Is there a way to distinguish on pipboy from a side quest and the main quest?

I noticed that radiant and minor side quest have only the vault boy thumbs up animation.... Still, major side quest have their own different animation, so for those I cant say if there something that made them different from the main quest

I'm not asking this because I don't want to do side mission but because I lost the train of thought and I don't know what is the main quest.

Other than looking up the names of the main quest online so you can find it in the list, the basic story progression goes without revealing too many spoilers:

Oh, how I wish there was some in-game differentiation! It would be as simple as putting initials before/behind the quest name. MQ (Main Quest) MM (Minuteman), BoS, RR, SQ (Side Quest), MO (Miscellaneous Objectives) and so forth. Given that there are trophies/achievements for completing Misc and Sides, it would be nice to know which quests contribute(d) to which category.

"But but but there already IS a category for Misc", I hear someone say. Well, turns out not all Misc get listed there. I just completed one last night where the title showed up in the main body of quests, but when I was done, it racked up another Misc.

Personal note, that made 49 Misc Obs. Only one more to go!

Yeah the game doesn't give you a shining beacon saying "this is a main quest" you just have to look at the mission summary to see who has given you the quest, a lot of faction quests cross over with other factions and the main quest, so there is no straight forward answer to your question I fear.

I never had troubles distinguishing them. Anything related to finding shaun and then defeating the other factions was always seen as MQ to me. The others were side quests and radiant quests on misc. Sometimes lazier quest also end up on misc, except minutemen ones, those seem to be the exception.

If it helps, the main quests are -

Act 1:

War Never Changes

Out of Time

When Freedom Calls

Jewel of the Commonwealth

Unlikely Valentine

Getting a Clue

Reunions

Act 2:

Dangerous Minds

Shattered

The Glowing Sea

Hunter/Hunted

The Molecular Level

If you want a list to reference, they're all listed on the Fallout Wiki

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_4_quests

I'm on the last but two mission, I need to do this:

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/The_Glowing_Sea

I'm at level 26 and I never encountered the institute.

Is this normal?


I tought that beeing near to the end of the main quest my level should be near to 40.

it could be, I have done a lot of sidequest, know I have only four sidequest opened on my pip boy.

You've still got a long ways to go before completing the main quest, there's an entire third act after these listed quests. But, depending on your choices (and they'll be choices, not decisions you make accidentally) it's possible to really cut the last part short, or really draw it out.

ok thanks. in any case I don't like to make decisions accidentally.

for me this game is a good game but nothing more, I can't imagine an RPG without a good story and this game does not have a good story.

I'm 250 hours in at level 66 and still haven't encountered the Institute, short of encountering some Synths in a few locations and at some settlement attacks.

My next main quest is The Glowing Sea. I've spent a lot of time on side quests and radiant quests, as well as settlement building, and just exploring and collecting salvage. I'm currently trying to clean up my quest log of all side quests and miscellaneous quests. I'm just about done. I should be getting to the Glowing Sea either tonight or tomorrow.