So I've reached the point in the story where I went to the institute, had my poke around, see what is the haps.

So, from an in-character point of view, my SS has found himself in a bit of a moral conundrum. He has found his son...a son he didn't raise, but who appears to revere the SS as his father...The Father of Father? Plus, the institute is impressive...Yes the place makes my SS who is Synth sympathetic cringe...

But there is one clincher...One thing that would cement his decision of supporting the Institute...

...What happens to the people who are replaced by Synths?

This is something that has been nagging at me for a while, and from an in-character point of view, this is a very important bit of information. Do they just...kill the person replaced? Are they put somewhere else? Are they living a better life in the halls of the institute?

Where are the real Sturges, or the real McDonough? Where are the people who went missing because of the Institute?

Depends on the situation. Sometimes they replace people who have already died for another reason, like at the Warwick farmstead I think. Other times they replace people who have joined the Institute willingly, there is a mission for the institute where you have to convince a scientist to join the institute, and a synth later takes his place, probably to try to avoid suspicion. The mayor of Diamond city is a synth, but there is no evidence that the original mayor was killed and replaced. He maybe died during another incident and was later replaced by a synth. Neither of those things are kidnappings. The vast majority of the information about kidnappings is nothing more than gossip and fearmongering from other people.

I also found some notes on a terminal about all of the traders, trashcan carla etc.. Saying that they were a great source of information for the Institute but none of those were replaced, even though they are a perfect opportunity for a kidnapping.

There is not enough information in the game to really tell for sure how each synth duplicate came about, just go with your gut feeling, try to ignore all the gossip and fear mongering and judge from what you actually experience in the game.

It seemed implied that they were killed and disposed of although I don't remember finding any particular note within the Institute described what exactly they do with them. There is at least one note that calls the replacement act a sacrifice for the greater good, implying pretty strongly that the original human is destroyed.

Apparently it doesn't always go according to plan though, as you can find the random Art vs Art encounter where an original human is confronting their synth. That throws into question the exact order of operations... the way the act is presented in most cases is like:

- Institute abducts someone

- Institute creates a synth look-alike and copies over the memories and personality from the abducted individual along with synth programming to follow various orders

- Institute destroys original

- Institute deploys the synth

So if it went like that, how is Art still around to confront his synth clone? Did he escape? This situation seems to imply that the initial abduction is done quietly, without the target even knowing it's happening (ie, sedated). The mind copy is made and then the original is returned while the synth is being made, minimizing the time a person is missing. The synth clone is then programmed to deal with their counterpart once deployed. In Art's case, the original got the upperhand. When I hit the Institute for my second playthrough, I'll be sure to investigate more thoroughly. There are probably more clues around.

One thing that's bugging me is:


Its stated that gen 3's are made almost entirely of "organic material".


What organic material is that then, and where are they getting all that "organic material" from ?

I think Zimmer in fallout 3 states that they are made from a fake material that is almost identical to real flesh yet apparently never ages and isn't affected by radiation, and is apparently more resistant than regular organic human material.

They got it by essentially using Shaun's DNA.

Considering the Art encounter and some of the files in the FEV lab, the people replaced are either killed or used in Institute experiments.

I seem to recall one of the terminals in the Institute mentions interrogating Roger Warwick then replacing him with a synth, the SRB will handle the logistics, which sounds like a euphemism. They also mention once the project is over retrieving the synth and removing any evidence on the surface, which some take to mean the other members of the Warwick family will be killed.

And then there is Art, a man that has come face to face with his doppelganger. If you first convince the synth to fess up, then convince Art to lower his gun, the synth will then ask your help to murder the man. Whatever else might have happened with other incidents of synth replacements, this one makes it very clear. The Institute has no problem murdering people in order to replace them.

Yeah, the Institute as is svcks.


The only moral way to side with the Institute is to the idea of reforming them.

Research I would imagine. Think Nazi proportions of human experimentation. If anything should convince you it will be the FEV lab that's kind of hidden away.

Albeit, it's purely Virgil and Father's pet project.

It's a monstrous crime being conducted in secret with most of the Directorate not being aware of it.

He, it was Father's pet project. Virgil thought it was pointless and could understand why Father wanted it to continue. He even acknowledges the atrocities he inflicted on the test subjects.


At the very least it would be evidence that Father cannot be left in charge and has to go.

You can find a terminal in the Bioscience wing that explains the Warrick situation of how they kidnapped Roger and then spent weeks interrogating him to learn every detail before disposing of him for the replacement who has now been educated on his life. I'm pretty damn sure they kill everyone they replace.

Really? He disappears for weeks and then suddenly reappears and his family are not suspicious? Come on, with the level of fear regarding kidnappings and synths replacing people throughout the commonwealth they have to know what's happening there.

I am surprised everyone in my settlements don't accuse me of being a synth every time I turn up, considering I go missing for weeks at a time for most of them.

Well, the Warwicks didn't care as he was an abusive drunk.

Trust me, I thought the same thing. Turns out there is quest that involves Roger where someone is suspicious but I personally have yet to do it so I can't elaborate.

Yeah but not everyone is a dead-beat abusive Dad.

There has to be a faster method of churning out replacements without people noticing. Otherwise people would have to be a bit suspicious if their family members went missing for weeks at a time.

Albeit, if they're traders, it's not a big thing.

"I hope you're not a synth, here to spy on me."

"Yes, settler, I'm an institute synth here to tell the Institute about your secret mirelurk fetish."

Really, it wouldn't even be necessary to replace traders anyway. They could just make Synths to serve as traders that have come from another area. It'd be a good one two punch. They get to interact with the outside world, observe it, and even help set up their experiments in a less noticeable way, all the while procuring the supplies they might need without alerting suspicion.

It'd also have been smarter to create a bunch of Synths and have them set up their own settlement, then radio the Minutemen for help, offering to join them. They get into one of their enemy factions, which helps them gather intel, steer politics the way they want, as well as puts them in a position to either sabotage things or set up other Minutemen to be replaced by Synths.