark Souls, the factions that the player runs into on the Wasteland are groups of people divided along philosophical differences on just what the future of humanity should be in a post nuclear world. The factions that the player can join are:
- The Minutemen – The first faction most players will encounter, they are a Settlement-oriented Faction charged with protecting Settlers at a minute’s notice. Preston, whom you run into in Concord, is a Minuteman.
- The Brotherhood of Steel – a faction of technologically-minded militarists
- The Railroad – A faction dedicated to protecting innocent Synths
- The Institute – Mythical, and almost bogeyman-like in their status, no one is quite sure that they are real- and those that are, don’t really want to deal with them at all.
So, how do you join these Factions? Happily, it’s not too hard, and in turn, you get access to some all new questlines, as well as some unique loot.
The Minutemen: The first faction most players will encounter, you first learn of the Minutemen when you run into Preston in Concord. After you wear help him clear out Concord of all hostiles, he offers you to follow him to the Sanctuary, and continue south from there. After that, you will be able to pick optional Minutemen sidequests from the Museum of Freedom in Concord.
The Minutemen are a neutral faction- this means that even if you have joined up with them, they don’t mind, for the most part, if you do end up cozying up to some of the other factions as well.
The Brotherhood of Steel: Arguably the best known faction in the Fallout series, joining up with this faction involves visiting the Cambridge police station after following the AF-95 military radio signal that you pick up. Either that, or you observe a gigantic airship in the sky, and then follow it to Boston Airport. Doing one of these things allows you to join the Brotherhood of Steel, and embark on their questlines. Do note, however, that completing quests for the Brotherhood does negatively impact your relationships with other factions in the game.
The Railroad: The Railroad is a fair bit harder to join than either the Minutemen or the Brotherhood of Steel. It requires some preparation and grinding on the player’s part. It involves you first scouring the world to find all the clues that lead you to this faction’s hidden headquarters. Once you do that, the location to their headquarters is revealed, and you can go there. Upon going there, you are assigned the Road to Freedom mission,, the successful completion of which is necessary to join up with The Railroad. Do note, however, that completing quests successfully for The Railroad does negatively impact your relationships with the other factions in the game.
The Institute: Like with the Minutemen, you are going to first encounter the Institute as part of the main quest. Once you reach the quest called Institutionalized, find Father, and do what he tells you to. This done, you can now join up with the Institute, gaining access to a new line of quests from them. Do note, however, that joining up with the Institute and completing quests for them does negatively impact your relationships with the other factions in the game.