Wiping Out the Raiders in Nuka-World: A Comprehensive Guide

What happens when you decide to eradicate the raider presence in Nuka-World? Choosing to eliminate the raiders through the “Open Season” quest results in a significant shift in the Nuka-World landscape and your relationships within the Fallout 4 universe. Upon completing this quest, the raider gangs—the Disciples, The Pack, and Operators—will turn hostile, effectively ending their reign over the park. However, this decision has far-reaching consequences, impacting gameplay and your connections with key characters.

You’ll immediately find yourself in combat with every raider in the park. This is a major undertaking that requires careful planning, as Nuka-World has a large population of heavily armed and armored raiders. Once you have defeated them all, you will restore freedom to the trapped traders and slaves. While this is the “good” path, it also affects your relationships with certain characters, most notably Preston Garvey.

The Immediate Consequences of Open Season

Raiders Become Hostile

The most direct result of starting the “Open Season” quest is that all raiders in Nuka-World will become hostile. This transforms the entire park into a hostile zone, requiring you to constantly engage in combat as you explore.

Freeing the Slaves and Traders

By defeating the raiders, you liberate the enslaved traders and workers within Nuka-World. This provides a sense of accomplishment and restores some semblance of order to the park. These traders will then be grateful and can resume their operations.

Power Restoration

The completion of the “Open Season” quest automatically unlocks the Power Plant door, allowing you to restore power to Nuka-World. Restoring the power provides significant benefits, making exploration much easier and opening up new areas of the park.

Loss of Raider Perks and Opportunities

Choosing the “Open Season” path means forfeiting all raider-specific perks and quests. You will not be able to engage with the Raider gangs and acquire unique raider benefits. You’ll also lose access to any tribute that was being sent from Commonwealth settlements to the chest at Fizztop Mountain.

The Preston Garvey Dilemma

Preston’s Disapproval

One of the most significant ramifications of the “Open Season” quest is the permanent loss of Preston Garvey as a companion, even if you complete this quest and wipe out the raiders to try and gain his favour again. Though he will forgive you as far as he will help you do quests for the Minutemen, his trust is gone.

Triggering Preston’s Hatred

If you go through even one step of establishing raider outposts in the commonwealth you will trigger Preston’s hatred. This occurs during the “Home Sweet Home” quest, when Shank directs you to conquer a Commonwealth settlement for the raiders.

The Inevitability of Conflict

Even if you eventually decide to eradicate the raiders in Nuka-World, Preston will never fully forgive you for siding with them, even for a moment.

Can You Explore Nuka-World After Killing the Raiders?

Full Exploration

Despite the raiders being hostile, the entirety of Nuka-World remains open for exploration after the “Open Season” quest. You can still explore all four parks and their attractions.

Completion of Quests

Though most of the quests revolve around the raiders, you can still clear out the parks, restore power, and gather all the collectibles available.

No Turning Back

Once you complete the “Open Season” quest, there’s no turning back. The raiders will remain hostile permanently, and the raider-specific questlines become inaccessible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do Nuka-World without losing Preston as a companion?

To avoid Preston’s disapproval, you must complete the Nuka-World DLC before you meet Preston and become the General of the Minutemen.

Will Preston ever fully forgive you for siding with the raiders?

No, Preston will never fully forgive you. While he will still help you with the Minutemen quests after you kill the raiders, he will not accompany you as a companion.

Can you get the Raider perks and still keep Preston?

No, you cannot. If you choose to become the Overboss and start raiding settlements, Preston will become hostile and eventually refuse to be a companion.

What happens to settlement tribute after eliminating the raiders?

If you capture Settlements in the Commonwealth for the Raiders, they’ll no longer send bottlecaps to your chest at Fizztop Mountain after you eliminate the raiders in Nuka-World. Similarly, any tribute chests at Raider settlements will no longer provide tribute.

What triggers Preston’s hatred?

Preston starts to hate you as soon as you have claimed ONE settlement as a raider outpost, during the “Home Sweet Home” quest.

Can you romance Preston after siding with the Raiders?

No. Once Preston hates you, he is no longer a romance option.

Can you save the traders in Nuka-World?

Yes, by completing the “Open Season” quest and defeating the raiders, you will free the traders from their slave collars and liberate Nuka-World.

Is there a “good” ending to Nuka-World?

Yes, the “Open Season” ending is considered the “good” ending. You defeat the raiders, free the slaves and traders, and restore power to the park.

Can you still turn on power to Nuka-World after killing all the Raiders?

Yes, killing all the Raiders automatically unlocks the Power Plant door, allowing you to restore the main power.

Can you still do the Minutemen ending after completing Nuka-World?

Yes, you can still achieve the Minutemen ending even after completing the Nuka-World DLC. However, your relationship with Preston will be irrevocably damaged if you sided with the raiders.

Is Mason the hardest enemy in Nuka-World?

Mason, the leader of The Pack, is considered one of the hardest enemies in Nuka-World due to his strength, armor, and weapons.

Can you avoid Preston entirely?

Yes, you can avoid talking to Preston at the start of the game. This prevents him from giving you quests, however, you will have limited access to his companion perk.

Can you have multiple romances in Fallout 4?

Yes, the romance options in Fallout 4 are not mutually exclusive. You can pursue relationships with multiple characters concurrently.

Is Magnolia a synth?

Yes, Magnolia is widely believed to be a synth. This is based on dialogue, in-game terminals, and the fact that she drops a synth component when killed.

Does completing “Open Season” affect your ability to explore Nuka-World?

No, completing “Open Season” does not affect your ability to explore Nuka-World. You are still free to explore all areas of the map, but the raiders will remain hostile.

Choosing to eliminate the raiders in Nuka-World is a significant decision with a mix of benefits and drawbacks. While you’ll liberate the park and restore order, you’ll also sacrifice the potential perks of the raider path and the possibility of having Preston Garvey as a companion. Understanding these consequences is crucial to making an informed decision that best aligns with your desired gameplay experience in Fallout 4.