Can the Minutemen Single-Handedly Conquer the Commonwealth? Destroying Both the Brotherhood and Institute
Yes, absolutely! The Minutemen can indeed destroy both the Brotherhood of Steel (BoS) and the Institute in Fallout 4. This outcome hinges on your choices throughout the game. By strategically navigating the main questline and focusing on building the Minutemen as the dominant force, you can achieve a scenario where they are responsible for the elimination of both factions. This often requires making difficult decisions and potentially sacrificing alliances along the way, but it’s definitely a viable and satisfying way to conclude your Fallout 4 journey.
The Path to Minutemen Supremacy
Achieving this outcome isn’t as straightforward as simply choosing the Minutemen from the start. It requires careful planning and manipulation of the game’s quest structure.
- Focus on Minutemen Quests Early On: Prioritize rebuilding settlements and completing quests for Preston Garvey. This will strengthen the Minutemen’s presence throughout the Commonwealth and unlock key features like artillery support.
- Delaying Faction Affiliations: While you’ll inevitably encounter the BoS and the Railroad, avoid committing to them fully until you’ve progressed far enough in the main quest to understand their ultimate goals and the consequences of aligning with them.
- Choosing the Minutemen for the Institute Destruction: When the time comes to infiltrate and ultimately destroy the Institute, choose the Minutemen as your primary force. This will trigger the “With Our Powers Combined” quest.
- Provoking the Brotherhood (If Necessary): While the Minutemen ending can allow the Brotherhood to survive, if you want to eliminate them, you’ll need to instigate hostilities after dealing with the Institute. This can involve attacking Brotherhood patrols, stealing from them, or destroying their vertibirds. Be warned, this will turn the entire faction hostile.
Understanding the Consequences
Choosing this path has significant ramifications for the Commonwealth.
- The Minutemen Become the Sole Authority: With the Institute destroyed and the Brotherhood either gone or significantly weakened, the Minutemen become the primary peacekeeping force. This can lead to a more decentralized and community-driven Commonwealth, but also one that is potentially more vulnerable to external threats.
- Relationship with Other Factions: The Railroad can coexist with the Minutemen, offering support and assistance in rescuing synths. However, their focus differs significantly. The Railroad prioritizes synth liberation, while the Minutemen are more concerned with the overall safety and well-being of the settlements.
- Preston Garvey’s Approval: Committing fully to the Minutemen will undoubtedly earn you Preston’s unwavering loyalty and admiration. However, he may express reservations if you engage in actions that are morally questionable, even if they serve the greater good of the Minutemen.
Key Considerations
- Moral Implications: Destroying both the Institute and the Brotherhood raises questions about the cost of peace. Are you willing to sacrifice potentially valuable allies and resources to achieve your vision of a unified Commonwealth?
- Gameplay Difficulty: Fighting both the Institute and the Brotherhood can be challenging, especially on higher difficulty settings. Ensure you have adequate weapons, armor, and companions to withstand their firepower.
- Roleplaying Opportunities: This path offers rich roleplaying opportunities. You can portray your character as a pragmatic leader willing to do whatever it takes to protect the Commonwealth, or as a benevolent general who strives to build a better future for everyone.
Understanding the Minutemen’s Neutral Stance
The Minutemen are often considered the most neutral faction in Fallout 4, primarily concerned with the safety and well-being of the Commonwealth settlements. This inherent neutrality allows the player a great deal of flexibility when navigating the game’s complex factional landscape. This flexibility is crucial in the player’s ability to engineer a scenario where the Minutemen are capable of destroying the Institute and the Brotherhood of Steel.
The work of academics at the Games Learning Society underscores the complexity of player choice and its impact on narrative outcomes in games like Fallout 4. See their work at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you complete Fallout 4 without joining the Minutemen?
Technically, no. You’re almost forced to join the Minutemen at the start. However, you can largely ignore them after completing the initial quests and focus on other factions. To achieve a Minutemen ending, you’ll inevitably need to return to them.
2. Do you have to destroy the Brotherhood of Steel if you side with the Minutemen?
No, not necessarily. The Minutemen ending can be achieved without destroying the Brotherhood. However, you must trigger the “With Our Powers Combined” quest by becoming enemies of the Brotherhood, meaning you have to actively begin to destroy them.
3. Can the Minutemen and Brotherhood coexist peacefully?
Yes. If you choose the Minutemen to destroy the Institute and refrain from actions that would make the Brotherhood hostile (like attacking their members or stealing their property), they can coexist in the Commonwealth, though tensions will likely remain.
4. What does the Brotherhood of Steel think of the Minutemen?
The Brotherhood generally views the Minutemen as a disorganized and inefficient militia. They see them as well-meaning but ultimately lacking the strength and resources to effectively protect the Commonwealth.
5. Is the Minutemen ending the most peaceful ending?
Many players consider the Minutemen ending the least destructive, as it avoids the wholesale destruction of either the Brotherhood or the Railroad, if the player chooses to. However, it’s not necessarily “peaceful,” as it still involves conflict and the elimination of the Institute.
6. Are the Minutemen the “good guys” in Fallout 4?
That depends on your perspective. They certainly strive to protect the innocent and help those in need. However, they are not without their flaws, and their methods can sometimes be questionable.
7. Can you keep Danse as a companion if you side with the Minutemen and destroy the Brotherhood?
This depends. You must complete the Blind Betrayal quest. Then convince Elder Maxson to spare Danse before choosing to destroy the brotherhood with The Minutemen.
8. Does Piper dislike the Brotherhood of Steel?
Piper has mixed feelings about the Brotherhood. While she acknowledges their good intentions and occasional acts of heroism, she also criticizes their arrogance and their tendency to hoard technology rather than share it with the Commonwealth.
9. Is the Institute more evil than the Brotherhood of Steel?
Many players consider the Institute to be more evil due to their unethical experiments, their replacement of people with synths, and their overall disregard for the well-being of the surface dwellers. However, the Brotherhood’s authoritarian tendencies and their willingness to use force to achieve their goals also make them a controversial faction.
10. Can you get Final Judgment (Elder Maxson’s Gatling Laser) if you side with the Minutemen?
You can get Final Judgment if you side with the Minutemen by having a weapon with high disarm chance and hitting him during the Nuclear Option quest.
11. Does Piper get mad if you join the Brotherhood of Steel?
Piper is neutral to positive toward the Brotherhood. She doesn’t necessarily dislike them, and acknowledges they have redeeming qualities, but does feel as if they could do more for the local population.
12. Can you keep X6-88 after destroying the Institute with the Minutemen?
Yes, if you destroy the Institute with the Railroad without being banished, X6-88 is still available as a companion.
13. What happens to the Minutemen if you join the Brotherhood of Steel?
The Minutemen don’t become hostile simply because you join the Brotherhood. However, if you side with the Brotherhood and attack the Railroad or the Institute, the Minutemen may eventually become involved in the conflict, potentially leading to hostilities.
14. Is Danse hostile if you destroy the Brotherhood?
Danse will only become hostile if you destroy the Brotherhood without completing his personal quest, Blind Betrayal, and convincing Maxson to spare him, or if you don’t do his personal quest at all. If you help Danse, he will stand with you against the BoS if you decide to side with the Minutemen, Railroad, or Institute.
15. Who are the romanceable companions in Fallout 4?
The romanceable companions in Fallout 4 include Paladin Danse, Preston Garvey, Porter Gage (Nuka-World DLC), Curie, MacCready, Piper, Cait, and Hancock. Your choices of faction do not eliminate any companion from being able to be romanced.