I've sort of hit a stage in the game where I'm at a loss as to the storyline.

I've got into the Institute, and done a couple of quests, and I'm basically drifting in between all the factions....the problem is though, that I can't see any point to it all, with the exception of the BoS.

Basically, the BoS are against any group having advanced tech, so they have a principled reason for wanting to take out the Institute.

The Minutemen don't seem to have any actual issues with the Institute.

The Railroad needs the Institute, as no Institute equals no more synths, other than those already in existence, and no more synths from the Institute equals no more need for the Railroad.

Hancock needs the Institute as a bogeyman, although like the Minutemen, they have no real issue outside of paranoia.

For the life of me I can't see what real threat the Institute actually poses at this point in time....other than simply being a bunch of academic elitists living in a hole in the ground being a petty nuisance (pretty similar to modern university staff, really).

As the player character, I don't see any point to going any further unless I played as a BoS factioned character.

Have I missed something, some nefarious plot or massive underground army of synths?

I have the same issue with the game. The only group that I agree with is the Brotherhood. The others I simply don't care about.

As for some nefarious plot going on.. From what I can tell Shaun has a lot of explaining to do about what the Institute has done under his leadership but of course that doesn't happen.

Shaun is the reason behind the Institute kidnapping, presumably killing and replacing people. He is responsible for the FEV program running on for decades for no reason given. He would be responsible for sending the Super Mutants into the Commonwealth, but we don't know why.

But Shaun is going to die and he puts you in charge. So with that in mind I guess you could take control of the Institute for your own reasons and take out everyone else.

Well, I didn't have any time for him after first meeting him...no good playing the 'hello Dad/Mom' card after leaving the player character sitting in a fridge until he or she accidentally wakes up.

Even so, I'm forming the opinion that the main storyline either lacks pacing, or has a serious lack of necessity.

Thats exactly how I felt about New Vegas' plot, after getting revenge on Benny I had no motivation at all tocare who got the macguffin and the only reason I finally chose is because a certain character is the one who actually made it.

I'm not too far in the mainstory yet (only just discovered The Insitute myself the last time I played) and I'm hoping that I don't end up feeling the same way about this game. I don't think so though because I feel like this time around theres valid reasons for any choice where as last time I only saw one faction as a logical choice and anyother option for alow intelligence character.

Thats exactly how I felt about New Vegas' plot, after getting revenge on Benny I had no motivation at all tocare who got the macguffin and the only reason I finally chose is because a certain character is the one who actually made it.

I'm not too far in the mainstory yet (only just discovered The Insitute myself the last time I played) and I'm hoping that I don't end up feeling the same way about this game. I don't think so though because I feel like this time around theres valid reasons for any choice where as last time I only saw one faction as a logical choice and anyother option for alow intelligence character.

MM is basically just because the MM is the Sole Survivor's army. Pretty much if you make enemies with our leader you're our enemy kind of mentality.

Well it wasn't an accident that he woke up

I was curious about this and just made a post. Definitely not as far as you, but I've heard some great things about the institute. I just have a personal vendetta against them seeing as they stole me son and all. No biggy I suppose.

Wow just read this. Disregard my last reply haha I don't quite understand this yet but I'll just have to keep playing to see I suppose.

Clearly you have not met Ash and Ash.

I haven't gone through the game enough times to learn all the triggers (or even most of them) but I was sitting there as the Minuteman General, Brotherhood Knight, Railroad Heavy, and Father's fair haired boy, err, ah, Dad and suddenly the Institute started shooting up my settlements.

The Institute was responsible for kidnapping my son, turning him into a real Richard and murdering my spouse. My idiot son then waits 60 years and has me thawed out as some kind of Science! experiment. The Institute is murdering people and replacing them with gen3 synths. The Institute is using their gen1 synths to turn my settlements into shooting galleries. The Institute is indeed a bunch of academic elitists, but their annoyance factor is closer to that of morlocks than a university staff.

I have played through once as RR. The ending and why my own son has turned on society leaves me confused. I shot that MF with my RR gun as he lay dying.

@Gcubed:

That's pretty much my point...I got to the Institute, worked out sonny boy was a **** inside of two sentences, and decided that I preferred the Commonwealth with all its' lethality and problems than living with a bunch of pretentious prats, led by a dipstick. My next thought was that I should have strangled him at birth.

From that point on, I saw little point or necessity to wage war on anyone (outside of general mayhem, looting and hunting).

When you find the Institute, you end YOUR personal quest, but there opens up the future of the Commonwealth.

The BoS are, indeed, straightforward. They want this new technological threat eliminated. Their problem with the RR though is kinda extremist.

The Institute are basically after the RR, because it interupts their horrendous experimenting with AI integration. BoS is a new extra problem that they feel needs sorting out with.

The Railroad, finally, is the most misguided of them all. They don't mind destroying actual people that help actual people (BoS and the people of the Wastelands) for a handful of synthetic lifeforms. Plus, they don't mind those synthetic lifeforms stop being made, actually they prefer it. Imagine a refugeephile NGO that wants to nuke Syria. Or PETA.

This is where the Minutemen come to play as the most influencial faction. They keep the best possible balance. The threat is eliminated, BoS is under check and free to continue helping people of the Wasteland (even in the confines of their techphilia/techphobia bipolar ideology), plus, you have the RR's helping you resolve the remaining synths/coursers situation.

Yes, actually you've missed some important things.

The institute is an active threat to everyone in the Commonwealth. Literally anyone could be murdered and replaced by a synth at any time.

How, bottle.capper? Sure, they may abduct a few people, and kill a few recovering syths, but to the point of meeting them in my game they certainly don't pose a major threat. As I said, they're nuisance value. In fact, they may actually be creating the seed of their own ultimate destruction by blatantly ignoring and downplaying sentience in their own creations...a co-ordinated synth uprising inside the institute would wipe them out.

...along with anyone else on the surface. Their indifference towards humanity is their most terrible "sin".

When I first set foot into the Institute, I was overwhelmed by how beautiful and clean everything is, but man, I wish I could have slapped "Father". What a callous, dry, old man! "Is that all I am to you? A Science Experiment?" The thoughts of being left for so many years in Cryo and then being released, JUST to see how I would fare in the Wasteland? The audacity...

So, that moment rather soured Catherin's view of the Institute. She is a MInuteman (woman?) through and through. For her, honor and integrity and help thy neighbor, still mean something in this world. If she can help others carve out a living in this harsh world, that is what she will do! The fear that the Institute just wants to replace humanity with Synths, is nagging at the back of her mind. She is also helping the Railroad and don't want to cut her ties with the Brotherhood, because of her new husband...

Sure, many years ago, the Institute tried to establish a connection with the people and even offered to help the Commonwealth, but things went wrong and they withdrew. Cowards, I say! Instead of trying again, they just said, forget humanity and let them slowly die out (maybe with the help of some Gen-3 synth, after all, they have to be tested on someone...)

The Minuteman, who everybody underestimates, will rise up to the challenge and bring down the boogeyman!

YMMV, but if you postpone establishing a relationship with the institute, you'll start getting events where suddenly some of your settlers will aggro on you, and guess what you'll find in their inventory?

In RP terms, their malignity is obvious.

This ! I see lots of people on forums say the institute is neutral or hasn't done anything bad.

Is Shawn gonna explain his genocide other than: the synths are the future for the mankind, a better future ? You know, you can't 'help' people against their will.

I haven't played past the point of no return where you gotta side with a faction against others, but I don't think Shaun is gonna explain anything, won't he ?

Does anyone believe that once they are done with the Commonwealth that it would end there? No those crazy's want the world. After entering the Institute for the first time and talking with Father, already seriously PO'ed at them for killing my wife, I did not blink I put a bullet in that jerks head. That may have been my biological son but he was no son of mine. After that I left, no sooner had i returned then the Institute attacked the MM Castle. At that point it was clear to me there was only one option, Mushroom cloud! Now all I had left to do was kick the BoS back to DC so the people in the Commonwealth could build a lasting society, under my leadership of course.

Goodneighbor and The Minutemen do have valid issues with The Institute, they simply can not do anything about their issues until the only survivor comes along. Both want to protect people in The Common Wealth to varying degrees. The institute replaces people with Synths and treats the world above as an experiment ground which is not too different from what some companies in this divergent timeline where doing on a smaller scale. HalluciGen, Big Mountain Research and Development Center, and "Vault-Tec" are participants of experiments that could be viewed as unethical...

Humanity redefined, nuclear option, etc. The point is really up to the player.

With that said, the BoS are the worse , not counting The Railroad lol. The Railroad is far out...

So mission accomplished.

I never got the feeling they needed the Institute, they want to stop the Institute creating synths as slaves and freeing those that are.

i love how everything is so grey about all factions , it's very hard to choose a side and that is a success by my standards

the institute isn't properly explained , as u have no quests that involve kidnapping / killing people to replace them with synths , what happens with the humans so far u can only guess , mainly they are either dead or used in FEV experiments