Is it possible to completely avoid any obligation to the Minutemen without skipping When Freedom Calls altogether? I don't mind rescuing them and I don't mind them going to Sanctuary, but I DON'T want Preston badgering me with radiant quests this time through and I don't want my settlements to be "Minutemen" settlements, but rather mine. I also want to keep settlements down to a much, much lower number this time, and the Minutemen quest line definitely doesn't support that.

Can it be done?

Most of the settlements can be activated without ever meeting Preston. You will still get the attacks, but at least you won't get Preston or Radio Freedom forcing quests on you. Settlers will still ask for help, but you can just walk away from them without answering to avoid the quests being added to the Pipboy. When you finally want to do the Minuteman stories, you will just have to run through the actual quests without getting a million radiant quests from Preston.

You aren't under any obligation to continue their quest line, you can escort them to sanctuary and just leave them high and dry and go do something else. Alternately you don't have to save them in concord either. I usually fight into the museum, grab the bobblehead and then just split and go do something else, to hell with them, just wanted muh bobblehead.

I kept thinking about it after I asked the question and hit on this solution myself - came back to post it. Seems like the perfect solution - go through the museum to get the magazine and Perception bobble, head up to the roof to get the PA, kill the Deathclaw for the XP, but then don't go back into the museum to finish the quest.

Then I can have Sanctuary all to myself. No [censored]y Marcy. No whiny Jun or druggy Mama Murphy. And most especially no taskmaster Preston. Only one I'd miss is Sturges, but I guess sacrifices must be made.

lol 'Screw this, i'm out!' love saying that to Preston after I grab the bobblehead and sneak out of Concord with all the Raiders outside. Just beautiful.

I usually escort them back to Sanctuary just to complete that quest for the early XP. You get the first settlement quest from Preston still, but then i just ignore it on my quests to do list for the rest of the game.

The Minutemen can go to hell. I hated helping them on my first playthrough. Was so annoyed with all the quests. I think thats why I ended up siding with the Institute in the end lol

Too bad the fake Preston Garvey couldn't kill the real version.

Hey, can you kill Preston in Concord? Or does he just go down to one knee and cry a bit before getting back up?

I did exactly this. rescued them and led them to sanctuary, did all Sturges's building quests, got sent to Tenpines Bluff, picked up "the First Step" from there, and never completed it. No settlement attacks, no radiant quests, just Sturges telling me that Preston would like to talk to me once in a while, but Preston doesn't initiate conversation, so I have not become the "General" yet or anything.

I have been building up settlements at my own pace and really enjoying the game.

However I am thinking that I may need to eventually talk to Preston/complete "The First Step" since I think you can't get "Old Guns"/Artillery without becoming the "General". Also, I may want to go with the minutemen ending, haven't decided yet.

In the mean time I am exploring and going through all the side quests.

Over 200 hrs in with this character and haven't discovered the institute yet, so not in a rush to talk with Preston.

I think if you're fine with not being a part of the minutemen, and choosing one of the other faction endings then you probably never need to talk to him at all.

I left 'em in the Museum tonight and went on my merry way. Now with Stubbs' info, I'll go get them and let them live at Sanctuary - which is actually already built up for them because I did it last night. Get a little XP bump, then ignore them.

You can just stick Preston in a corner after finishing Concord as long as you don't turn in the quests he gives you back to him none will pop out not even over radio freedom; unless of course you get annoyed at two quests logs that don't go away from your list

Unfortunately I've only done Railroad and BoS endings so need to do Minuteman and Institute one still.

On my second character, I wanted to take in new settlements at a much slower pace than my first character. I rescued Preston's group and did the first couple of quests afterwards to gain a couple or three more settlements and then he went to the Castle for the next big Minuteman quest, and there he remains until I go meet him to move the quest forward. So I have a few settlements, but not too many at a time, and no more radiant quests from Preston until I decide to move the Minuteman questline forward. Yes, the rest of the group is in Sanctuary along with other settlers as I am slowly populating it, but I wanted them there. I just didn't want Preston bombarding me with quests before I'm ready.

I simply did not complete Freedom Calls. I eventually found my way to Concord so I helped them out.

But I figure if they can't look out a window and see the coast is clear, then to bad for them. Guess they will wait there forever.

The answer is even simpler: When Preston asks you to become the General of the Minutemen, say no. You'll be able to say yes again later, and I don't think The First Step will complete, but that's an easy solution if you don't want to be the General but still don't want to leave the settlers of Sanctuary high and dry.

Same as above, I escorted them to Sanctuary and said no to Preston. My first character joined and when I got to about level 20 I was so fed up with the "save the settlement" quests every time I turned around that I quit, deleted all saves and started the game over. Now I'm enjoying the game at my own pace.