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How can you go around the main quest in Fallout 4?

  • Mr.
    • 763 posts
    November 12, 2018 1:10 PM EST

    Ever since Fallout 4 was released, I've never uninstalled it, even if I don't play it as I had hoped I would before its launch. I have 204 hours on it according to Steam, but I've only ever finished the main quest in one playthrough and gave up the game entirely in all the others before finishing either the main quest or any other meaningful thing. Never touched the DLCs either.

    One of the main problems I have, after the voiced main character that forces me to play as a very specific kind of white guy (city family office man that doesn't sound at all like the badass veteran I want to make. Even if I make that veteran a white guy, he's not the "right" kind of white guy for the main characters' voice, you know?) is that I can't really justify doing anything else than looking for my son. How could I? It's my son, stolen and lost in this effed up world with giant roaches and zombies after some bloke just shot my wife in the face.

    An ancestor of Brahmins to cut the wall of text.

    Other Bethesda-made and published games always leave some kind of "opening" for you to roleplay. In Skyrim, it makes sense that you want to prepare before commiting to the dragon-hunting and the fulfillment of your destiny, or hell, you can just warn Balgruuf and leave Whiterun for the world, never even beginning the main quest.

    In Fallout 3, you can roleplay as a dick-head punk-rebel son that doesn't really care about dad and becomes disillusioned with the promises and pleasures of this brave new world, especially after learning that this whole sealed Vault thing was never really a thing at all. Maybe after your dad leaves you can blame him for screwing up completely with your nice little life in the Vault and your childhood sweetheart Amata, and go down the path of moral depravation.

    In Fallout New Vegas, you're even more free. Do you want to go looking for revenge and to fulfill your contract? Do you want to try and get as far away from the man who shot you? Do you simply not care and just give up your job as a Courier after seeing how dangerous it is, maybe taking up bounty hunting to learn how to protect yourself in this unforgiving world?

    In Oblivion, you can leave the prison, take the message to the Priory and go on about your way. You can also just leave the sewer and forget all about it, maybe try and sell the Amulet of Kings? You can play crazy and go straight to the Shivering Isles while the world around you falls apart.

    In Morrowind, you're a prisoner who leaves the boat and register at the local office. That's it, you're free.

    How can you do the same kind of thing in Fallout 4? Even some of the main quests' branchs I find hard to follow. Unlike New Vegas, where you could logically go with either Mr. House, the Legion, the NCR or Yes Man, in Fallout 4 I find it very hard to go with the Brotherhood, the Minutemen or the Railroad against your son, even if I, personally, would prefer the Brotherhood to all other choices just like I prefer Mr. House to all other choices in Vegas.


    This post was edited by Mr. at November 12, 2018 1:17 PM EST
    • 700 posts
    November 12, 2018 2:46 PM EST

    The only real way to start FO4 out on the right foot is by using an alternate start mod. Start Me Up specifically edits the main quest dialogue to create the illusion that you're a random adventurer tracking down a missing child rather than a father tracking down his son. You even have to visit Vault 111 on your own time to start the story quest. I haven't finished the main quest on the alternate start yet, but when I do, it'll be with the Brotherhood. I doubt it'll be a perfect ending, but I expect it to work better than FO4's default ending. 

  • Mr.
    • 763 posts
    November 12, 2018 4:36 PM EST

    Legion said:

    The only real way to start FO4 out on the right foot is by using an alternate start mod. Start Me Up specifically edits the main quest dialogue to create the illusion that you're a random adventurer tracking down a missing child rather than a father tracking down his son. You even have to visit Vault 111 on your own time to start the story quest. I haven't finished the main quest on the alternate start yet, but when I do, it'll be with the Brotherhood. I doubt it'll be a perfect ending, but I expect it to work better than FO4's default ending. 

    Thanks, I'll look into this mod. Maybe with the no voiced protagonist + full dialogue mod Fallout 4 becomes more palatable to me. I (still) want to enjoy the game, somehow.

    • 1467 posts
    November 12, 2018 7:24 PM EST

    The only other option I've seen is to start out with an autosave from the Vault. It saves just before you leave so you can alter your character and everything, but you can avoid all the boring '"MY SON" stuff. After that, you just avoid going anywhere near Diamond City, there are still a few stifling conversations early on but you can avoid Concord, avoid Codsworth and just run out to somewhere nearby and do stuff there. Nuka World is completely unique to itself so that's available, so is Automatron...probably not Far Harbour, but the others are. There's still a lot you can do without hitting up Diamond City, or the Factions, and while it might limit the longer chains of quests, there's still enough smaller quests to get you going for a short playthrough. 

    Is it optimal? Nah it's something I've been complaining about for years, but if your on PC then your best bet is to just mod the shit out of the game. I know there are plenty of people that have the same complaints and if you get an Extended Dialogue Mod, No Voiced Protagonist, possibly an Alternate Start and a few others... Not sure haven't looked into modding. 

    • 700 posts
    November 13, 2018 1:40 AM EST

    Mr. Edd said:

    Thanks, I'll look into this mod. Maybe with the no voiced protagonist + full dialogue mod Fallout 4 becomes more palatable to me. I (still) want to enjoy the game, somehow.

    I quite like this alternate start mod, and I think you will too if only for the fact that it lets you choose traits. I went with my classic Four Eyes and Trigger Discipline for my first run with it. I also think Full Dialogue Interface will be a huge help. * It lets you see exactly what you'll say before you say it. Combined with the Silent Protagonist mod, it's almost feels like you have a choice. There's still the occasional annoyance of having to choose from 4 practically identical answers, but I don't think there's much fixing that. 

    *Edit: Got excited and forgot you mentioned it. 


    This post was edited by Legion at November 13, 2018 1:45 AM EST