So after considering carefully I finished the main quest with the Minutemen because - in my opinion - the Railroad is just too small and too freaky, the Brotherhood is too militaristic and the Institute is the killer of mankind.

I killed Father the moment he revealed to be my son, because my character couldn't and wouldn't believe him

I then did several quests for the Brotherhood, the Minutemen and the Railroad. I wasn't able to finish MQ with the Railroad cause I had killed father but the Brotherhood would still have been possible. Nevertheless, I went with the Minutemen.

The funny thing is: Even though I did that, I'm still on good terms with the Railroad AND the Brotherhood. I can do side quests for both of them + the Minutemen. Deacon and Danse (whose life was spared because I demanded it) are still my companions. I've only missed the Institute companion XYZ (or what his name was...)

This was not intended and I didn't think it was possible. But I guess I can live with that.

I though when you go the Minutemen line you would be enemies with the Brotherhood?!

The Minutemen naturally stay neutral with the BoS, but you can initiate a war between them by turning the BoS hostile which will begin the quest to destroy the Prydwen and have one final battle against the Brotherhood.

Ah... so I have to shoot Maxson for example?

Well I guess I won't. I like it that way

Besides I like to see the Prydwen flying in the air even though I don't like the BoS (or specifically Maxson).

Yeah, Minutemen are the closest to a "peaceful" ending. I figure they designed the Institute plotline with the idea that if you decided to join them, it's because you agreed with them about synths and mankind - but in the end, they're still the real "villain" of the game.

The Minutemen don't naturally become enemies with anyone other than the Institute, you need to make the other factions angry with you in order in order for there to be hostile relations between the MM and the BoS or Railroad. Shooting up the BoS troops in the Prydwen or Boston airport will start a war with them, and if you don't sound the evacuation order at Father's terminal that'll trigger hostile relations with the RR (I don't know if that starts a war or not, though).

Actually, the Minutemen can even ally with the Institute if you join the Institute and do the quest Pinned correctly.

Come to think of it, the Minutemen only become enemies with the Institute if you make yourself an enemy of them. That's as easy as refusing to join Father, or killing him the moment you meet him, but the Minutemen only decide to go with the Nuclear Option after the Institute, you know, launched an assault on the Castle.

Father's a dike.

Did you receive a quest called Burning Cover? (You can check completed quests in your Pip Boy.) My understanding, from reading the official guide, is that you get this quest if your relationship with The Institute tanks at any point before completing the RR's Undercover Underground/Operation Ticonderoga. You can't keep using the RR, so you get directed to the MM. Several people who've gotten your ending said that they'd had this quest activate.

This can obviously happen intentionally or unintentionally.

I'm trying for this ending now, but used The Institute through Mankind Redefined. Once I was banished, I failed Mass Fusion and Underground Undercover. To my understanding, this is far as you can go with each faction before getting exiled from any other besides MM:

BOS: Stop at Tactical Thinking to avoid a RR conflict

Institute: Stop at Mass Fusion to avoid a BOS/RR conflict

RR: Stop at Operation Ticonderoga to avoid a BOS conflict

This is how I did my first playthrough.


This method is basically burning every possible obtainable missions to get this type of ending or so-called, the Minutemen Ending.

Now, now. He is your son. Be polite and call him a Richard.

Initially, the Minutemen are only hostile to raiders, Gunners and super mutants. If another faction becomes an enemy of Minutemen leader, that faction becomes the enemy of the Minutemen.

You don't have to agree with the Institute about Synths and Mankind for joining the Institute. It is the whole cliche about changing the organization from within except that your character is guaranteed to be the boss unlike most of the other examples of this cliche. Father seems as closed-minded as Maxson. One quick glance at the Commonwealth and declares that it is dead with the Institute being the only future for humanity. Therefore, the Institute in the hands of the Sole Survivor can do a lot more good to the Commonwealth than Father's hands or any of the other scientists that have never taken a single step outside their confined world.

Blowing up the Institute seems too drastic for the other factions. For the Brotherhood, they want to control the technology so an event like the Great War and the monstrosities created by the FEV no longer happen. Idealistic, but controlling the Institute would be a better way to create tools to deal with any unforeseen problems that might arise. The Brotherhood has to adapt and create weapons that are not from prewar America or else they will be easily defeated since there is the NCR that is threatening the Brotherhood in the West Coast and the Gunners can become a threat to the Brotherhood since they don't have any problems with using unethical technology to get what they want. The Railroad requires the Institute for future Synths to exist. Unless Gen-3 Synths have reproductive organs, then Synths will no longer exist at some point in time. It is not like the Railroad can create Synths or upgrade Gen-3 Synths with reproductive organs.

The Minutemen ending was actually the first ending I got in the game. I hadn't done Tradecraft or Shadow of Steel, but I had followed the Minutemen through to Old Guns and united a fair amount of settlements. At the Battle of Bunker Hill I set the synths free, and told Father the honest truth at the top of the CIT ruins. That got me banished, and made me enemies with the Institute - next thing I know I'm defending the Castle from a horde of synths.

I don't know why the MM would rather blow up the Institute instead of take it over, but I think the game makes it clear enough that the Director is merely first among equals and that the Institute is too decentralized for one person to reform it, IMO.

I think it makes sense for the other 2 factions to destroy it though. The BoS has always hated FEV and formed because of it. I don't think the RR cares about whether more synths can be produced or not because Gen 3 synths don't age, get sick, or need to eat and sleep in the first place. Lore-wise, the RR might also not have the numbers to fully occupy the Institute in their ending.

The Director has more power than you think he has. The Directorate meeting and Madison Li's reluctance on working on the Child Synth certainly proves that. It was Father's insistence on the FEV experiments that caused Virgil to leave. This is certainly not the actions of someone that is first among equals.

The Brotherhood could destroy all the FEV research and the lab if they want. Discarding all technology because some of it is despicable is the height of idiocy. Also, the Brotherhood is certainly interested in a cure to Super Mutants which shows in the A Loose End mission if Virgil is cured before talking to Kells.

There will eventually come a point in time when the last Synth is dead. We don't know that Gen-3 Synths don't age, get sick, or need to eat and sleep. Even if they can live for thousands of years, they will die in some accident, crime, or commit suicide. Besides a species' ability to reproduce is a necessity of being alive. Therefore, no Institute means the Synths will die as a species. It doesn't matter if the species is organic or inorganic. The Railroad is an incredibly short-sighted organization. They give memories to Synths and don't give the support necessary to protect the Synths in their new home. Just process the Synths and be done with them. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fear of the Institute is due to the Railroad's bumbling actions. After all, the Sole Survivor has to deal with one of the Railroad's mistakes with Gabriel and giving new identities to Synths certainly causes the Commonwealth to fear that anyone you know might be a Synth even if there is only 10 Synth replacements caused by the Institute in the whole Commonwealth.

It really just depends on what quests you've completed already. There's a different Minutemen ending that does involve using artillery at your settlements to take down the Prydwen and then defending the Castle from an attack by the BoS. As you've seen though, it's possible to end with the three factions intact too.

There are some writeups on how to get this ending online that some people seem to think should be taken as the only way to get it. But it isn't. The way the people who did this writeup make it sound, you have to skip a TON of the quests to get it.

Did you do any BoS quests prior to getting banished from the Institute?

One related question I'm plan on the MM ending now, Desmonta ask me to join them instead of the MM. Does this have any impact? I have two undelivered quests I can not deliver as she hang up in that dialogue.

I assume this will change then I become hostile and the RR ending is locked.

Is this after building the transporter with the MM? If so, then I don't think it'll lock you in their ending since getting banished from the Institute always unlocks the MM endgame quests.

The one right after you accept and exited the Institute safely?

I don't know if you say No. But if you say Yes, then Des will continue giving you mission without you losing other faction's alliance

Somehow, even though I'm allies with the RR after doing the MM ending, Boston After Dark auto-failed. Was disappointed.